I’m in Marvel, but I play Yu-Gi-Oh!?

Bonus Chapter

Hugh Jones' office occupied one of the highest floors of Roxxon Energy's headquarters, a position that provided both a commanding view of the city and a certain degree of separation from the chaos below.

The office itself reflected the man who used it. Everything had a purpose. The furniture was expensive without being ostentatious, the decorations carefully chosen rather than numerous, and every document on the desk sat exactly where it was supposed to be.

Quiet prevailed inside the room, but the same could not be said for the building surrounding it.

Beyond the office walls, hundreds of employees moved through Roxxon's headquarters in a carefully organised rhythm. Phones rang endlessly. Secretaries coordinated schedules months in advance. Executives rushed between meetings carrying reports that represented millions of dollars in contracts and investments. Entire departments worked to influence markets, negotiate acquisitions, and direct projects scattered across the country.

The building never truly slept, yet somehow, once the door to Hugh Jones' office closed, the noise seemed distant.

Inside, there was only the steady ticking of an expensive clock, the occasional rustle of paper, and the quiet presence of the two men occupying the room.

Hugh Jones sat behind his desk reviewing several documents, and across from him sat Roland Cooper, his most trusted person and close friend in private.

As usual, the butler's posture was impeccable, and his expression remained calm and professional.

Between them rested a folder, one of many, yet Hugh had spent considerably more time reading this particular one than most.

Eventually he closed it, and a faint smile appeared, then disappeared almost immediately.

Roland naturally noticed but didn't say anything about it as usual.

Hugh leaned back in his chair and started, "So..."

Roland waited until Hugh continued, "The meeting with Merriweather."

Roland nodded and said, "It went well."

"I already gathered that." The CEO of Roxxon Energy tapped the folder and added, "Walk me through it."

Without hesitation, Roland calmly and methodically began narrating what his friend and employee wanted to know, exactly as he always did.

He described Alexander's concerns regarding future manufacturing capacity, his reasoning regarding vertical integration, his assessment of Thomas Merriweather, the drive to the factory, the proposal itself, the negotiation, and finally the performance-based ownership structure.

Throughout the explanation, Hugh remained silent, listening, analysing, and evaluating every move, thought process, and action done by his son and only after Roland finished did he finally speak, "A competent man paid with a salary works for you."

Roland remained silent while Hugh continued, "A competent man paid with ownership works for himself."

His fingers tapped the desk once as he concluded, "If your interests align, the distinction becomes irrelevant."

Roland nodded as he understood exactly what Hugh meant.

Salary motivated effort, ownership motivated investment. The difference was subtle but significant.

For a moment, Hugh's gaze returned to the folder, his fingers lightly tapped the cover.

It was a habit Roland recognised immediately as it usually meant Hugh was thinking several steps ahead.

Eventually, the CEO said, "Most businessmen focus on what something costs."

Roland listened as he continued, "They negotiate salaries. Reduce expenses. Cut budgets."

A faint trace of amusement entered Hugh's voice, "Then they wonder why nobody cares."

Roland nodded, as that wasn't exactly a rare phenomenon.

Hugh continued, "People protect what belongs to them."

His eyes briefly moved toward the folder, "And Alexander clearly understood that."

There was a short pause before he added, "He isn't hiring workers."

Roland immediately understood and said, "He is creating stakeholders."

Hugh's expression became slightly more satisfied, "Exactly."

The office fell silent once more.

Neither man needed to elaborate further as the distinction was obvious.

Then Hugh leaned back further and commented, "The offer was generous."

Roland raised an eyebrow, and Hugh immediately shook his head and explained, "Not because of the percentages; those were the optimal value."

He tapped the folder again and continued, "But because Alexander understands the most fundamental principle in business."

His expression became thoughtful as he added, "Many executives never learn that lesson."

Roland considered that, then nodded. He had seen enough corporations to know Hugh was correct.

Too many leaders viewed employees as expenses, but the truly effective ones understood they were investments.

Hugh's gaze drifted toward the window, and for a brief moment something resembling pride appeared, then vanished as quickly as it appeared, as always.

He rarely allowed himself such displays even among trusted friends, especially among trusted friends.

Naturally, Roland noticed anyway; after all, he had known Hugh for years.

The butler allowed the silence to linger before speaking again, "Industrial Illusions continues to grow rapidly."

Hugh nodded and agreed, "Indeed, it does."

"Have the other executives taken notice?"

A faint smile appeared; this time it stayed slightly longer as the CEO of Roxxon Energy replied, "Oh yes."

That answer surprised Roland slightly, not because the answer itself was unexpected, but because of how quickly it came.

Hugh folded his hands and said, "The moment Industrial Illusions gained national attention, people began asking questions."

