The Beggar Husband Is a Trillionaire God

Chapter 5

Two hours later, outside the Riverdale Civil Affairs Bureau.

The afternoon sun reflected off the glass doors of the government building.

Claire Hayes stood on the sidewalk, clutching two red booklets with gold state seals in her trembling hand.

Married.

She was officially married to a man she had met only that morning in a thirty-dollar motel room. A man who wore dusty sneakers and carried his life in a battered wooden toolbox.

"Are you satisfied now?" Claire spat, turning to glare at Ethan Cole with blazing hazel eyes. "You used my grandfather's gratitude to force your way into my family. I hope you are proud of your dirty scheme."

Ethan walked beside her with his hands tucked into his canvas trouser pockets. His wooden box hung lightly over his shoulder.

"Miss Hayes, you flatter yourself," Ethan replied evenly. "If I wanted money, your family's entire company would not buy one hour of my time."

"Still bragging!" Claire scoffed in disgust. "You have no shame at all! You do not have a car, a job, or a home! The only thing you possess is a set of needles and a thick face!"

Before Ethan could answer, the loud screech of tires echoed down the boulevard.

A canary-yellow Maserati sports car swerved toward the curb, stopping right in front of them.

The car door swung open. A young woman in designer sunglasses, a tight emerald dress, and high heels stepped out.

"Claire!" the woman called out, running forward. "I rushed over the second I saw your text! Did your grandfather really force you to marry someone?!"

"Yes, Chloe," Claire sighed, rubbing her temples in exhaustion. "This is Ethan Cole. My new husband."

Chloe Jenkins was the spoiled daughter of Jenkins Shipping and Claire's closest friend.

Chloe pushed up her sunglasses and looked Ethan up and down.

Her sharp gaze swept from his faded green army shirt to his cheap trousers, stopping at his dusty sneakers with holes near the toes. Finally, she stared at the battered wooden toolbox tied with hemp rope.

Not a single brand name. Not a single trace of wealth.

A look of disgust twisted Chloe's red lips.

"Is this a joke, Claire?" Chloe asked loudly. "He looks like a homeless laborer who just finished digging ditches! Even the men who clean my father's stables dress better than this! How could your grandfather do this to you?!"

Ethan extended a polite hand. "Nice to meet you."

Chloe jumped back two steps, pulling her dress away as if avoiding a sewer rat.

"Do not touch me!" Chloe snapped. "I do not shake hands with vagrants. People like you carry germs."

Ethan did not get angry. He simply smiled faintly and placed his hand back into his pocket.

"Chloe, stop," Claire said, unable to hide the humiliation in her voice. "We just finished signing the certificates."

"Claire, you cannot accept this!" Chloe said urgently. "Richard Vance is at the Apex Club right now! All the top heirs of Riverdale are gathered there for his private party! Richard is still head over heels for you. If you talk to him, his father will release your shipping cargo today!"

Claire hesitated. "Chloe, Richard just caused a scene at my grandfather's house..."

"Who cares about that?!" Chloe insisted. "Richard is a billionaire heir! This beggar cannot even afford to buy you coffee! Besides, your grandfather told you to show your new husband around Riverdale, right?"

A wicked smirk spread across Chloe's lips.

"Let us take him to the Apex Club. Let him see how real gentlemen live. Once this beggar sees the gap between himself and the true elite of Riverdale, he will feel so ashamed that he will sign the divorce papers on his own!"

Claire looked at Ethan.

The thought of being tied to this penniless wanderer terrified her. She needed him to see that they belonged to completely different worlds.

"Do you want to come?" Claire asked Ethan, her tone cold. "Or would you rather wait on the sidewalk?"

Ethan looked at Chloe's mocking smirk, then at Claire's guarded face.

"The Apex Club?" Ethan murmured with a faint smile. "Sure. I have not watched clowns perform in a long time."

"Keep talking, beggar," Chloe sneered as she walked toward her Maserati. "Let us see if you can keep that proud face once we arrive."

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Mount Olympus Boulevard.

The Apex Club loomed before them like a modern fortress of black granite and bulletproof glass.

It was the most exclusive private sanctuary in Riverdale. Only the wealthiest families could afford a membership. Politicians, corporate titans, and master martial artists gathered here to make secret deals and drink vintage wine.

At the entrance stood four towering security guards in black tactical suits. Each guard wore a platinum lapel pin bearing the coiled dragon emblem of the Cross Security Group.

"Stay close to me," Chloe said, smirking as she grabbed Claire's hand and walked toward the entrance.

The two women stepped onto the scanner platform.

A soft chime sounded, and the glass doors slid open smoothly.

"Welcome, Platinum VIP Miss Jenkins. Welcome, Platinum VIP Miss Hayes," the automated system announced.

The front guards bowed respectfully, allowing them to pass through.

Ethan followed behind, his wooden toolbox resting on his shoulder.

The moment Ethan's worn sneaker touched the sensor mat, a loud alarm went off.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The automatic glass doors slammed shut with a heavy metallic clang, locking tight right in front of Ethan's face.

The chief security guard, a muscular man with a scar across his temple, stepped directly in front of Ethan. He placed a heavy gloved hand on the stun baton at his belt.

"Halt!" the chief guard barked, glaring down at Ethan's faded shirt and torn shoes. "Migrant workers, delivery drivers, and beggars must use the cargo entrance in the back alley. Step back immediately."

Past the glass doors, Chloe turned around and burst into laughter.

"Look at him, Claire!" Chloe called out through the intercom speaker. "He actually thought he could walk through the front door of the Apex Club! This place costs more per year than he will earn in three lifetimes!"

Claire stood beside Chloe, watching Ethan through the thick glass. A small wave of pity stirred in her chest, but she forced herself to look away.

'He needs to learn,' Claire thought. 'He needs to see that Riverdale's elite will never accept him.'

Outside the glass, Ethan stood motionless. He looked at the chief guard with a calm gaze.

"Who told you I am a delivery driver?" Ethan asked in an even tone.

"You have no membership pass, and your entire outfit is not worth the toilet paper in our lounge," the chief guard sneered. "Get lost, boy. If you do not turn around in five seconds, my men will drag you to the parking lot and break your teeth."

The three other guards stepped forward, surrounding Ethan with menacing grins.

Ethan let out a quiet sigh.

He reached his right hand into the front pocket of his faded canvas trousers.

His fingers touched the cold metal of the card given to him by Thomas Cross earlier that morning.

"I do not have a regular membership pass," Ethan said, pulling out a slab of pitch-black titanium with an uncut diamond in the center. "Will this card be enough?"

The chief guard glanced down with a sneer, ready to laugh at whatever piece of plastic the beggar was holding.

Then, the guard's eyes locked onto the black card.

He saw the coiled dragon emblem.

He saw the raw diamond in the dragon's eye.

The chief guard's sneer instantly froze.

The blood drained from his face until he looked like a corpse. His knees trembled so violently that he nearly dropped his stun baton onto the floor.

"The... the Black Dragon Sovereign Card?!" the guard choked out in absolute terror.