The Rise Of The Humiliated Son-in-law

The Atm Test

Click. Click. Click.

The shutters began.

Reporters, at least a dozen of them, had gathered near the entrance. Their flashes pierced through the rain.

“Rafe Miller!” One shouted. “Do you have any comments on the embezzlement scandal?!”

“Did you really steal from Li Holdings?”

“Your wife just declared she’s filing a divorce. How do you feel?”

He didn’t respond to a single question.

The reporters kept shoving microphones toward him.

“Such a pity, Rafe,” Jacob said mockingly in the midst of all the chaos, his voice smooth and loud enough for the cameras. “You had everything – a powerful and beautiful wife, a rich family, and you blew it.”

Rafe stared, his fits tightening. “Did you plan this?”

Jacob tilted his head, amused. “Oh? You think you’re that important?” He stepped closer, lowering his voice just enough for Rafe to hear. “You were always a stain on the Li family, and now you’re gone. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to slip in.” He patted Rafe’s shoulder. 

Rafe’s jaw clenched. 

Jacob handed the reporters the ‘evidence’ and said, “these documents prove that the embezzlement is true. I think the people deserve to know the truth.”

The reporters’ flashes intensified.

Rafe’s image, drenched, bruised, and humiliated, was now the story of the hour.

But something shifted in him then.

The pain…. It started to turn into fire.

Was this the help of the system?

He straightened, rain dripping down his face. “You think this is the end for me?”

Jacob smirked. “It’s already over Miller. Now go back to the gutter you crawled out from.”

Rafe’s lips curved into a faint dangerous smile. “I don’t crawl anymore.”

The reporters froze. Waiting to hear his next statement.

Rafe stepped closer, his voice steady. “You all wanted a story? Fine. Write this down, the next time you see me, I won’t be the man you think I am.

Jacob frowned, slightly surprised by the sudden steel in Rafe’s eyes.

Rafe brushed past the microphones, past the crowd and into the pouring rain.

He didn’t even look back once.

——-

Rain soaked through Rafe’s clothes as he walked down the dimly lit streets of Mayfair.

Every step he took echoed in the puddles, every reflection of passing cars painted his shame across the wet asphalt.

His mind replayed the events of the night over and over like a broken record.

The embezzlement scandal, the slap Clara gave him, her openly wanting to file a divorce, Jacob’s smirk.

He had given everything he had to that family.

And they decided to treat him like garbage.

But even through all the humiliation, one thing pulsed in his mind.

>>[MISSION COMPLETE: £3,000,000 REWARDED]

That single message, that single transfer, that single blue flicker of light had changed everything.

He ducked into a narrow ally behind a café, away from the rain, and leaned against the wall.

His phone buzzed again.

Another blue light flickered before his eyes.

[SYSTEM UPDATE:]

Welcome, Rafe Miller. 

You have entered the revenge protocol.

 •current level: initiate

 •total balance: £3,025,000

 •completed missions: 2

Then another pop up:

{congratulations, mission, prove your worth 1; stand your ground, completed.}

~Reward: business negotiation skill upgrade + £25,000

>current level: +2

Rafe exhaled slowly, his breath fogging in the cold air.

“Where did you come from?” 

He tried to ask the system. 

But of course, he didn’t get a response. 

As he stared at the balance a wave of doubt flowed through him.

He needed to know if it’s real.

He slipped his card into the nearest ATM.

Typed his PIN.

Selected ‘withdraw £500.’

To this greatest surprise the machine whirred, then spat out crisp new notes.

He froze. The weight of the cash in his hands made his pulse quicken.

Real. Tangible. His.

The system buzzed softly before his eyes.

[system Tutorial unlocked]

Tip #1: Wealth breeds attention. Attention breeds visibility. Visibility attracts enemies.

He swallowed hard, sliding the money into his pocket.

“Visibility attracts danger,” He murmured. 

“Guess that means I’m not the only one with this system?”

The thought lingered like some.

If others actually existed, were they enemies…..or players in the same game?

He walked through the rain slick street of Mayfair, searching for something cheap but private. 

He stopped at a derelict block of flats on the corner of harrow street.

Paint peeling, windows fogged, rent cheap enough not to raise questions.

The landlord. Who was a stout man in his fifties with nicotine stained fingers barely looked up when Rafe placed a thick envelope on the desk.

“Cash?” 

“Cash,” Rafe said simply.

The man flipped through it, shrugged, and slid over a rusted set of keys. “Second floor, room 2B. Don’t complain about the boiler, that thing is older than me.”

Rafe nodded, put the keys in his pocket and climbed the narrow staircase.

The apartment smelled of dust and old clothes. Bare walls, cracked ceiling, a single flickering light bulb. 

It wasn’t much, but it was a place to start.

Like the system said, he shouldn’t be gaining attention or visibility.

He stood in the center of the room, looking out the window toward the skyline, the towering silhouette of the Li Holdings building gleamed faintly in the distance.

“Enjoy your empire while it lasts," he muttered. “I’ll build one twice as strong – and burn yours to the ground.”

———-

That night, he sat at the small desk with his laptop open.

He began sketching his new plan – his new life.

*step one: foundation

He’s registered a small trading company under a new identity. Something clean, simple. He’d invest in undervalued tech startups using system funds. Nothing that drew headlines.

Step two: leverage

He’d find out who framed him in Li holdings and how they were able to access his personal files and used his name to wire those funds off shore.

Step three: exposure

If he had proof, he’d leak it. Not under his own name but through an anonymous channel that would make every major outlet cover

Step four: revenge

Simply put: destroying the Li’s and everyone who had a hand in his downfall.

Revenge wasn’t about shouting. It was about timing.

And as it is now, he had all the time in the world.

He leaned back, the glow of the laptop reflecting in his eyes.

He had money.

He had growing knowledge.

He had a powerful system.

And something about that combination made him dangerous.

[system Notification]

Time check: 23:59 – Daily analysis in progress…..

Analyzing player behavior…..

Result: hurt, angered, calculated and somewhat controlled.

{system commentary} 

You adapt quickly, Rafe. But remember — the system rewards balance. Too much emotion invites chaos. 

Too much logic invites stagnation. 

And the system is against those setbacks.

Rafe stared at the glowing words.

“So now you talk to me? And instead of an answer to all this craziness, you’re judging me.”

[correction: Guiding you.]

He smirked faintly and sat up. “Fine, guide me then.”

The screen shimmered again and a new message appeared.

[system stop #002: Not all enemies are visible.]

He frowned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The system message appeared again, but this time instead of a reply he got:

[system notification: New mission.]

Mission title: prove your worth 2:

Objective: Earn £10k profit in 48 hours without using system money.

Time starts now.