The Hidden King: Rise of Hercules

The booming tunes echoing from inside the house were the only hint Alex needed to figure out that his girlfriend Mia was actually throwing a birthday bash.

Yet she had explicitly told him she wouldn't do any such thing. Alex just couldn't wrap his head around why she would lie right to his face. They had been going out for half a year already.

Alex shoved the front door open and spotted Mia dancing around with a bunch of her buddies.

A heavy sinking feeling hit his stomach. He shouted out Mia’s name over and over again, but she couldn't hear him at all because the speakers were blasting way too loud.

He sprinted over to her, grabbed her hand, and she instinctively gripped his fingers back, spinning around to flash him a sweet grin.

The second she laid eyes on the angry look stamped across Alex’s face, though, that smile vanished completely.

“Why on earth did you show up here?” Mia asked in a super calm, icy voice.

Alex stared at her. “I thought you told me you weren't going to celebrate your birthday at all. So what is all this? Why lie to me?”

Mia rolled her eyes and answered in a snarky tone, “I have tons of friends, okay? They just decided to throw something together for me. It’s no big deal. Besides, it’s not like you even had the cash to pull off a party like this anyway.”

Alex completely froze up. He had spent four brutal months saving up every penny he earned just to buy her a decent birthday present. Working as a delivery guy was easily the most exhausting job on the planet, and he honestly skipped meals sometimes just to keep his girlfriend happy.

The music finally cut out, and Alex looked around the living room. This exact apartment was the very first major thing he had paid for using his hard-earned delivery wages after renting a tiny room on the outside of town. But right now, he barely recognized the place. The walls had been painted a bright cream color. There was a massive home theater setup and a giant flat-screen TV. All the furniture had been swapped out too, which totally shocked him because he definitely never bought new couches.

None of Mia’s friends gave Alex a second look when he walked in. They all knew he was just a broke delivery worker who couldn't even afford to host a real birthday party for his girl.

“Look at that pathetic loser! Who even invited him here?” a girl’s voice hissed out of nowhere, making Alex snap his head around.

“Is that seriously your boyfriend, the delivery boy?” a girl with way too much makeup sneered, glaring at Alex up and down. “I honestly don't think he deserves someone as gorgeous as you.”

Mia felt a tiny bit awkward for a second, but deep down, she completely agreed with every single word the girl said. She was a college student now, and Alex was just a delivery guy.

Even though he paid for pretty much all her school costs. And he had only met her after grinding through college himself.

A million questions raced through Alex’s head. Like why she refused to celebrate with him when she was literally the birthday girl and still his girlfriend.

Still, he decided to let it slide. He was way too used to dealing with snobs like this, especially thinking back to the first time he visited her campus. It was a place he knew inside and out, but people had always looked down on him there, even back when he was a student himself.

He had learned the hard way how rich people love to step all over anyone who doesn't have money, and how fast everyone turns on you the second your family goes broke or your bank account hits zero.

It was a harsh lesson Alex had trained himself to live with ever since he woke up in an orphanage as a kid.

“OMG! Ryan is getting here!” Chloe shrieked at the top of her lungs, and Alex spun around.

The second she heard Ryan’s name, Mia bolted straight for the front door. Alex blinked in pure shock. Why was she acting so crazy excited about some guy named Ryan showing up?

Alex watched the doorway. A ridiculously handsome guy strolled inside wearing a sharp, expensive designer suit and a cocky grin. Every single girl in the room immediately locked eyes on him.

Ryan walked right up to Mia and grabbed her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. Mia looked a tiny bit nervous since Alex was standing right there, but she didn't pull her hand away at all.

Wait a second. Who the heck even was Ryan to her?

Well, as it turned out, Mia had recently landed a job over at KK Corporation, which happened to belong to Ryan. She only took the gig to help pay her school bills.

Alex stood there wondering how on earth those two got close enough to be holding hands so openly.

Taking a deep breath, Alex stepped forward with the gift box still in his hands.

“Mia, happy birthday,” he said with a small smile, completely ignoring all the nasty stares and giggles buzzing around them.

Mia went totally stiff for a second before she and Ryan both turned to glare at him.

A look of total disgust crossed Ryan’s face as he looked Alex up and down. “You told me you already dumped this guy, and I made it crystal clear I didn't want to see his face at this party,” Ryan complained, sounding super annoyed.

For a split second, Alex thought maybe he misheard him. He looked past Ryan straight at Mia, hoping she’d say it was just a bad joke.

Alex held the box out a bit further. “I got you a present.”

Mia stared at the gift box for a second, snatched it right out of his hands, and hurled it across the room. “Are you completely blind, deaf, or both? Didn't you hear what he just said to you?”

Alex stood there like a statue. He still couldn't believe another guy was bossing his girlfriend around inside the very home he paid for. Life really was messed up sometimes.

“Seriously, Mia, why would you throw his present away? The guy probably busted his butt working two straight months just to afford that,” Chloe piped up with a nasty laugh.

“No way, really?” Ryan chuckled. “How could you ever date a total pauper like this? The guy obviously can’t take care of you.”

“I know,” Mia admitted coldly. “I only kept him around because I felt bad for him, but I’m totally done with it now. I need a real man who can actually provide for me.”

Chloe let out a giggling snort. “Honestly, the only thing he’s actually good for is in bed. You know the guy’s packing,” she whispered loudly, shooting a gross, mocking look right at Alex.

Mia’s face flushed red, and she quickly looked away.

Alex couldn't even speak. He had zero words left. He never imagined he would get treated this low in his entire life.

He had raised himself with no family to back him up. According to the caretakers at the orphanage, he was dropped off there hurt and bruised with zero clues about who his parents were. Life had always been a brutal uphill battle filled with cheap shots and insults. His only real comfort was Mia. He genuinely thought she was the one person who brought peace to his world, not realizing she had just pitied him the entire time.

“Fine, I guess I’ll throw the beggar a bone,” Ryan announced suddenly, turning his attention back to Alex.

Truth be told, Alex was actually an inch taller than Ryan.

“If you get down on the floor and lick my shoe right now, I’ll give you a job as a security guard over at my company. I’ll even pay you a grand for it. Bet you’ve never touched that kind of cash in your miserable life, loser,” Ryan bragged.

“Oh, come on, you totally gotta take the deal! Give it like ten years and maybe your boss will bump your pay up to twelve hundred bucks!” Chloe teased, flashing a wicked grin.