Ring of Power: The Billionaire's Secret

2 - Awakening

Jake's eyes snapped open.

The world looked weird. Too bright. Colors bleeding into each other like someone had cranked up the saturation on a TV. He could see every detail on the concrete beneath him. Every crack. Every stain. Even in the darkness, everything was clear as day.

The dogs were maybe ten feet away. Three of them. Massive things with scars and teeth that looked way too big for their mouths.

But Jake wasn't scared. He should've been terrified, right? Normal people would be. Instead he felt... calm. Powerful. Like his body was humming with electricity.

'What's happening to me?'

The ring on his finger was still glowing. That soft blue light pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. And with each pulse, more information flooded into his brain. Stuff he'd never learned. Never read. Never even heard of.

Fighting techniques. Ancient ones with names he couldn't pronounce. Ways to move his body that shouldn't be possible. How to channel energy through his limbs. How to break bone and muscle with minimal effort.

It was like someone had downloaded a martial arts library directly into his skull.

The biggest dog lunged first. Jake didn't think. His body just moved.

He twisted to the side. The dog's jaws snapped shut on empty air. Before it could recover, Jake's foot shot out. Connected with the animal's ribs.

There was a crack. Loud and nasty.

The dog flew backward. Actually flew. It hit the chain link fence hard enough to dent the metal. Then it dropped to the ground and didn't get back up.

Jake stared at his foot. At the ring. At the dog that wasn't moving anymore.

'Holy shit. Did I just—'

The other two dogs attacked together. Smarter. Trying to flank him from both sides.

Jake spun. His fist caught the one on the left square in the jaw. More cracking sounds. The dog yelped and stumbled away, whimpering.

The third one managed to sink its teeth into Jake's arm.

It should've hurt. Should've torn through skin and muscle. But Jake barely felt it. The dog's teeth couldn't even break through. It was like his skin had turned into something harder. Tougher.

He grabbed the dog by its scruff and threw it. The animal sailed through the air and crashed into a pile of old crates near the back of the pen.

Silence.

All three dogs were down. Not dead, he didn't think. But definitely not getting up to try again.

Jake looked at his hands. They were glowing faintly. Same blue light as the ring. The cuts and bruises from Derek's beating were gone. Just smooth skin where there should've been blood and swelling.

'This is insane. This can't be real. Maybe I'm dead and this is like... I don't know, some weird death dream or—'

A sound cut through his thoughts. Mechanical. Getting louder. Coming from above.

Jake looked up.

Helicopters. Three of them. Black and sleek and definitely not the kind that gave traffic reports. They descended into the open field behind Derek's dad's property, kicking up dirt and debris.

The spotlights hit Jake straight on. He had to shield his eyes.

'Great. Just great. Now what?'

The helicopters landed. Engines winding down. Doors opening.

People stepped out. Lots of them. All wearing black suits that looked expensive. Like, really expensive. The kind of suits guys wore in movies about the mob or whatever.

But it was the woman at the front who caught Jake's attention.

She was tall. Asian. Maybe late twenties. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun and she wore a suit that probably cost more than Jake made in six months. Everything about her screamed professional. Cold. Like she'd never smiled in her entire life.

She walked straight toward the dog pen. Her heels clicking on the concrete. The suited people followed her like ducks in a line.

Jake backed up. His shoulders hit the fence.

The woman stopped a few feet from the gate. Her eyes scanned the scene. The unconscious dogs. The bent metal. Then they landed on Jake.

She stared at him for a long moment. Then, weirdly, she smiled. Just a little. Like she'd found something she'd been looking for.

"You're him," she said. Her voice was smooth. Controlled. "The ring responded."

"Who are you?" Jake's voice came out steadier than he expected. "What do you want?"

Instead of answering, she turned to her people. "Open it."

Two of the suited guys moved forward. One of them pulled out some kind of electronic device. He pressed it against the lock. There was a beep and the gate swung open.

Jake tensed. Ready to run or fight or whatever his body decided to do.

But the woman didn't attack. She just... bowed. Like, actually bowed. A full ninety-degree bend at the waist.

And then everyone else bowed too. All twenty-something people in expensive suits, bending forward in perfect unison.

"Young master," the woman said, still bowed. "We've been searching for you for twenty threeyears."

"Young master?" Jake laughed. He couldn't help it. The sound came out harsh and a little crazy. "Lady, I think you got the wrong person. I'm nobody. Just some dishwasher who—"

"You're not nobody." She straightened up. Her eyes were intense. "You're the son of the King of the World. The heir to an empire that spans continents. And we're here to bring you home."

Jake's brain stuttered. Like it had just tried to process too much information at once and blue-screened.

"The what now?"

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation somewhere more private." She glanced at the unconscious dogs. "And more comfortable. My name is Sora Chen. I'm the head of security for your father's organization."

"My father." Jake's hands clenched. "I don't have a father. Never did."

"You do," Sora said. "And he's been looking for you since the day you disappeared. Please. Come with us. Let us explain everything."

'This has to be a trap,' Jake thought. 'Some elaborate con or—'

But the ring on his finger pulsed. Warm. Almost encouraging.

And honestly, what did he have to lose? Maya and Derek had tried to kill him. His apartment was a dump. His job sucked. His life was basically trash before tonight anyway.

"Fine," Jake said. "But if this is some weird kidnapping thing, I'm gonna kick all your asses. Fair warning."

Sora's lips twitched. Almost a smile. "Noted, young master."

***

The helicopter ride was surreal. Jake had never been in a helicopter before. The city lights spread out below them like someone had spilled glitter on black velvet.

Sora sat across from him. Silent. Professional. Two other guards flanked them but they didn't talk either.

