The Forgotten Son’s System

Chapter 009: Shadows from the Family

Williams woke before sunrise. The cheap hotel room still smelled of old soap and damp walls. His body ached from the night before, but the new skill made the pain feel smaller. He sat up and checked the System once more.

[QR Points: 16  

Money: 9,150,000 dollars  

Basic Self-Defense Skill: Active]

Still far from the strength skill he wanted. He needed more points. More quests. More ways to stand on his own feet.

He washed his face, put on the same clean shirt, and left the hotel. The morning streets were quiet. He bought simple clothes from a small shop—dark pants, a plain jacket, and shoes that did not look like they came from a restaurant kitchen. After changing in the shop’s back room, he felt less like a runaway worker and more like someone who could walk without people staring.

He was thinking about finding a better place to stay when his phone rang. The number was unknown. He answered carefully.

“Williams?” A woman’s voice. Soft, but tight with worry. “It’s Aunt May. Your uncle’s wife. Are you safe?”

Williams stopped walking. He had not heard from anyone in the family since the day they threw him out.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Why are you calling?”

“Your cousin Raymond is looking for you. He came to the house last night asking questions. He said you caused trouble at some restaurant and that people are talking. Your uncle is angry. He says if you bring shame to the family name again, he will make sure you never get another chance.”

Williams felt his jaw tighten. “I did nothing wrong. I paid what I owed.”

“I know,” Aunt May whispered. “But Raymond is telling a different story. He wants the family to cut you off completely. Your uncle listens to him. Please… stay away from the house for now. And if you have money, hide it. Raymond asked about bank cards and accounts.”

The call ended. Williams stared at the phone. The fat manager had already tried to hurt him. Now his own cousin was moving against him too.

He walked to a quiet café and ordered plain tea. While he waited, the System spoke again.

[New quest available.  

Title: Family Pressure  

Task: Prevent Raymond from taking control of the remaining family trust papers within the next 24 hours.  

Reward: 15 QR points and a basic information skill.  

Failure: Raymond gains full access to the family documents and freezes any remaining accounts linked to the host’s name.]

Williams read the words twice. He did not know the details of any family trust. After his parents died, his uncle had taken everything. Raymond always acted like the real heir. If Raymond got those papers, he could lock Williams out forever.

He finished the tea and left. He needed information first. He could not walk into the family house and demand answers. That would only make things worse.

He went to an internet café and searched public records. The family company name appeared in old news articles. There was a trust fund mentioned once—set up by his father years ago. The articles said the trust would open when the youngest son turned twenty-five. Williams was twenty-four. One year left.

Raymond wanted to change the rules before that happened.

Williams closed the browser. He had a goal now. Find the papers. Stop Raymond. Stay alive while doing it.

He returned to the hotel, packed the few things he had, and checked out. Staying in one place too long felt dangerous. He rented a small room in a different part of the city using cash this time. No name on the register.

By afternoon he stood outside the old family house. The high walls and iron gate looked the same as the day they pushed him out. Two cars sat in the driveway—one belonged to his uncle, the other was Raymond’s new black car.

Williams did not go in through the front. He walked around to the side alley where the kitchen door used to open for deliveries. The door was locked, but the window above it was open a little. He climbed carefully and slipped inside.

The house was quiet. Voices came from the study. Williams moved along the hallway, staying close to the wall.

“…the papers are in the safe,” Raymond was saying. “Once I change the signature, the trust becomes mine. Father already agrees. Williams is a shame. We should have cut him off years ago.”

Uncle’s voice answered, tired and cold. “Do it quickly. If he shows up with lawyers, it will look bad.”

Williams’s hands curled into fists. He needed those papers. He needed proof.

A soft sound came from the kitchen. Someone was there. Williams turned and found Aunt May standing with a basket of vegetables. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

“You should not be here,” she whispered.

“I need the trust papers,” Williams said. “Raymond is trying to take them.”

Aunt May looked toward the study, then back at him. “The safe is in the study. Combination is your mother’s birthday. 0417. I never told anyone else.”

Williams nodded once. “Thank you.”

He waited until the voices in the study moved deeper into the house. Then he slipped inside. The safe sat behind a painting. He typed the numbers. The door clicked open.

Inside were folders, old photos, and a thick envelope marked “Trust – Williams.” He took the envelope and closed the safe.

Footsteps returned. Williams hid behind the heavy curtains just as Raymond and his uncle walked back in.

“I’ll finish the change tonight,” Raymond said. “By tomorrow the bank will have the new papers.”

Williams stayed still until they left again. Then he climbed out the same window and left the property the way he came.

He walked three blocks before he opened the envelope. Inside were original documents with his father’s signature. The trust could not be changed without both signatures—his uncle’s and his own. Raymond had been lying.

Williams folded the papers carefully and put them inside his jacket. The System spoke.

[Quest progress: Documents secured.  

Return to a safe location and protect them for the remaining time.  

Reward will be issued upon success.]

He returned to the new room and locked the door. For the first time in days he felt a small measure of control. He had the papers. He had money. He had a skill that kept him standing when men tried to break him.

But Raymond would not stop. The fat manager would not forget. And somewhere in the city, people who once called him family still wanted him gone.

Williams sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the documents.

“System,” he said quietly, “I’m ready for the next one.”

The System stayed silent for a long moment. Then the words appeared.

[Next quest will arrive when the host is ready to face the true source of the family betrayal.]

Williams closed his eyes. He did not know what that meant yet. But he knew one thing for certain—he would not run anymore.