The beggar's eyes narrowed, the wrinkles around them folding in a way that made him look both wise and dangerous.
"You know about the Circle?" he repeated with a low voice.
He looked Alex up and down slowly, as if trying to figure out how he was still standing there in one piece. "No wonder you're still breathing... standing here with me... even after you've been discovered." His voice dropped even lower. "So... tell me, who's behind you, boy?"
That question landed like a punch to Alex's chest.
His face hardened.
"Are you trying to say... I'm not supposed to be safe?" His voice started to rise with frustration. "Again with these indirect riddles. The first time we met, you told me I couldn't find what I was looking for by just writing... and now this? What are you even saying?!"
His fists clenched by his sides. "I came here for answers. Real ones. And you keep throwing questions at me like I'm the one hiding something."
The old man looked calm and steady. As if Alex's anger meant nothing.
"Sit down," he said simply.
Alex hesitated. His chest was still rising and falling quickly, but something about the man's tone told him to obey.
They sat side by side on the dusty sidewalk. "Before I tell you anything," the man said slowly, "I need to know who I'm talking to. What have you been up to? And more importantly… who's been putting you up to all of it?"
Alex stared at the ground, then looked up and sighed.
He began to speak, not like someone giving information, but like someone finally letting it out.
"My father died," he started. "And I was left to care for my younger sister. I tried getting a job, any job. Nothing worked. I was barely surviving."
The beggar watched him silently.
"Then… this man came along. Said he knew my father from back in the day. Offered me to choose between a job, or mentorship. He said I had potential. Who would refuse mentorship from a wealthy man… I didn't have anything to lose, so I accepted."
Alex looked away for a moment, then continued. "That's how it started. The lessons. The teachings. Not just about business but about life, systems, power, and resistance. Things I never imagined existed."
The old man nodded, but his face was unreadable.
"So… this man… he's the one who's been guiding you through all this?" he asked quietly.
Alex nodded firmly. "Yes. And he has a name… Raymond Carter."
The old man froze.
His eyes widened, lips slightly parted.
"Raymond… Carter?" he repeated as if confirming it to himself. "Raymond Carter of... ADIG Group?"
Alex nodded again, more slowly this time. "You know him?"
The beggar leaned back, rubbed his beard, and let out a breath that sounded like a laugh mixed with shock. "That explains everything. That completely explains why you're still safe."
Alex tilted his head, confused. "Wait... you do know Mr. Raymond?"
The man let out a deeper laugh now, more bitter than amused.
"Who doesn't know Carter?" he said. "He's the man who went head to head with the biggest powers in this country… and lived to tell the story. A man who looked the system dead in the eye... and refused to blink."
Alex stared at him. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came.
"You think you're just going through mentorship?" the man continued, voice becoming more serious. "You think this is just training for business? No, boy. Carter doesn't mentor for fun. If he picked you, it's because he's preparing something. Something big."
Alex's heart started to pound. He didn't know if it was fear or excitement or both.
The beggar leaned closer. "You really don't know what you've gotten into, do you?"
Alex swallowed. "What do you mean?"
The old man's eyes darted left and right, scanning the people passing by.
He lowered his voice again. "Let's just say… people like Carter don't train anyone unless they plan to make them a threat."
"A threat to who?"
The man looked him dead in the eyes. "To the Circle. To the powers that control everything you see and don't see."
Alex's skin crawled.
The beggar stood up slowly, his knees cracking as he did. He looked down at Alex and said, "You've already stepped into the river, boy. Whether you know how to swim or not doesn't matter anymore. What matters now... is whether you're ready to drown or fight."
Alex stared at the man, eyes full of frustration and confusion. His voice was no longer calm.
"Can you just stop with these half descriptions and tell me the real story?" he said. "Stop circling around like I'm supposed to read your mind. Say it plainly!"
The old man looked at him with a heavy expression. For a moment, he didn't speak. Then he leaned back and said slowly, "What I'm saying... is that Carter is not who you think he is."
Alex blinked.
"He's putting you into something very dangerous," the man continued. "So dangerous... that you could lose everything you hold dear. Everyone you love."
