The eight million didn't trigger a celebration, at least not the kind with champagne or shouting. Months ago, that figure would have felt like a distant myth, a number reserved for people in glossy magazines. Now, as Jake sat in the deepening shadows of his apartment, **8,041,600 VM** felt like a new baseline. It wasn't a peak; it was just where he stood.
He leaned back, letting his gaze drift to the ceiling as the quiet of the room settled over him. For the first time since the crisis with the bank had begun, the tightness in his chest had simply evaporated. It wasn't that the world had stopped moving, but the pressure had. He felt unburdened.
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