System Revenge: From Trash Boy to Top Boss

Chapter 9

The revelation hung in the air, heavy and undeniable. Aria Golden, the untouchable goddess, had just confirmed it: Damon, the pauper, was not only her boyfriend, but he had bought her the $100,000 Fendi bag. No one in the room, not even the most skeptical, could doubt her words. Aria Golden doesn’t lie; she didn’t need to.

Damon, a faint and triumphant smile playing on his lips, extended a hand towards Aria. “Come on, babe,” he said, his voice soft, yet carrying clearly in the stunned silence. “Let’s head to the VIP lounge.”

Aria returned his smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement and something akin to admiration. She took his hand, and together, with her friends right behind her.

As Damon and his new girlfriend settled into a plush, dimly lit VIP lounge, Damon’s eyes swept over the still-stunned crowd. His gaze landed on Ernie, who was attempting to subtly blend into a group of bewildered onlookers near the bar.

“Ernie!” Damon’s voice cut through the lingering silence, sharp and clear. “Don’t tell me you forgot our bet already?”

Ernie flinched, his head snapping up. He wanted to protest, to deny, to escape. But every eye in the club was on him. His reputation, his word, everything was on the line; he knew he had to fulfill the terms.

With a visible sigh of defeat, Ernie dragged himself towards the VIP lounge. He stopped just outside, his shoulders slumped. “What… what do you want?” he mumbled, avoiding Damon’s gaze.

“Drinks, Ernie,” Damon said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “For me, my girlfriend, and her friends. You remember the terms, don’t you? Personal busboy for the night.”

Ernie’s face burned. “What… what are you having?” he managed, his voice tight with humiliation.

Aria’s friends, sensing Ernie’s discomfort, took full advantage.

“Oh, I’ll have a Lychee Martini,”

“A French 75 for me, please, and make sure the champagne is vintage,”

“And I’ll have a classic Old Fashioned bourbon,

Chloe, Beatrice, and Daphne said, with all three girls laughing with a mischievous sound.

Ernie’s eye twitched as he turned to Damon. “And you, Newton?”

“Just water, Ernie,” Damon said, a small smile playing on his lips. “Sparkling, with a lemon wedge.”

Ernie glared, then turned and walked towards the crowded bar, the weight of his defeat heavy on his shoulders. The other students watched him go, a few snickers escaping, but most just shook their heads. Ernie Cooper, the arrogant rich kid, was reduced to a busboy.

Xavier, who had been watching the entire exchange with a growing sense of dread, excused himself from Jane. He couldn’t stand to see Damon basking in this glory as he walked over to the bar, finding Ernie already there, waiting impatiently for the bartender.

“This is a disaster, Ernie,” Xavier muttered, leaning in conspiratorially.

Ernie slammed his fist on the counter, making the glasses rattle. “Tell me about it! I’m a fucking laughingstock; he’s making me look like a fool.”

“We can’t let him win,” Xavier said, his voice low and urgent. “This can’t be real and he can’t actually be this rich.”

“But… the Fendi bag and his clothes? Two hundred thousand dollars, Xavier. Who the hell has that kind of money just… lying around?” Ernie whispered, his voice laced with desperation.

Xavier scoffed. “I don’t think he’s richer than us, no way. Think about it, he was a pauper this morning; he must have sold that pathetic website of his for a huge sum. Or maybe… maybe he won the lottery in a desperate gamble, right? He was humiliated this morning, dumped by Jane. He’s probably just blowing all his winnings, trying to get revenge on us. On me for taking Jane, on Jane for dumping him.”

Ernie’s eyes widened. “A revenge gamble?”

“Exactly!” Xavier pressed. “The universe just happened to work in his favor today. He got lucky, but luck runs out. We can exhaust him, drain whatever money he has left, and  then, we regain our respect.”

Ernie’s face brightened. “That’s… that’s brilliant, Xavier; that’s genius.” He felt a surge of hope. “I’ve got some money saved up, about two hundred and fifty thousand.”

“I’ve got three hundred thousand,” Xavier added, a predatory glint in his eyes. “Together, that’s over half a million and we can lobby our friends into helping out by telling them the truth. That Damon is just trying to embarrass us, and we need to put him in his place. Our parents will replenish us if we just tell one clever lie about an investment opportunity or something.”

