THE BILLIONAIRE REBATE SYSTEM

Chapter 5: The Price of Being Chosen

“Say it again.”

Derrick’s voice was low, controlled, but there was something fraying underneath. Luna glanced at the phone in his hand. “The message?”

“Yes.”

She swallowed. “ ‘Do you know why the System chose you?’ Then… ‘Because you were meant to lose everything twice.’ ”

The car cruised through the city, lights sliding across the windows like restless ghosts. Derrick leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “That’s not a threat,” he murmured. “That’s a prophecy.”

Luna hugged herself. “You really think someone knows about… whatever this is?”

Derrick didn’t answer. ''System dormant.''

That silence unnerved him more than any warning. “System,” Derrick said internally. “Who sent that message?”

No response. “Can you hear me?”

Nothing. Derrick laughed softly. “So now you decide when to talk.”

Luna reached over. “You don’t have to face this alone.”

He turned to her. “You don’t know what this is.”

“Then tell me,” she said.

Derrick hesitated. Then, “I died,” he said.

The words hung between them. Luna blinked. “You, what?”

“I was hit by your car,” Derrick continued calmly. “My heart stopped. I remember the dark. Then a voice. Then… this.”

He lifted the black card slightly. Luna stared at him. “You’re serious.”

“Yes.”

“And the money”

“Is a leash,” Derrick said. “I just didn’t see it at first.”

Her voice dropped. “A leash for what?”

Derrick looked out the window. “For becoming someone I don’t recognize.”

The car slowed. They were home. Inside the penthouse, silence pressed in. Luna set her bag down. “You should rest.”

Derrick shook his head. “I’m afraid to sleep.”

“Why?”

“Because if I wake up poor again,” he said quietly, “I don’t know if I can survive that a second time.”

Luna didn’t respond. She walked to the kitchen, poured water, handed it to him. “Drink,” she said.

He took it. Then his phone buzzed again. Unknown Number. “You feel it now, don’t you?”

Derrick’s jaw tightened. Another message followed. “The moment the System stops answering.”

“Someone’s watching me,” Derrick said.

Luna stiffened. “We should call someone.”

“Who?” Derrick asked. “The police? The bankers? Everyone I humiliated today?” He typed back.

Derrick: Who are you?

The reply came instantly.

Unknown: Someone who survived the first loss.

Derrick’s heart pounded.

Derrick: You had the System.

Three dots appeared. Then vanished. Then

Unknown: I failed it.

The room felt colder. “What does that mean?” Luna whispered.

Before Derrick could answer, the lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then stabilized. ''System reboot in progress.''

Derrick exhaled sharply. “There you are.”

''Host vitals unstable.''

“Don’t deflect,” Derrick snapped internally. “Who contacted me?”

''Information restricted.''

“Why?”

''Protection protocol.''

“From what?”

The system paused. ''From inevitability.''

Derrick laughed bitterly. “Too late.”

Luna touched his arm. “What did it say?”

“That someone else had this power,” Derrick said. “And lost it.”

Luna frowned. “Lost it how?”

Before he could respond, a knock sounded at the door. Both of them froze. “No one knows this address,” Luna whispered.

The knock came again. Calm. Precise. Derrick approached slowly, heart pounding. He opened the door. A woman stood there.

Early thirties. Pale. Sharp eyes rimmed with exhaustion. She smiled faintly. “You look better alive,” she said.

Derrick stared. “Do I know you?”

She stepped inside without waiting. “My name is Mara,” she said. “I had the System before you.”

Luna gasped. Derrick’s throat went dry. “You said you failed.”

Mara nodded. “I fell in love.”

The system pulsed faintly. ''Unauthorized entity detected.''

Mara smirked. “Still talking to you?”

“Yes,” Derrick said.

“It won’t for long,” she replied. “Not if you keep hesitating.”

Luna crossed her arms. “Why are you here?”

Mara looked at her. “Because you’re the weakness.”

Luna bristled. “Excuse me?”

“She’s right,” Derrick said quietly.

Luna turned to him, hurt flashing across her face. “I don’t mean it like that,” Derrick added quickly. “But the System does.”

Mara nodded. “It rewards dominance. Punishes attachment.”

“What happens if you disobey?” Derrick asked.

Mara’s smile vanished. “It takes something,” she said. “Something you can’t buy back.”

The room went silent. “What did it take from you?” Luna asked.

Mara hesitated. “My son,” she said.

Derrick’s breath caught. “It, killed him?”

“No,” Mara replied. “Worse.”

She met Derrick’s eyes. “It erased me from his life.”

Luna covered her mouth. “He doesn’t remember me,” Mara continued calmly. “Every time I got close to keeping the power, it reminded me what I’d lose.”

Derrick staggered back. “That’s impossible,” he said.

Mara shrugged. “So is your balance.”

The system pulsed violently. ''Warning: Host belief destabilizing.''

Mara stepped closer. “It chose you because you were already empty. Because you’d lost everything once.”

Derrick clenched his fists. “Then why warn me?”

“Because the second loss is worse,” she said. “The second time, you’ll know exactly what you’re giving up.”

Luna shook her head. “This is insane.”

Mara turned to her. “Leave him.”

Luna stiffened. “No.”

“Then you’ll be the price,” Mara said simply.

Derrick stepped between them. “Enough.”

He looked at Mara. “How do I beat it?”

Mara smiled sadly. “You don’t.”

“Then why am I still standing?” Derrick demanded.

“Because you haven’t chosen yet,” she said. “King or human.”

The system chimed. ''Choice proximity detected.''

Derrick’s chest tightened. Outside, sirens wailed faintly. Mara walked toward the door. “When it stops answering again,” she said, “that’s when the real test begins.”

She paused. “And Derrick?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t let them humiliate you again,” she said. “The System loves that.”

She left. The door closed. Silence roared. Luna looked at Derrick, tears in her eyes. “Is she telling the truth?”

Derrick didn’t answer. He stared at the black card in his hand. For the first time, It felt like a weapon pointed at his own heart.

His phone buzzed. A final message from the unknown number. “Chapter One was humiliation.”

“Chapter Two is sacrifice.”

The system chimed softly. ''Host progression irreversible.''

Derrick whispered, “What do you want from me?”

The answer came at last. ''Everything.''