I Made $1,200 Trillion in 24 Hours

The Man They Threw Away

Chapter 3

Jericho's POV 

I used to think pain was something you got used to.

Turns out, some memories never stop burning.

The day my wife left me is one I’ll never forget.

Her name was Clara but very beautiful, proud, and colder than winter when she wanted to be. We’d been married for three years, though it felt like I was the only one trying. She was the daughter of wealthy parents, people who measured human worth by the size of a bank account. To them, I was nothing more than a mistake their daughter had made out of pity.

Her father, Mr. Calvin, once said right to my face, “A man who can’t afford his own house shouldn’t marry. You should’ve known your place, Jericho.”

Her mother never called me by name. To her, I was always that poor boy.

And Clara… well, she didn’t defend me that day. She just stood there in her diamond necklace and said, “I can’t keep living like this, Jericho. I want more out of life.”

When she packed her bags and left, I begged her to stay—just long enough for me to prove that I could make things better. She didn’t even turn around.

That was two years ago.

Now, as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, the man staring back wasn’t the same one who got thrown out like trash.

The scars on my face were gone, replaced with smooth skin and sharper features. My old, tired eyes had been reshaped into something colder, more confident. The surgery had cost me millions, but it was worth every penny. I needed to disappear before the world connected Jericho Matthew—the broke loser—to the man now being called a financial genius.

Because in just three months, Matthew Global Holdings had become the biggest private company in the state. The media called it “a miracle rise,” investors called it “a mystery,” and governments were beginning to call it “a threat.”

I called it payback.

It started small. I invested in tech start-ups, construction firms, and import businesses. The system handled everything flawlessly, turning every move into profit. Within weeks, we’d taken over industries people said were untouchable.

My face was different, my name slightly changed, Richard Matson.

That’s what the world knew me as now. The press said I was a quiet businessman who came out of nowhere with unstoppable success.

“Mr. Matson,” my secretary said one morning, walking briskly into my office, “the news channels want an interview. They’re calling you the most mysterious billionaire in the country.”

I leaned back in my chair, smirking. “Tell them mystery makes people curious. Let them keep wondering.”

She nodded and left.

I stood up and walked to the glass window of my office tower. The view was breathtaking—skyscrapers glittering under the sun, people rushing like ants below. This was my world now. The same world that once mocked me for being too small to matter.

And then, as if the universe wanted to test me, the ghosts of my past decided to crawl back.

***********

It started with a message.

Clara: “Hey… is this Jericho? I found your number somehow. Can we talk?”

I stared at the text for a long time.

She didn’t know I was still alive in a way—at least, not this version of me. I deleted the message without replying.

Two days later, another one came.

Clara: “I heard you’re working for that big company—Matthew Global Holdings. I really need to see you. Please.”

Working for? I almost laughed. She still thought I was an employee somewhere.

The next day, the impossible happened. My receptionist knocked on my door.

“Sir, there’s a woman here to see you. She says it’s urgent. Her name’s Clara Calvin.”

My chest tightened. For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

“Send her in,” I said finally.

The door opened, and there she was—the same woman who once broke me into pieces. She was still beautiful, but not the same way I remembered. Her eyes had a desperate glint now, her makeup couldn’t hide the tired lines on her face, and the confidence she once had was replaced by something else—fear.

“Mr. Matson,” she greeted politely, her voice trembling just a little. “Thank you for seeing me.”

I nodded, keeping my tone cold. “You said it was urgent?”

She looked at me carefully, her eyes scanning my face. I could tell she was trying to figure out if she’d seen me before. But my new features threw her off completely.

“I… I heard your company’s expanding into the housing sector,” she said. “My family runs one of the biggest property firms in the state. We thought maybe we could collaborate.”

We.She meant her father’s company—the same one that once laughed me out of their mansion.

I leaned against my desk, pretending to think. “And why would I want to partner with you?”

She swallowed hard. “Because it could benefit both sides. You’re growing fast, but we have government connections. Together, we could.”

“Save your failing business?” I cut in sharply.

Her face turned pale. “How… how did you know we were struggling?”

I smiled faintly. “I know everything about my competitors, Miss Calvin.”

She blinked, confusion flickering across her face. “You sound like you know me.”

I looked her dead in the eye. “Maybe I do.”

She stared at me for a few seconds, then looked away, flustered. “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

I turned back to the window before she could see the smirk tugging at my lips. “I get that a lot.”

