100x Cashback

The next few days were a blur. Emir's life, which had always been predictable and somewhat dull, now felt like an unpredictable rollercoaster of heightened sensations and weird coincidences. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the people around him. He was hyper-aware of everything. Even the smallest details were amplified.

When he passed by Saji, she greeted him with her usual cheerful smile, but this time, it felt different. Her gaze lingered just a second longer than normal, like she was scanning him. As she turned back to her desk, Emir caught the faintest whisper of something in the air—a subtle shift, almost like an electric current—but it was gone before he could process it. It wasn't the first time he'd felt something strange, and certainly not the last.

Was she... like him? Was everyone in the office hiding something?

He tried to focus on his work, but his attention kept drifting back to the subtle signs of strange behavior from his coworkers. There was Omaya, walking into the office in her usual graceful way. She had a calm, almost otherworldly aura about her. Emir had always admired how effortlessly she seemed to glide through the office, but today, he noticed something else. She was holding her phone, but instead of tapping on the screen like normal, she was staring at it intensely, as if willing it to work without touching a single button.

Emir narrowed his eyes, wondering if he was imagining things. But just as quickly, Omaya glanced up, her eyes locking with his. The brief moment of eye contact was like a jolt. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like she had just unlocked a piece of his mind he didn't know existed. Her smile was enigmatic as usual, but there was something in her expression that hinted she knew more than she was letting on.

No, Emir thought. It's just my imagination. Right?

But as the day wore on, his curiosity grew. Omaya's strange behavior, coupled with his own heightened senses, made it hard to shake the feeling that something was happening beneath the surface. And then, there was Afiyah, the bossy but brilliant woman in charge of most of the office projects. She was leading a team meeting in the conference room, and everyone in the room was listening intently. But Emir, from his desk, noticed something odd.

Her gestures were almost too precise. Every word she spoke, every hand motion, seemed like it had been practiced for hours. And her eyes... they glowed just slightly, like a soft, barely perceptible shimmer. It was so subtle that he might have missed it if he weren't so tuned in to everything around him.

It's just the lighting, Emir told himself. Just your mind playing tricks.

But something about it didn't sit right. There was no logical explanation for the way she commanded the room. Her focus was so intense, it made everyone else seem... almost irrelevant. Emir couldn't help but wonder—could she be hiding something?

Later that afternoon, the office cleared out a little early for a team event. Emir sat alone at his desk, staring at the mountain of work he still had to finish. His mind was buzzing. What was happening to him? Why was everything so strange all of a sudden?

The answer seemed to come to him in a flash. He had gained something—power. The shawarma had changed him, but it was more than just a burst of energy or a temporary high. His mind was sharper. His senses were enhanced. He was seeing the world in ways he'd never imagined possible.

But what was most unsettling was how it felt like the people around him were also hiding something. Saji. Omaya. Afiyah. They all seemed too... perfect. Too poised. Too controlled.

---

That evening, Emir stood in front of the mirror, contemplating the changes he'd been feeling. The strange jolt after eating the shawarma, the heightened senses, the sense that everyone around him was somehow different—it was all too much to ignore. But the one thing he knew for sure was that he was the only one experiencing it. He was the one who had unlocked something powerful.

He had been careful not to reveal his new abilities to anyone, but he was getting a sense that the others were hiding something. Maybe they had their own secrets. Or maybe, like him, they were just ordinary people pretending to be something more. It was impossible to tell.

With a sigh, he grabbed his jacket and left the apartment. He needed a distraction. Something to take his mind off the strange happenings at work.

---

The Auction House Visit

The next day, Emir decided to take a detour on his way home. He had seen an advertisement for an auction house nearby, promising rare collectibles and artifacts up for sale. It wasn't his usual scene, but something about it intrigued him. Perhaps there were things in the world that could offer more insight into his new abilities.

As he walked into the auction house, the air was thick with anticipation. The room was full of people—well-dressed individuals, collectors, and enthusiasts, all eager to bid on rare treasures. The items ranged from ancient coins to priceless artwork, but there was one item that caught Emir's attention: a dusty, weathered box sitting in a corner.

It wasn't anything special to look at, but something about it called to him. He couldn't explain it. His instincts told him that this was no ordinary object. There was something hidden inside that box—a secret, perhaps.

As the auctioneer announced the beginning of the bidding, Emir felt a strange sensation ripple through him. The world around him seemed to slow down. He could see every detail of the room with sharp precision, like he could read every person's thoughts. He turned his gaze to a man near the front of the room—a tall, imposing figure dressed in a sharp suit. The man seemed calm, but his eyes kept darting nervously toward the box.

Emir couldn't shake the feeling that this man knew more than he was letting on.

Then, a voice cut through his thoughts.

"Interested in the box, are we?"

Emir turned to see a woman standing beside him, her smile mysterious and her eyes gleaming with an unspoken knowledge. She was beautiful, with dark hair and sharp features, dressed in a sophisticated black dress. There was something about her that was both intriguing and unsettling.

"You could say that," Emir replied, trying to keep his tone neutral. "What's in it?"

The woman chuckled softly, her gaze never leaving the box. "Let's just say... not everything at an auction is as it seems."

Emir raised an eyebrow. "And you know that for a fact?"

"Of course. People like us know these things." She gave him a meaningful look before walking away, disappearing into the crowd.

People like us? The words lingered in Emir's mind as he turned back to the auction. His senses flared, and he realized that there were more people here who knew things they weren't letting on. The room was full of secrets.

---

As Emir made his way home that night, the strange woman's words echoed in his mind. People like us. Who was she talking about? Was she referring to people like him—people who had unlocked something extraordinary?

The feeling of uncertainty grew stronger with each passing moment. Maybe he wasn't the only one with power. Maybe there were others out there, hiding in plain sight, waiting for their moment to reveal themselves.

But one thing was for sure: he wasn't going to let it go. The mystery of the shawarma, the mysterious box at the auction, and the strange behavior of the people around him—it was all connected. And Emir was going to figure it out.

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Financial Summary at the End of Chapter 2:

Earnings from Cashback Power: 2,500 credits (auction house, miscellaneous items)

Spending on Auction Bid: 200 credits (partial bid on mysterious box)

Current Net Worth: 3,300 credits

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