Roland listened while Hugh continued, "Shortly afterwards they recognised Alexander."

That wasn't particularly surprising, as Hugh had never hidden his son.

Alexander had attended charity events, corporate functions, holiday celebrations, executive gatherings and because of that, most senior Roxxon personnel had met him at least once; some had met him many times.

"They were curious."

Roland nodded while thinking, 'That sounds reasonable.'

Hugh allowed himself a small chuckle as he said, "Initially most dismissed it."

"Because of the game?"

"No."

The answer came immediately after, "Because of Alexander."

Roland understood, 'Alexander is still very young, inexperienced, unproven. Many executives would naturally underestimate him.'

Hugh continued, "The general sentiment was fairly predictable."

A faint trace of amusement entered his voice as he quoted, "Interesting project. Ambitious kid. Let's see how long it lasts."

Roland could easily imagine it, then Hugh's expression became more serious, "National success changed the conversation."

That was the turning point, the moment a curiosity became a business, the moment a business became a competitor, the moment a competitor became impossible to ignore.

Hugh leaned forward slightly and said, "Because now they are forced to confront an uncomfortable reality."

Roland already knew what he was going to say, yet he remained silent, allowing his friend to enjoy the moment.

Hugh continued while his voice remained calm, controlled, and measured, "Alexander didn't inherit a company. He built one."

The statement hung in the air as he quickly added, "Without Roxxon's distribution network. Without Roxxon's legal department. Without Roxxon's sales force. Without Roxxon's manufacturing infrastructure."

Each point carried weight because every executive in America understood how difficult those things were.

Building a successful company was already hard; building one from nothing was significantly harder.

Roland remained silent for several seconds, then he asked, "How many people truly appreciate that?"

Hugh smiled and replied, "Very few."

That answer came without hesitation.

The CEO folded his hands together and continued, "Most executives inherit systems."

Roland nodded.

Departments, employees, infrastructure, relationships, distribution networks, entire organisations built by previous generations.

Hugh's voice remained calm as he said, "They spend decades operating machines someone else assembled."

The statement wasn't intended as criticism but mere observation.

Then his gaze shifted briefly toward the folder again, and he said, "Alexander started with an idea."

A short pause, "A card game."

Another pause, "And somehow it is quickly turning into a national product."

Roland considered that.

When described that way, the achievement sounded almost absurd, yet it had happened.

Which was precisely why people had started paying attention.

Success attracted interest, but unexpected success attracted scrutiny, and Alexander's success had already become impossible to ignore.

Roland nodded slowly and evenly commented, "I imagine opinions changed."

"They did."

Hugh's smile returned as he narrated, "As you can expect, they split into three groups."

That immediately caught Roland's attention as Hugh enjoyed categorising people, usually because he was very good at it, so he asked, "The first group?"

"The dismissive ones."

Roland wasn't surprised and said, "There are always dismissive ones."

"There are."

Hugh's tone carried decades of experience in dealing with those kinds of people as he once again quoted, "It's a toy company. It's a fad. Children will lose interest."

He shrugged and stated, "People underestimate entertainment industries constantly."

That wasn't new; historically, many executives had dismissed entire markets before discovering they were worth billions.

Then Roland asked, "The second group?"

"The opportunists."

Roland nodded as that was equally predictable.

Hugh continued, "They see potential. Partnerships. Licensing. Distribution agreements. They are interested in Duel Monsters."

That was reasonable; the current Industrial Illusions represented money as they were pioneers in their market, and money attracted attention.

"The third group?"

This time Hugh's expression shifted slightly and became more serious, more focused, and more interested before he revealed, "The observers."

For a brief moment, Hugh's expression became thoughtful, almost reflective, then he said, "One of the board members approached me last week."

That immediately caught Roland's attention as he muttered, "Oh?"

Hugh nodded and explained, "He wanted to know whether Alexander intends to attend business school."

Roland remained silent as he knew there was more, and indeed, Hugh added, "There wasn't actually anything wrong with the question."

The CEO leaned back and then said, "But it wasn't really about education."

Roland already understood what his friend meant and said, "It was about succession."

"Exactly." Hugh nodded once and explained, "He wanted to know whether Alexander intends to enter the corporate world."

The office became quiet.

Then Hugh allowed himself a faint smile as he commented, "The amusing part is that Alexander already has."

Roland almost smiled.

That observation was difficult to dispute.

Industrial Illusions employed people, generated revenue, negotiated contracts, managed production, and expanded operations; by every meaningful definition, it was already a successful company.

Perhaps still a small one compared to the behemoth that is Roxxon, but a company nonetheless and Alexander was already running it.

Roland immediately understood that the card game wasn't the point of focus of this group; Alexander was.