Ernie grinned. “This is going to be good.”

Meanwhile, Jane sat alone at her VIP table, watching Damon and Aria. Shame and regret washed over her in waves as her mind raced, replaying the morning’s events and the past two months. How did Damon hide this? How had she been so blind? 

If only she’d known he was rich, she never would have dumped him for Xavier. Xavier, who couldn’t even get her the first-grade Fendi bag. She bit her lip, a sharp pang of jealousy tearing through her as she watched Damon and Aria laugh, their heads close together, sharing an intimate moment. She had lost him and she had lost him to Aria Golden, of all people.

“Gold digger,” she thought bitterly, her eyes narrowing on Aria. What were the chances? Aria hadn’t shown any interest in Damon when he was poor. Only now, when he’d suddenly become rich, and surely it had to be about the money.

Ernie returned from the bar, with Xavier at his side, carrying a tray laden with the elaborate drinks. He walked directly to Damon and Aria’s lounge, a renewed arrogance in his stride.

“Here are your drinks, Newton,” Ernie said, his voice flat as he placed the tray on the table. “And before you say anything, I know what you’re doing. You won some lottery money, didn’t you? And you think you can bribe Aria with an expensive bag just to humiliate us tonight.” His voice rose, gaining confidence. 

“If this is your act of revenge, let me tell you, it’s failed. We’re here to prove to you that your lucky streak is over. We’re going to embarrass you tonight.”

Damon took a slow sip of his sparkling water, his eyes fixed on Ernie. “First, Ernie,” he said calmly, “deliver the drinks. You lost the first bet, so you will have to fulfill my demands.”

Xavier stepped forward, a smirk on his face. “A bet isn’t lost, Newton, if the one at the losing end has something to counter with.” He looked around at the curious faces, who nodded in agreement.

Damon raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what are you proposing?”

Ernie, emboldened by Xavier’s support, puffed out his chest. “I’m willing to redeem myself. I challenge you to another bet, Newton. If I win, you fulfill the initial agreement, and I get your errand website, and you become our busboy. Plus, you give Aria to me.” He gestured to Aria, a possessive glint in his eye. “She’ll be my girlfriend even if it’s for the night.”

Aria’s eyes flashed. “Excuse me?!” she interjected, her voice sharp. “Take me out of this; I am not a prize to be won.”

Xavier turned to Aria, his voice dripping with feigned concern. “Oh, Aria, don’t you trust your new boyfriend? The same guy you’ve been defending all night? The one who’s supposedly ‘above all our level’?”

Aria looked at Damon; she didn’t know him well enough. But he hadn’t disappointed her earlier today at the clothing store when she had vouched for him and he had paid.

Beatrice, Chloe, and Daphne, Aria’s friends, leaned in, their faces etched with concern. “Aria, don’t trust him!” Beatrice hissed. “We should just leave now.”

Aria turned back to Damon, her gaze searching. “Damon,” she said, her voice low. “What are your guarantees?”

Damon met her gaze, his expression unreadable. “You have to make up your own mind, Aria,” he said, his voice calm. “I can’t guarantee anything for you.”

A long moment of silence stretched between them. The club watched, breathless. Aria looked from Damon to her friends, then back to Damon. Finally, she made up her mind. “I’m staying,” she announced, her voice firm. “I trust him.”

Ernie’s face lit up as he grinned, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. He was about to have Aria Golden as his girlfriend. Even if it was just for a night, it would be worth every penny of his savings.

“Excellent!” Damon said, his smile widening. “So, Ernie, Xavier, what’s the challenge?”

Xavier stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent. “If you’re truly as rich as you claim, Damon, then we want to see if you can outspend us, all of us, together.”

Everyone was shocked by the challenge, and Aria’s friends were even more shocked. The rough estimation here shows that all these guys collectively could raise up to a million dollars but how could Damon dare such an amount on his own? 

These guys were second-generation rich; they had their parents bankrolling them. But Damon, well…he wasn’t and had no one bankrolling him. 

Damon himself did the rough calculation and compared it to what he had left from the money the system gave him to face-slap Jane and Xavier. He had spent two hundred grand on shopping earlier, which now puts his balance at $800,000. If these guys raise up to a million, then he will definitely lose to them. What could he do?