Chap 1: The End Of His Life

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES.

"Uhh... ahh... you're so sexy, Darling!"

"Ahh... faster, Baby!"

Austin's steps stopped after hearing a familiar female moan. In front of bedroom of the son of the conglomerate family that employed Austin, Austin being nervous. Was Jack making love to a woman?

Jack, the conglomerate's son, was always bringing women into his bedroom and making love every night. All this time, Austin didn't care and tried to maintain Jack's privacy with women. But why this time, the sighing sound of the woman inside resembled Ellina - Austin's wife?

Austin quietly moved quickly to his cell phone. His message to Ellina had not been replied to since this morning.

The sighing sound in the room was getting louder. At that moment, Austin felt uncomfortable. His grip on the mop handle tightened as his strong emotions appeared. His gut feeling told him that the woman sighing was Ellina.

Realizing the door was slightly ajar, Austin threw down the mop handle and broke down the door. Austin no longer cared about Jack's privacy. Because he had to confirm who's the woman that Jack had sex with tonight.

"Ellina?" Austin's voice sounded soft after seeing Ellina and Jack naked.

Ellina was underneath Jack's body, while Jack who held their bodies together stopped moving.

Austin couldn't move at all. He was frozen in shock.

"Shit! Why did you come into my room without permission?!" Jack immediately growled.

Jack separated his body from Ellina and looked at Austin sharply. Meanwhile, Ellina immediately covered her whole body with a blanket.

"Austin, isn't tonight not your schedule to work here?" asked a worried Ellina under her blanket.

Austin's hands were tightly clenched. His sharp eyes didn't move from Jack.

"Yes, it's fortunate that Mr. Petra called me to work tonight to replacing shift. I can see what you two are doing behind my back," Austin retorted in an annoyed tone of voice.

Jack smirked. After putting on his pants, Jack walked over to Austin with a dismissive look.

"Why, you want to get mad?" Jack asked.

"You asshole!"

Quick as a flash, Austin lunged at Jack, who wasn't ready for his attack. Austin delivered a powerful fist to Jack's jaw. Venting all his anger.

"What are you doing with my wife, asshole?" Austin snapped at Jack, no longer thinking that the man in front of him was his boss's son.

Jack's body almost swayed to the side while holding his jaw. Austin's attack made Ellina squeal in panic from the bed.

"Austin, stop! Don't attack Jack!" exclaimed Ellina giving Austin a warning.

Austin's ears seemed to fall on deaf ears. His focus was only on Jack who showed absolutely no guilt.

"Hit me one more time, loser! I'm not afraid to die at your hands!"

Austin couldn't hold back anymore. Provoked by anger, Austin attacked Jack again using intense punches. They were delivered to his jaw, nose, stomach, and then a kick to Jack's sensitive spot.

"You know Ellina is my wife, why are you fucking her?" Austin's voice full of emotion.

Jack returned Austin's glare and lunged. A fist punch more hard from him landed on Austin's jaw, makes his body unsteady a few steps to the side.

"STOP! AUSTIN, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ATTACKED HIM!" Ellina, who had already put on her clothes, ran back to Jack.

Austin wiped the blood from the corner of his lips while watching Ellina in wonder.

"Ellina, are you defending him?" Austin said, didn't expect. "You're having an affair behind my back! How long have you been together?"

Ellina was afraid to admit. But Jack unhesitatingly reached out to embrace her, pulling her body close.

"One year. You didn't realize that, did you?" Jack underestimated Austin.

"Ellina?" Austin looked at Ellina as if he wanted confirmation from her.

Ellina was silent for a while without being able to say anything. Then gradually, Ellina couldn't hold back anymore.

"I can't stand living with a poor man like you! I'd rather have a relationship with him because he can give me anything I want!" Ellina's tone bullied Austin.

Austin was dumbfounded. Through it all, Austin lunged at Jack again.

"I'll kill you, asshole! You're the asshole who—"

Plak!

Austin stopped his movement when Ellina suddenly slapped him.

"Ellina? Did you just slap me?" Austin asked with an incredulous look.

For a split second Ellina just looked at Austin emotionally. Anger mixed with disgust radiated clearly from Ellina's sharp eyes.

"I'm so sick of you, Austin. Do you think I really love you? I tried to hold myself together for four years of marriage with you. But now, I can't live with you anymore."

Hearing that, Austin shook his head in disbelief.

"No way. You must have just been instigated by that jerk, right?" Austin asked harshly.

"Who are you to call my lover a jerk?" Ellina challenged Austin. "I love Jack, Austin. Not you."

Jack grinned. "Ellina and I had an arranged marriage. Our families both agreed. We waited a long time to tell you about this, but now is the time."

Austin was still looking at Ellina confused. What had just happened was hard for his brain to digest. Before Austin could understand why Ellina could be in a relationship with Jack, a paper was suddenly handed to him.

Divorce papers.

"Sign that paper, I want a divorce right now."

When Austin was still silent in shock, Jack said again, "You poor man. You should realize you're just a poor guy who doesn't deserve to be with Ellina."

"Get out of my face, Austin! I'm sick of looking at you!"

Austin looked at the divorce papers with a dumbfounded expression. It took him a while to believe that the woman he loved was giving him divorce papers.

Austin's heart broke hearing Ellina's hurtful statement. Now, a strong sense of heartache filled Austin's chest. He had just been dumped.

