The brightly lit sun spilled into our modestly sized apartment, much like it did during the hot summer months. The blinds were already open, allowing a comforting warmth to fill the dining room. We were situated on the 7th floor, facing the main city streets, and therefore fortunate enough to witness both the rising and setting of the sun, just as long as we timed it right.

Ah! The morning hustle in the household, where the beauty of sunrise collided with the chaos of getting things done. From our apartment view, I soaked in the surreal scene, the beautiful canvas painted by God for our amusement, or so my father used to tell me whenever we both woke up early to catch the sunrise when I was much younger. My Mom on the other hand wasn't a believer in God, she much preferred being reliant on the things her hands could touch, like science for example. (Also a quote by her)

We finished our breakfast and my mother finally entered the dining room. She was already dressed in her smart cream plaid blazer, matching skirt, and polished brown shoes. Her skin was fairer compared to the rest of us. Her almond-shaped eyes were deep brown, and her soft features instantly revealed her full-blooded Asian descent. She was born and raised in Japan, my father was born somewhere in Europe, I always forgot, but his parents were from the smouldering red sands of Africa. She had long, silky black hair and small, veal-colored lips shaped into a cupid's bow. Her eyelashes were noticeably long, enhancing her beautiful aesthetics. Despite being middle-aged, she looked remarkably young with little to no effort.

"Good morning, Mom," I said with genuine gladness to see her this morning.

"Morning, my dear. How did you sleep? Also, did you manage to send over those documents I asked you to look at?"

Her gaze didn't fully settle on either me or Ringo. I could sense she was already in work mode, trying her hardest to multitask while concealing her stress.

"Yes, I sent them over before I went to bed last night. You should find them in your work email address—"

"Good, but what about my personal one? Just in case I don't have access—"

"Sent them over last night. You'll find them in your work email, personal email, and even the secret one only the aliens know about," I assured her, flashing a boyish grin with a thumbs up to ligthen her mood. I couldn't make an honest promise like that without knowing how meticulous she was with her work. So I didn't imagine today being anything other than a success for her due to the face nearly everyone was on egg shells for the past five months. And knowing just how stern she could be, neither myself nor Ringo left anything for chance.

However, weirdly enough, my thoughts drifted to my dad and how he was faring these days... wherever he was.

I caught Mom beholding me for a brief moment. Her lips creased into a warm smile as she said earnestly.

"Well done, Shoba."

My mother's presence hastened the pace of breakfast for Ringo and me. We cleared the table of the remaining food. And in less than 20 minutes, we were both fully dressed, well-fed, and seated inside my mother's four-door black jeep with a custom number plate, parked in our garage.

I watched my mother perform her usual ritual each time she entered the car. Firstly, she fiddled with her rearview mirror a few times and adjusted her seat securely before fasting her seatbelt, then she played with the corners of the rearview mirror one last time just for good measure. She took a glance at the both of us and nodded her head before driving us away out onto the busy streets of Tokyo. 

The car gently roared across the measured roads, like a sleek dark creature almost gliding across the gravel with little to no effort. Glancing through the slightly tinted windows we saw our reflection moving almost like a dark blur against the buildings. Tokyo was a metropolis of high-raising sleek-looking skyscrapers. I enjoyed it the most during the nighttime as I suspect most others did too. But even during the morning nothing truly beat the vast aliveness of this place.

 It took our jeep around 30 minutes to cross into the downtown area. Where my mother ended up parking the car just in front of an incredibly tall building made up of shimmering blue glass.

The building stood so tall its helm sat hidden within the cluster of pale clouds hanging above. 
Once we were given the go-ahead to exit I jumped out of the jeep and instinctively felt the need to yawn whilst stretching all my limbs out in the process like a feline.

'That car ride almost took forever. Good thing Ringo wasn't in the talking mood.' I gladly thought to myself.

Ringo was currently lost within her own world. She had in her EarPods and at full blast for that matter too, sitting prettily in one of her lovely formal dresses, pretending the world around her didn't exist. After exaggeratedly clearing my throat a few times and getting no response, I was forced to gently nudge her against her knee. 

I made sure to retract my hand quick enough, of course, avoiding any retaliation from her menacing claws. Her sharp gaze met mine with disdain, but as the realization of our arrival set in, a flicker of wonder sparkled in her  eyes. 

With the door open, the sunlight bathed over me, allowing Ringo to peek at the outdoors through my side of the door.

Standing outside this towering glass tower, we both paused, tilting our heads back and squinting to catch a glimpse of the high raised summit. It had been a while since either one of us had ventured to this part of Tokyo. I could still remember pieces about those weekends spent under the watchful eyes of my mother's unlucky coworkers (in hindsight, probably just the building security to be honest), who were assigned to keep an eye on my mischievous younger self at that time. I remember spending all day running around the countless rooms with some of the other kids born to prestigious and wealthy families who appeared randomly.

As I thought back, I could almost hear a delightful and graceful giggle in my memories, a long-distant recollection surfacing of a particularly beautiful blue-haired girl with whom I spent most of my time playing hide and seek with. The rare times when I thought about that girl with the cherry rose smile, a smile of my own unconsciously creases against my face.

Ringo struggled to recall the last time she stood beneath this monument, a rare glow of wanderlust reflecting in her bright eyes as she curiously inspected her new surroundings. The city welcomed us, promising a day of rediscovery and, perhaps, a few unexpected adventures along the way, I faintly hoped of course, but I wasn't under any assumption that today could be a snoozefest.

