My Second Life as a High-Society Disaster

Chapter 1: The Most Expensive Choke

The apartment smelled like stale laundry and the desperate hope of a man who had just spent his last twenty dollars on a limited-edition bag of "Satan’s Fingerprints" spicy crackers.

Raka Pradana sat cross-legged on his sagging mattress, staring at the foil bag with a mixture of reverence and hunger.

"Alright, you little red devils," Raka muttered, his voice echoing in the empty, cramped room. "The guy at the convenience store said these things have killed three people in five countries. Let's see if you're worth the hype."

He reached in, pulled out a cracker coated in a layer of dust so red it looked radioactive, and tossed it into his mouth.

For three seconds, there was silence.

Then, the sun exploded in his throat.

"Oh... oh God," Raka wheezed, his eyes bulging. "That’s not spice. That’s battery acid. That’s—cough—that’s a crime against humanity!"

He tried to swallow, but his throat seized in a violent, involuntary spasm. The jagged edge of the cracker lodged firmly in his windpipe. He tried to inhale, but only a thin, whistling sound escaped his lips.

"No, no, no," he gasped, clawing at his neck. "Not like this. Not by a snack. I’m twenty-six! I haven’t even—"

He lunged for a half-empty bottle of lukewarm soda on his nightstand, but his hand shook so violently he knocked it over. The dark liquid soaked into his carpet, mockingly out of reach. His vision began to swim. The pile of dirty socks in the corner seemed to grow larger, looming over him like a judgmental shadow.

"Mom’s gonna be so embarrassed," he choked out, his knees hitting the floor. "The obituary is gonna say I lost a fight... to a cracker..."

His heart gave one final, indignant thump, and Raka Pradana slumped forward, face-planting into the pile of spicy crumbs.

*

"He’s stable. Vitals are returning to baseline, though I wouldn’t call his state 'healthy' by any stretch of the imagination."

The voice was crisp, professional, and sounded like it belonged to someone who drove a car that cost more than Raka’s entire apartment building. Raka tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt like they had been glued shut with premium silk and expensive honey.

"Is he going to wake up today, Dr. Hando?" another voice asked. This one was younger, male, and sounded incredibly stressed. "The board of directors is breathing down my neck. If he’s in a coma, the stock price is going to drop another ten percent by noon."

"He isn’t in a coma, Leo. He’s just... incredibly hungover. And possibly suffering from a mild concussion from when he hit the marble floor," the first voice, Dr. Hando, replied.

Raka’s brain felt like it was being pickled in vinegar. Wait. Marble floor? Leo? Who the hell is Leo? And since when do I have a doctor?

He forced his eyes open.

The light was blinding. Instead of the water-stained ceiling of his studio apartment, he saw a massive, crystal chandelier hanging from a vaulted ceiling painted with frescoes of cherubs. He wasn't on a sagging mattress; he was submerged in a sea of high-thread-count Egyptian cotton.

"Ugh..." Raka groaned. "Did I... did I survive the cracker?"

The room went silent.

Raka blinked, focusing his blurred vision. A man in a pristine white coat stood at the foot of the bed, holding a tablet. Next to him was a young man in a sharp grey suit, looking like he hadn't slept since the turn of the century.

"The cracker, sir?" Dr. Hando asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that what we’re calling the vintage cognac and the bottle of antidepressants now?"

Raka pushed himself up, his head spinning. "What? No. The 'Satan’s Fingerprints.' It was stuck in my throat. I died. I definitely felt myself die."

Leo, the man in the suit, sighed and rubbed his temples. "Great. He’s hallucinating. This is just what we needed for the PR recovery plan."

"Wait a minute," Raka said, looking at his hands. They were pale, manicured, and completely devoid of the calluses he’d earned from years of part-time delivery work. "Where am I? And who are you people?"

"Sir, I know you like to play these games when you’re in trouble, but this isn't the time," Leo said, his voice dropping to a low, urgent hiss. "You’re in your penthouse. I’m Leo, your personal assistant—the man who has spent the last three years keeping you out of prison and the tabloids."

"My penthouse?" Raka looked around. The room was the size of a basketball court. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a skyline that looked like downtown Jakarta on steroids. "I don't have a penthouse. I have a shared bathroom and a landlord who hates me."

Dr. Hando stepped closer, shining a penlight into Raka’s eyes. "Mr. Julian, can you tell me what year it is?"

"It’s 2024," Raka snapped. "And my name isn't Julian. It’s Raka. Raka Pradana."

Leo and Dr. Hando exchanged a long, heavy look.

"Right," Leo said, sounding like he was about to burst into tears. "Retrograde amnesia. Perfect. Just perfect. Maybe we can spin this? 'Disgraced Billionaire Heir Loses Memory, Becomes Decent Human Being?' No, nobody would buy it."

"Hold on," Raka said, his heart hammering against his ribs—a rhythm that felt far too strong for his old, malnourished chest. "Billionaire? Heir? Disgraced?"

"You’re Julian Thorne," Leo said, leaning in. "Sole heir to the Thorne Global empire. You’re currently the most hated man in the city because you crashed your Ferrari into a fountain full of protected koi fish while screaming about how you were 'too rich for physics.' Does any of this ring a bell?"

Raka stared at him, his mouth agape. "I... I crashed a Ferrari? Was the fish okay?"

"The fish were fine, Julian. The fountain, however, was a historical landmark," Leo sighed.

