The early morning haze lingered on the city skyline as Elian stood in front of Skyridge Residences, a luxury high-rise in the heart of Bonifacio Global City. Towering and regal, the edifice glittered in the morning sun, representing riches and precision.
He tightened his grip on the packet in his hand—the official property contract, embossed with the NovaTech logo and a covert "Hidden Mission Reward: Claimed Property - Residential Suite PH27B, 15M PHP Valuation." It was a reward for success as much as a symbol of his elevation.
The lobby was unlike anything he'd ever seen before—polished marble floors, a ceiling with cascading lights that resembled a meteor shower, and concierge staff dressed sharper than some of the CEOs he'd previously worked for. A woman greeted him with a friendly nod.
"Good morning, sir. You must be Mr. Reyes?"
"Yes," he nodded and handed her the contract.
Her gaze skimmed it momentarily before she motioned to a private elevator. "We've been expecting you. Your keys, welcome packet, and residence access have all been prepared. Allow me to escort you to the 27th floor."
The private elevator had its own salon within, complete with soft classical music and LED lights. When the doors opened, he walked into PH27 B.
The unit was stunning.
Three bedrooms. Two balconies. One panoramic living room overlooking the entire BGC cityscape. The interiors are decorated in subdued slate gray and warm maple wood, creating a seamless blend of corporate edge and homey warmth. The living space alone was larger than the flat his entire family had occupied for years.
The master bedroom had a walk-in closet, a bathroom with an auto-dimming mirror, a rainfall shower, and a smart tub with voice-activated settings. In the corner sat a designated office with a glass desk and three 4K monitors already installed—possibly a tip from the system about how he should arrange the space.
Elian stood in the center of the living room, allowing the silence to wash over him. He then murmured, "We made it."
After an hour of examining the condo and checking over the home automation systems, Elian left momentarily, drove back to their old suburban home, and packed the few remaining items that were authentically his: a few books, an old worn-out laptop, his system notebook, and one framed family portrait.
By noon, he had returned to the apartment and parked his new Toyota Fortuner 4x4 2.8L LTD in the resident VIP bay. The feeling was surreal—less than six months earlier, he was unemployed, struggling, and watching the world go by without him. Now he was on the top floor of a building he had only dreamed of.
But he wasn't finished.
He opened his laptop and started planning the arrangement of his coding space. He ordered:
A custom-built Intel Core i9-14900K tower equipped with an NVIDIA RTX 5090 Titan Edition GPU
128 GB DDR5 RAM
Triple 49-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved monitors.
A glass-topped L-shaped desk with integrated RGB edge lights.
Esports winners use a high-back ergonomic chair.
Voice-controlled ambient lighting linked to a JBL 7.2 surround sound system.
Dual UPS power backups and an AI-enhanced coding assistant terminal connected directly to a
private cloud server for his team's development pipeline.
He wanted more than simply a setup.
He wanted a war room.
By late afternoon, he had taken a shower, dressed into a casual polo and jeans, and headed down to the café immediately outside the building.
That's where he noticed Samantha.
She was dressed in a denim skirt and blouse, sipping iced coffee and focusing at her laptop screen with the concentration that Elian had always appreciated. She looked up and blinked with surprise.
"Elian? "
He smiled. Hey, Sam. Busy? "
"A bit. I'm preparing for a meeting for one of our clients, but she canceled it. How about you? "
"I just moved in upstairs."
Her eyes expanded. "Do you live here?" "
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want proof?" "
She laughed. "You're unbelievable."
"I was about to eat." Join me? "
She stood. "Only if you're paying."
"Always."
But before dinner, Elian had a detour in mind.
They pulled into Vallée Luxe, a high-end designer store in Greenbelt, Makati. The crew greeted him instantly.
Samantha's jaw dropped slightly. "Are you shopping here?" "
"You deserve better window shopping," he quipped.
He chose a few suits, including deep navy, graphite black, and a gorgeous burgundy. Samantha watched him try them on in the boutique fitting room.
When he strolled out in the perfectly cut burgundy suit, she nearly coughed on her complimentary lemon water.
"You look like someone who owns the company."
"Funny, I kind of run part of it now."
Elian bought all three clothes and a fancy wristwatch before turning to Samantha and offering her a beautiful Saint Laurent handbag.
She blinked. "Elian... "That is ₱40,000."
"Then you better use it well."
As evening approached, they discussed where to eat.
Samantha mumbled, "I kind of miss home-cooked meals..."
Elian grinned. "Then let's return to my apartment. "I'll cook."
Samantha just stared. "Do you cook?" "
"Well... We can search online".
He laughed. Let's make it more unlawful. We will get groceries. "Only premium ingredients."
The supermarket excursion was nearly hilarious.
They loaded up five carts with quality Wagyu meat, truffle oils, exotic pastas, rare seafood, pricey wines, and a few nibbles Samantha thought were 'essential for sanity.' Every time they passed another aisle, she'd mumble, "You're going to need a second fridge."
Elian responded, "I've already ordered a double-door smart refrigerator. "It will arrive tomorrow."
People in the supermarket whispered while the cashier processed their purchases. The total amount was ₱482,765. The POS system delayed before printing the receipt.
Even the cashier glanced up in shock. "Sir, do you want this delivered?" "
Elian chuckled. "To Skyridge Residences, PH27B. Tonight, please."
They returned to the unit around 9 p.m. Samantha set her new bag on the kitchen counter, now filled with groceries and cookware. She investigated every area as Elian served velvety truffle mushroom pasta, pan-seared salmon, and a perfectly cold bottle of red wine.
They sat in the eating nook, looking at the skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. The lights in the city twinkled like stars.
"This place is insane," Samantha muttered. "You really made it."
He grinned faintly. "I'm not done yet."
Later that night, as Samantha was relaxing in the guest room with Netflix, Elian returned to his work terminal.
The panel presented a list of NovaTech's UI/UX professionals. He perused the computerized portfolio database until two entries stood out:
Alexa Trinidad - clear interface logic, perfect user empathy designs.
Cynthia Lao - imaginative transitions and animation depth; adept in Figma, Adobe XD, and front-end integration.
He did not hesitate.
He wrote an email to President Novarro.
Subject: UI/UX Picks for Core Alpha
Sir,
I've attached the profiles of two applicants I'd like to recommend for our design core.
Alexa Trinidad
Cynthia Lao
I believe they possess the intuition and versatility required to match the speed and complexity of contemporary systems.
Once accepted, I will handle the onboarding and sprint integration.
— Elian Reyes
He pressed send.
And as the screen dimmed and his AI helper went to sleep, Elian stood up, strolled to the balcony, and looked out over the city once more.
The sky didn't appear as far away.
He's coding setup will be here tomorrow.