The first week of July brought with it the start of the monsoon season, the afternoon sky over General Trias often bruised with heavy, rain-laden clouds. For Xavier, however, the storm was digital and it was raining more than just water.
The tension that had gripped the Guan household after the bridge project's delay had begun to dissipate, replaced by quiet stability. Arthur, once a man constantly on the verge of a panic-driven loan, had taken Xavier's childish wisdom to heart.
He was liquid. He was fulfilling smaller, more manageable orders for municipal projects while Guan-Tech's cash reserve sat safely in the bank, accruing interest rather than bleeding it.
"Money doesn't get rusty" Arthur had taken to repeating during his morning coffee, a newfound calmness in his eyes.
Xavier watched his father from the periphery, his mind already three steps ahead. The sleeping bridge was exactly where he wanted it. A massive, guaranteed capital that would remain safe from the 2008 collapse, ready to be activated when material costs were at their historic lows.
But while Guan-Tech was in a holding pattern, Xavier's business was entering its first major expansion.
---------------
"Xavi, look at this."
Leo Guan gestured toward the screen of his silver laptop. They were in the guest room, now officially dubbed "The Hideout."
The space was cool, the new air-conditioning unit humming a steady, expensive song. Three mahogany desks lined the far wall, each waiting for a station.
"The $2,000 from Armor Games hit the account this morning," Leo said, his voice hushed as if he were afraid the bank might hear him.
"And the oDesk withdrawals... Xavi, including the profit from the mango stalls, we're at one million, thirty-two thousand pesos."
One million pesos.
Xavier sat on his small swivel chair, his feet barely touching the carpet. In 2031, a million pesos was a down payment on a decent parking space in BGC. In 2007, it was a weapon.
"We're moving too slow, Leo" Xavier said, his voice flat. "One station isn't enough. I want you to buy two more laptops tomorrow. The same model. And I want you to go back to your university. Let's expand, I don't want slackers. I want dedicated graduates."
Leo blinked. "The best Graduates? Xavi, they won't want to work for a... for whatever this is."
"They will if you pay them a lot higher than the local rate" Xavier said. "Look for women, Leo. Specifically, the ones who graduated at the top of their class but are being overlooked because they're unproven, lacks connection, or too young. Find an IT major and an English major. Tell them we're a boutique software and content house"
"And what do I tell them about... you?"
Xavier looked at the stack of Composition Notebooks on the desk. They were filled with the dense, handwritten logic of his next project: Guan-Health.
"Tell them I'm the Founder's Nephew', a prodigy who provides the architecture. Tell them their job is to translate blueprints into the world. If they have questions, tell them to save them for the end of the week."
---------------
While Leo handled the recruitment, the physical side of the business was scaling just as rapidly.
Aris' mother, Mrs. Mendoza, had proven to be a formidable asset. Under Xavier's direction, the back outbuilding of the factory, a space Arthur had used for storing scraps had been converted into a Prep Kitchen. It was scrubbed until the tiles gleamed, equipped with mixers and refrigerators.
"Ma, how many tubs today?" Aris asked as they walked into the kitchen after school.
"Eighty-five for Saint Augustine, and sixty for the Public Elementary," Mrs. Mendoza said, her face flushed with the heat of the ovens but glowing with a new-found pride. She was no longer the woman who did laundry until her fingers bled. She was a manager. "We're running out of mangoes, Xavi. The local market can't keep up with us."
"I'll have Leo contact the wholesalers in Dasmariñas," Xavier said, tasting a bit of the cream. "We need to secure a direct supply chain. If we grow, we can't rely on the local market stalls"
"Direct supply" Mrs. Mendoza repeated, looking at Xavier with a mixture of affection and awe. "You talk like a little old man, Anak"
Xavier smiled. The innocent, dimpled smile of a seven-year-old. "I just like it when everyone is busy, Tita."
---------------
But the heart of the expansion was his budding digital empire.
By the end of the week, Leo had found them:
Elena, a cum laude IT graduate, and Sarah, a sharp-tongued English major who had wanted to be a novelist.
They had arrived at the Guan house with a mix of skepticism and desperation. Two brilliant women in a province that, in 2007, didn't know what to do with them.
"This is the room?" Elena asked, looking at the silver laptops. "And we're working for... a college student?"
"You're working for the vision," Leo said. He pointed to the Composition Notebooks. "The architecture is already here. Your job is to make it real"
Sarah picked up one of the notebooks. She flipped through the pages, her eyes widening as she saw the structured logic of The Blood God's System. Not just the story, but the SEO tags, the keyword density maps, and the cliffhanger timestamps.
"Who wrote this?" she asked, her voice trembling. "This isn't just a story. This is... it's a machine for engagement."
"The Founder" Leo said simply.
Xavier stepped into the room then, carrying a tray of iced tea. He looked at them. Two women who, in his past life, might have ended up lost for career opportunities.
"Welcome to the team" Xavier said, his voice high and sweet.
"I hope you like mango cake. We have plenty of it"
Elena and Sarah looked at the small child, then at each other. They didn't know it yet, but they had just walked into the center of a whirlwind.
---------------
That evening, as the rain drummed against the window of the Hideout, Xavier sat at his own station. He wasn't typing. He was watching.
Through a backdoor he'd instructed Elena to code into the factory's new DVR system, he was watching the night shift.
He could see Arthur in the office, his head resting on his hand as he reviewed the day's production. He could see Mang Bert checking grease levels.
And he could see the total assets counter on his 2031 phone.
[TOTAL ASSETS: PHP 1,120,450]
[STATUS: STABILIZED]
The first million was the hardest. The second would be faster. But the land was the goal.
Xavier looked at the notebook in front of him. It was time to write the logic for the Reyes Acquisition. He needed to move before the council announced the bypass road project. He needed to be the one who owned a piece of this major future project.
"Abyss" he whispered into the dark.
"Analysis of the Reyes family's hidden debts. Who is their primary creditor?"
The screen lit up, a pale blue glow in the shadows.
[SEARCHING LOCAL RECORDS... PRIMARY CREDITOR IDENTIFIED: RURAL BANK OF CAVITE. LOAN STATUS: DELINQUENT. TOTAL LOAN: PHP 1.2M.]
Xavier's eyes narrowed. A delinquent loan. A wilting mango tree. A family desperate for a way out.
The trap was set.
"Let's get to work" Xavier whispered.
The clacking of the keyboards in the next room, the rhythmic sound of Elena and Sarah typing out the future was the only answer.