Chapter 1

Before I went to see Draven Jones, I received a phone call.

“Mr. Charlton, have you given my offer any more thought?”

I did not hesitate. “Mr. Shaw, I appreciate it, but I already made myself clear. I am not leaving Starry Auto.”

The man on the other end was Gilbert Shaw, the owner of the biggest auto shop in town. He wanted to hire me.

Three years earlier, after I left prison, nobody wanted to give me a job because of my criminal record. Then my childhood friend, Draven, called and asked if I wanted to work at his repair shop.

I had studied aerospace engineering in college and worked at a research institute after graduation. If I had not gotten into a fight while defending my parents, I never would have ended up behind bars.

Draven’s reasoning had been simple. “If you can work on rockets,” he said, “cars should be easy.”

He also told me that experienced mechanics sometimes stole parts from repair shops and sold them for cash. His small business could not survive losses like that. If I joined him, he was willing to make me a partner by counting my technical expertise as my investment.

I spent a few days thinking it over before I agreed.

Just as I was about to end my call with Gilbert, he seemed to sense something.

“Mr. Charlton, do not hang up yet. I asked around,” he continued. “Mr. Jones pays you ten thousand a month and thirty percent of the profits. Come work for me instead. I will give you a five‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar annual salary and fifty percent of the profits. I guarantee…”

Before he finished, another call came through.

It was Draven.

He asked if I had made it to the shop yet and told me to stop by his office when I arrived.

After I hung up, I could barely contain my excitement.

The day before, I heard that the shop earned a net profit of eight million dollars this year. According to the deal Draven and I made, I was entitled to thirty percent. That meant two point four million dollars.

Even when I worked at the research institute, I never saw that much money in my life.

However, the moment I walked into Draven’s office and received my profit share, I was stunned.

Draven leaned back in his oversized executive chair and tossed a bank card onto the desk.

“Elias, you worked hard this year. There is a hundred thousand dollars in that account. That is your profit share.”

For a second, I thought I misheard him.

“A hundred thousand? You have to be joking. The shop made eight million this year. We agreed on a seventy‑thirty split from the beginning. My share should be two point four million.”

Draven let out a mocking laugh, as if I told the funniest joke in the world. “Two point four million? Elias, do you really think you are worth that?”

His words hit me like a bucket of ice water, and I stood there frozen.

“What is that supposed to mean?” My voice rose before I realized it. “You said I would become a partner by contributing my skills. We agreed on a seventy‑thirty split. That was our deal. Now you are pretending none of it happened?”

“Our deal?” Draven smirked. “That was something we talked about. It was never written into your contract.”

He tapped the folder on his desk. “Your employment contract says your salary is ten thousand a month. I am also giving you a hundred‑thousand‑dollar bonus, which is almost an extra year of pay. Show me another repair shop owner who is that generous.”

Anger exploded inside me.

“Draven, do not push it. You know exactly what this shop looked like when we started. We barely had ten customers a month. The place was close to shutting down. Who turned everything around?”

I pointed through the window at the line of luxury cars in the parking lot.

“Every owner out there came because of my work. Even Gilbert Shaw tried to recruit me. He offered me a five‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar salary and half the profits. I turned him down without thinking because I believed in you. This is how you repay me?”

The smile disappeared from Draven’s face. He stared at me without blinking. “You think I do not know Gilbert tried to poach you? Elias, you really started believing your own hype.

“You think business is booming because of your tuning skills? Give me a break. Plenty of mechanics can modify cars just as well.”

He leaned forward, a smug grin spreading across his face.

“So why do all those rich kids keep coming here? Because of me. I spent the last year drinking with them, playing golf, hanging out, and becoming their friend. They are here because of my connections, not because of a mechanic turning a wrench.

“At the end of the day, you are a mechanic. Do not flatter yourself into thinking you are anything more.”