The Devil's Fortune

The Last Straw

The phone call went straight to voicemail.

Marcel stared at the screen in the pouring rain, thumb pressing redial again and again. Nothing. Just that cold automated voice telling him the number was no longer in service. Olivia had blocked him already.

He wiped water from his eyes and muttered to himself. "This is not about my ego. Lily needs me. I just need a couch for one night. Tomorrow I hunt for new jobs. I can fix this."

Marcel's feet moved before his brain caught up. He knew her new address from the times he had dropped off packages there. The fancy part of town with gated buildings and security that never looked twice at guys like him. He walked the whole way, soaked to the bone, shoes squelching with every step.

When he reached the sleek modern house, lights glowed from inside. Marcel knocked on the heavy wooden door. No answer. He knocked harder.

"Liv? It's Marcel. Please. I know you don't want to see me but I really need help."

Silence.

He moved to the side window, peeking through a gap in the curtains. What he saw punched him right in the gut.

Olivia was on the couch, naked, riding some tall muscular guy with tattoos all over his arms. Their bodies slapped together loudly, moans filling the room. She threw her head back, gasping his name. "Yes, right there, Jake. Harder."

The guy grunted, hands gripping her hips. "You feel so good, baby. Better than that loser you told me about."

Marcel's chest tightened like a vice. Fresh pain ripped through him, worse than the breakup. She had been cheating. All those nights he worked late, thinking she was practicing lines or resting. She was with this guy. Laughing at him behind his back?

He stepped back, breathing hard, fists clenched. The betrayal burned hot in his throat. But Lily's face flashed in his mind. He had to try.

He waited ten minutes in the rain, letting the cold numb him a little, then knocked again. Louder.

The door finally swung open. The tattooed guy stood there, shirtless, sweat still on his skin. He looked Marcel up and down with a smirk.

"Who the hell are you?"

Olivia appeared behind him, pulling on a silk robe. Her hair was messy, lipstick smudged. The second she saw Marcel, her face twisted in disgust.

"Oh my God. You? Seriously?"

"Liv, please," Marcel said, voice cracking. "I just need somewhere to crash tonight. My sister is in the hospital. They beat her up bad. She needs surgery. One point six million. I lost my jobs today. Got evicted. Everything is gone."

Jake laughed loud. "This is the ex? The broke delivery boy? Man, you weren't kidding about him."

Olivia crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame. "Marcel, look at yourself. Standing here like a drowned rat begging. Pathetic. I told you we were done. I have a real man now. Jake's in the industry. He actually has money and connections."

"Please," Marcel begged, eyes stinging. "Just one night on the couch. For old times. I funded your whole career. Paid for everything so you could get that contract."

Jake stepped closer, towering over him. "Old times? She said you were a clingy wallet. Now you're here crying about your sister? Get lost, dude. Go sleep in the gutter where you belong."

Olivia nodded, smirking. "Exactly. I blocked you for a reason. Seeing your face makes me sick. You think I owe you? I earned that movie deal with my talent. You were just the sad guy paying the bills. Now leave before I call security."

Marcel's shoulders slumped. The words cut deep, each one reopening the wound. "I loved you, Liv. I gave up everything for you."

"Loved?" She laughed right in his face. "I tolerated you. Now go. Jake and I have plans."

Jake added with a grin, "Yeah, plans that don't include losers. Beat it."

Marcel turned away, feet heavy on the wet steps. He made it halfway down the driveway before it all hit at once. The pain from Olivia, from Lily in that hospital bed, from losing every single thing in one day. It exploded out of him.

Tears poured down his face, mixing with the rain. He yelled into the empty street, voice breaking. "Why? Why is this happening to me? I did everything right!"

He screamed louder, fists pounding his own thighs. "Damn you, Olivia! Damn those debt collectors! Damn this whole world!"

Passersby stared but he didn't care. Sobs wracked his body as he ran. His legs carried him toward the big downtown mall, the one with the tall parking structure and open upper floors. He took the stairs two at a time, breath coming in ragged gasps, cursing with every step.

"This world, you took my parents! you took my future! Olivia, you took my heart and stomped on it! Those bastards who hurt Lily, I hope you rot!"

At the top floor, wind whipped around him. The edge looked out over the city streets far below. Lights twinkled like they were mocking him too. No job. No home. No money for his sister's surgery. No one who cared.

Marcel climbed onto the railing. "I'm done. I can't do this anymore."

"I hope at least lily lives. Please forgive your dumb ass coward of a brother, but I just can't..."

With that one last heavy sigh, He jumped.

The fall lasted seconds that felt endless. Wind roared in his ears. Then impact. But instead of crushing pain and darkness, everything went black for a moment, then... nothing.

When he opened his eyes, he lying on solid ground.The pavement. Unhurt. The rain had stopped. A calm voice echoed inside his head, clear and powerful.

[SIN WEALTH SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]

Marcel blinked hard, looking around. "What? Who said that?"

The voice continued, deep and commanding, filling his mind completely.

Purpose: Create the world's most feared ruler.

Rule One: Mercy decreases rewards.

Rule Two: Revenge multiplies rewards.

Rule Three: Fear is currency.

A flood of information poured in. Numbers. Power. Possibilities. Then the system spoke again.

The system grants Marcel his first gift: ten billion dollars and a very beautiful queen that is dominating the acting and modeling industry.