THE BILLIONAIRES SYSTEM: I CAN BUY EVERYTHING

THE MEMORY FROM SEVEN YEARS AGO

THE BILLIONAIRE SYSTEM: I CAN BUY EVERYTHING

Chapter 11: The Memory From Seven Years Ago

Ethan couldn't sleep.

The words from the Vale family archive kept returning to his mind.

ETHAN VALE — POTENTIAL HOST.

AGE: 7.

COMPATIBILITY: 97%.

Someone had known about the system when Ethan was only seven years old.

Someone had tested him.

And somehow, Ethan had forgotten.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the Omega access card in his hand.

“System.”

The familiar blue interface appeared.

[Ultimate Wealth System]

Host: Ethan Vale

Current Wealth: $100,096,000

Host Compatibility: 97%

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

“Why was I tested when I was seven?”

The system remained silent.

“Who tested me?”

Nothing.

“Was my father involved?”

A notification appeared.

[ACCESS DENIED.]

Ethan clenched his jaw.

“For once, give me a straight answer.”

Another notification appeared.

[Certain information can only be unlocked through discovery.]

“Convenient.”

He threw the card onto the table.

Then something happened.

A sharp pain passed through his head.

Ethan grabbed his forehead.

The room around him seemed to disappear.

A memory surfaced.

A hallway.

White walls.

Bright lights.

He heard a child's voice.

His own voice.

“Daddy, where are we?”

Then Daniel answered.

“It's just a hospital, Ethan.”

But something about his father's voice sounded wrong.

Fear.

Daniel was afraid.

The memory shifted.

Ethan saw himself standing beside a large glass door.

Behind the glass were several people.

Victor Cross.

Marcus Hale.

Evelyn Cross.

And the mysterious man whose face had been scratched from the photographs.

Seven-year-old Ethan looked at them through the glass.

“Who are those people?”

Daniel immediately crouched beside him.

“You don't need to know.”

“But why are they looking at me?”

Daniel placed both hands on Ethan's shoulders.

“Listen to me carefully.”

The memory became clearer.

“If anyone asks you about this place, you tell them you don't remember anything.”

Young Ethan frowned.

“But I will remember.”

Daniel looked directly into his eyes.

“No.”

His father's voice trembled.

“You won't.”

The memory suddenly shattered.

Ethan opened his eyes.

He was back in his bedroom.

His breathing was heavy.

“That's impossible.”

His phone rang.

Adrian.

Ethan answered immediately.

“Adrian, where are you?”

“At home. Why?”

“I remembered something.”

Silence.

“What kind of something?”

“I was at a laboratory when I was seven.”

Adrian didn't answer.

Ethan noticed.

“You already knew.”

“No.”

“Adrian.”

“I didn't know you were there.”

“Then why did you go quiet?”

Adrian took a breath.

“Because I just remembered something too.”

Ethan stood.

“What?”

“A boy.”

“Who?”

“I don't know his name.”

“What did he look like?”

Adrian's voice became quieter.

“He was standing beside Daniel.”

Ethan's heart raced.

“That was me.”

Another silence.

Then Adrian said something that Ethan wasn't expecting.

“No.”

“What?”

“The boy wasn't seven.”

Ethan froze.

“What are you saying?”

“I remember him as a child, but…”

Adrian paused.

“He was connected to another room.”

Ethan frowned.

“Another room?”

“Yes. There was a large machine.”

“What kind?”

“I don't know.”

“Try to remember.”

“I can't.”

Ethan activated the system.

[Memory Reconstruction available.]

Cost: $500,000

Ethan immediately accepted.

[Payment confirmed.]

A wave of information entered his mind.

The fragmented memories became clearer.

A laboratory.

A machine.

Several monitors.

A child sitting inside a chair.

Ethan couldn't see the child's face.

Then Daniel appeared.

He was arguing with the mysterious man.

“You promised me he would never be used.”

The man's voice was calm.

“The project requires a compatible host.”

“He's my son!”

“He has the highest compatibility we've ever recorded.”

Daniel stepped in front of the machine.

“You're not touching him.”

The memory shook.

Alarms sounded.

People rushed into the room.

Daniel grabbed young Ethan and ran.

Then the memory disappeared.

Ethan opened his eyes.

He stood completely still.

His father had protected him.

But there was something else.

The system had shown him only part of the memory.

“Why can't I see the child's face?”

A notification appeared.

[Memory intentionally concealed.]

Ethan stared.

“By who?”

[UNKNOWN.]

His phone vibrated again.

Adrian had sent a photograph.

Ethan opened it.

It showed the old Project Omega laboratory.

In the corner was the same machine from his memory.

But someone had written a number across the image.

05

Ethan's expression changed.

“Host Five.”

Adrian called again.

“I found something else.”

“What?”

“The Omega card you found isn't just an access card.”

“What is it?”

“It identifies the holder as a participant in Project Omega.”

Ethan looked at the card.

“So?”

Adrian's voice became tense.

“So your father wasn't the only participant.”

Ethan looked toward the window.

“How many were there?”

“Six.”

The room became silent.

“Six?”

“Yes.”

Adrian continued.

“Five before you.”

Ethan's mind raced.

Daniel was Host Four.

If there were five participants before Ethan, then Host Five might not be the only mystery.

“Do you know who the first three were?”

“No.”

“And Host Five?”

“I think I found a name.”

Ethan's heart pounded.

“Who?”

Adrian hesitated.

“That's the problem.”

“What?”

“The file doesn't have a name.”

“Then what does it have?”

A long pause.

“A title.”

“What title?”

Adrian finally answered.

“The First Son.”

Ethan's expression hardened.

“The first son of who?”

“I don't know.”

Suddenly, Ethan's system activated without being called.

[MAJOR DISCOVERY]

Project Omega Host 05 identified by designation.

Designation: THE FIRST SON

Identity: LOCKED

Connection to Ethan Vale: 84%

Ethan stared at the screen.

“Connection?”

Before he could ask another question, another notification appeared.

[NEW MISSION]

Locate The First Son.

Time Limit: 7 Days

Reward: $30,000,000

Ethan slowly smiled.

For the first time, the mystery had given him a direction.

But then another message appeared.

WARNING: The First Son has already located you.

Ethan's smile disappeared.

A notification appeared on his phone.

Unknown number.

One message.

YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE PAST ALONE, ETHAN.

A second message arrived.

YOUR FATHER DID.

Then a photograph appeared.

Ethan opened it.

His heart stopped.

It was Daniel.

Alive.

But unlike the previous recordings, this photograph had been taken recently.

At the bottom was a timestamp.

TODAY — 2:17 A.M.

Ethan looked at the clock.

It was 4:04 A.M.

His father was alive.

And someone had just shown him exactly where he was.

Ethan grabbed his jacket.

“Adrian.”

“I know.”

“I'm going after him.”

Adrian's voice was serious.

“Then I'm coming with you.”

Ethan looked at the photograph one more time.

This time, there was no hesitation.

He was finally going to find Daniel Vale.