Revenge is sweetest with $2 billion in Bitcoin

Chapter eight

The new car felt completely different under his hands.

For years Christopher had driven a 2009 Camry that was barely holding together... rattling engine, torn seat, battery that died every winter. He had kept fixing it simply because he had no other choice.

Now the red Lamborghini Urus moved smooth and quiet under his control.

He felt no real excitement about the car itself.

‘Having money really does change everything,’ he thought. ‘A year ago I couldn’t even dream of sitting in something like this. Now it’s just another tool. What matters is what I’m going to do with it.’

He glanced at the time. School would be finishing soon. After a moment’s thought, he turned the car toward the school gates.

He hadn’t planned on picking the boy up himself, but after everything that had happened, he decided it was better if he did.

A few minutes later the gates opened. Parents and drivers gathered along the curb. Children poured out with backpacks. Several heads turned toward the red Urus.

A father stopped mid-conversation and stared, while a mother nudged the woman beside her and pointed. Quiet comments spread among the adults.

“Is that a Lamborghini?”

“Who drives that to pick up kids?”

Christopher ignored them and lowered the window.

The boy came out a short while later. He spotted the car and slowed down, staring with wide eyes. Then he ran over.

Christopher unlocked the door. “Get in.”

The boy climbed into the passenger seat and looked around, touching the seat and the dashboard.

“Dad… is this your new car?”

“Yes.”

“You bought it today?”

“Yes.”

The boy’s mouth opened. “Really today? It’s so big and nice!”

“Mm.”

He looked around again and then said, “I like it… but I like black cars more. Black looks cooler.”

Christopher’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. Black. The same color as Daniel Crowe’s car.

He kept his voice even. “What else do you like?”

The boy turned to him, excited. “You mean I can say the things I want?”

“Yes.”

“I want basketball class! And swimming! And those shoes my friend has — the blue ones. And a new tablet. And a new bag for school. Can I get them?”

“One by one,” Christopher said.

The boy bounced a little in the seat. “Can I really? Mom always says no, it’s too expensive.”

Christopher glanced at him. “I have some money now.”

The boy’s eyes got bigger. “A lot of money?”

“Enough.”

He suddenly leaned over and hugged Christopher’s arm tightly. “Dad is the best! Thank you, Dad!”

For a second Christopher’s chest tightened. The small arms, the excited voice — he had waited years for that. His hand rose and rested on the boy’s back.

Then the other image came: the boy looking up at Daniel Crowe, calling him “Dad” with even more excitement.

Christopher’s hand dropped. The warmth disappeared.

The boy didn’t notice. He was still smiling.

A moment later he asked, “Are you going to tell Mom?”

“Not yet.”

“She’s going to say no, right? She always says things cost too much.”

“Maybe.”

The boy thought for a second, then lowered his voice. “Then we don’t tell her, okay? It can be our secret.”

Christopher looked at him. “For now. Secret.”

“Okay! I won’t tell her, I promise.”

“Good.”

After that, Christopher took the boy to enroll in the classes he wanted and to buy the things he had asked for. Basketball training, swimming lessons, a private English tutor, new sports shoes, a tablet, training clothes, a school bag, and several other items the boy pointed at with excitement.

Every time the boy asked, “Can I have this?” Christopher simply paid.

By the time they finished, the total had climbed into the tens of thousands of dollars. Christopher collected the thick stack of receipts and looked at them in the car. A small smile touched his lips.

Now was not the time to show these to Mary. Most of the extracurricular classes would only become non-refundable after three days.

If he handed her the receipts today, she would almost certainly demand everything be canceled. It was better to wait the full three days and then present them to her as a “surprise.”

Coincidentally, his first major cash withdrawal was also scheduled for three days later. The timing could not have been better.

After driving the boy home, Christopher had no desire to spend the night under the same roof as Mary. When she called a few minutes later, he kept the conversation short.

“Where are you?”

“Outside. I have something to take care of.”

“You’re not coming in?”

“Not tonight.”

He ended the call and booked a room at a high-end hotel. That night he ate well, slept without hearing Mary move around the house, and reviewed the documents for the next day.

The following morning he checked out of the hotel and went straight to the airport. The flight to Switzerland departed on schedule. Most of the journey he spent going over the papers Lora had prepared.

When the plane landed, Christopher collected his luggage and walked out of the arrivals hall. He stopped.

A fleet of luxury cars was lined up and waiting along the curb — several black sedans and a large SUV parked in neat formation.

Lora stepped out of one of the vehicles in a tailored suit. Beside her was a tall, elegant woman in an expensive business suit, calm and composed, the kind of person clearly used to being in charge.

The woman noticed Christopher first and turned. Lora followed her gaze.

“Mr. Norton,” Lora said as he approached. “You made good time.”

“Everything went smoothly.” Lora turned slightly. “This is the CEO I told you about.”

The woman stepped forward and offered her hand. “Christopher Norton?”

“Yes.”

She smiled. “Pleasure to finally meet you. So you’re the man behind the Bitcoin wallet.”

Christopher’s expression stayed calm. “I suppose I am.”

“Then we have a lot to discuss.”

Lora opened the rear door of the nearest car. “Let’s go. Everything is arranged.”

Christopher put his luggage inside, took one last look at the airport, and got into the vehicle. Only yesterday he had still been living under the same roof as Mary. Now he was in another country with billions waiting to be turned into clean wealth.

The door closed. The convoy pulled away from the terminal.