BILLIONAIRE MINOR

The morning sun bled through the dusty curtains of the cramped living room of the Lawson family as Jeremy slumped on the faded couch, fingers idly scrolling through his phone. The notifications from unpaid bills were popping up like relentless reminders of his failures. Jeremy felt at 24 to be a shadow of a shadow. His brother Alan was the family pride, a corporate lawyer who had a clear, well-trodden route up the career ladder. Little sister Mia was a golden child-a university scholarship pupil, bound for great things. And Jeremy? He was the invisible middle child who nobody seemed to notice. No degree. No regular job. No prospects. No anything.

The row started at breakfast, the same way they always did.

"You need to get your life together, Jeremy," his father barked, slamming his coffee mug on the table. "Alan is buying a house. Mia's on a full scholarship. What have you done?"

Jeremy said nothing. His stomach twisted into knots. His mother's eyes flickered with pity but offered no defense.

Later that day, after another rejection email for a job he didn't want, Jeremy wandered aimlessly through town. The bustling streets seemed filled with people who had somewhere to be-people who mattered. Passing a café, he overheard snippets of a conversation between two young men sitting by the window.

"Crypto's where it's at, man," one said, tapping on his laptop. "I just made three grand in a week."

Jeremy paused. He had no idea what "crypto" was, but the mention of money sparked something in him. He leaned against the wall, pretending to scroll through his phone while eavesdropping.

“It’s all about timing,” the second man said. “Buy low, sell high. You’ve gotta ride the waves.”

That night, the curiosity gnawed at Jeremy. After hours of research-much of which went above his head-he downloaded an online trading app. He had $200 saved for buying a gift for Mia's birthday. Instead, he transferred it to his online trading account.

"Let's see if this works," he muttered, buying a small amount of Bitcoin.

Days passed. Jeremy obsessively checked the app, watching as his $200 turned into $220, then $250. It wasn't much, but it was more than he'd ever made in a week.

For the first time in years, Jeremy felt a flicker of hope.

---

The Lawson family’s dining table was rarely a place of celebration. Dinner that evening was no exception. As Alan bragged about his latest promotion and Mia shared stories about her upcoming internship, Jeremy stayed silent, chewing on his mashed potatoes.

“Jeremy,” Alan said suddenly, “Dad tells me you’re still unemployed.”

Jeremy’s jaw clenched. “I’m working on something.”

“Oh, yeah? What, exactly?”

The table fell silent. All eyes were on Jeremy, and he felt like a bug under a microscope.

"Trading," he finally said.

Alan snorted. "Trading? Like stocks? Do you even know what you're doing?"

"It's crypto," Jeremy returned, his voice firm. "And yeah, I do."

His father shook his head. "Gambling, more like it. You can't build a future on nonsense like that."

Jeremy didn't argue. He didn't need their approval.

---

In a month, Jeremy's $200 had turned into $1,500. Emboldened, he started binge-watching tutorials, joined online forums, and studied the market trends late into the night. One day, he came across a private trading group on a messaging app run by a guy with the alias Maverick.

"Join if you want to learn how the big players trade," the group description read.

Jeremy hesitated. The membership f*e was $500—a third of his account. But the testimonials in the chat were glowing.

"Life's about risks," Jeremy whispered, transferring the f*e.

Maverick's lessons were unlike anything Jeremy had seen. Charts, algorithms, strategies-it was overwhelming yet exhilarating. Maverick's cryptic messages were laced with confidence, pushing Jeremy to think bigger, take bolder steps.

"Fortune favors the brave," Maverick wrote one night.

Jeremy took this to heart. He started making riskier trades, leveraging his gains. Some paid off, and his account swelled. But then came his first major lost.

It was 3 a.m. when Jeremy stared at his screen, heart pounding. He had placed a high-stakes trade on a volatile cryptocurrency called Etherium Gold. The price had plummeted within minutes, wiping out half his account.

"No, no, no," he muttered, refreshing the app in vain.

The loss gut-punched him. For the first time, he felt a doubt in his head-a doubt over whether he really was cut out for it.

"Everyone loses at first," Maverick messaged in response to Jeremy's panicked plea for advice. "The question is: will you quit or learn?"

Jeremy closed the app. He wasn't ready to quit.

Weeks turned into months. Jeremy's resolve evolved into an obsession, shunning distractions, his family's digs, and each free buck into trading. And slowly but surely, it started to grow once more.

One evening, he was sitting in his room all alone when he heard his father at the door.

"May we speak?"

The man hesitated but nodded yes.

Your mother's worried about you," his father began. "We all are. You barely come out of your room. You don't talk to us. Whatever you're doing. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Jeremy met his father's gaze, for the first time not judgment staring back.

"I'm not wasting my time," Jeremy said. "I know what I'm doing."

His father simply sighed but said nothing.

The year had closed with his account over $50,000. He moved out of his parents' house and into a small apartment in town. For the first time, he really felt like he was in control of his life.

But success brought its own set of problems: Rumors of his new wealth filtered through to his family and friends. Alan, who had been so dismissive, was now ringing him for advice on investments. Mia, the golden child, even called for advice. Jeremy didn't mind helping them, but he couldn't shake the feeling that their interest was more about his money than him.

One night, reveling in his latest win, Jeremy received a message from Maverick.

"Careful who you trust," it said.

Jeremy frowned, but before he could reply, another message arrived.

"Big opportunities coming. Stay sharp."

Little did Jeremy know, his life was about to take a dramatic turn. The opportunities Maverick had hinted at would propel him to unimaginable heights but also test his resilience in ways he could not imagine.

And as he closed his laptop that night, Jeremy had no idea one of the people closest to him had already begun plotting his downfall.