After a while I had grown somewhat bored, but a knowing smile suddenly crept against my lips whilst I silently observed Ringo. I recognized the significance this architectural marvel held for her, offering a glimpse into the world she aspired to join as an architect one day. She loved these kind of artistically styled buildings, knowing this I allowed her to bask in the beautiful array of its existence undisturbed.

"Shall we go in then?" I finally broke the silence after about ten minutes.

Ringo responded with a delicate nod. "Hm-mm!" Her eyes remained fixated on the glass tower until we stepped inside.

As we entered, we were guided by three tall, broad-shouldered men dressed in identical tailored black suits, who didn't say much but pointed and made grunts. Mom swiftly departed though, she flashed her badge once at the guards before being ushered in.

I audaciosly attempted to follow her lead, proudly raising my chin slightly whilst I walzted behind her. I felt an immoveable force suddenly blocking my way. I tilted my neck back to see the stern bronze face staring daggers down at me.

"Get in line!"

Eventually, we found ourselves being swept along with a swiftly moving line. A lavish red rug stretched through the narrow corridor, drawing a curious glint sparkling within my gaze. Whilst observing the soft red rug beneath my soles. Just ahead, a tall arch-shaped entryway beckoned us, with lights flickering from within and the soothing sounds of an orchestra finding its way into the corridor.

Once we finally passed through the archway, I was nearly awestruck by the opulent interior that unfolded before us. Black and white polished marble tiles adorned the floor, reflecting my hazy but well-groomed image as I took a few steps forward onto what I imagined was the most prestigous floor I had possibly stepped foot on. The spacious room itself exuded an unmistakable sense of luxury and immaculateness.

Most of the furniture scattered around was white, from the chairs and tables to the distant bar and pale pillars carrying moving holographic advertisements. I took a careful look around my new surroundings, unsure if I could ever get used to a place like this.

In this sea of affluence, I felt like a tadpole in a pond surrounded by expensive fish. Many faces around me belonged to celebrities or famous tech billionaires with stakes in my mother's company's project. This only goes to show how much money has gone into the new V series release. Sometimes it did leave me in wonder, why so many hands were involved in this.

While I cared little to nothing about such prestine events, I did find some level of enjoyment, even if it was only for the free food and the chance to understand my mother's work a little more. She devoted seven days a week to her job, enduring long hours to make this project a success. It had been in development for ten years, involving countless intricate moving cogs that had to turn the same way all at once for this day to finally come.

Despite my personal feelings towards that beta game, this was a monumental achievement for everyone involved , especially when you consider that the government had tried and failed on numerous occassions to shut down the release of the V-series games for almost a decade now. I remember going through a period where Mom was constantly on the phone with lawyers everyday.

'Heh, they've actually pulled this off haven't they' I mused to myself, still taking in the expensive enviroment.

"It's a shame Dad couldn't be here to see it though."

Despite actively working with companies that opposed the V-series development, he had still tried his best to support Mom during her showcases. Dad's job required unsociable hours and even the need for him to relocate to strange tropics across both Africa and South America throughout the year. But knowing the kind of man he was, and the fervent environmentalist he stood for, this entire showcase would likely have made him feel sick to his stomach. 'But still, he would've enjoyed seeing Mom smile...for once.'

The very wide, open space, which was now bustling with people, had become quite lively after 20 minutes since our arrival. Considering that this was going to be one of the company's major showcases, I couldn't help but notice my mother's company banners strategically placed around the hall. A prominent red banner with pale wings and two flat triangles resized on top of one another, they seemed quite determined to market themselves at every opportunity, I realised. There were also some advertisements about this ground breaking accord between the SCP and NGOs that had made the V9 MMORPG game possible in the first place. Further observing my surroundings, I couldn't ignore the fact that the air seemed to even smell rich, not to mention the numerous popular designer brands on display in every direction added to the allure of wealth here. Although both Ringo and I were no strangers to these sorts of events by now, I still felt somewhat out of place amongst these people when it came down to it.

In the middle of the hall, I noticed a white oval-shaped stage had been set up. The ground beneath it was raised by a few feet, with its shape designed to afford the people on the stage the ability to effectively communicate with every seated guest surrounding them.

Meanwhile, Ringo was kept busy, engrossed in her quest for hors d'oeuvres. On more than one occasion, I caught her craning her neck to flag down a waiter in a bowtie, and after having his fresh tray of food snatched away by her more than once. I saw the same waiter doing his best to avoid her after that.

Eventually, I took my seat at the end of the fourth row, intentionally distancing myself from the front row where important individuals usually sat. I chose a seat towards the right side of the stage, ensuring I was at a safe distance to avoid being targeted for any questions.

Twenty minutes after our arrival, it seemed like most of the other guests had filled the hall and taken their seats as well. I still hadn't seen any signs of my mother at this point, but I did make out a few familiar faces seated in the front row, far away from where we were seated.

One person in particular caught my attention – an older-looking fellow with a full head of silver silken strands, neatly trimmed and slicked back like a famous movie star. His chiseled face conveyed a sense of easygoing charm, and he just so happened to be an old family friend of ours, a face I could remember seeing as far back as when I was a little boy. One might say he was like an uncle or a close relative. But in reality, he was a significant donor within my mother's company's project.

Mr. Lee. One of the wealthiest men in all of Asia.