That same day, Jackson visited the bank.

One thought that crossed his mind was perhaps this was a joke. However, would it be worse than what had already happened yesterday? It’s not like he had anything else to do, anyway.

[Meet Mr Pearl at Arolia Bank] That’s the last words from the old man in the call.

Arolia Bank was one of the most prestigious institutions in the entire world. Even a normal worker, a janitor, held more prestige than any of his peers. If the bank claimed to be the number two business, no one dared say it was the first.

Though never really meet Mr. Pearl, Jackson knows this name. In fact, everyone does. ‘King of the Bank’, that’s what people call him. He had the option to greet whoever he wanted. If he ignored someone for whatever reason, rumors would spread like wildfire and the family business would meet its end.

Jackson walked in, approached the help desk, and asked for Mr. Pearl. The girl there scanned him from head to toe. She had a displeased look on her face. The young man in front of her with the cheap suit had the nerve to ask for the head of the most prestigious bank.

She coughed a few times and asked in an annoyed tone in her voice. “Who, may I say, is asking for Mr. Pearl?”

“Jackson Raven!”

She hesitantly picked up the phone, and while she waited; the girl ran her mouth with a taunting voice.

“Isn’t it better if you just leave? Mr. Pearl will most likely ignore you…”

Jackson actually agreed with her, even though he didn’t say it out loud.

From the other side of the phone, though barely audible, Jackson heard the gasp when his name came up.

‘I’ll be right there!’

The girl inhaled a mouthful of air and forgot to exhale from the shock. Her heart raced. Mr. Pearl, who even ignored conglomerate tycoons, dropped everything he was doing for the person in front of her. She was thankful in her heart she didn’t offend the young man further than she already had.

A few seconds later, a chubby middle-aged man approached him, with sweat drenching his face. As soon as they saw him, the bank staff stood up and bowed to show their respect. What they didn’t expect was for Mr. Pearl to bow in at Jackson. The frightening boss of Arolia bank showed respect to the stranger with the cheap suit.

Even though he was out of breath. His polite tone shocked the staff.

“Welcome Mr. Taylor. How can I help??”

“Mr. Taylor?” 

Jackson took a step back, he pondered over the fact that his world had changed incredibly fast.

A day earlier, Mr. Pearl wouldn’t spare him a millisecond, much less run to him. To the best of his abilities, although the pressure was high, Jackson tried to maintain a calm voice.

“Is there somewhere we can talk about my account?”

Mr. Pearl, with a swift motion of his hands, suggested an empty office. Jackson walked to the front, and the man followed. The girl at the helpdesk sighed in relief that Jackson didn’t bother with her previously rude behavior.

Once in the office, Mr. Pearl hurriedly closed the door and the curtains for privacy. He took a seat opposite Jackson and exclaimed.

“Finally you are here, Mr Taylor!”

Jackson was clueless what the name stood for. Seeing the youngster’s expression, Mr. Pearl continued.

“It was urgent he left the city for a while, though you will have time to catch up when he returns, but this much, even little old me, can tell you. Mr. Taylor is the father of your mother.”

Jackson’s mother has never spoken of this grandfather.

 “So, the old man is my grandfather.”

Mr. Pearl nodded. “As the only blood relative, you, young master, are the sole heir to the Rikelia Group!”

Jackson’s eyes widened. He almost forgot to breathe when he heard the heir to the Rikelia Group. An International conglomerate with an annual income in the trillions. Among others, the Rikelia Group is the parent company of media outlets and construction.

Moments later, a thought popped into his mind. Soon after, Jackson’s face revealed a grin. He turned to the chubby middle-aged man and coldly asked.

“What do you know about a person called Mr. Walker?”

“The Walker family own a chain of mediocre restaurants called The Elegant Rose in Southfield. Their turnover is a few hundred million.”

Mr. Pearl called it mediocre, but Jackson heard of The Elegant Rose as one of the top five restaurants in the world, and a few hundred million a year, is not something to scoff about. After giving it some thought, he asked.

“Any idea why he would be at Xaion company yesterday?”

“Ah, that? Xaion’s missus is getting engaged. I guess the Walkers will take care of the reception…”

‘That bitch, she had it planned’

“Can I use the money in my account?”

“It’s all yours, sir.”

Jackson looked at Mr. Pearl and chuckled. “I want to buy a restaurant!”

***

The next day, Jackson walked in The Elegant Rose, sat at a table, and waited. A woman dressed to the nines approached him with a somewhat confused look on her face.

“I must apologize sir, but we don’t serve the masses…”

Jackson sighed, displeased. “Too bad for a mediocre restaurant.”

“What did you say?”

The voice of the crowd interrupted their conversation.

“Mr. Walker, welcome!”

A well-dressed man had just walked in with a beautiful woman by his side. Jackson raised his voice.

“I said, a mediocre restaurant like this should feed whoever they can if they want to stay afloat!”

Mr. Walker frowned. His eyebrow twitched when he recognized the young man in front of him. “Haha! Back for more beating, trash?”

Jackson threw a dollar at his feet. “Here, I’m paying you for touching your suit yesterday!”

Veins popped all over Mr. Walker’s raging face. “Damn brat. How dare you?!”

Mr. Walker stepped forward and glared at the cheerful Jackson. His domineering voice echoed throughout the restaurant.

‘Get out of my restaurant’

At that moment, several people wearing black suits rushed in, leaving everyone surprised. Jackson then swung his hand across Mr. Walker’s face. A single tooth flew out. Jackson stared at him coldly.

“Pick your dollar and get out of MY restaurant!”

Before Mr Walker could say a word, his phone rang. Startled, he looked around. “M-My wife!”

“Y-Yes dear?”

Her screams were audible through the speaker. “What the hell did you do, you useless human specimen? My family’s restaurants got auctioned for a dollar!”

Jackson got into Mr. Walker’s face and grabbed the phone from his hand.

“Yes, hello. Is this Mrs. Walker?”

After a second of silence, Jackson got a response. “Who is this?”

“I’m the guy who bought your restaurants. Long story short, I will return everything to you if you kick this trash you call husband out!”

Not even a second passed.

“Done!”