REVENGE OF JASON LUTHER

Chapter Six: The Second Wish

Jason stood there in the rain, staring down at the phone in his hand as if it had just performed a miracle.

Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at the stranger.

“She’s alive,” Jason said quietly, disbelief and gratitude mixing in his voice. “You actually did it.”

"I granted your wish," the man corrected, his tone matter-of-fact. "In this timeline, your mother's cancer was detected early. A routine screening caught it at stage one instead of stage four. The treatment was standard. A generous philanthropist, moved by her story, paid for her care. She is healthy. Whole. The suffering you remember has been erased from this version of events."

Jason felt something unfamiliar rising inside his chest: hope. It felt strange after so many years without it.

“You said I have three wishes,” Jason said slowly, studying the mysterious man again.

“Yes,” the man confirmed with a calm nod.

Jason inhaled deeply.

“That means I still have two left,” he said thoughtfully, glancing back toward the glowing mansion behind him.

“Yes,” the stranger replied. “Two wishes remain.”

Jason turned his gaze to the mansion and stared at the windows. Through the glass, he could see figures dancing and laughing. He could almost picture Melissa clearly in her beautiful dress with her arms wrapped around Richard Blackwell, the billionaire who had replaced him without hesitation.

Something cold and sharp slowly awakened inside Jason’s chest.

Jason slowly turned back to the stranger, his eyes hard with a determination that had not been there before.

“I wish to become the richest man in the entire world,” Jason said firmly, his voice steady and cold, as if he had already buried the man he used to be.

The stranger tilted his head slightly, studying him with quiet curiosity. “The richest?” he repeated thoughtfully, his calm voice carrying a faint hint of amusement.

“Yes, the richest,” Jason confirmed without hesitation, locking eyes with the man. “But I don't want to be just rich,” he continued, his tone sharpening with intensity. “I don't want to be just another billionaire. I want more wealth than anyone else alive. I want power. Influence. I want the kind of money that can move corporations… and make governments listen.”

The stranger watched him carefully for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “This wish carries complexity,” he warned calmly, his voice low and measured.

Jason didn't even blink. “I don’t care,” he replied flatly.

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly as if weighing something unseen. “Your life will change forever,” he added quietly.

Jason let out a short, bitter laugh. “It already has,” he said with a cold smile.

For several seconds, silence settled between them. The night air seemed to grow heavier, as if reality itself were waiting.

Then the stranger slowly nodded.

“Very well,” the man said calmly as he lifted his hand once more. “As you wish.”

He snapped his fingers.

Reality broke.

Jason staggered as a violent ripple surged through the world around him. The air trembled. The streetlights flickered. For a brief moment, it felt as though the entire universe had been shaken like a snow globe.

Jason gasped as a strange force rushed through his body.

His soaked delivery uniform suddenly tightened against his skin before dissolving into something entirely different. The cheap fabric shifted, darkened, and reshaped itself into a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that fit him with flawless precision.

His worn sneakers hardened and polished, transforming into sleek Italian leather shoes that gleamed beneath the streetlights.

Jason stared down at himself in disbelief.

A heavy platinum watch materialized around his wrist, its glass face catching the faint glow of the lamps.

“What the…” Jason whispered under his breath, his voice filled with stunned disbelief.

His phone vibrated in his hand.

Jason quickly lowered his gaze.

The device had transformed as well.

The cheap cracked screen was gone, replaced by a flawless display embedded in a sleek titanium body. It was clearly the newest and most expensive flagship device on the market.

Jason swallowed and unlocked it with his thumb.

The phone recognized him instantly.

The home screen appeared.

Among the apps, one icon immediately caught his attention.

His banking app.

Jason hesitated for a second before tapping it with slightly trembling fingers.

The login process happened automatically.

Face ID activated.

Authenticated.

The account page loaded.

Jason’s breath caught in his throat.

For a moment, his vision blurred as his brain struggled to process what he was seeing.

Primary Checking:

$847,234,552,891.23

Jason blinked hard.

Then again.

But the number didn’t change.

In fact, it moved.

Right in front of his eyes.

$847,234,553,204.89

$847,234,553,518.34

The balance was increasing.

Every second.

Jason stared at the screen in shock. “Is… is that going up?” he muttered under his breath, his voice shaking slightly.

“Yes, it is,” the stranger replied calmly beside him. “Your wealth is actively generating more wealth. This is what it means to be the richest man in the world.”

Jason swallowed hard.

Hundreds of dollars every second.

Thousands every minute.

Millions every hour.

And he wasn’t even doing anything.