The Loser Who Bought The World

Chapter 1: Humiliation Before the Rise

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Rain poured like heaven itself was mocking him.

Ethan Cross stood under the golden arch of the Whitestone Hotel, soaked to the bone, ignored by the very people he once called friends. Through the towering glass doors, laughter spilled out from the extravagant ballroom. Crystal chandeliers, velvet drapes, champagne flutes clinking like bells—Clarissa’s engagement party was in full swing.

His Clarissa.

Or so he thought.

Ethan tightened his fists as he watched her smile up at Brandon Thorne, the man standing beside her in a custom-tailored Armani suit. The man she now called her fiancé. Brandon gripped her waist like he owned her, like Ethan had never existed.

Just hours ago, Ethan was still her boyfriend. A struggling delivery guy who’d worked himself to the bone for three years to support her law degree. Paid her rent. Missed meals to cover her textbooks. Sacrificed everything.

Now he stood outside the celebration of her betrayal.

The security guard glared at him. “You don’t belong here.”

“Tell Clarissa Ethan’s here,” he muttered, voice low but firm.

The guard didn’t move. Instead, it was Clarissa herself who saw him through the glass. She blinked. Laughed. And strutted over, dragging Brandon with her.

“Ethan?” Her eyes raked over him. “God, what are you doing here looking like a drowned rat? You’re embarrassing yourself.”

He stared at her, mouth dry. “You told me you had an exam tonight.”

“I had something more important,” she purred, holding up her diamond-studded finger. “I found a real man. Someone with ambition.”

Brandon smirked. “Let me guess, you’re still running deliveries on that rusty bike?”

“You used me,” Ethan said, his voice low. “I paid your tuition. Your bills—”

Clarissa scoffed. “A small investment, Ethan. You should be proud. You helped polish me up for someone better.”

The guests inside were starting to notice. Phones came out. A few sneers. A few chuckles.

“You’re a nobody,” Brandon said, stepping closer. “Clarissa’s too good for a loser like you. Why don’t you crawl back to whatever rat hole you came from?”

The words stung more than the cold. But it wasn’t just the betrayal. It was the way they all laughed, as if he was beneath them. As if everything he’d done, everything he’d sacrificed, meant nothing.

Humiliation burned through his chest like acid. Ethan took a step back, drenched and devastated—but something in his eyes shifted.

He turned and walked into the night.

---

The city didn’t stop for broken hearts. Neon lights flickered. Cars honked. Somewhere nearby, a street vendor called out prices for roasted corn. Ethan walked aimlessly, every footstep splashing through puddles, his soaked sneakers squishing with each step. His mind ran circles—memories of Clarissa's kisses, her tears, her promises... all of it a lie.

He found himself in a dark alley between two buildings, his body trembling—not from the rain, but from rage. He punched the brick wall until his knuckles bled.

“Life doesn’t care about good intentions,” he muttered bitterly. “Nice guys finish last.”

Then a voice spoke behind him.

“You’ve got fire, kid. That’s rare.”

Ethan spun around. A man stood there, dressed in an old three-piece suit, holding a black cane with a silver wolf’s head at the top. His silver hair was slicked back, and his eyes were sharp—too sharp, like they saw through skin, through soul.

“Who the hell are you?” Ethan asked, still seething.

The man smiled. “Someone who helps the broken become powerful. You look like a man who’s been stepped on one too many times.”

Ethan didn’t answer.

“I watched what happened tonight,” the man continued, leaning on his cane. “The world humiliated you. But men like you… when pushed too far… they stop asking for a seat at the table and build their own.”

Ethan scoffed. “You’ve got the wrong guy.”

“I never do.” The man reached into his coat and pulled out a sleek black card. No name. No numbers. Just a golden emblem of an ouroboros—a snake devouring its own tail.

“Take this,” the man said. “If you want to stay a loser, toss it. If you’re ready to make the world pay attention, tap it against your phone.”

Ethan hesitated.

“What’s the catch?”

The man chuckled. “You’ll find out… when it’s too late to turn back.”

He vanished into the mist before Ethan could say another word.

---

The next morning, Ethan sat in his cramped apartment—mold creeping down the walls, the fridge empty, his phone buzzing with debt reminders. The black card sat on his table, gleaming faintly in the dim light.

He stared at it.

“What the hell…” he muttered, and tapped it against his phone.

That’s when everything changed.

---

Two weeks later…

The Whitestone Hotel lobby buzzed with tension. A team of men in tailored suits moved like shadows across the marble floor. In the center of it all, Brandon Thorne barked into his phone. “What do you mean we’re being outbid?! Who the hell is Cross Corp?! I’ve never heard of them!”

The elevator chimed.

All heads turned.

Ethan stepped out.

Tailored navy suit. Rolex on his wrist. Hair slicked back. Calm, composed… dangerous.

Clarissa gasped from the bar. “Ethan?!”

Brandon’s face twisted. “What the hell are you doing here?! Security!”

“No need,” Ethan said smoothly. “I own the place.”

Everyone froze.

He stepped forward, handing a folder to the manager. “The Whitestone is under new management. Effective immediately, all current bookings by Thorne Industries are canceled.”

“You can’t do this!” Brandon shouted.

“I can—and I did.”

“You were nothing—just a delivery boy!”

Ethan stepped close, his voice a razor’s edge. “And you were the man who took what I loved and spit on me. But the thing about losers? We either break... or we evolve.”

Clarissa stumbled over her words. “Wait… Ethan… you didn’t tell me you were doing so well. I—I made a mistake.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You made a choice. And I made mine.”

He walked past her without another glance.

---

That night, as he stood by the hotel window looking down at the glittering city below, Ethan lit a cigar he didn’t even like, but now had the luxury to smoke.

He’d bought a restaurant. Then a failing logistics company. Then an app startup. Somehow, he always knew exactly what to do, where to invest, who to trust. It was as if an unseen force guided his every move. Power came fast. Connections faster. And the fear in his enemies’ eyes? That came the fastest of all.

But something still lingered.

That man with the cane…

Who was he? Why help Ethan? Why now?

One thing was certain.

Ethan Cross wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.

If the world wanted a villain, he’d give them one.

And next time they tried to laugh at him… he’d own the laughter too.