Jake kept touching the ring. Making sure it was still there. Still real.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To see your father," Sora said. "He's waiting."

"And where's that exactly?"

"You'll see."

Super helpful.

They flew for maybe twenty minutes. Then descended toward this massive building in the financial district. All glass and steel and probably a billion dollars worth of real estate.

The roof had a landing pad. Of course it did.

They touched down smooth. The doors opened and Sora gestured for Jake to follow.

Inside was just as fancy as outside. Marble floors. Gold fixtures. Art on the walls that looked like it belonged in museums. Jake's beat-up sneakers squeaked on the polished floor.

'Yeah, definitely got the wrong guy,' he thought.

They took an elevator. It went down, not up. Deep down. The numbers on the display kept going negative. Basement levels that probably weren't on any official building plans.

Finally it stopped. Level negative twelve.

The doors opened to a hallway that looked different from upstairs. Less fancy. More functional. Concrete walls. Thick doors with keypads. This was where the real business happened, Jake guessed.

Sora led him to a door at the end. She pressed her palm against a scanner. There was a beep and the door slid open.

The room beyond was huge. Like, stupidly huge. Bigger than Jake's entire apartment building. The ceiling had to be thirty feet high at least.

And in the center, sitting behind a desk that looked carved from a single piece of black stone, was a man.

He was older. Maybe fifty or sixty. Hard to tell. His hair was mostly black with some gray at the temples. He wore a simple suit but even Jake could tell it was the kind of expensive that didn't need labels.

But it was his eyes that made Jake stop walking. They were the same color as Jake's. Same shape. Same intensity.

The man stood up. He was tall. Taller than Jake by a few inches.

For a long moment, nobody said anything.

Then the man smiled. It transformed his whole face. Made him look younger. Happier.

"My son," he said. His voice was deep. Warm. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment."

Jake swallowed. His throat felt tight. "So you're... my father?"

"I am." The man walked around the desk. Each step was measured. Careful. Like he was approaching a wild animal he didn't want to spook. "My name is Marcus Vale. And yes, before you ask, I'm your biological father."

"Prove it," Jake said. Because he had to. Because this was too weird and too perfect and too much like something his brain would make up while dying in a dog pen.

Marcus nodded. Like he'd expected that. He walked to a cabinet on the wall. Opened it. Pulled out a folder.

He handed it to Jake.

Inside were photos. Old ones. A young woman holding a baby. Jake recognized the blanket the baby was wrapped in. Light blue with stars. The same blanket that had been left with him at the fire station.

There were other things too. Medical records. DNA tests. Official looking documents with fancy stamps.

"The woman in the photo was your mother," Marcus said quietly. "Her name was Elizabeth. She died giving birth to you. Complications the doctors didn't catch in time."

Jake stared at the photo. At the woman's face. She looked happy. Tired but happy.

"Why?" His voice cracked. "Why did you leave me at a fire station? Why didn't you keep me?"

Marcus's expression darkened. "Because twenty threeyears ago, I had enemies. Powerful ones. They found out about you. About Elizabeth. They killed her and tried to kill you too. I had no choice. Leaving you there, making sure you couldn't be traced back to me, was the only way to keep you safe."

"Safe?" Jake laughed. It came out bitter. "I grew up in foster homes. Group homes. Places where nobody gave a damn about me. That's what you call safe?"

"I know." Marcus looked pained. "I know it was hard. I've had people watching you your entire life. Making sure you had food and clothes and—"

"Watching me?" Jake's voice got louder. "You watched me struggle and did nothing?"

"I did what I had to do to keep you alive!" Marcus's calm cracked. Just for a second. "Those enemies I mentioned? They're gone now. Dead or in prison or bankrupted. It took me twenty three years but I eliminated every single threat to your life. And when you turned twenty three, I was going to bring you home. But you'd moved. Changed your address and phone number after that last foster family. We lost track of you for three months. Then we found you again but you were with that girl, Maya. I wanted to give you time. Let you live a normal life for a bit longer before—"

"Before what?" Jake interrupted. "Before you dropped this bomb on me?"

"Before I asked you to take over everything I've built." Marcus walked closer. "Jake, I'm dying. Cancer. Stage four. The doctors give me maybe six months. A year if I'm lucky. I need someone to inherit my organization. Someone strong enough to hold it all together. And that someone is you."

The room felt like it was spinning. Jake sat down on the nearest chair before his legs gave out.

"You're dying," he repeated. "And you want me, a guy who washes dishes for a living, to take over... what exactly? What is your organization?"

"Vale Industries," Marcus said. "We operate in every major city across the world. Construction. Real estate. Technology. Finance. If there's money in it, we have a hand in it. We're worth somewhere around four hundred billion dollars, give or take."

Four hundred billion. With a B. Jake's brain couldn't even process that number.

"This is insane," he muttered. "This whole thing is insane."

"The ring," Marcus said, pointing to Jake's hand. "It chose you. That ring has been in our family for generations. It only responds to those with Vale blood. The fact that it activated means you're ready. Strong enough."

Jake looked at the glowing ring. At the power still humming through his veins.

"What even is this thing?" he asked.

"An heirloom," Marcus said. "Forged centuries ago by our ancestors. It enhances the natural abilities of whoever wears it. Makes them faster. Stronger. Smarter. In the wrong hands, it's dangerous. In the right hands, it makes you unstoppable."

"And you think I'm the right hands?"

"I know you are." Marcus pulled out a black card from his pocket. Slid it across the desk toward Jake. "This card has twenty billion dollars on it. Consider it your allowance while you learn the business."

Jake stared at the card. Then at Marcus. Then back at the card.

"Twenty billion. As an allowance?”