RISE OF THE SCORNFUL CRYPTO LORD

1. THE DIRT THEY GRIND ME INTO

Liam's POV

The sponge in my hands is soaked as I scrape my skin, and I scrub the Harrington family’s mahogany dining table.

Vivian Harrington, Claire's mother yelled at me. “Liam Conrad, you’re slower than a snail! My table deserves better than a nobody like you.”

I have almost gotten used to her words, which sting harder than a scorpion. But what choice do I have other than to keep quiet? When the room was full of her relatives as they all burst into laughter.

My hands were shaking, but I kept wiping the floor as my dark hair fell over my eyes to hide the anger burning inside.

I’m Liam Conrad, their useless son-in-law, and I don’t know why they treat me like dirt. I’m not rich like them, but I’m not poor either. I manage a warehouse, earn a decent paycheck, and have some savings in the bank.

My father wasn't some rich folk either and I entered college with a scholarship presented to me by Claire's dad. He saw that potential in me and I never took it for granted. Even when I professed my love for her daughter, he didn't object, he just made sure I got the best life there is.

And unlike Claire's father, to the rest of the Harringtons, I’m nothing.

My wife, Claire Harrington, sits at the head of the table, her green eyes fixed on her wine glass. She’s beautiful, but her face is blank, like I’m not even here.

Before we got married three years ago, everything was perfect. We’d sit in coffee shops with her hand in mine, laughing about our future.

I thought she loved me. Now, she’s silent, and I don’t know why. I don’t know why she lets her family treat me like this. Her father, Edward, was the only one who respected me.

He’s gone now and his cause of death is still unknown. The police said it was suicide, but I know quite well Mr. Edwards will never kill himself.

Now, I’m stuck in this mansion, its chandeliers and gold-framed paintings mocking my plain shirt and worn shoes.

“Liam!” Nathan Harrington, Claire’s cousin, snaps his fingers like I’m a servant. He’s slouched in his chair as his fancy suit screams money he got from the family’s real estate business.

“My glass is empty. Move, or are you too dumb to pour wine?” The relatives chuckle.

And his sister, Lila, smirks. “Claire, why’s he still here? He’s like a smudge on our name.”

My fingers grip the sponge. I want to smash the wine bottle over Nathan’s smug face. Instead, I grab the bottle and pour, my hands steady despite the anger I was feeling. Still, Claire doesn’t look at me.

And to be honest, her silence is heavier than their insults.

Vivian leans forward with her diamond earrings glinting like a warning. “Claire, when will you divorce this loser? He’s embarrassing us.”

I don't think I could contain the resentment I'm facing right now. I looked up to Claire and I searched her face for something.

Maybe anger, kindness, anything. But I saw nothing.

“I don’t know, Mother,” she responded, as if she were talking about the weather.

The table cheers, glasses clinking, and I feel like I’m choking. Why doesn’t she care? Why did she change? I want to grab her, ask what happened to the woman who smiled at me. But I don’t. I scrub the table harder, the sponge tearing under my grip.

Nathan’s not done. He grabs a piece of bread and throws it at my chest. It hits me like the crumbs stuck to my shirt.

“Pick it up,” he says, and Lila claps, laughing like it’s a game. The room roars and I picture tackling Nathan, making him beg.

Instead, I bend down, grab the bread, and drop it in the trash. Their laughter followed me, each sound was like a nail in my heart. I don’t know why Claire lets this happen, why is she watching without a word?

“What was the proposed deal for selling your father's company?” Nathan asked Claire.

“They are offering 600 million dollars and it is not what I intend to sell my father's legacy for.”

“That's a generous offer, why don't we take it?” Nathan responded as he looked at the others.

And they all concluded that the price was okay. Silence fell and Claire stood up. “I can't believe you all would sell your family's legacy for 600 million dollars.”

“The company is in debt, Claire. Who would take over the business?”

“My husband,” She paused and continued. “He is a graduate in computer science, he knows all these, and is vast in the financial market. I have seen him analyze the market.” She stopped talking.

As if they had planned it. Everyone burst out laughing out loud.

“You mean that good for nothing? He only knows how to spend your money. Don't you ever put a poor person in high regard? If your father had thought about his death, he wouldn't have given that wretched boy your hand in marriage.” Vivian, her mother replied.

Right there, dinner ended, and before I went to my room, I cleaned up the table.

For the first time today, I was alone with Claire.

“Sorry I can't help with the dishes, I need to rest and get ready for work.” She begged.

I nodded my head in response. I tried to understand her and I did.

When I was done, I was sent to the guest room—a small, musty space with a creaky bed. It’s better than nothing, but it feels like a cage.

“Would I really leave this shithole someday?” I whisper, not expecting an answer.

My phone buzzes, a basic model I bought with my own money. A text from Sarah, an old college friend, glows on the screen.

*Hey, Liam, I was checking my old room and I found your old computer science textbook. I had taken it from your dorm, and I thought I had misplaced it. But, gladly I didn't. What’s your address?*

My brow furrows.

That textbook… I never lent it out. It was my one treasure in college, not for the notes but for the seed phrases I scribbled inside, linked to a Bitcoin wallet I mined back in 2009 when I was a nerdy student messing with crypto.

I thought it was lost forever.

Hurriedly, I texted her my address, then hesitated. “Sarah, can you send a pic of the first page of chapter one?” I typed as I noticed my hands were shaking.

Her reply comes fast with a photo of the textbook’s chapter one page. Then I saw my messy handwriting scrawled in the corner.

*Moon*. My eyes widened in surprise.

It’s one of my seed phrases, forgotten for years. I mined over 800,000 bitcoins back then when they were worth nothing.

Now?

I grabbed my phone, opened a crypto app, and checked the price.

It is $115,000 per Bitcoin. My eyes widened in amazement.

I’m one of the richest men in the world, and I didn’t even know it.

The Harringtons’ insults flashed through my mind.

They think I’m nothing. I’ll give them the taste of their poison soon. I’ll make them choke on their words, starting with Nathan.