Rise to power with my multi million dollars system

Betrayal

The name left Jake’s lips like a prayer, but the moment it hit the air, it turned into ash. "Anna?"His head snapped toward the sound of the laughter he’d heard. 

.He prayed it was a hallucination—a trick played on his mind by five hours of heatstroke and dehydration. But as he turned, the reality hit him harder than any physical blow.There she was. Anna.

. Her black hair was swept back perfectly, her brown eyes sparkling under the boutique’s recessed lighting. She looked stunning, her curves accentuated by a dress that probably cost more than Jake’s bicycle. But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking up at the man standing beside her.

 He was a mountain of a man, radiating an aura of cold, calculated violence. Tattoos snaked out from under the cuffs of his tailored shirt, crawling up his neck like dark vines. His face was stern, marked by a grin that didn't hold a shred of kindness. He didn't just look like a thug; he looked like the man who owned the thugs. He stood with the relaxed, dangerous confidence of a Mafia Boss.

."You’re soooo romantic," Anna cooed. Her voice, once the only thing that could calm Jake down, now made his stomach turn. She leaned in, pressing herself against the man, and kissed him—a deep, passionate kiss that lingered far too long.

."Anything for you, princess," the man rumbled, his voice a low, gravelly vibration. He kissed her back, his hand gripping her waist with a possessive strength.

 Jake stood frozen, the premium garment bag in his hand suddenly feeling like it was filled with lead. He and Anna had been dating for two years. Two years of "complicated" silences and whispered promises. He’d spent every waking hour trying to be enough for her, but in Anna’s eyes, "enough" always looked like a larger bank account. She’d spent months picking fights about his poverty, complaining that he couldn't provide the life she deserved.

  In two years, she had kissed him properly maybe once.The shock gave way to a searing, white-hot pain. Jake’s voice cut through the air, raw and trembling. 

 "What the hell are you doing, Anna?"The pair stopped. Anna turned, her eyes widening as they landed on Jake. For a split second, he saw a flicker of the girl he knew—a flash of guilt. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a cold, hard detachment.Anna glanced at Alex, then back at Jake. She saw his sweat-soaked shirt, the grease under his fingernails, and the desperate, pleading look in his eyes. Something inside her shifted. The secrecy was over, and the relief of it made her cruel.

 "I’m with him," Anna said, her hand resting firmly on Alex’s chest. "We’ve been together for six months, Jake. His name is Alex."Anna let out a sharp, mocking laugh that echoed off the glass displays. 

" Aren't you ashamed Anna". Jake asked in primal furry.

"Ashamed? Why should I be? Look at him, Jake. He’s rich. He’s powerful. He’s a man who actually commands a room, not a boy who begs for delivery tips. If I’m ashamed of anything, I’m ashamed that I wasted two years waiting for you to become someone.".

The words were like poisoned needles. Jake’s face went pale. He looked at Alex, then back at Anna, his heart shattering into a million jagged pieces. He shouldn't have said another word. He should have walked away with what was left of his dignity. But he still loved her. He was still the fool who thought a gift could fix a broken soul.

 "Anna, stop this," he pleaded, his voice a pathetic whisper. "Come back to me. We can work through this. I’ve been saving... I have things planned for us."Anna shook her head, her expression turning into one of pity. 

 "Work through what, Jake? The fact that you can't even afford a decent pair of shoes? The fact that you’re always tired, always broke, always less? I deserve a life of wealth and power. I’m getting that with Alex. You’re just a memory."

 "But we have a history! We loved—"

 "We had a history," Anna interrupted, her voice sharpening into a blade. "Past tense. You can't provide for me, Jake. Not like this."

 Desperate, Jake held out the premium garment bag. "I brought you a dress. A real one. It’s silk, Anna. It cost me two thousand dollars. I spent everything I had..."

 "Two thousand dollars?" Alex mocked, his voice a deep rumble of amusement. "You call that a dress? Kid, the napkins at my dinner table cost more than that rag. Anna deserves the world, and you’re offering her leftovers. I could buy ten of those and burn them just for the smell."

 The "sanity" Jake had been clinging to finally snapped. The image of the old man stealing his two dollars, the five-hour ride, the two years of poverty, and now this—it all merged into a single, blinding roar of rage.

 "Fuck you!" Jake screamed.He didn't think. He didn't calculate. He just charged. He threw himself at Alex, his fists clenched, his mind screaming for blood.Alex didn't even move. He didn't have to.Two men in dark suits appeared from the shadows of the VIP lounge as if they had been waiting for the signal. Jake didn't even see the first punch. It caught him in the ribs, folding him in half. The second hit him in the jaw, sending a spray of blood across the white marble floor.Jake fell. 

.He tried to crawl back up, his fingers clawing at the expensive carpet, but the boots came next. Heavy, leather-soled boots thudded into his stomach and chest.

  He grunted, the air leaving his lungs in a ragged wheeze, but his muffled cries were ignored.Anna watched the whole thing. She didn't scream. She didn't tell them to stop. She just stood there with a cold, clinical detachment. She looked down at Jake—this bruised, bloodied creature shivering at her feet—and felt a wave of disgust.

  This was the man she had allowed to touch her?As the guards stepped back, leaving Jake in a broken heap, Anna walked over. She stood over him, her shadow blocking out the bright lights of the store.Jake’s eyes locked onto hers through a veil of blood. He saw the disdain. He saw that the woman he loved didn't just hate him—she found him beneath her notice. In that moment, something died inside him. The last flicker of the "good boy" from the orphanage was extinguished."You're making a mistake," Jake whispered, his voice bubbling with blood.Anna leaned in closer, her voice a chilling whisper in his ear. 

 "I'm making a choice, Jake. And it’s not you. It will never be you."Jake’s vision began to swim. The last thing he saw was the hem of her expensive dress as she turned away. He watched her slip her hand into Alex’s, their fingers interlocking as they walked toward the door.

 "Shall we go, my love?" Alex’s voice was a low, satisfied rumble.Anna didn't look back. 

"Yes. I'm done with the trash."As Jake’s consciousness flickered out, he saw them disappear into the bright light of the street. He was alone on the floor of a store he had spent his life savings in, surrounded by people who were already calling the police to report a "vagrancy incident."

...

Hours later, the city lights of Avalud blurred past the windows of Alex’s sleek black sedan. Anna sat in the plush leather seat, the scent of expensive cologne and champagne filling the cabin. She looked at her reflection in the window and smiled.She had done it. She had cut the anchor that was dragging her down. She was done with the slums, done with the struggling, and done with being the "good girl." She wanted wealth. She wanted the penthouse she was currently driving toward.

."You did the right thing," Alex said, squeezing her hand. His grip was firm, a constant reminder of the power he held.

 "I know," Anna replied, a sense of cold relief washing over her.The penthouse was everything she had dreamed of—a glass-walled fortress of marble and chrome overlooking the city. 

 As Alex poured her a glass of vintage champagne, Anna felt a thrill of victory. She clinked her glass against his, the crystal ringing with a clear, sharp sound.She drank, the cold bubbles stinging her throat. She felt powerful. She felt untouchable.But deep down, in a place she refused to look, a small seed of fear remained. She had seen the look in Jake’s eyes before he passed out. It wasn't just pain. It was something else.She didn't know it yet, but the "weak, poor" boy she had left in the dirt was about to become the storm that would tear her new world apart.