"This is a joke," Raka laughed nervously, looking for a hidden camera. "Where’s the crew? Is this a prank show? Am I being punked because of the cracker incident?"

"I assure you, Mr. Thorne, this is quite real," Dr. Hando said, checking a monitor. "Your blood alcohol level was high enough to fuel a small jet when you were brought in last night. It’s possible the chemical shock has caused some... identity confusion."

"I’m not confused! I’m Raka! I live in a room that smells like wet dog and I work for a delivery app!" Raka shouted, throwing the silk sheets aside.

He swung his legs out of bed. His body felt different—longer, heavier, but also more powerful. He stood up, his balance wobbling for a second, and marched toward a door that looked like it led to a bathroom.

"Sir, you should rest!" Leo called out.

Raka ignored him, stumbling into the bathroom. He froze.

The bathroom was a temple of gold and white marble. But that wasn't what stopped his heart. He slowly turned toward the massive, backlit mirror above the double vanity.

The face staring back at him wasn't his.

It was the face of a man who looked like he had been sculpted by a god who spent too much time looking at fashion magazines. Sharp, arrogant cheekbones. A straight, regal nose. Dark, messy hair that fell perfectly over a pair of piercing, deep-set eyes. He looked like a villain from a romance novel—dangerously handsome and clearly spoiled rotten.

"Who the hell is this?" Raka whispered, touching his cheek. The reflection did the same. "No. No way. This is way too much for a cracker to do."

He looked down at his chest. There was a faint scar over his heart, and the skin was smooth, tanned, and expensive-looking.

"I'm... I'm a hottie?" Raka muttered, a strange sense of hysterical joy bubbling up despite the terror. "I mean, I'm a billionaire hottie?"

"You're a public menace, Julian," Leo’s voice came from the doorway. "And if you don't get your act together before the board meeting tomorrow, you're going to be a broke billionaire hottie."

Raka turned around, still clutching the edge of the marble sink. "Leo, listen to me. I’m not who you think I am. I’m a guy from the suburbs. I like cheap noodles and I've never even seen a Ferrari in person."

Leo sighed, looking at his watch. "Look, if you want to play 'The Prince and the Pauper' to cope with the fact that you almost died of a drug-fueled ego trip, fine. Do it on your own time. But right now, we have a crisis."

"What crisis?"

"Aside from the fish and the fountain?" Leo stepped into the room, his expression darkening. "Your father's patience has finally evaporated. He’s sent a... mediator."

"A mediator?" Raka asked. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"Julian, you don't understand," Leo said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "He didn't send a lawyer. He sent her."

Before Raka could ask who 'she' was, the heavy oak doors of the bedroom suite were slammed open with such force that the sound echoed like a gunshot through the penthouse.

Raka jumped, nearly slipping on the marble.

A woman strode into the room. She was wearing a blood-red power suit that hugged a figure that could only be described as lethal. Her hair was a waterfall of obsidian silk, and her eyes—sharp, cold, and devastatingly beautiful—latched onto Raka like a predator spotting a particularly stupid rabbit.

She didn't say a word at first. She just walked right up to him, the click of her stilettos sounding like a countdown. She stopped inches from his chest, smelling of expensive jasmine and cold fury.

"Julian," she said, her voice a low, melodic purr that made the hair on Raka’s arms stand up.

"Uh... hi?" Raka managed, his brain short-circuiting. Whoa. She’s... she’s terrifying. Why am I attracted to this? Is this part of the billionaire package?

"Don't 'hi' me, you pathetic excuse for an heir," she said, reaching out to grip his chin with fingers that felt like velvet-wrapped steel. She forced him to look her in the eye. "I spent six hours cleaning up your mess with the Ministry of Culture. I haven't slept, I haven't eaten, and I am currently one minor inconvenience away from burying you in that fountain yourself."

Raka swallowed hard. "Look, lady, there’s been a bit of a mix-up—"

"The only mix-up was your mother giving birth to you instead of a more useful golden retriever," she snapped, releasing his chin with a flick of her wrist. She turned to Leo. "Is he sober?"

"Mostly," Leo squeaked. "He thinks he’s a delivery driver named Raka."

The woman paused, turning back to Raka with a slow, predatory grin that didn't reach her eyes.

"A delivery driver?" she repeated. "How creative. Is this your new strategy, Julian? Pretending to be a commoner so I’ll be 'gentle' with you?"

"I’m not pretending!" Raka protested. "I choked on a cracker! I died! I don't know who you are!"

The woman stepped back into his personal space, her gaze raking over him with pure disdain. "I am Sarah Vance, your fiancée by contract and the woman who holds the power of attorney over your entire inheritance. And if you don't get dressed in the next five minutes, 'Raka,' I am going to show you exactly how a 'commoner' gets treated in this house."

She leaned in, her lips inches from his ear.

"I don't care if you've lost your mind," she whispered. "I’m going to make sure you're at that meeting tomorrow. Even if I have to drag your body there myself. Do you understand?"

Raka stared at her, his heart racing—not from the "Satan's Fingerprints," but from the sheer, overwhelming realization that his new life was going to be significantly more dangerous than his old one.

"Crystal," he squeaked.

Sarah nodded once, sharp and decisive. "Good. Leo, get him into a suit. A black one. It’ll match the mood for when I eventually kill him."

As she swept out of the room, Raka slumped back against the sink, breathing hard.

"Hey, Leo?"

"Yes, 'Raka'?" Leo sighed.

"Can I go back to the cracker? I think I preferred the cracker."