All Chapters of BETRAYED ONCE: FROM NOTHING TO BILLIONIARE POWER: Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
15 chapters
Chapter 1: Cost Of Living
The wall of the room shook when Ryan forced himself up, placing his bare feet on the cold floor. The thin hospital gown brushed against his ankles as he steadied himself beside the bed. The lamp on the bedside table cast a soft glow across his pale face. He had indeed lost a lot of blood during the surgery, and if not for the IV line running from his veins and the bandages wrapped around his torso, no one would have guessed he had just come out of a life-threatening operation a few hours ago.“Your surgery was a success." The voice came from behind him.Ryan slowly turned his head to the young doctor who stood near the doorway. His face was partially hidden behind a surgical mask, but Ryan didn’t care about the man’s age. He only cared about one thing.“M… My son," Ryan swallowed hard, his throat painfully dry. “Is my son going to live?”“Yes, the transplant was also successful, and recovery is going well. Ms. Zhou is currently with him," he replied.‘You mean Mrs. Wright,’ Ryan thou
Chapter 2: Second Chance
“You were brilliant, but easy to control. You had no powerful family, no influence, and no leverage, and my father called our marriage the safest investment the company ever made.” Ryan stared at her in shock, but her words didn't soften. “Your inventions were not only the return but your blood as well,” she finished. Ryan opened his mouth, but nothing came out; only a broken laugh escaped, weaker this time. He felt his eyes burn as reality settled in. Six years of marriage reduced to business terms. “All I ever wanted was to give you everything," Ryan's voice cracked with pain. “And you did,” Zoula replied. “You gave my son a kidney.” Ryan’s world shattered. Like glass breaking endlessly around him Before the full weight of the betrayal could settle, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. Two nurses rushed into the room, panic visible even through their masks. Behind them stood two men in dark suits, members of the Zhou family’s private security. Zoula’s smile vanished whe
Chapter 3: Rock Bottom
The rain stopped sometime before dawn, but Ryan didn't notice. He lay curled beneath the bridge, concrete above him, wet cardboard beneath him, his body shaking in waves that came and went like tides.His hospital gown had dried stiff with mud. His feet were cut in a dozen places, though he couldn't feel them anymore.Then eyes were open when boots stopped inches from his face.Thwack!The pain exploded across his ribs before his brain registered what happened. Ryan's body curled tighter, instinctively, and a second blow caught his shoulder."Up. Now."Ryan's eyes found the source. A police officer stood over him, baton in hand, face twisted with disgust. Behind him, a second officer watched, coffee in hand, amusement flickering at the corner of his mouth."I said up, you filthy piece of shit!”Ryan moved, not because he wanted to buy, but because his body understood what his mind was too slow to process: comply or get hit again.He rolled onto his hands and knees. The world swam, and
Chapter 4: Inheritance
The diner was called Mel's, and the smell hit Ryan before he was through the door. The room lingered with grease and coffee and something sweet, pancakes maybe, and for a moment he thought he might actually cry.He couldn't. Crying was for people who still had tears left.Harrison led them to a booth in the back away from the windows and other customers. Ryan slid in, and the vinyl squeaked beneath him. The contrast was almost funny: this clean, bright place with its checkered floors and gleaming counters and him, still carrying grave dirt in places he couldn't wash out.A waitress appeared by their side. Her dyed blonde hair was going dark at the roots, and her tired eyes had seen too many early mornings and too-small tips. She shifted her gaze to Ryan, and her expression changed from "customer" to "problem" that he’d seen a hundred times since crawling out of that hole."What can I get you?" Her voice was flat, not rude, but close.Harrison spoke before Ryan could. "Two of everythin
Chapter 5: Video
Harrison pushed the envelope across the table. "He recorded this six months ago, when he knew he didn't have much time. He made me promise and swear that I would find you and make you watch it. Not before he died but after. He said you needed to hear it from him, but not until he couldn't answer questions anymore."Ryan's hand hovered over the envelope. "What does it say?""I don't know. I never watched it. That was his instruction." Harrison reached into his jacket again and pulled out a phone. "But I have it here. If you want to see."The diner noise faded.The clatter of plates. The hiss of the grill. The murmur of other conversations. The waitress asked another table if they wanted more coffee. All of it disappeared. There was only the envelope, the phone, and the ghost of a man Ryan had spent nineteen years hating.He should say no and walk away. He should keep his dignity, his anger, and his mother's face. Alone in that hospital bed, waiting for a son who never came because he w
Chapter 6: The Truth
Ryan sat motionless with the device feeling heavy in his hand. The diner sounds returned, forks clattering, someone laughing, and the waitress asking another table if they wanted dessert.Harrison, with his coffee untouched and long-cold, waited patiently.Minutes passed, and Ryan didn't move."Zhou is buying Aether?" he finally spoke, and his voice didn't sound like his own."Next month. The final signatures are scheduled for the 15th," Harrison replied, with a quiet and careful tone. "If they succeed, everything your father built becomes theirs, including the evidence he collected.""Evidence that could destroy them." He raised his gaze again."Yes,” Harrisson replied.Ryan's hands were shaking again, not from hunger this time, but from something bitterer, heavier. Rage against Zoula, Christopher, and the hospital."They buried me alive," he whispered as if he were finally coming to terms with reality.Harrison's face tightened. "I know."“What!” Ryan looked up sharply. "You know?"