Hugh confirmed it a moment later as he explained, "They don't care about Duel Monsters. They care about what it proves."

The CEO's voice remained calm, but Roland could hear the significance, "Their conclusion is simple."

Hugh paused briefly, then said, "Hugh's successor may have just proven himself."

Silence filled the office for a moment longer before Roland nodded slowly.

Now he understood which group Hugh truly cared about the most, not the dismissive ones, not the opportunists, but the observers, the people evaluating Alexander himself, the people who understood what Industrial Illusions represented.

Proof. Capability. Potential.

For a few moments, neither spoke, then Roland asked, "And your response?"

Hugh's answer came instantly, "I protect him."

There wasn't even a trace of hesitation, and Roland wasn't surprised; still, he listened.

Hugh leaned back and said, "Roxxon is powerful."

An understatement.

"Extremely powerful."

A more accurate description.

"It may even be the most powerful corporation I will ever lead."

Roland nodded, but then Hugh continued, "But it isn't mine."

The distinction mattered, especially to Hugh Jones.

"I manage it. I influence it. I own shares. But I do not truly possess it."

His gaze hardened slightly as he said, "But! Industrial Illusions is different."

Now the office became very quiet before Hugh said, "It belongs to Alexander."

A pause, and then he continued, "Which means it belongs to the Jones family."

Roland nodded; he understood perfectly: one company was responsibility, the other was legacy.

There was a difference, a very important difference.

Eventually, Hugh shifted topics as he asked, "What is he doing these days?"

Roland immediately knew who he meant, so he replied, "School."

"Naturally."

"He spends time with his friends."

Hugh nodded approvingly while thinking, 'That is healthy. I was starting to worry. The heir of the Jones family can't become a recluse whose only focus is his work. On top of that, social skills and connections are fundamental to survive in the business world.'

While Hugh thought that, Roland continued, "Receives company updates."

"Expected."

"Visits hobby stores."

This earned a raised eyebrow as Hugh repeated, "Stores?"

"And playgrounds."

Now Hugh looked genuinely interested, and Roland allowed himself the smallest hint of amusement as he added, "He usually goes undercover."

Roland rarely allowed amusement to appear, and this was one of those occasions.

Hugh immediately noticed, and that alone suggested the story was worth hearing, making him ask, "How exactly does he go undercover?"

Roland answered without missing a beat, "Mostly casual clothes, a baseball cap."

Hugh stared and repeated, "A baseball cap..."

"And occasionally a pair of thick glasses."

For several seconds the CEO simply looked at him, then he laughed a genuine laugh. "Remarkable."

Roland's expression remained perfectly neutral, "According to Alexander, nobody expects the owner of Industrial Illusions to be standing in line for booster packs."

That sounded suspiciously reasonable, which somehow made it even funnier.

Hugh shook his head and commented, "I assume it works."

"It does."

"People recognise the product, but not the creator."

Roland paused briefly before he added, "Which allows him to hear what customers actually think."

That immediately restored Hugh's interest.

Hugh blinked, then chuckled before he asked, "What exactly is he doing?"

"Research."

The answer came immediately.

Hugh already suspected it, but he wanted to hear it anyway.

Roland continued, "He observes customers. He speaks with players. He plays games. He watches how they interact with the product."

The CEO stared for several seconds, then shook his head, but a smile appeared, and this time he didn't immediately hide it, "Good. Good. Good."

Roland nodded.

Meanwhile, Hugh thought, 'Indeed. It is very good because Alexander isn't studying reports; he is studying people. And I know from experience that reports explained what happened, but people explained why.'

The office fell quiet once more.

For several moments Hugh looked out the window.

Far below, the city continued moving.

Cars, people, businesses, thousands of individual decisions being made every minute.

Eventually he spoke, "You know..."

Roland calmly waited, and before long Hugh added, "When I was Alexander's age, I thought success meant becoming important."

The butler remained silent as his employer and friend continued, "I thought it meant reaching the top."

A faint smile appeared on the old man's face before he concluded, "Then I got older."

"And?"

The answer came immediately, "I learned that building something that will last way beyond you matters far more."

Roland considered that.

Coming from almost anyone else, the statement would have sounded strange, but coming from Hugh Jones it carried weight.

After all, very few people had reached higher than he had, yet his attention kept returning to Industrial Illusions, not Roxxon.

Industrial Illusions, a company his son had created himself.

Eventually Hugh shook his head and commented, "Perhaps I should stop being surprised."

Roland raised an eyebrow and asked, "By what?"

A faint trace of pride appeared as he said, "By Alexander."

For once, Hugh didn't immediately hide it.

Outside, Roxxon continued moving billions, but inside, two men discussed a boy who had built something entirely his own, and both quietly suspected that Industrial Illusions was only at the beginning of something truly great.

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