Betrayed Into Wealth

Chapter 3

"Ah, absolutely insane. What's this?" Brian muttered as he stared at his phone screen.

Brian held his head in both hands, feeling torn between reality and surrealism.

"Am I going insane?" Brian asked himself.

Water was still dripping from his hair and clothes. His body felt cold, but his eyes were glued to the text on the screen. In his confusion and confusion, a slight curiosity arose that he found difficult to suppress. Especially when his eyes caught the number clearly displayed there.

The number was too large to ignore.

"One hundred million rupiah," Brian muttered softly.

Perhaps to some, that amount wasn't much. But to Brian, a poor student living off part-time wages and a meager living, the number felt impossible. He had never actually held that much money in his life.

Brian took a deep breath. He put his phone aside for a moment, then tried to climb back onto the bridge. His hands held onto the railing, his legs trembling as he climbed. His old motorcycle was gone, submerged in the dark, calm river current.

Once he reached the top, Brian stood frozen.

His life felt completely in disarray. Betrayed by his lover, nearly killed by falling off a bridge, and now his motorcycle was gone. Nothing was going according to plan.

And it all happened in a matter of hours.

"How am I supposed to get home?" he muttered, confused.

Brian stared out at the river. The water was dark, barely a ripple. There was no sign of his motorcycle. Even during the day, it was impossible to find it. Especially now, it was night, dark, and silent.

There was no other choice.

Brian began walking toward his apartment. Soaking wet and with his clothes sticking to his skin, he pushed through the night like a lost man. Each step felt heavy, not only from exhaustion but also from his chaotic thoughts.

He hadn't gone far—

Tes! Tes!

Rain fell without warning. Brian looked up briefly, then shook his head slowly. It was as if the universe was truly testing him. His already shivering body was now even colder.

He kept walking, letting the rain soak through him until he finally reached the small apartment he had always called home.

The next morning, Brian woke up shivering. His head was heavy, his throat felt dry, and his body felt hot. He had a fever.

"Am I going to die?" Brian muttered softly to himself.

The apartment was quiet. No one was around. With the last of his strength, Brian slowly got up and searched for medicine in the small kitchen cupboard. He swallowed the medicine with water, hoping his body would feel a little better.

This morning, he couldn't afford to fall.

He had to submit his revised thesis to his supervisor. The submission time was set: seven in the morning. No earlier, no later. If he missed the deadline, the revision would be rejected.

Brian often wondered about this rule, especially since the submission was online. But he had no choice but to obey.

With hands still shaking, Brian opened his laptop. The revised document was neatly saved in drafts. He glanced through it, making sure nothing was missing.

Click!

The file was finally sent.

Brian leaned back in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief. Now he really wanted to finish his studies as quickly as possible. He wanted to prove to Lily—and to himself—that he wasn't someone to be underestimated.

Because he knew Lily chose Alex because he was rich.

His head still felt dizzy. Brian went to bed and lay down, wrapping himself in the blanket. The air in the room was cold, but at least he could rest.

In his semi-conscious state, Brian had even forgotten about the strange system notification that had appeared on his phone the night before.

Until about half an hour later—

Trititit! Trititit!

The loud ringing of his phone shattered the silence of the room. Brian woke with a start, his heart pounding.

“[The system has been activated. Time to action!]”

Brian tried to ignore it. He covered his ears with a pillow, hoping the sound would stop. But the sound kept repeating, getting louder and more annoying.

Trititit! Trititit!

“Aarrrgh!” Brian shouted in annoyance.

Still weak and dizzy, Brian was forced to get up. He reached for his phone and stared at the now brightly lit screen. The system notification appeared again, complete with text that made his brow furrow.

[Retrieve the promised two hundred million rupiah from a man named Toni at Anggrek street No. 25, then transfer it to account number XX123. Payment will be made once the system confirms the task is complete.]

Brian read the text over and over again. His eyes widened, his breath hitched.

“Why am I being asked to be a debt collector?” he muttered.

His hands clenched unconsciously. He was still feverish, still mentally shattered, and now a mysterious system was ordering him to do something that sounded dangerous.

But there was one thing he couldn't ignore—

The numbers.

Money.

And at this low point in his life, Brian began to realize this system wouldn't give him a choice.