Can money buy happiness?
Author: Mwrites
last update2023-09-01 22:49:51

As Ethan drives Mr. Desmond home, his mind is consumed by thoughts about the man, pondering the grudge he seems to hold against him. 

Lost in his thoughts, he momentarily loses focus and nearly collides with the car ahead. His reflexes kick in, and he slams on the brakes, causing Mr. Desmond to lurch forward in his seat.

"Are you crazy? Do you want to kill me? Is that your plan as my driver?" Mr. Desmond exclaims in frustration. 

Ethan quickly apologizes, his voice filled with genuine remorse.

 "I'm so sorry, sir. It was not intentional. Please forgive me."

Despite Ethan's plea, Mr. Desmond remains silent until they reach home. 

"Give me the key," Mr. Desmond demands, his tone cutting through the air. 

"I apologize, sir. It truly wasn't my intention," Ethan bows, regret evident in his voice.

Ariana, dressed to leave the house, enters the room just in time to witness the tense scene. She rolls her eyes and hisses at Ethan before storming off and slamming the door behind her.

"There will be no food for you tonight, and you won't be sleeping here," Mr. Desmond spats at Ethan.

 He pleads, "Please, I have nowhere else to go."

Mr. Desmond's voice remains unyielding, "That's none of my concern. Leave the house now and return tomorrow morning, you worthless bag of endless trash."

"Okay, sir. I'll sleep outside," Ethan concedes as he slowly makes his way out, only if he knew he is a bag full of endless riches.

As he steps out into the night, Ethan mutters to himself, "Wait and see." His determination resounds in his voice.

{Mission reloading: 25%, 45%, 85%, 100%, New mission}.

"Hoping this is just another lavishing some money," he murmurs.

{Make that boy happy, reward: 100 billion}.

A confident smile graces Ethan's face; the promise of wealth is steadily growing day by day.

He waits patiently until the boy emerges from the alleyway, dressed in tattered white clothes and worn-out gray shorts.

"Hey there, young one," he calls out. 

The boy, barely six years old, glances at him with a blank expression before continuing on his path. 

Quickening his pace, he pursues the boy. "Wait!" he calls again. "It's polite to respond when an elder speaks to you."

The boy halts and mutters, "My dad told me not to talk to strangers."

Chuckling, he responds, "Well, you already talked to me just now."

The boy shoots back, "I'm telling you why I won't talk to you."

Surprised, he flinches. "Fair enough. So, what would make you happy?"

The boy sizes him up, turns away, and continues walking. Intrigued, he bends down to the boy's level. 

"Hey, don't judge me by my appearance. Tell me what you'd like."

The boy's stomach rumbles audibly. He grins, "I think I've got it. You're hungry. Let's go."

Offering his hand, the boy hesitates before accepting it. They head to a high-end eatery known for its expensive dishes.

 "Bring us the menu," he instructs the waiter.

She scoffs, handing over the menu. He passes it to the boy, who points to the priciest item.

 "We'll take that," he says, and the boy gestures for three plates.

"Three plates? You must be really hungry," he remarks, prompting a nod from the boy.

"Payment first," the waitress quips with a fake smile. He hands her his card, telling her to withdraw the amount.

She gives him a mocking look but is stunned when the transaction goes through. As they wait, he and the boy converse, and their order soon arrives. 

The boy devours his food hungrily, prompting him to advise, "Take it easy."

The boy finishes the first plate and drink rapidly. He pushes the second plate toward the boy, who nods and softly utters, "Home."

After packaging the remaining food, they leave. The darkness has already settled over the day.

Ethan waits for the system to signal the mission accomplished, but he hears nothing.

 "Hey boy, are you happy now?" he asks.

 The boy  looks at him blankly and says, "Thank you," then continues on his way.

 "You're not going anywhere until you're happy," Ethan insists, pulling him towards a boutique and lavishly purchasing various expensive clothes, watches, shoes, toys, and more. 

Yet, the boy's happiness remains elusive.

 "Grrr! Kid, you're a weirdo. Most kids your age would be thrilled with all this," Ethan says, displaying all the bags. 

"I never asked you to buy me these things. You can never make me happy," the boy replies. 

Ethan is shocked by this. It's the toughest mission he has encountered so far. He scratches his head, wondering what to do next. Then, another idea pops into his head.

 "Let's go," he says, grabbing the boy's hand.

 "But I should be at home, sir," he protests.

 "Not until you're happy," Ethan insists. 

They head to the amusement park, but all his attempts go wrong, and the boy doesn't even crack a smile.

 Another idea strikes him: the cinema to watch a comedy. But all his efforts are in vain.

 "Thanks for today, sir, but I should be on my way," the boy says and leaves. 

"Not until you're happy. Tell me what would make you happy, and I'll buy it," Ethan pleads.

 "You can never buy me my happiness!" the boy exclaims, causing Ethan to flinch in surprise. 

"You think all this will make me happy? You're wasting your money because MONEY CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS!" he yells. 

Money can't buy happiness?. 

To Ethan, money means everything. He has everything he desired when his parents were alive. 

He had options and can easily got any girl he want. 

However, after his parents death, he losed it all simply because he wasn't rich anymore.

 Tears well up in the boy's eyes. He snatches the bags from Ethan and leaves. 

"I tried my best after all," Ethan shrugs.

 {Mission failed, punishment: reduction of 10 million, complete 20 missions without pay.}

 The screen appears, displaying the reduction.

 He would become poor again before he could even finish the 20 missions. 

"What! That much?" he exclaims.

 Everyone around him stares, wondering who he is talking to. 

