At 9:31 AM, a single headline scrolled across the bottom of the financial news site: SEC Launches Investigation into Omni-Block Logistics for Falsified Patent Claims.

The silence of the apartment returned, heavier than before. The neon sign outside finally flickered off. Arthur sat in the gray morning light, the ghost of a Ducati fading from his mind, replaced by the very real, very long walk he’d have to take to the insurance office in an hour.

But Arthur watched the green line. It didn't look like cardboard. It looked like a ladder to a life where he didn't have to work at the insurance firm anymore. He saw the buy wall. He saw the volume exploding. His finger hovered over the mouse. The price was $42.50. Click.

He closed the laptop. The lesson was expensive, but for the first time in weeks, he finally felt tired enough to sleep.

Arthur wasn’t looking at recipes or late-night news. He was staring at a ticker symbol that had haunted his dreams for weeks: .

Arthur’s mouse hovered over the 'Sell' button, but his hand was shaking too hard. He was paralyzed, watching the numbers bleed red. By the time he found the courage to click, the bid-ask spread was a canyon.

The green line didn't curve down; it broke. It fell like a stone in a well. $40.00.$25.00.$12.00.

A rush of dopamine hit his chest, followed immediately by a cold wave of nausea. He was all in. He watched the screen, breathless. $42.60.$43.10.$45.00.