*******

After she left, I sat in silence, my mind swirling. Seeing her again had awakened something dangerous in me—old anger mixed with a strange sense of victory.

But my peace didn’t last long. That same evening, my system sent an alert:

“Suspicion Level: Rising. Multiple entities are investigating Matthew Global Holdings.”

I scrolled through the data. Several government agencies were monitoring transactions linked to my company. News outlets were speculating that we were tied to an underground syndicate. Some even claimed our growth defied “economic logic.”

They were right about that, at least.

I shut the laptop and leaned back. “So the world’s starting to notice, huh?”

The robotic voice replied calmly:

 “Observation is inevitable, Jericho. Control is optional.”

“I’m not losing control,” I muttered. “Not now.”

**********************

A week later, Clara returned. This time, she wasn’t alone—her father and mother came with her.

“Mr. Matson,” Mr. Calvin said, extending a fake smile as they entered my office. “It’s a pleasure to meet such a brilliant young businessman. My daughter’s been telling us wonderful things about your company.”

I shook his hand, feeling the weight of irony press down on me. Two years ago, this same man had thrown a check at me to disappear from his daughter’s life.

“You have a lovely family,” I said smoothly. “I’m sure they’re proud of your… success.”

His wife chuckled awkwardly. “Well, you know how business goes—ups and downs.”

“I do,” I said, sitting down. “But not everyone knows how to rise again after falling.”

They exchanged nervous glances. Clara sat quietly, eyes darting between us.

Mr. Calvin cleared his throat. “We’d like to discuss a merger proposal. Your company has resources; ours has experience. Together.”

I interrupted with a calm smile. “I don’t do mergers. I do takeovers.”

His smile faltered. “Excuse me?”

“I already bought your company’s shares this morning,” I said, sliding a document across the desk. “You now work for me.”

Silence. You could hear a pin drop.

Clara’s mother’s face turned pale. “That’s impossible. Our shares aren’t for sale.”

“They were,” I said. “You just didn’t notice how fast your investors jumped ship.”

Mr. Calvin snatched the paper and skimmed through it. His jaw tightened as he realized it was true.

“You can’t do this!” he shouted.

“I already did.”

Clara stood up abruptly. “Mr. Matson, please,my family’s business is everything to us. Can’t we find another way?”

I looked at her for a long moment before replying softly, “There was another way… once.”

She froze, her eyes narrowing. “You… you sound like…”

I leaned forward slightly, letting the light hit my face just right. “Like Jericho Matthew?”

Her breath hitched. “It is you…”

I smiled coldly. “Surprised?”

Her father slammed his fist on the table. “You tricked us!”

I shrugged. “No. You underestimated me.”

Clara’s voice trembled. “Jericho, please. I was wrong. We all were. But we can fix this, together.”

I stood up, buttoning my jacket. “You had your chance to be with me when I had nothing. Now I have everything, and you mean nothing.”

She stepped closer, tears brimming in her eyes. “I still love you, Jericho. You don’t understand. I made a mistake. I want us back.”

I let out a low laugh. “You want me back because I have power now. But tell me, Clara, would you still want me if I were the same poor man you left?”

She looked down, silent. The answer was obvious.

“Goodbye, Clara,” I said, walking past them. “The security team will escort you out.”

Her hand caught my sleeve. “Wait… if you won’t take me back, at least—please—help me. I could lose everything.”

I looked at her hand, then at her face. “You should’ve thought of that before you laughed at me.”

Then I walked out, leaving her standing there, broken—the same way she once left me.

***************************

That night, I sat in my penthouse, watching the news. The anchors were still debating how one company had risen to dominate the market overnight. Some called me a visionary. Others said I was dangerous.

They were all right.

The robotic voice of the system interrupted my thoughts.

“Phase Three unlocked: Influence.”

I frowned. “Influence?”

 “You now control the economy of three states. Political leverage is advised.”

I stared at the glowing screen, realizing just how far I’d come. From a man begging for scraps to one capable of bending the system itself.

But even as power filled my hands, I could feel something else creeping in—eyes watching, waiting for me to slip.

Clara wasn’t done. I could feel it. Women like her never accepted defeat easily.

And I wasn’t done either.

I turned off the lights, staring out at the skyline below. The city glittered with artificial s

tars, and I whispered to myself, “Let them come. I’m not the same man they left behind.”

Because the truth was simple

They had buried Jericho Matthew.

But the man who rose in his place?

He was unstoppable.