*

A paper was thrown in Austin's face after his steps had just arrived in front of Daniel, his foster father. Austin's body was pushed until his waist hit the edge of the table due to Daniel's powerful force that vented anger.

"You're such a useless kid!" Daniel yelled at Austin without caring about Austin's pain.

Austin held his waist, feeling pain. But compared to the pain in his waist, Austin felt more confused and surprised by Daniel's anger.

"What happened, Father?" Austin asked.

"Look at that paper!" Daniel pointed to the paper that had been thrown earlier, already lying on the ground. "How could you leave us with that much debt?!"

Austin's eyebrows furrowed. Feeling curious, he bent down to pick up the paper. When he read it, he saw that there was a caption using capital letters as the title of the paper.

[PROPERTY ASSET SEIZURE LETTER]

Austin's heart seemed to stop beating. Especially after realizing this official foreclosure letter was given by the bank. Austin remembered his loan debt to the bank that had been in arrears for three months.

Since three years ago, Austin has owned a very small restaurant that he opened using savings from four jobs: waiter at a conglomerate's house, corporate office boy, part-time deliver, and delivery boy.

The bank loan money was used to supplement the costs of running the restaurant as well as his married life.

Unfortunately, the income from his small restaurant was not enough to pay off the bank loan.

All of Austin's money had been spent on Ellina's demands for luxury items.

"You owe $75.000.000 and hand over your restaurant certificate?!" Daniel snapped at Austin again.  

Austin's body stiffened. He trembled, his throat choked.

"D-dad... I've already paid off some of the bank debt. But, the income from my restaurant and my job..."

"Argh! You don't need to give us so many excuses!"

Austin looked at his disappointed foster family members at him. Even Rosalia, Daniel's wife, was frowning in disgust.

"The bank has already confiscated the only valuable asset you have. Now, what do you have, Austin?" asked Rosalia looking at Austin without warmth.

This was strange. Austin had seen them all warm up to him during his restaurant's operation. Especially during the grand opening, the restaurant was quite crowded, although four months later, it was empty again.  

"That's right. You've lost your source of income, Austin," said Gio, Rosalia and Daniel's biological son. "Fuck you, Austin. You can't give money to mom and dad anymore."

"If this is the case, why should we accept him as our family?" said Betrand, Austin's adopted older brother. He smiled frivolously.

Austin shook his head. "Mom, Dad, this can't be happening. I still have four jobs. You guys take it easy..." Austin tried to be evasive.

"Four jobs?" Daniel asked with a sardonic smile.

Then Daniel picked up something from the table. Three other pieces of paper were also thrown at Austin's face. Everything scattered until it fell on the floor.

"Why do you think I'd call you a useless kid if you had something else to do?" Daniel quipped.

Austin picked up the three papers that had fallen. How surprised he was to read the contents of the three papers were the information that he was fired.

In just one night, somehow and someway, Austin was fired from his three jobs: waiter at Jack's family mansion, part-time deliver, and delivery boy.

"You still have to pay the remaining fifty million dollars debt, and tonight you get fired from three jobs at once?!"

Austin was dumbfounded. Wait, how could that be? Why is this happening?

"How could you pay all your debts, huh?" 

"Dad, I didn't do anything wrong. They shouldn't have fired me—"

"But in fact, they fired you, dammit!" Daniel cursed at Austin. "You're already a poor man, and after tonight you'll be even poorer. It's my loss to take in a useless, penniless, debt-ridden kid like you!"

"What do you mean, Dad?" asked Austin.

Then suddenly Rosalia appeared carrying a fully loaded tote bag. Rosalia threw the bag at Austin before letting out an exasperated grunt.

"Get out of our house tonight! We won't take in a useless, penniless kid like you!"

Austin was completely speechless. He looked at his tote bag with disbelieving eyes.

"You're kicking me out because I got fired and have outstanding debts?" Austin asked.

"Of course, why should we be with a useless man?" snapped Rosalia.

Feeling hurt, Austin finally stepped out of Daniel's house. Austin remembered all the things he had given to Daniel's family. Because Daniel's family had taken care of him since he was a child, Austin was willing to work four jobs to give them money.

Austin didn't get to enjoy all this money from his multi-job because he had to share the money with Ellina and Daniel's family. Also, to pay off his debt to the bank.

Now, Daniel's family kicked him out. He is fired from three jobs and has only an office boy job left. Ellina divorced him and had an affair. His restaurant assets are seized by the bank.

Austin walks down the street until he reaches a large bridge. His cell phone checked, he opened mbanking.

[Balance left: $150,02]

How could Austin pay the rest of the bank loan?

"I don't know how to end all this problems..."

Austin was on the verge of despair. Underneath this bridge was a huge river. Bad situations had come crashing down on him today. He didn't have a house, nor did he have the money to rent one.

"Would I rather die?" Austin whispered.

Just as Austin was climbing the railing of the bridge, a faint light appeared in front of his face. Austin squinted, lowered his eyes, then gradually saw the holographic rays take shape more and more clearly.

[DING! WELCOME TO THE MULTI-INCOME SYSTEM, USER!]

[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED ACCESS USING THIS SYSTEM]

[THE SYSTEM CHECKS THAT YOU ARE IN A VERY UNSTABLE STATE. USE 'WELCOME USER' TO GET THE SYSTEM'S INITIAL REWARD OF USD 100,000,000!]