From Zero To Trillions

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Austin walked into Scarlett’s apartment, feeling like maybe he had thought too much. Scarlett had already set up her small dining table with food. “Why did you suddenly ask me for dinner right now?” he asked softly.

“I guess I was just in a good mood today, so I thought about sharing dinner with someone. I don’t really have any friends close by, so I just thought of calling you over,” Scarlett replied happily with a big smile. She sat down and then told him about what happened during her TikTok live video a while ago. Austin listened carefully, sometimes pretending to be surprised. Scarlett had no idea that the very kind person who sent her so many gifts was him.

“I honestly still wonder who ‘A. Jok’ is. How old he might even be,” she said out loud, nibbling on her chicken wings.

“Maybe a rich guy,” Austin said in a relaxed way.

“Of course, that guy is super rich! Otherwise, he wouldn’t just send someone like me so much money. You know what… even though I never expected him to send me such a gift, when he did, I became super curious about this person. I’ve never been this curious about anyone before. I wouldn’t even mind marrying this man! I don't care if he has some disability or something; his kindness just warmed my heart.”

Austin was shocked by her words. He dropped his fork and then asked the question swirling in his mind. “Do all girls like rich guys?”

“Who told you all girls only care about money? I only fall in love with the heart, not the money!” Scarlett said right away.

“It’s just that you seemed so moved by that rich guy all of a sudden,” Austin blurted out.

“Hey, I’m not like that! I’m only moved by the kindness he showed me. He really helped me today,” Scarlett tried to explain, looking at Austin.

“Helped you out?” Austin frowned a little.

“Yes, a year ago… I ran away from home, and I’ve been struggling on my own ever since. Feeling lonely and helpless. I tried so many things to earn money but failed. But doing TikTok live gave me a little money, and of course, brand deals. I’ve been using that to support myself, but I never planned to sell my dignity for money. I have my limits! Many people have bullied me, and no one has ever helped me like ‘A. Jok’ did today.” Scarlett told him.

“So, why did you run away from home?” Austin asked, suddenly surprised by his own question.

“It’s… it was nothing,” Scarlett replied, brushing it off. Then she looked at Austin before speaking again. “I think that’s enough about me. How about you? I don’t even know your name yet.”

Austin gave a quick introduction about himself. It turned out they were both alone in the city. Even though Scarlett’s life was a little better than Austin’s, they found common ground and chatted while they ate together.

It wasn't until past 1 a.m. that Austin returned to his room and fell onto his bed. Soon, his phone ringing woke him up again around 8:20 a.m.

Still half asleep, he answered the call and spoke. “Hello.”

“What the heck, Austin! Why aren't you in school yet? The first class is important, and you know attendance is key to passing the course!” his friend Silas yelled from the other line, sounding worried.

“I slept really late last night…” Austin replied helplessly before hanging up and quickly getting dressed.

Austin was in a school where many classes could be skipped, but he dared not skip this one because the consequences could be very bad.

Thirty minutes later, Austin rushed into the lecture hall, only to find that the class had already started. He gently knocked on the door.

Everyone in the class looked at him, and the lady standing at the front glanced his way. Today, the lecturer was wearing a tight, knee-length dress that showed off her shape; the dress made her look super attractive. Her lovely face had light makeup, her eyes were captivating, and her lips were painted in soft pink lipstick, looking very inviting. Austin stared at her long, exposed slender legs, which were shown off by the dress and ended in high heels.

This woman was the youngest woman in the university, and she was their level coordinator… Zelda.

“Mr. Parker. Why are you late?” Zelda’s beautiful and charming eyes looked him up and down, her voice a little impatient.

“I know why! Maybe he ran out of money after treating us all to dinner last night and has been scrubbing more bar tables and toilets!” Kelvin shouted loudly in the quiet class.

“Hahahah,” the whole class burst into laughter.

“I will not put up with that in my class, Mr. Stones. Why can’t you keep your mouth shut?” Zelda snapped back instantly. She turned her head a little and glared fiercely at Kelvin, telling him off in a cold voice.

Kelvin immediately adjusted his watch and acted like no one had just spoken to him. It was rumored that Zelda was the youngest lecturer in school but still came from a very powerful family, and no student dared to annoy her by provoking her.

“I’m very sorry, Miss Zelda… I had to take care of something personal,” Austin said to her.

“I do not care what you had to take care of, Mr. Parker. Just get out and stand in the hallway… I want you to know that if this happens again, you will fail my class,” Zelda said plainly, with no expression.

“Okay,” Austin nodded lightly, then turned around and left the lecture hall.

Standing in the hallway, Austin didn’t even panic about being kicked out of class. He just smiled to himself, still thinking about his life these past two days. How could a broke guy like him just end up becoming a Trillionaire?

The feeling still felt unreal and almost magical to him.

“I wonder what Sabrina would think of me when she finds out I have so much money,” Austin couldn’t help but think to himself.

A loud sound from the school speaker told Austin that the class was over. Zelda’s high heels clicked as she gracefully walked out of the hall. She gave Austin a quick glare, narrowed her eyes, and then spoke. “Austin Parker, you will head to the administrative department by 3:30 to help take some stuff to the dorm for me as your punishment.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Austin nodded lightly.

“If you are late again, you will see what I will do to you,” Zelda said, and with that, she walked away. Austin returned to the class with a tired look. When he entered, he noticed that Sabrina, Ariana, and Georgina were nowhere to be seen.

“Austin, what’s going on with you lately? You never miss her class. What happened?” Vince whispered to Austin.

“I stayed up late last night and just couldn’t wake up early,” Austin explained.

“Did winning the lottery make you forget who you truly are?” Silas chuckled, then added. “I’ve been thinking things through yesterday. Tell me, how much did you even win?”

“Not much, one hundred and fifty thousand USD,” Austin responded in a relaxed way.

“What?! Are you serious?! Because one hundred and fifty thousand US dollars is a lot of money!” Vince exclaimed in surprise.

Austin was totally not in the mood to discuss this with either Vince or Silas. He quickly looked around the entire classroom before asking. “By the way, uhmm, why aren't Sabrina, Georgina, and Ariana in class?”

“Oh, you probably don’t know this, but last night after we left the Royal Blue Hotel, Kelvin’s Dad showed up to pay Kelvin’s part of the bill. He even got slapped in front of the other classmates still there! And I heard that Sabrina got into trouble with someone at the hotel. The person she annoyed knew some local tough guys. This morning, Sabrina and the others were taken.”

“Kelvin will probably go rescue them,” Vince quickly explained.

“Ever since Sabrina started hanging out with Kelvin, she’s been acting all high and mighty. I heard that she was rude to the other person over a misunderstanding at the hotel and even ended up hitting the person, not knowing they had very strong connections,” Silas added.

“Hahahaha,” Austin chuckled very hard in satisfaction. His day had just been brightened.