Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos

In a small apartment, a young man got dressed, ready for work.

He grabbed his suitcase and rushed outside to the cab he had booked online. Today he would finally get a chance to work in an office of his own.

For the past three years, he has been working as a delivery guy for a pizza delivery company.

Yesterday marked his 3 years of working for that company, and as promised by the company, he would be promoted to a higher rank in the office and receive a 200% rise in his salary.

He usually earned $400 a month in his job, and with the tips he received from kind customers, he made over $500 a month, which was enough to manage in this world.

Ethan is nineteen years old. He is an orphan who wanted to live a peaceful life; he did not want to end up like his late parents.

He wanted a life where he would die at an old age and leave behind wealth to take care of his kids and his wife, if nature was fair.

Today was his happy day—the day he would be promoted in his job.

He spent $50 on a new suit and needed accessories, of course they were low-grade ones.

Even with the low quality, it was a perfect fit for his body; his tall figure was accented, and he looked classic.

He boarded the taxi and rode straight to the company.

It was a tall, seven-story glasshouse.

He maintained his tie before rushing toward the first floor, where he met the receptionist, who was always friendly.

"Hi Shelly," he greeted with a smile on his face.

"Wow, someone is really handsome today; congratulations in advance; don't forget to take me out for a drink." Shelly has short black hair and a pretty face. She is friendly to Ethan.

She is the second person Ethan was close with; the other is his girlfriend Victoria, to whom he plans to propose after owning his house and his personal car.

They have been dating for a few months now, and their bond is really close; there is no one he trusts more in this world than Victoria.

He checked his watch; the time was just ten minutes before 7 AM, the normal time for resumption in this office was 7:30, and he was already present.

He waved at Shelly and rushed toward the escalator.

Reaching the second floor, he saw something he wasn't expecting.

A young lady dressed in a tight-fitting suit and a skinny skirt was kissing a guy.

He wouldn't have been concerned if it was just a young lady and a guy kissing, but the lady was none other than his girlfriend Victoria.

His heart shattered at that moment, and an unexplainable pain moved through his body.

"Victoria!" he called out, his eyes wide open in shock.

His hands lost grip strength, and the suitcase he was holding fell to the ground, causing a sound that drew the attention of the two.

Victoria stopped kissing the dude, and both of them looked at him at the same time.

A cold smirk crept onto the lips of the young man whom she held romantically.

"If it isn't the biggest loser!" He said it in a sinister tone.

Ethan recalled his face, and the pain increased.

His name is Lawrence Luther; he is the son of the owner of a big company in the city.

Lawrence and Ethan attended the same school, where Ethan was always bullied by Lawrence because he was intelligent. He forced Ethan to do all his homework and also used him as a slave in school.

Ethan reported to the school authority so many times, but they didn't act on his behalf instead they joined Lawrence to make his life difficult.

Due to this, he dropped out and began working multiple side hustles before meeting the O&M Company.

Lawrence held her by the waist and dragged her closer to himself.

Victoria smiled happily and rested her head on his chest. Her eyes darted to Ethan, and she smiled cruelly.

Ethan has never been this heartbroken throughout his lifetime; not only has she betrayed his trust, she also brought back a pain his heart has tried to forget all these years.

"He is the poor loser you talked about, isn't he?" "The one who couldn't afford a common ten thousand dollar designer bag for his girlfriend, such a guy doesn't deserve you." Lawrence let out a cold smile.

Ethan stood straight in disbelief. On his happiest day, he was greeted with the worst congratulations.

Ethan's face ashened, and his eyes reddened.

He squatted to pick up his suitcase that had fallen.

Lawrence grinned and gave a signal to two bald men in suits. The two understood the meaning behind his words, and they rushed toward Ethan.

The first one kicked the suitcase, causing all its contents to spill out.

The other sent a kick toward Ethan's chest, causing him to fall down stomach first.

He coughed out blood and let out a painful shriek.

Both men didn't stop after doing that; they sent numerous kicks at once.

"Don't you feel pity for your ex?" Lawrence asked playfully.

"He is not my ex; he is just a loser who helped me avoid those broke guys trying to woo me; the only man able to handle me is none other than you, darling." Victoria replied with a seductive smile as she patted his broad chest.

Ethan struggled on the ground against the two men beating him. He spotted two workers of the O&M Company looking at him, but they did not rush to help him.

He tried fighting back, and one of them grabbed a gun with a silencer on it and fired a bullet at his chest.

"Loser, you will always be a poor loser who can't stand for himself; your bitch is mine now, Scumbag; who the heck is the boss of this place?" Lawrence impatiently called out.

As soon as he said that, the two O&M workers ran to the escalator and soon returned with a middle-aged fatty with balding hair; he was wearing a golden-rimmed glass.

Once he saw Lawrence, he bowed and greeted him with so much respect.

"When did the O&M company start recruiting losers into the company?" Lawrence said it disdainfully.

The manager of the O&M company was surprised; his questioning expression said it all.

Lawrence pointed at Ethan, who lay helplessly on the floor, breathing fast to regain his breath.

His left hand has swollen, his right hand was badly injured, and there was also a bullet wound in his chest, among many other injuries.

The suit he bought for such a high amount for this occasion was torn, and the white has been coloured red with his own blood.

"Someone come and take this bastard out of here before he makes this place smell of bad luck, quickly." The manager commanded.

The two men dressed in black suits grabbed Ethan and his broken suitcase; they dragged him outside like a thief and kicked him out of the company.

Ethan landed outside, and the passersby stared at him with disgust, refusing to help despite seeing his state.

Meanwhile, inside, Shelly and Victoria had a heated argument, and Lawrence made the manager sack Shelly as well.

"Fine, to hell with the O&M." Shelly was infuriated; she grabbed her handbag and rushed outside. She called an ambulance, and Ethan was rushed to the hospital immediately.