It was a cold day, colder than usual. Jason knew this as he stood outside, feeling the cool wind on his body, day in and day out. Jason worked as a doorman for a huge apartment building in the city centre. All he did every day was open doors for the residents, most of whom didn’t even thank him or look at him, and when they brought luggage or shopping bags, he would have to bring it up. Of course, Jason would happily oblige because he didn't have a choice.

It was part of the job, but a thank you, or a small tip wouldn’t hurt. He had been working in this building for almost a year, and he always thought about ripping all these snobby, posh bastards a new one every since he met them, but he needed this job. Nobody else would look after him. Jason realised long ago that this world is cruel, survival of the fittest and all. The rich get richer while the poor try to hold everything together. Well, the majority of them are all but Alex.

Alex was the guy that everyone loved. He was the model student who never got picked on but was the one everyone wanted to be friends with. He had stunning looks and came from a very prestigious family that controlled much of the city's real estate and even some in other cities too. But Alex was different. He didn't want to be roped in with his family. He wanted to make a name for himself, so he started his own business and bought his very own building—the current one Jason worked in as the doorman.

"Hiya Jason, how are you doing?" Alex greeted.

"Not much, Alex. What about you?" Jason replied.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. Aren't you cold? It's very chilly out. Here, take my jacket," Alex offered.

Jason looked at Alex with confusion. "Are you serious? No way, man. Keep your jacket on. I don't want you catching a cold because of me."

"Nonsense. I'm going inside anyway, so I have no use for it today. How about this? You keep it on for your shift, and when I come downstairs later on, I'll take it off your hands," Alex suggested.

Jason looked at Alex for a few seconds, and just as he was about to refuse again, Bernard broke in. "If you don't take the jacket, I'll force it on you myself."

Bernard was Alex's butler. Wherever Alex went, Bernard went. Bernard had been with Alex since he was five and worked for him for 20 years. Alex considered Bernard his family, even more so than his actual family. Jason looked at Bernard and said, "Bring it on then," as he put his hands up in a fighting pose while Bernard kept a straight face, seemingly looking right into his soul. At least, that's how Jason felt. Jason then looked at Alex and reluctantly took the jacket. He could feel how warm it was when he touched it and quickly put it on.

"Looks great on you," Alex commented.

"Yeah, if you keep this up, I'll be paying you to open my doors," Jason replied jokingly.

They both laughed, and Jason opened the door for him, happily waving him off. Jason thought to himself how great a guy Alex was. Jason cleaned the front area and opened the door for some residents, most of whom didn't even look at him. He remembered some of them. There was Steven, who had a tech start-up. He lived in Apartment 4. Maria and Mark lived in Apartment 3. Jason didn't know what they did, but they were the hippie type and didn't seem to fit in. However, Mark did give him the occasional nod. And lastly, there was Caroline. Caroline was a model, and Jason sure knew it. She had long blonde hair and actively worked out. She was about as tall as his shoulders. Jason was 5'10''

She was the only other person apart from Alex who helped him, and he remembered the day she gave him her food when his stomach growled in front of her. He was seriously embarrassed that day, more so than in his life. He wished he could talk to her more but lacked the confidence, and all he got from her was a slight 'hi.' But that's all he needed because he knew she had her eyes on Alex. He saw them briefly bump into each other in the lobby. Jason had never seen what love at first sight is, but if he were to speculate, it would be what he witnessed. All he could see was her blush and words, unable to leave her lips.

Of course, Jason went in to help her with her fallen belongings and could feel the spark they had. So he just left it with a hello every time he opened the door for her, and that was that. As he shut the door for her and saw nobody coming, he put his hand in the jacket pocket as his hands were getting cold. He could feel something metallic. It was Alex's keys.

Jason quickly got inside and went to the elevator, pressing the button for the penthouse where Alex stayed. The Apartment was divided into nine floors, with the penthouse being the tenth. Jason had never seen the penthouse; he was always at the bottom unless he helped the other nine residents with their luggage and shopping bags. It brought back memories of Mrs Dogart in apartment 6. She always had shopping, and her husband was a multimillionaire who was never home. But she always had some guy friends coming over, who were at least half her age. Jason thought she was around 45, but he never really knew. "I'm sure they're just her friends," Jason sarcastically said to himself.

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Finally, Jason reached the penthouse, where Bernard let him in and took the keys from him. As he entered, he was taken aback when he saw Alex strolling over in a towel, fresh out of the shower. Jason's jaw dropped as he witnessed the most chiselled and amazing physique he had ever seen. It looked like one of those Greek god sculptures he had seen online. And not only that, Alex was 6’3. Jason knew Alex did modelling for fun, but now he could truly picture it.

"Well, I'll be off, and here's your jacket. I'm about to clock off," Jason said.

"But it's only been five minutes since I gave it to you," Alex responded.

"Yeah, I forgot to tell you that I have the weekend off and am finishing early today. I'm driving a couple of hours away to go see my family for my 24th birthday," Jason explained.

