Chapter One: The Alarm Never Sleeps

The alarm clock buzzed at 4:30 AM. Ethan Ward’s hand shot out from beneath the thick comforter and silenced it before the second ring. He lay there for a moment, blinking into the darkness, his mind already scanning the day’s schedule: morning workout, investor call at 7, warehouse walkthrough at 9, and a pitch meeting at noon with a venture capital firm he didn’t even like—but needed.

He rolled out of bed and slipped on his running shoes. No music, no distractions. Just the sound of his footsteps pounding the concrete streets of Brooklyn, the only time the city ever slept. Each stride was a mantra: Keep going. No one else will do it for you.

The small apartment he still lived in, despite earning seven figures last year, was a reminder of where he came from. He wasn’t sentimental—but he was grounded. Raised by a single mother who worked three jobs to keep food on the table, Ethan learned young that time wasn’t money—it was everything.

By 6:00 AM, he was showered, suited up, and seated at his laptop. Emails from Tokyo, London, and Sao Paulo piled up like bricks in a wall he had to scale daily. But this was his climb—and no one climbed higher than Ethan Ward.

“Mr. Ward, the East Coast distribution update is in,” came a voice from his phone. It was Jenna, his assistant—sharp, efficient, and loyal.

“Put it on screen.”

Spreadsheets glowed. Numbers rose and dipped. One region underperformed. Ethan made a note. He’d fly down himself next week. Delegation was fine, but presence—presence closed deals and inspired trust.

At 8:15, his ten-year-old son, Daniel, walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. Ethan looked up and smiled, the stress lines on his forehead softening for a rare second.

“You hungry, champ?”

Daniel nodded. “Can you eat with me today?”

Ethan hesitated. The pitch deck awaited. Investors needed answers. But his son—his reason for everything—stood there in pajamas, hope flickering in his sleepy gaze.

Ethan's pov: Should I spend time with my son? I guess I should. It's the only time I enjoyed the most.

“Yeah,” Ethan said, rising. “I’ve got ten minutes.”

Ten minutes of waffles and cartoons. Ten minutes of real life.

Daniel: yey papa will do dinner with us. I'm so happy.

Because in a world of relentless hustle, those ten minutes were the truest investment Ethan Ward could make. Ethan is a very hardworking self-businessman who spend his half year becoming a reputed ceo, but yet very down to earth. He own a cooperative company and live in a bungalow alone with his son. His wife left him when his son was 3 year old with an unknown male. Ethan raised Daniel alone with lots of difficulties, but he loves him lot. His son was the only reason for him to stay live and work hard.

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