Gus Harper's face darkened as he left the Riverside Heights sales office. Peter Grayson, the project manager, had maxed out his discount at 10%, but during negotiations, Gus caught Peter's pitying glances at his fading shiner. When it came time for the down payment, Peter caved, calling his dad, Paul Grayson, for special approval: 15% off.
A 2,500-square-foot condo, priced at $2,380 per square foot, totaled $546,218. With the discount, it dropped to $465,546. A 50% down payment sealed the deal—sign the contract, move in by year's end. In this market, 15% off was a steal, tightly regulated by the city.
Great deal. Humiliating vibe.
Peter escorted them out, shaking Gus's hand. "Congrats, you two. Happy life ahead. Invite me to the wedding, yeah?"
He patted Gus's hand, his eyes saying, Hang in there, buddy.
Gus's jaw clenched. Seriously, dude? Zoey was a bit of a gremlin—lazy, cheeky, maybe a tad heavy-handed—but she wasn't some chaos demon. Why was Peter acting like Gus was signing up for a lifetime of torture?
"Thanks, Peter," Gus said, forcing a grin. "You'll be front row at the reception." He slid an arm around Zoey's waist, signaling he was just fine.
Peter's smile widened, his eyes nearly vanishing. "Looking forward to it!"
They parted ways, the house locked in. Gus and Zoey strolled through the sun-dappled corridor, hands interlocked, steps slow and easy.
"Lunch plans?" Zoey asked, skipping lightly, her sneakers catching flecks of sunlight.
"Thought we'd cook," Gus said, one hand in his pocket, the other holding hers.
Zoey tugged his arm, checking his watch—a cartoonish Mickey Mouse face. "It's noon. Let's hit Jimmy's Grill. I'm craving their spicy beef stir-fry."
"Jimmy's what?" Gus raised an eyebrow.
"Stir-fry!" Zoey grinned. "It's got that kick—total flavor bomb."
Gus chuckled. "Sounds like it's got swagger and spice."
With no food at home, he nodded. "Cool, Jimmy's it is. Then we hit the store for stuff to make spicy beef stir-fry tonight?"
"Hell yeah!" Zoey pumped a fist, playfully kicking her leg up. "Gotta do the stir-fry dance!"
"Dance?" Gus laughed. "What's that?"
"It's a thing!" Zoey insisted, tugging his arm. "You gotta shimmy for the stir-fry to slap. Like this!" She wiggled her hips, pulling him into it. "Come on, shimmy!"
Gus snorted, mimicking her goofy kick. "Like this?"
"Yesss!" Zoey giggled, chanting, "Shimmy! One, two, three! Shimmy!"
They pranced through the corridor, laughing like kids, hands clasped. Behind them, Peter, still at the sales office door, froze, his jaw dropping. What the…?!
After a long pause, he muttered, "Guess opposites really do attract."
The condo was set, just a waiting game now. But the gaming world was buzzing louder than ever.
Next month, Friday the 7th, 8 p.m.—a date no major studio dared touch. Normally, mid-year was prime for big releases, but this year? Everyone dodged one game: WindyPeak's A Way Out.
At Fury Games, director Leo Finch eyed his calendar, circling the 7th. "Too late to drop this month?" he asked his marketing manager.
"Too rushed," the manager said, shaking his head. "But delaying means clashing with ThunderPulse's new title."
Leo grimaced. "ThunderPulse? I'd rather gamble on them than WindyPeak."
At Radiant Studios, Dylan Kane frowned at his assistant's notebook. "Push our release from the 7th?"
"Easier said than done," the assistant replied. "Early means half-baked promo. Later, we're up against Fury Games and ThunderPulse. It's already a mess."
"End of the month?" the assistant suggested.
"Nope," Dylan sighed. "StarWolf Interactive's dropping then. They're our partners—can't stab them in the back."
"Then it's WindyPeak," the assistant said.
Dylan groaned. "I'll take my chances with StarWolf."
Why the panic? Last night, WindyPeak announced A Way Out's release: 8 p.m., Friday the 7th. The gaming community erupted with hype, but competitors? They were sweating.
With Escape's GDC award and Plants vs. Zombies's 7M-unit triumph, WindyPeak was a juggernaut. No one dared launch alongside them. A rushed release risked flops; a delayed one meant fighting giants like Fury Games or Nebula Games's StarWolf Interactive. Even brothers like Radiant Studios and StarWolf Interactive were ready to duke it out rather than face WindyPeak.
At PacificTech, Ethan Camron stared at a report from his assistant, Zach Nolan, his expression torn between awe and disbelief. The first week of next month: five games total. Four were small fries—$30,000 PC/mobile titles. The fifth? A Way Out, a $15M motion-cabin beast, the only big release that week.
The next week? Twenty-eight games, including Fury Games and ThunderPulse's $500M blockbusters. Week three: thirty-five games, with Bluejay Games, PeakPulse Games, BrightTech, GaleForce Studio, and BrightWave Games battling it out. Week four: thirty-nine games, with Nebula Games's Radiant Studios and StarWolf Interactive going head-to-head.
Five games in week one. A hundred and two in the next three. Total chaos.
All because of A Way Out.
Ethan shook his head, chuckling. "Talk about clout." Two years ago, WindyPeak was a nobody. Now, one game made the industry scatter like roaches. "The city's draped in golden glory," he mused, pointing at the report.
Knock, knock.
The prison door creaked open. A gritty title flashed on-screen: Escape Plan.
"Hey, Leo, you got an actual plan to break out, right?" Vincent, bearded and hunched, asked from a cramped plane cabin bench.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo snapped, flustered, like his bluff was called. "I've got a plan, okay?"
Vincent shrugged. "This whole escape was my idea, wasn't it?"
"Hey!" Leo bristled. "I busted you out, man."
"Not quite," Vincent said, shaking his head. "We escaped together."
"If it wasn't for me, you'd still be rotting in there," Leo shot back.
Vincent leaned forward. "I saved your life. Twice."
"Twice…" Leo muttered as the screen faded.
A deep voice cut in. "Welcome to Escape Plan, the action-crime interactive thriller starring Yin and Cory. I'm Yin, playing Vincent."
"And I'm Cory, playing Leo," another voice added.
A pause. Then Yin laughed. "This is kinda awkward, huh?"
Cory groaned. "Told you it'd be weird. I'm cringing."
The livestream chat exploded:
"LMAO, even Yin's embarrassed!"
"I was fine till they said it. Now I'm dying!"
"Three-bedroom cringe level!"
"Finally, prison break time! Been hyped forever!"
"Anyone got a co-op buddy for this?"
"Ban that guy, too real!"
"Dual-screen vibes hit different!"
"Flashback ending, right? They're on the plane?"
"Happy ending, please! No gut-punches!"
"Prison's like, 'Y'all forgot me!'"
Friday, 8 p.m. In a market cleared of rivals, Escape Plan launched on IndieVibe 2 with unstoppable hype. A pulse-pounding prison break began, and players worldwide dove in.