When the Loser Became rich heir

CHAPTER 2

Luca stared at his wife, the words still hanging in the air like smoke. *When you're ready to admit you were wrong, we'll discuss reinstating the payments.*

A sorrowful smile tugged at his lips. "If my mother dies today," he said quietly, "I won't need you to pay for her medicine."

Isabella's expression didn't flicker. She simply turned and walked toward the house, her heels clicking against the stone. Alessandro lingered a moment longer, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Smart move, Romano ," Alessandro murmured, stepping close enough that his breath ghosted across Luca's cheek. "Knowing your place. It's almost cute, watching you grovel. Like a dog that finally learned not to beg at the table." He straightened Luca's collar with exaggerated care, then patted his cheek twice—hard enough to sting. "Stay in your kennel."

Alessandro followed Isabella inside, the heavy door closing behind him with a sound like a tomb sealing shut.

Luca stood frozen for three full seconds. Then he ran.

The hospital corridors blurred past him. Fluorescent lights. The smell of antiseptic. A child crying somewhere. He burst through the doors of the ICU and found Dr. Reynolds outside his mother's room, clipboard in hand.

"Mr. Romano —"

"Please." The word came out broken. "Please, just do the surgery. I'll pay. I swear I'll pay. I can get the money, I just need time—"

Dr. Reynolds shook her head slowly. "Hospital policy is clear. We can't proceed without payment or approved insurance. I'm sorry."

"I'll sign anything. Waivers, promises, whatever you need. Just save her. Please."

"For a hundred-thousand-dollar surgery?" A male voice cut in. Dr. Chen, the hospital's administrative director, approached with a clipboard of his own. "Mr. Romano , we've already extended considerable charity care for your mother. We can't perform elective surgery without guaranteed funding."

"This isn't elective! She's dying!"

"Then I suggest you find the money." Dr. Chen's voice was flat, bored. "Perhaps a payment plan? Though given your history of late payments through the Benedetti account, I'm not optimistic about approval."

Luca grabbed his arm. "Listen to me—"

"Security." Dr. Chen didn't raise his voice. Two orderlies appeared. "Escort Mr. Romano to the lobby. If he becomes violent, call the police."

They dragged him away from his mother's door. He caught a glimpse through the window—her pale face, the tubes, the machine that beeped her weakening heartbeat—and then he was in the hallway, then the elevator, then the cold linoleum of the lobby.

Luca sat on a plastic chair and pulled out his phone.

He called everyone.

His old college roommate, "Dude, a hundred grand? I've got a mortgage and two kids. Sorry."

His cousin in Chicago, "Luca, I thought you married rich. What, the golden goose stopped laying?"

A former coworker, "Man, I'd love to help, but my wife controls the finances. You know how it is."

His father's brother, who hadn't spoken to him since the wedding, "Calling to beg? Figures. You always were the weak one in the family. Let your mother die with dignity instead of begging like a dog."

One by one, they refused. Mocked. Hung up.

Luca's hands shook as he scrolled through his contacts. Forty-three people. Zero offers. He was alone.

He stumbled back to the ICU, but the nurses blocked him. "Dr. Chen's orders. You can wait in the chapel if you'd like."

The chapel. Where families went when there was nothing left to do but pray.

Luca didn't pray. He sat in a plastic pew and stared at the stained glass window—some saint, he didn't know which—and tried to figure out how to rob a bank.

The television in the corner was tuned to a news channel, volume low. Captions scrolled across the bottom.

"...breaking news in the tech world. Galaxy Tech, the company once dismissed as a massive scam during its initial fundraising phase years ago, has just made an astonishing announcement."

Luca looked up.

*The company claims to have developed the most powerful artificial intelligence in human history. After years of silence, Galaxy Tech has successfully gone public on the NASDAQ with a valuation exceeding 125 billion dollars."

The screen showed a press conference—executives in suits, flashing cameras, a logo that looked vaguely familiar.

During the initial fundraising period, Galaxy Tech raised capital from thousands of small investors. Most withdrew their investments after the company fell silent for three years. However, according to documents filed with the SEC, one investor held steady. That individual owns 80% of the company's shares—currently valued at approximately 100 billion dollars.

Luca's heart stopped.

Galaxy Tech.

He remembered now. Fresh out of college, working his first real job, he'd seen their pitch online. Something about the sincerity of their fundraising video had moved him. He'd invested five hundred dollars—money he'd saved from summer jobs—and promptly forgotten about it when his mother got sick.

His phone rang.

Unknown number. He answered with trembling fingers.

"Mr. Luca Romano ?" A woman's voice—professional, warm.

"Yes?"

"Congratulations. This is Amanda Reyes, legal counsel for Galaxy Tech. I'm calling to inform you that you are officially registered as the majority shareholder of Galaxy Tech, holding 80% of outstanding shares. All back dividends and profit shares from the past several years have just been wired to your primary bank account."

Luca couldn't breathe.

"Additionally, as chairman of the board, you'll need to attend the shareholder meeting next week to discuss company direction. We've been trying to reach you for months, but your contact information was outdated."

"I—" His voice cracked. "I changed phones. I didn't—"

"Of course. Understandable. Please check your account to confirm receipt of funds. The total transferred today, including accumulated dividends and interest, is 3.5 billion dollars. There will be additional transfers quarterly."

The line went silent.

Luca stared at his phone. Then, with shaking hands, he opened his banking app. The login screen. His password. Loading.

The balance loaded.

He counted the zeros. Once. Twice. Three times.

$3,500,000,000.42

The forty-two cents were from his old balance.

Luca stood up. The chapel spun around him. He grabbed the back of a pew to steady himself, and his phone buzzed again—a text from the hospital.

ALERT: Patient Margaret Romano 's vitals critical. Immediate surgery required. Please report to ICU immediately.

He ran.

Dr. Reynolds met him at the ICU doors. "Mr. Romano , we need a decision. Without payment—"

Luca held up his phone, the banking app still open. "I have the money. One hundred thousand. I'll pay right now. Just save her."

Dr. Reynolds looked at the screen. Her eyes went wide. "Is this—"

"It's real. Please. Save my mother."

For a long moment, the doctor stared at him. Then she nodded once and turned to the nurses. "Prep OR three. Stat. Mr. Romano , follow me to admissions to handle payment."

Luca followed, his legs moving automatically, his mind still spinning. Behind him, the television continued its broadcast.

Galaxy Tech's mystery investor has yet to come forward, but industry experts estimate their net worth now exceeds 100 billion dollars, making them one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet...

Luca Romano signed the payment authorization with a hand that wouldn't stop shaking.

Three point five billion dollars.

And his wife had just cut him off over a hundred thousand.

The thought was almost funny. Almost.

He looked toward the OR doors, where his mother was being wheeled away, and made a silent promise.

Things were going to change.