Rebirth Of The European Billionaire

Heavy Rain in Paris and the Discarded Ring

The thunderstorm that struck Paris that night seemed to want to drown out the splendor of the City of Light. In front of the imposing facade of the Ritz Paris Hotel on Place Vendome, raindrops pounded the asphalt brutally. However, the chill of the storm was nothing compared to the chill that crept into Arthur's chest as he stared at his reflection in the gold-framed glass doors.

His clothes were soaked. The cheap suit he had rented with the last of his savings clung to his shivering body. In his trouser pocket, Arthur's trembling fingers fumbled for a small velvet box containing a simple silver ring—a promise he had brought from their cramped suburban apartment.

One month ago, Chloe Vance, the woman who had been with him through his most difficult times as a scholarship student, vanished without a trace. All messages were ignored, calls blocked. And tonight, a rumor from social circles led him to this cursed place.

Arthur took a deep breath, pushed open the glass doors, and stepped into the warmth of the Grand Ballroom.

Instantly, the glitter of the crystal chandeliers stung his eyes. Classical music played softly, mixed with the clink of champagne glasses and the cheerful laughter of hundreds of people dressed in clothes worth the price of luxury cars. Arthur's presence, drenched and dripping on the Persian carpet, immediately drew attention. Disgusted glances and snide whispers began to spread like a plague.

However, Arthur's eyes were fixed on only one point, the main stage.

There stood Chloe Vance, looking absolutely stunning in an ivory couture evening gown, her arms draped affectionately around a sleek, blond man in a designer tuxedo. It was Julian de Bourbon, sole heir to France's largest real estate conglomerate.

"Chloe," Arthur's voice was hoarse, breaking the momentary silence near the entrance.

Chloe turned around. The graceful smile on her face instantly crumbled, replaced by a flash of panic that quickly turned into deep disgust. She let go of Julian's hand and stepped down, approaching Arthur with the echoing, egotistical click of her high heels.

"Arthur? How dare you come here?" Chloe hissed, her voice low but sharp as a knife. "Look at you! You look like a lost sewer rat. This is my engagement party to Julian. Get out of here!"

"Engagement?" Arthur felt like his heart had been struck by an iron mace. He pulled a velvet box from his pocket with trembling hands. "A month ago, we were still planning our future, Chloe. You said you loved me, no matter how poor I am now. Why? What did our three years together mean?"

Before Chloe could answer, heavy footsteps approached. Richard Vance, Chloe's father, stood beside his daughter, his face red with anger. For Richard, Arthur's presence was a major stain on the Vance family's most historic night.

"A stupid question from a poor, ignorant person," Richard thundered, his voice deliberately loud enough to draw the attention of the entire room. "A future? What future can a low-income orphan like you have? Chloe was born to be a queen, not to suffer in a slum with you!"

Richard ripped open his leather wallet, pulled out a wad of hundred-euro notes, and threw them straight at Arthur's face. The bills scattered, some sticking to Arthur's wet face before falling to the floor.

"Here's the money to pay for three years of wasted time! Take this money, buy that cheap self-respect, and get the hell out of here!"

Disdainful laughter erupted throughout the ballroom. The socialites whispered as they covered their mouths with fans and champagne glasses, enjoying the entertaining, free spectacle.

Arthur ignored the money on the floor. His eyes stared straight into Chloe's, searching for any trace of the woman who had once cried on his shoulder when they were hungry. "Chloe, say something. Is this what you want?"

Chloe stared at Arthur, who was standing trembling, then glanced at Julian de Bourbon, who was now standing behind him with a disdainful smile. Chloe crossed her arms across her chest, her gaze turning cold and alien.

"Stop this disgusting drama, Arthur. I'm sick of living in poverty. Counting every penny just to get dinner? Wearing discounted clothes? It's a disgrace!" Chloe spat metaphorically with her words. "Your poverty is a disease, Arthur. And I refuse to be infected. Julian can give me the world, but you? You can't even pay next month's rent without borrowing money. We're done. Guards, kick this piece of trash out!"

Two well-built men in black suits immediately advanced. Before Arthur could defend himself, a hard blow landed on his stomach.

Arthur fell to the ground, excruciating pain coursing through his body. But the guards didn't stop. They dragged Arthur's helpless body across the plush carpet, hitting him mercilessly on the back and face in full view. Richard Vance smiled with satisfaction, while Chloe turned her head away as if looking at Arthur would ruin her eyes.

The ballroom doors flew open, and Arthur's body was violently thrown outside. He rolled down the cold marble steps of the Ritz Hotel, before finally collapsing on the rain-soaked asphalt.

Arthur lay still. Fresh blood dripped from the corner of his lips, quickly washed away by the pouring rain. His body was numb from the blow, but his heart was so shattered that it was hard to breathe. The velvet box in his hand slipped out of his hand and rolled into the drain, taking with it the meaningless silver ring.

Under the dark Parisian sky, he heard the remnants of laughter from inside the hotel before the doors slammed shut again. He was alone. Penniless, loveless, self-respectless. Devastated.

In his wet coat pocket, his old smartphone with a cracked screen vibrated violently. Arthur barely had the strength to move his fingers, but the vibrations wouldn't stop. With what little strength he had left, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.

Her phone screen flickered strangely. Instead of displaying an incoming call, the entire screen turned pitch black, before metallic gold text appeared in a dazzling animation.

[Soul Scan Successful.]

[Detecting Negative Emotional Waves at Maximum Point.]

[Activation Requirements Met. Starting Synchronization.]

Arthur blinked, thinking the pain was hallucinating. However, the sudden warmth that flowed from the phone to his palm felt very real.

[10%... 50%... 100%]

[Financial God System Successfully Activated!]

[Congratulations, Mr. Arthur. You are the sole supreme authority of unlimited capital in this world. As an initial reward for surviving the lowest point, the System has transferred the initial capital to your account.]

An official notification from the UBS Bank app—the only account he had that usually had a balance of less than ten Euros—appeared at the top of the screen.

[UBS Bank Info: Your account ending with 8892 has received an incoming transfer of €50,000,000.00. Your current balance is €50,000,008.45.]

Arthur was stunned. His eyes widened as he stared at the row of zeros that lined up after the number fifty. Fifty million euros. The equivalent of over eight hundred billion rupiah. Money he would never even see in his lifetime, now written on his phone screen.

He touched the screen, trying to refresh his banking app. The number didn't change. Instead, a new System message appeared on his screen.

[First Active Task: The best revenge is absolute destruction. Show them what true power means. Deadline. Today.]

The pain in Arthur's body seemed to evaporate. He slowly stood up in the pouring rain. The water streaming down his face no longer felt cold, but instead ignited a new enthusiasm he had never felt before. He wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, then stared straight ahead toward the entrance of the Ritz Paris Hotel.

A cold smile slowly spread across Arthur's face. His silver ring might have been thrown in the gutter, but tonight, he would buy this entire place and everyone in it.