Chapter 7: Signed
"What if I..." Ryan struggled for the words. "What if I make the same mistakes? Trusting the wrong people? Building something that gets taken from me again? What if I'm not the man my father thought I was?" Harrison leaned back in the booth. For a long moment, he didn't speak. When he did, his voice was quieter than Ryan."Your father asked me the same question once."Ryan looked up. "What?""Thirty years ago. He was sitting in a diner not unlike this one. Different city, different decade, but the same question." Harrison's eyes were distant, seeing something Ryan couldn't. "He'd just gotten out of a bad situation. The Volkovs had him cornered. He'd lost everything, his wife, his son, his freedom. And I came to him with an offer. A chance to build something new and a future."Ryan's hand tightened on the pen. "What did he say?""He said exactly what you just said. Harrison's lips twitched. "'What if I'm not ready? What if I fail? What if I'm just the man they made me?'"Ryan waited,
Chapter 8: Revelation
The words hung in the air like smoke, ones that Ryan's brain refused to process. Sister? He didn't have a sister. He was an only child. His mother had told him a hundred times."I don't have a sister,” Ryan repeated, forcing out a breath."You do." Harrison's voice was quiet but firm. "Half-sister. Your father's daughter with the woman he was forced to marry. The Volkov daughter."The name hit like a physical blow, and Ryan's chest tightened."Her name is Katerina Volkov," Harrison continued. "She's eighteen years old and was born three years after your father was forced into marriage. She's been with the Volkov family her entire life."Ryan's hands curled into fists beneath the table. "And you're just telling me this now?""I'm telling you now because you're ready, and tomorrow, you'll see her." Harrison's eyes were steady. "She's part of the deal to merge Aether with Zhou Industries. The Volkovs are using her as leverage. If the merger goes through, she gets a seat on the board, but
Chapter 9: Hotel
The woman behind it was young with blonde hair. Her perfect makeup matches the perfect smile resting on her lips. She was the kind of woman who'd never been told no in her life.The smile flickered when she saw him, then died completely."Can I help you?" she asked, in a polite tone, one that came with a ‘please leave’ hidden underneath."I'd like a room," Ryan said.The blonde receptionist blinked, and behind her, the other receptionists exchanged surprised glances. One of them, a brunette with sharper eyes, leaned forward."I'm sorry," the blonde said, "but are you lost? The shelter is three blocks east. I can call you a cab if you—""I'm not looking for a shelter." Ryan's voice was calm. "I'm looking for a room."The blonde's smile froze behind Ryan; the whispers started.“Did you see this guy?” a client muttered. “What is he doing here?“Someone should call security. He looks dangerous.” Another voice followed.“Dangerous?” another voice chuckled. “He looks homeless.”Ryan heard e
Chapter 10: Consequences
She turned to Ryan. "Sir, please accept our sincerest apologies. Your entire stay will be complimentary—""I don't need free rooms." Ryan's voice was ice. "I need to know that when I come down tomorrow, I won't be greeted by someone who judges people by their clothes instead of their card."Ms. Voss nodded slowly. I turned to the blonde."Clean out your locker."The blonde burst into tears, real tears, streaming down her perfect face. "Please! I have bills, I have rent, I have a daughter. I can't lose this job—""Should have thought of that before you treated a guest like garbage." Ms. Voss's voice was final. "Security will escort you out."Two men in suits appeared from nowhere. Took the blonde by the arms. Led her away, sobbing, past the crowd of guests who watched in stunned silence.No one spoke or moved. The only sound was the blonde's sobbing, fading as she was pushed through the lobby doors.Ms. Voss turned back to Ryan. Her face was professionally blank, but something flickere