"Okay, okay, what if I eventually complete the mission?" 

{Punishment will be removed, but you won't be rewarded.} 

He immediately chases after the boy, wondering what would truly make him happy.

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  • The end.

    The room seemed to shrink as tension filled every corner. Sean's eyes bore into Ethan's, each step e. Before either could make a move, Ariana stepped forward, her voice cutting through the heavy air."Enough, both of you!" she exclaimed, standing between the two men. "We've seen enough bloodshed. There has to be a way to end this without more violence."Ethan, his determination unwavering, nodded in agreement. "She's right, Sean. We need to find a resolution, not perpetuate this cycle of revenge."Sean's gaze shifted between Ariana and Ethan, a battle of emotions playing out on his face. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly lowered his weapon. "Fine, let's talk," he conceded, though his tone carried a note of reluctance.Ariana left the room leaving the both of them to talk, as she walked out, she saw tony smiling and weaving at her.she hissed and went on her way, she rushed towards her."why ignoring me", he asked."it seemed you are enjoying this situation, smiling and dancing

  • revenge continues

    "Don't do it," Ethan glares at the gang leader, as if he could swallow him up. The leader laughs, "What can you do? You will just watch your family die in front of you before I kill you." Ethan glares back, blood in his eyes, "Don't do it, please," he pleads.The leader smirks, his hand hovering over the trigger, "Say bye to them," he says. "Nooo!" Ethan shouts, then a strange sensation surges inside him, and his eyeballs turn white before returning to normal.The leader hesitates, wondering what's wrong with him. Suddenly, a message appears: {System Reactivated… Host Found… 25%, 35%, 45%, 100%}. Ethan thinks he's dreaming, unable to believe his eyes and the sounds he's hearing. The system is back.{You summoned the system, would you like to sign in? Note that if you sign in now, it will be for eternity}. Ethan exhales loudly, finding it hard to understand how he summoned the system a second time. "Yes, I will sign."{Signing: 35%, 45%, 55%, 75%, 100%, completed. All skills, stage,

  • The return

    Ethan approaches Mr. Desmond, who gazes at him, trembling and shaking."I told you, this will be your only chance," he says."So, what are you going to do with me?" Mr. Desmond stammers."What do you think? I will kill you, of course," Ethan smirks, bringing out his gun."You know that will be stupid. Think about your freezer asset; I can let them free it," he said."Really, but I don't need it," Ethan replies.Mr. Desmond laughs, "You know you can't kill me. Think of your kid. How could you be a father for him in prison?""You think this is funny? I just figured out my mistake. I keep sparing you people, nevertheless, you keep coming back as a problem.""This will be my last problem of yours," Mr. Desmond smirks, but it's clear he isn't telling the truth."Are you enjoying this?" Ethan asks."Maybe yes, Ethan... You brought this upon yourself. And you know what, there is still the organization. Nick is forming it back, so there is no way you can end that," he said."I will kill you,

  • The blood bath

    "I told you I know nothing about it; I am here to save her," Ethan tells the detective in the hospital. The detective presses on, "Why didn't you call the police when the abductor called you?""They warned me not to call, unless they will kill her," he said. "You should have at least told the police, and we would have looked for what to do," the detective said. Ethan exhales loudly, "The victim has told you herself that I am innocent."The detective then slams the table, "What is your business with the abductor, and why did he want you so badly that he would even kidnap someone to threaten you?". "I am not answering any more questions," Ethan says. He knows Mr. Desmond was at work.Just then, an officer enters the room and whispers something to the officer. The detective gazes at Ethan, then says, "You can go." Ethan smirks, wondering why they let him go so easily. He leaves the officer, only to find Mr. Desmond waiting for him outside. He ignores him and keeps walking."You sho

  • the sniper

    Mr. Desmond calls Ethan back, saying, "You have to meet him.""She is with your daughter, and you don’t even care, asking me to meet him?" Ethan questions."He wants you and won’t release her no matter what I do. If you don’t meet with him, he will kill her. If you don’t want to see her dead, meet him," Mr. Desmond says, ending the call.Ethan scoffs, wondering how a parent could do such a thing."So, what do we do now?" Sandra asks."I have to meet him in the location," Ethan responds.Sandra interrupts, "That will be very dangerous. You know he will kill you.""Yes, but if I don’t go, he will kill Ariana," Ethan says."So, we have to plan. We have to involve the police," Sandra suggests."Yes… call Derek and others," Ethan instructs.After Tony calls Ethan, he still feels uneasy and believes involving the police is necessary. He heads to the police station and reports the situation. The police put themselves to work, and instead of Tony going home, he lurks around, waiting for updat

  • Ariana abduction

    Earthlord looked dumbfounded, “What do you think you are doing?”“Mind what you say, you are online,” Ethan smiles wickedly. Just then, one of the guards moves closer to Earthlord and whispers to him.“I will kill you,” he says as he walks away, leaving Ethan in the room. After a few minutes, the police arrive, but Earthlord and the others have escaped. The police take Ethan in for questioning, and he tells them everything.After Ethan leaves the police station, he heads to the hideout where the others are gathered.“You did good work,” Derek says.Ethan exhales, “But he escaped. He would do anything to come back for me.”“We have to be very careful; you should always walk in pairs,” Mr. Davis says.Sandra says, “Now that he has confessed, they should free you now and unfreeze all your access.”Ethan nods, “But we can’t be sure. Earthlord might have more influence than we think.”“What about Mr. Desmond and Nick? We should do something about them, maybe kill them,” Feifei suggests.Et

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