HEZRI (smooth, commanding)
"Opinions move markets. Markets move politics. And politics?" A smirk. "That moves the world."
He taps a tablet. The screens shift to projections—algorithms, media reach, polling data.
"I want every headline. Every trending topic. Every viral narrative—ours. We don’t just influence the game. We rewrite the rules."
A pause. His gaze sweeps over them.
1. Maya Reynolds – The "Grassroots" Billionaire
"We create fake activist investors. Bot networks swarm shareholder meetings, demanding ESG policies that tank targeted stocks—then we short them. Bonus: We ‘sell’ the solution through my new ‘ethical investment’ ptform."
2. Lena Cho – The Viral Bank Run
"A whisper campaign about a regional bank’s insolvency. Leak fabricated bance sheets to Reddit. Coat it in anti-establishment rage. When the panic hits, we buy their assets for pennies."
3. Alicia Voss – The Celebrity Honey Trap
"My showroom hosts an ‘exclusive’ car reveal for influencers. We get them drunk, feed them lies about a competitor’s product, and let their ‘hot takes’ go viral. Deniability? Perfect."
4. Sara Croft – The Deepfake Café
"Politicians meet at my café. Hidden A.I. clones their voices from recordings. We ‘leak’ scandalous phone calls. By the time they prove it’s fake, their poll numbers are ash."
5. Sophie Cheung – The Lawsuit Avanche
"We sue every major fact-checking org for ‘defamation’—not to win, but to drain their resources. Meanwhile, our ‘independent’ media outlets fill the truth vacuum."
6. Dr. Lakyus – The Pandemic Py
"A ‘study’ from our private hospital wing links a popur food additive to cancer. Soy futures crash. We buy up the panic, then ‘discover’ fwed methodology. Oops."
7. Renner – The Nurse’s Diary
"A ‘leaked’ nursing journal cims a senator’s wife is faking illness for sympathy. The outrage costs him the election. Who checks medical records? Exactly."
8. Li Vane – The False Fg Protest
"We pay actors to ‘riot’ at a factory, then bme it on environmentalists. Public turns against green policies. Our fossil fuel stocks soar."
9. Britney Ivanov – The Algorithmic Poison
"My fitness app pushes ‘wellness’ conspiracies to wealthy moms. ‘Seed oils cause dementia.’ Soon, whole grocery aisles are empty. Agribusinesses beg us to ‘fix’ the narrative—for a fee."
Hezri leans back in his throne-like chair, steepling his fingers as his gaze sweeps across the room with icy disappointment.
HEZRI
"Enough fantasy. Real power doesn't py with bots and fake leaks—it owns the ptforms themselves."
The women stiffen as he continues, his voice like a whip:
"I want concrete acquisitions. Not manipution—ownership. Not trends—institutions."
1. TAKEOVER OF LEGACY MEDIA (Assigned to Maya & Sophie)
"Identify struggling regional newspapers—the kind politicians still read. Buy them quietly through shell companies. Keep the original mastheads to preserve 'credibility' while we gut their editorial boards."
2. SILICON VALLEY INFILTRATION (Assigned to Lena & Alicia)
"Target mid-sized online news portals with financial troubles. Not the giants—the niche pyers in tech, business, and politics. Install our editors under the guise of 'revitalization'."
3. FEMINIST INTELLECTUAL TAKEOVER (Assigned to Elise & Li)
"Find the rising female public intellectuals—the ones with sharp tongues and small ptforms. Either buy their loyalty or destroy their reputations and repce them with our own groomed thinkers."
4. PODCAST & YOUTUBE EMPIRE (Assigned to Sara & Britney)
"Acquire progressive-leaning indie media collectives. Keep their 'rebel' branding while we quietly shift their content. Left-wing outrage is just as useful as right-wing—we'll own both."
5. MEDICAL INFLUENCE (Assigned to Dr. Lakyus & Renner)
"Take over medical journals and health influencers. A single 'study' on stress hormones can crash wellness stocks. A well-pced doctor's op-ed can shift public health policy overnight."
"A week. Seven days."
A slow, deliberate step forward, his polished shoes clicking against marble.
"Not proposals. Not theories. Actionable blueprints—names of media outlets for acquisition, dossiers on influencers, price tags attached."
Another step. The women tense under his gaze.
"Maya. Sophie. Which newspapers will we own by month’s end? Lena. Alicia. Which digital ptforms are vulnerable? I want lists. Contacts. Weaknesses to exploit."
His knuckles rap once against the gss table—a gunshot of finality.
"Elise will be your gatekeeper. Present to her first. If your pns survive her scrutiny, they’ll reach me."
***
Day 1: The List
Maya’s manicured nails tapped across three monitors, financial disclosures and circution charts glowing in the dark. Sophie’s legal pad filled with circled names—weak points, debts, vices.
"The Flintridge Gazette’s publisher has a daughter at NYU," Maya murmured. "Tuition payments are six months te."
Sophie smirked, scribbling. "And the Deware Ledger’s owner just got a new prescription from Lakyus’ colleague. OxyContin. How… unfortunate."
Maya’s phone buzzed with a confirmation—Payment Processed: 87,600. Hezri had covered the Flintridge Gazette publisher’s daughter’s NYU tuition in full.
HEZRI’S VOICE (over speakerphone):
"Bring the girl to me. Tonight."
Maya’s fingers tightened around her phone. She knew what that meant.
The hum of medical equipment fades into silence as Emma Carlisle, the Flintridge Gazette publisher’s daughter, steps into the room. She’s nineteen, dressed in a simple NYU hoodie, her fingers twisting nervously. Maya Reynolds guides her forward with a hand on her back—firm, but not unkind.
HEZRI lounges in his chair, swirling a gss of bourbon. His smile is velvet over steel.
The Flintridge publisher’s daughter—Emma, 19, pre-med—sat stiffly in a chair beside Hezri’s bed. Maya stood by the door, face unreadable.
HEZRI (to Emma):
"Your father’s paper is dying. But you? You have a future… if you help him make the right choice."
Emma’s hands trembled. "What do you want?"
HEZRI
"Emma. Your father’s a proud man. But pride doesn’t pay tuition, does it?"
Emma swallows, eyes flicking to Maya, who gives a slight nod.
EMMA (quietly)
"No. It doesn’t."
Hezri sets his gss down. A tablet slides across the table toward her.
HEZRI
"Your new apartment. The Celestia, 2nd floor. Furnished. And this—"
(taps the screen)
"—is your Ferrari Portofino. Keys are in the glove box."
Emma’s breath catches. The penthouse gleams in the renderings, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. The Ferrari is blood-red, pristine.
HEZRI (leaning forward)
"Maya will take you shopping tomorrow. Thirty thousand. Clothes, bags, shoes—whatever you want. All yours."
(a beat)
"In exchange, you work for me. And your father never finds out."
Emma hesitates—but only for a second. The weight of student debt, the glittering future dangled before her…
EMMA (nodding slowly)
"What do I have to do?"
Hezri smiles.
HEZRI
"For now? Look pretty. Be seen. The rest comes ter."
Hezri saw notification on his. Secret dashboard.
298,000spent.596,000 refunded. The system works.
Maya brought Emma to buy luxurious clothing.
Hezri at hospital watches as the final transaction clears.
30,000??spent on Emma’s shoppingspree.??
60,000 refunded.