Alex's mouth hung open, but no words came out.
The man kept talking, with a lower voice now, more serious than ever. "Everyone who ever went up against these people, the real powers, they all lost. Some lost their names. Some their families. Some their lives. The moment they see you as a threat, it's over. They don't wait. They don't talk. They erase."
Alex was frozen, his heart pounding.
"I told you I was a banker, didn't I?" the man asked.
Alex nodded slowly.
"I was excellent. Economics and accounting are my thing. I was good. So good, I got tired of working for banks. I wanted more. I wanted change. So I teamed up with some of the brightest minds I'd ever met. And together... we created a project."
"What kind of project?" Alex asked, already bracing himself.
The man leaned closer, eyes intense. "We built the foundation of what you now call... the blockchain."
Alex's eyes widened. "You say what?"
"Yes," he said firmly. "We were the minds behind it before it even had a name. A secure financial system. Free from manipulation. Honest. Transparent. We had the code. The model. Everything."
"But…" Alex asked slowly, "if that's true, then what happened?"
The old man laughed, but there was no joy in it. "They killed it. Before it could even begin."
His voice shook now, not with fear, but with pain.
"They hunted us. Like animals. The project was hijacked, stolen, and twisted into what serves them now. And those of us who survived… we had to disappear. Hide. Fade away. Live like ghosts."
Alex looked at the man with fresh eyes. This wasn't just some beggar in the market anymore. This was someone who had been through it.
"And that," the man said bitterly, "is what they do. They steal dreams. Hijack visions. Destroy hope. And then, they sell it to their own as if it was theirs from the start."
Alex took a deep breath, processing everything. "I'm so sorry… I had no idea. I didn't know things were this bad."
"Oh, it's more than bad," the man said. "It's rigged from top to bottom. But your case… it's different."
Alex raised his brow.
"You have a wing to hide under," the man explained. "I don't know how he did it, but Carter, he's a strong resistance. He has power. And he knows how to shield his own. So yes, you're in something dangerous. But at least for now… you're on the safer side of it."
Alex looked down, confused again. "So what you're saying is… I should keep going? Even after everything you just told me?"
The man nodded slowly. "Yes. Better safe than sorry. You're already inside. The only way out now… is through. But move smart."
"..."
Then the man tilted his head. "So tell me… what have you and Carter been up to these days?"
Alex took a deep breath. "The most recent project is something called NEOSPACE."
The man raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"It's a simple digital platform," Alex said. "A space where young people can learn, trade, invest, and even earn, with just their phones. It teaches digital skills and gives access to tools, affiliate links, and maybe a wallet. An easy entry into the digital world."
"And who's behind it?"
"I am," Alex said. "Raymond told me to build something, but I've done most of the groundwork. Now he won't invest, says it's not the right time."
The man chuckled. "Typical Mentor.
Alex straightened. "But I still believe in it. It's real. It can work. What I need now… is funding. Without it, the project dies."
The old man rubbed his chin, thinking deeply. "Well… have you considered collaboration? Reaching out to institutions? Partnering with like minds? Maybe even taking a bank loan?"
Alex blinked. "No… I haven't really thought of any of that."
"Have you considered offering value first?" the man added. "Giving something away? Creating something small that proves the bigger thing is worth investing in?"
Alex sat there quietly, realizing how much he hadn't thought about. He was so deep into the mission, the writing, the vision, he hadn't paused to think like a strategist.
He looked at the man, a fresh respect in his eyes. "You're really wise. Thank you."
The old man gave a small smile, the first one Alex had seen. "Sometimes wisdom doesn't come from books. It comes from wounds."
Alex stood up, brushing dust off his trousers. "You've given me a lot to think about. And I don't even know your name."
"It's Thomas. Thomas Finch." He said.
"Thank you, Mr. Finch. Really."
Thomas nodded. "Keep your head down, your mind sharp, and your heart in the right place. And remember, not everyone who smiles at you is your friend... and not everyone who scares you is your enemy."
Alex nodded slowly.
As he turned and walked away from the old market, something had changed in him. A lot of things had changed.