The Last Minute of Poverty

chapter 3

John stumbled backward, his expensive leather shoes slipping against the cold asphalt. The arrogant smile that had once plastered his face was now gone, replaced by pure and unfiltered terror.

The sight of his strongest enforcer groaning on the ground was the breaking point. He didn't even inform Rose of his decision before turning tail and running.

Rose, seeing her partner scampering away, needs no further hint before chasing after him.

Seth wanted to chase after them, but was stopped by a wave of Jason's hand. “Let them go… for now.”

Seth, who had already tensed to launch himself forward, instantly froze and stepped back into the shadows.

Gina looked back at Jason, her fierce expression softening into confusion. "Why? They humiliated you."

"They aren't worth it," Jason said, his voice exhausted but steady. He looked down at the beautiful young woman standing before him. "I haven't seen you in four years, Gina. I'm not letting trash like them ruin our reunion.”

A warm smile broke across Gina’s face, completely erasing the terrifying predator she had been seconds ago. Without another word, she hooked her arm through his and led him toward the armored SUV.

Inside the spacious, leather-scented cabin of the vehicle, the heavy doors sealed away the cold city night.

As soon as the privacy partition rolled up, shutting out the driver and Seth, Gina threw herself into Jason’s arms, burying her face in his chest.

"You’re an idiot," she mumbled against his shirt, her voice slightly shaken. "Four years, Jason. You couldn't even send a single text message? A secret call? The family rules forbade you from using the family's resources, but no one would have known if you just told me you were safe." She pouted.

"If I reached out to you, Alfred would have found out. You know how his eyes are everywhere."Jason sighed softly, resting his chin on the top of her head, “I was told not to contact any family member during the trial.”

At the mention of their grandfather, Alfred Pike, the warmth in the car seemed to drop by several degrees.

"Grandpa has been talking about you a lot recently," Gina said, pulling back to look at him. "He said your trial period was ending. He has something important he wants to tell you."

Jason’s expression instantly turned complicated, a layer of frost settling over his eyes. "He only reaches out when he needs a piece on his board. That old man doesn't care about family reunions. He just needs me for his next game."

Noticing the changes in Jason's expression, Gina wisely dropped the subject.

Reaching into a hidden compartment, Gina pulled out a first-aid kit. She gently tilted Jason’s chin, her delicate fingers carefully dabbing antiseptic onto the bruises left by John’s bodyguard.

If an outsider should see this, they would think the two were lovers, with how affectionate the had become.

Technically, Gina was Jason’s half-sister, but not a single drop of shared blood ran through their veins.

She had been adopted by Alfred Pike as his granddaughter when she was just a child. Growing up together in the sprawling, suffocating Pike estate, they had formed a bond thicker than blood, relying entirely on each other to survive the family's ruthless politics.

As she looked at the cuts on his handsome face, her eyes grew glossy. "Why did you have to suffer so much outside?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "You're a Pike. You shouldn't have to bleed for anything."

Facing her unconditional care, a deep sense of comfort washed over Jason.

she stared straight into his eyes, her face inches away from his. Staring at her watery eyes, he felt the urge to kiss her at that moment as their mouths were dangerously close. For a fleeting second, the line between siblings and something entirely different blurred.

Jason’s heart skipped a beat, but his terrifying self-control took over. He gently held her wrist, stopping her hand. He had always treated her as his precious younger sister, and crossing that line would complicate an already chaotic life.

Before the atmosphere could become entirely uncontrollable, Jason’s cheap, scratched phone shattered the silence with a loud, obnoxious ringtone.

The tension broke. Jason cleared his throat and answered the call.

Jason? Man, tell me you're not doing something stupid," a loud, anxious voice boomed through the speaker. It was Colman Domingo, his roommate and closest friend at Pendleton University. "Are you still at the lounge? I heard about what Rose did. Look, man, just come back to the dorm. I bought beer. Don't do anything reckless."

Gina covered her mouth, hiding an amused smile. She leaned close, whispering, "Does he always worry about you like a mother hen?”

Jason chuckled, a genuine smile reaching his eyes.

Blocking the phone's mouthpiece, he said, "Colman is one of the few true friends I made during these four years," Jason told her quietly, before speaking into the phone. "I'm fine, Colman. I ran into some family tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

The next morning, sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of a presidential suite at Silver Bridge City’s most exclusive establishment… The Silver bridge hotel, the playground of the elites amongst the elites.

They had spent the night drinking expensive wine, talking until dawn, and healing the invisible scars of the last four years.

Despite the wildness of their reunion, Jason had firmly maintained his boundaries, and they had slept in separate bedrooms.

Jason walked into the expansive living room, holding a cup of black coffee. He glanced at the massive flat-screen TV on the wall, pausing as a news headline caught his eye.

STARR FAMILY ENTERPRISES SEES CATASTROPHIC 30% STOCK PLUMMET IN OVERNIGHT TRADING. INVESTORS PANIC.

Jason slowly turned his head to look at Gina, who was lounging on the plush sofa in a silk robe, casually scrolling through a tablet.

"Did you do this?" Jason asked.

Gina didn't even look up, a wicked smirk playing on her lips. "I just had people short their stock, nothing much.” She shrugged. “Consider it a little late-night venting for what that trash did to you. By the end of the week, John's father will be begging the banks for a loan.”

Jason smiled helplessly, shaking his head. He didn't tell her to stop. John Starr deserved every bit of the ruin coming his way.

"I need to get back to school," Jason said, setting his mug down.

Gina immediately perked up. "I'll have the convoy ready. Five armored cars should be enough for Pendleton University, right?"

"No," Jason said firmly. "I'm taking a taxi. I don't want to show my hand just yet.”

“I have my reasons.” Jason assured, seeing the care in her eyes.

Gina pouted but eventually nodded. "Fine. But Seth is going with you. He stays in the shadows, but he stays close. Deal?"

"Deal," Jason agreed.

An hour later, the young heir of the Pike family, Jason Pike, carrying ten million dollars in his bank account and backed by an empire, stepped out of a standard yellow taxi and looked up at the familiar gates of Pendleton University.