Will Hudson Rises To Power

Towering skyscrapers loomed above Manhattan like gods of glass, watching over the wealthy and indifferent. Lamborghinis cruised by on quiet electric motors while holographic billboards screamed the faces of influencers, CEOs, and young billionaires.

Among them, William Hudson stood out, but not in a good way.

His sneakers were worn flat. His shirt, a size too small, clung to him from the heat. His delivery bag, faded from years of use, rested heavily on his back as he rode his electric bike to a luxurious building.

The golden letters on the entrance gate of Silverhorn Lounge glared down at him like a warning: "YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE."

But he had no choice.

He was actually here to deliver a highly expensive wine that cost $200,000 to Trent Lloyd, a socialite rich kid known for spending more money on wine than William made in a year.

This was one of the part-time jobs William engaged in after lectures at Sky High University. As the poor, helpless fella that he was, it was the only way to make ends meet.

Sky High University was indeed the place for the wealthy, and the likes of William being there could be questionable. However, the truth was that William was once a rich kid like the rest of them before his father got accused of embezzlement and was jailed. If his father hadn't covered his entire fees for all his semesters, he would have been driven out long ago.

Parking his electric bike in one corner, he took the wine, which was packed in a stylishly designed white box, and went ahead to deliver it.

"Hey! Who are you?"

Just as he got to the lounge entrance, a hefty man dressed in black stopped him and asked fiercely.

"I'm William. I came to deliver this package to Trent Lloyd. This was the location he sent us," William said as he showed the bouncer a small white paper.

The bouncer collected it and took a short look at the paper, then nodded and asked William to follow him.

William shrugged and followed him without hesitation. He actually wanted to finish the delivery job early today so he could move on to glass-cleaning of skyscraper buildings.

He needed to gather enough money to get a new Rolex watch and a new handbag for his girlfriend Selene, whose birthday would be the next day.

The bouncer finally led him to where Trent Lloyd was... It was a wide, luxuriously furnished room where almost every structure was made with gold.

There were only a few people here, as this was a VVIP section of the lounge. Sure enough, Trent Lloyd and his friends were children of the city's richest men.

While William stepped into the room, his eyes widened after he spotted the most shocking view of his life.

"Selene?!"

There, settled comfortably on a golden couch with a young man who had his left arm wrapped tightly around her waist, was his girlfriend.

Indeed, it was her.

William wasn't dreaming.

That guy—William quickly recognized him. It was Devon Hamilton, son of Gregory Hamilton, the highest shareholder and Director of Hamilton Group, who accused his father of embezzling 150 million dollars from the company.

Devon was one of the rich kids who always mocked and bullied him, making fun of what his father did—which he knew wasn't true.

William didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that point, as he clenched his fist.

"William?! What... the hell are you doing here?" Selene asked, her voice breaking, though she was more relaxed than worried.

William's voice was barely a whisper. "You told me you were busy this weekend."

"Isn't it not what it looks like?" she asked. "This was supposed to be a surprise tomorrow, but damn, guess you've screwed it up."

"Why is Devon sitting next to you?" William's eyes sparked.

He never believed Selene would ever do this to him.

She flinched. Devon Hamilton smirked from her side, one arm casually draped around her waist.

"Well, look who it is," Devon said. "The delivery boy."

They all burst into laughter, causing William's heart to jerk uncontrollably.

Selene looked away...

"Hey, Mr. Fraud's son. Let's get this straight..."

Devon suddenly stood up and said, a sharp, intimidating smile appearing on his face.

"You and I know that you don't deserve a beauty like her. Come on! Look at her... her face, her curves, and her god-gifted melons. A poor, pathetic fraud like you can't afford such beauty, man! She's mine now," Devon said.

"After all I have done for you, Selene? After all we shared?" William struggled to stay up, as he felt like collapsing on the spot.

"Actually, William. You did nothing for me. Is it the cheap earrings and wristwatches you used to buy? Or the stinking burgers and bread that almost turned me deathly pale?" Selene glared.

"I get it, Selene. This is who you really are. I hate myself for mistaking you as a better person..."

"I hate myself for ever meeting you," William said as his voice broke repeatedly.

Dropping the package in front of Trent Lloyd, he quickly left the room and rushed through the gate, sobbing in pain.

"Hey, you three. Follow him to a lonesome place and teach him a lesson for ruining our party," Devon ordered his bouncers in a mutter.

....

After his father's sudden death after a year in jail and his mother fleeing from home while leaving him behind, Selene was the only family William had.

Unlike himself, there was nothing he hadn't done for Selene. All the money he made from the part-time jobs he did was spent on Selene, as he made sure she was happy.

Seeing her betray him with his greatest enemy was the last betrayal he ever expected... His emotions couldn't be explained at this point.

After what had happened, he decided to cancel the rest of his work today and made his way home. After all, he had nothing and no one to work for anymore...

William now lived in the slum part of Manhattan, since his father's manor was taken away from them after the case. It was an old apartment where he paid $500 yearly and even still found it hard to afford.

All he ever had was constantly going to Selene...

Reaching the apartment, which was dimly lit and boring, he stepped down from his bike and attempted to walk in.

And this was when three hefty men arrived with a black van and dashed out.

Before William could process it...

"William Hudson, yes?"

POW!

A huge fist suddenly smacked his nose at once, sending him falling into the dirt outside.

POW! POW! POW!

The three men began to beat William up without stopping—punching, kicking, and smashing him until he began to bleed.

William coughed out blood, his eyes swollen in moments.

The three men quickly entered the van after making sure he was brutally injured and drove off at high speed.

William clutched his chest and belly, struggling to get up. The pain was intense, as he felt part of him had been beaten off.

Just in a matter of seconds, he couldn't help but succumb to the pain, and he passed out.

....

When he woke up, he discovered he was still lying helpless in front of the apartment gate. Of course, even if anyone noticed him, no one would want to help the Fraud's son.

He wasn't surprised at all.

However, just while struggling to get on his feet...

[System Activation Complete!]

[Congratulations William Hudson. You have been selected as the Host of the Wealth System.]

[Your destiny is to rise above all and build the greatest financial empire in human history.]

[Current Status: BROKE.]

[Come on, host. Let's fix that!]

Hearing the unfamiliar voice and seeing the blue interface in front of him, William flinched in shock.

"What the heck is this?!”