Betrayed Into Wealth

Chapter 9

"Never mind, the important thing is that starting tomorrow night, you don't need to come here anymore," Rio said, gently patting Brian's shoulder, as if wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

Brian sighed heavily. His chest felt tight, not just from losing his job, but because the reason behind it seemed odd. "Please tell me who ordered that. I'm just curious. I never felt like I had any problems with anyone."

Rio avoided Brian's gaze. "No need. What's certain is, I'm sorry about what happened."

"Just tell me," Brian insisted. "I won't make a scene."

Rio was silent for a long moment, then finally relented. "Alex."

The name stunned Brian. It was as if all the sounds around him vanished. Alex. The friend he once trusted, the man who stole Lily, and now also took away his only source of income. Brian swallowed, trying to control the anger that was starting to rise.

"Alex?" he asked to confirm, even though the answer was already obvious.

Rio nodded. “Yes. He helped out this cafe when we were down. So, when he had a request, we couldn’t refuse. Especially since he came directly and brought your replacement at a lower rate. We certainly didn’t refuse.”

“Okay,” Brian said simply. “Thank you.”

There was no more to say. Brian stood up and left without looking back. All the way home, his chest was pounding. His emotions were about to explode, but he forced himself to remain calm. Anger wouldn’t change anything.

Just as Brian arrived at his apartment, his phone vibrated. The screen lit up, displaying an interface he had long thought would never appear again.

“[The system has been reactivated.]”

Brian stared at the screen for a long time. He felt curious, confused, and apprehensive. His life was changing too quickly. Money came in strange ways, and so did problems, because every time the system activated, there was always something he had to deal with.

“[Complete this task, you will receive fifty percent of the profits.]”

Brian sighed again. The number fifty percent appeared again. He had already suspected that this task wouldn’t be simple. But this time, the instructions made him frown. He thought he'd be back to being a debt collector, but it turned out to be different.

“[Selling an old car. You set the price yourself.]”

“An old car?” Brian muttered. “I thought I'd always be a debt collector. Turns out I'm a car salesman now. I wonder how much work I'll have to do for this system.”

The next morning, Brian followed the address the system provided. He arrived at an old house with a spacious yard. There was a vintage car parked, its paint still well-maintained despite its obvious age. The owner was an elderly man named Mr. Badrun.

“So, can you sell it?” Mr. Badrun asked, staring at the car.

“Hopefully,” Brian replied honestly.

“Okay.”

Without further questions, Mr. Badrun handed over the keys and complete documents. His demeanor was calm, as if not worried at all. Brian was a little surprised, but he didn't want to think too much about it.

Brian took photos of the car from various angles and uploaded them to social media and several vintage car buying and selling groups. He didn't set a fixed price, but instead opened an auction system. Whoever bid the highest would win the car.

When Brian arrived on campus, several pairs of eyes immediately focused on him. News of his dismissal had apparently spread among his friends.

"Poor is poor, so let's go back to his hometown," Alex mocked with a chuckle.

Jackson turned to Brian. "What's wrong?"

"He's been fired from his job," Alex replied casually. "Now he's racking his brains trying to find money for graduation. He's even selling a car, who knows who it belongs to."

"If you're interested in buying, please enter your price, Lex," Brian replied calmly.

"No way," Alex snorted.

Before the atmosphere could escalate, Brian's phone vibrated. A message came in. Someone was interested in the car he was selling and wanted to meet in person to discuss the price. The location was a luxury apartment not far from campus.

Brian didn't waste the opportunity. He immediately headed to the address. For him, the outcome of the sale of this car was crucial. The higher the price, the bigger his share.

When he arrived in front of the apartment unit in question, the door opened. A beautiful woman stood there. Her outfit was very sexy, even her cleavage was clearly visible, her eyes were sharp and full of curiosity.

"Are you Brian?" she asked.

"Yes."

"I'm Emily. Come in."

Brian entered and went straight to the living room. Emily sat cross-legged, revealing her smooth thighs, staring at him unblinkingly.

“Tell me about this car,” she requested.

Brian began explaining the car’s condition, year of manufacture, and its unique features. He had mostly researched this morning after seeing the car, but he delivered it with conviction.

Emily nodded slowly, then smiled faintly. “Interesting,” she said. “And if I want to buy it, can I get a gift?”

“What gift?” Brian asked, confused, as she hadn’t promised any.

“I want you as the gift,” Emily replied teasingly.