"24th birthday? You're a year younger than me," Alex remarked.

"Yes, I am, and I feel my back starting to ache already," Jason joked.

They both chuckled, and Alex continued, "Are you going out with friends as well?"

Jason's face darkened slightly, and he said, "Don't really have any. We kind of just drifted away. So, I'm just going to have dinner with my family and relax. My brother is coming down from college, so that will be nice. I haven't seen him in a while, although we do keep in touch over the phone."

Jason didn't have many friends while growing up; he mostly kept to himself. He didn't experience bullying in high school because he blended into the background, remaining unnoticed by others. He had a keen understanding of the world, as he had encountered its harsh realities during his time in primary school. With very few people to rely on, he primarily relied on himself and his brother for support. When Jason reminisced about his favourite and most cherished memory, it would be the moments spent alone, immersing himself in a certain video game. He would play as a Nord that could blow people away with a shout.

"Well, have fun, man. And if you need extra time off, call me personally or Bernard. We'll make it work," Alex assured him.

Jason looked at him, smiled, and said, "Will do!" He waved at Alex, thinking, “I don't even have his number, let alone Bernard's. I'm sure he's just trying to be nice.”

But before he could walk to the elevator, Alex said, "Hold on a second." Jason turned around, and there was Alex with a present. Jason was shell-shocked. Nobody but his family had ever gotten him anything.

"Just a little thank you for looking after the building," Alex said, handing Jason the gift. Jason looked at it and opened it. It was the brand-new Cacti 15 Max that had come out just three days prior. And not just that. It had two phone numbers written on the box, one for Alex and one for Bernard.

"I can't accept this. I can't afford this. I don't even make enough in a month to buy this," Jason said, feeling overwhelmed.

Alex looked at him with a strange expression and asked a personal question, "Hey, Jason, how much do you make a week?"

Jason looked confused. All the funds came from Alex, although Lucas handled all the payments. "I make $500 a week. Why?"

Jason saw something he had never seen before. Alex was mad, but not just mad—furious. "That bastard!" Alex exclaimed.

Now Jason was really confused. Why did Alex call his building manager a bastard? And then it all clicked. "I gave you a raise four months ago. You should be getting $1000 a week," Alex revealed.

Jason's eyes widened as much as they would allow, and he stuttered, "I... I had no idea. I've been receiving only $500 this whole time."

Alex clenched his fists angrily and muttered, "I can't believe Lucas would do this. He's been skimming off your paycheck."

Jason's mind raced, trying to process the information. Lucas, the building manager, had always seemed trustworthy, and Jason had never suspected anything fishy. He felt a mix of betrayal and frustration.

"I trusted him. I never thought he would do something like this," Jason muttered, his voice filled with disappointment.

Alex stepped closer and placed a reassuring hand on Jason's shoulder. "Don't worry, Jason. I'll take care of it. This is unacceptable. No one should take advantage of you like that."

Jason looked up at Alex, gratitude filling his eyes. "Thank you, Alex. I can't express how much this means to me."

Alex nodded and said, "You're part of our building community, and I won't let anyone mistreat or exploit you. We'll investigate this matter thoroughly, and I promise you, justice will be served."

Jason felt hopeful. He never imagined that simple interaction with Alex delivering his keys would lead to uncovering such a betrayal. But now, he saw Alex for who he was, someone who cared about his well-being and doing the right thing.

To be honest, it was a genius plan by Lucas. Why would a simple doorman go to the big boss and ask him about his pay or getting a raise? And why would the big boss ask him about his raise? If he did ask, Lucas could simply give him an extra $50 a week and pocket the rest while keeping Jason quiet. Jason would go to Lucas about such inquiries to not disturb Alex.

"Come on, Bernard, we're going to fire Lucas," he then casually turns to Jason and says, "Hey, a new job just opened up. Want a promotion?" For a second time today, his eyes widened as much as they would let him. And all he said was, "Best birthday ever! Of course, I'll take the job, mate!"

Bernard quietly came back from the massive closet with a smile on his face hearing the interaction between the two, he held Alex’s clothes in hand, and Alex put them in his room. A few minutes later, he came out and said, "Ready to deal some justice?" So the three of them hopped in the elevator, and Alex said to Jason, "As your first act as manager, would you kindly do the honours?" Jason smiled broadly and said, "Happily," as he pressed the ground floor button, and everything went white.

The next thing Jason saw was nothing. It was pitch black. He screamed in shock, thinking he might have just had a heart attack or stroke from all the news he had received. But the strange thing was that he couldn't hear his voice. Now he was really scared. What was happening? He tried to calm himself and think logically about what was going on. He attempted to move his hands but couldn't feel anything. And all of a sudden, a prompt showed up. It startled him because it appeared out of nowhere without any notice. He read what it said and was utterly confused. It read, "System integration complete." Then another prompt appeared, replacing the last one. It said, "Welcome to the system."