Matthew's hands trembled slightly as he aimed the power washer at the mud-splattered sedan in front of him. The roar of the machine drowned out most of the world, but he could still feel his phone, buzzing in the pocket of his uniform.
He saw Ashley's name on the screen, heart skipping a beat. She wasn't feeling well this morning, was something wrong? He quickly picked up the call,
"Hey sweetie”
"Listen, I'm at the mall with my friends and I want to buy a diamond bracelet for myself. Since you never buy me anything anyway, just send me $300 and I'll consider it a well deserved gift."
Ashley’s voice snapped on the other side, sounding impatient.There was a frown on Matthew's face, but he still spoke in an upbeat tone,
"Okay, sweetie."
Before he could finish, the line went dead. Ashley had hung up.
With a sigh, he opened his banking app. The balance stared back at him: $200.89. He didn't have enough money to buy her the bracelet.
It was just a matter of $300, was he so worthless that he couldn't even manage it? Just then, an idea clicked in his mind.
Wiping his sweaty palms on his overalls, he walked towards the store manager's office. The door was slightly ajar, and he could see Mr. Peterson, the manager, hunched over some paperwork.
Knocking lightly, Matthew stepped inside. "Excuse me, Mr. Peterson, I need to talk to you about something."
Mr. Peterson didn't look up. "What is it? Make it quick, I'm busy."
"Sir, I was wondering if I could get an advance on my salary."
Mr. Peterson's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing into a glare.
"Go on! I dare you to complete that sentence, and I'll fire you within seconds!"
He barked.
"Do you think I'm sitting on top of a money pile? You bloody shameless idiots, all of you are the same! Nobody here wants to work for a single day, but wants to be paid just for breathing! Let me tell you, I'm not giving you a single penny! So just get out of my office, right now!"
Matthew opened his mouth to protest but Mr. Peterson screamed again.
"And don't let me see you leave the car wash a single second before seven o'clock, understood? Or I'll deduct your salary further."
Matthew didn't say anything, he just lowered his head in shame.
Mr. Peterson scoffed loudly, a sneer forming on his face.
"This is exactly why I shouldn't have pity on you low-class people! All you know is to beg. Just get out, or I'll make sure you won't even have this job anymore!"
Matthew's shoulders slumped as he walked out of the office, the door clicking shut behind him. The humiliation was still fresh in his mind, but he had to take care of Ashley first, she must be waiting for him to send the money.
He didn't have the heart to disappoint her by telling her the bad news. So, he clicked on her thumbnail in his banking app, transferring $150.
Just as his thumb was about to press the ‘call’ button next to her name, his phone rang again. It was Ashley.
As soon as he picked up, her voice rang out like a knife through the speakers.
"What the hell is the meaning of this! You miserly son of a bitch, why can't you ever just let me be happy? I asked you to send just $300, not millions! if you're no better than a homeless beggar, then you should have just told me then and there! Why the fuck did you send me half the amount? Do you just have half a brain or what?”
“I'm already regretting the decision to date a bumbling fool like you, don't make me hate you more!"
She snapped, before adding,
“If you can't even send me 300 dollars, then you can forget about us!"
“Ash, at least listen to me–"
But once again, Matthew was greeted by the beeping tone, indicating that Ashley had already left.
Matthew felt hopeless, his heart filled with guilt. His girlfriend, whom he loved more than anything in the world, had just asked for one simple thing, and he wasn't even able to give her that?
He tried to call Ashley again, hoping to explain the situation and calm down her anger by promising to buy her the bracelet with his next paycheck, but his call went straight to voicemail.
"The number you have dialed is currently switched off.”
Matthew sat in the small break room of the car wash, his head in his hands. He felt angry and frustrated, most of all at himself. He didn’t have the money Ashley had asked for, and now she was furious with him. He could still hear her words echoing in his mind, and he couldn't even reach her on her phone.
Matthew was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice a luxury car pulling into the car wash. A cicada green Lamborghini parked in one of the bays, and as the window of the passenger side rolled down, snippets of a conversation leaked out, along with the sound of a song playing in the background.
"Don't worry, now I just need to get rid of my boyfriend as soon as possible and then I'll be all yours, darling. And in any case, that idiot won't say anything, he is nothing but a big loser!"
She complained loudly to the owner of the car.
“Then don't think about him, just come here and kiss me, okay?"
Matthew thought the voice sounded familiar, but he didn’t lift his head at first. By the time he turned, the woman's face was hidden from view as she was leaning into the driver's side to kiss the car owner.
"I’ll be back in a minute, I need to use the restroom…”
The woman stepped out of the passenger seat, her high heels clicking on the concrete floor.
The car owner, a well-dressed man named Michael, smirked as he looked at her from top to bottom, and replied.
"I'll be waiting for you."
As the woman walked away, Michael got out of the car. He noticed Matthew sitting dejectedly on a nearby bench.
"Hey, you!" Michael called out, striding over to Matthew. When Matthew didn't immediately respond, Michael kicked his foot a couple of times.
"Are you deaf, or blind?! Or do you get paid to mope around all day? Can't you see that I've been waiting? Get up and wash the car!"
Matthew looked up, still dazed from his thoughts.
“Huh?"
"Idiot, do you even know who I am?" Michael sneered, his eyes narrowing with disdain. "You think I have all day to wait for some low-life like you? You must be the laziest, most useless piece of trash I've ever seen. Just hurry up and wash the car, you idiot. Or do you need someone to explain that to you slowly, so your tiny brain can understand?”
“Oh… yes, yes sir. I'll wash it.”
Michael’s words jerked Matthew into motion. He quickly grabbed a bucket with soapy water and a sponge, trying to focus on the task at hand.
“Hurry up with it! And mind you, if there's a single scratch on his car because of you, consider yourself as good as dead! Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Matthew replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
But as he was wiping down the windows, his eyes fell on something inside the car—a pair of red silky underwear on the back seat. The crotch was spread out like a trophy, gleaming with thick white stains against the satin material.
Matthew quickly averted his gaze, feeling like he was invading their privacy. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that this underwear seemed familiar.
This underwear seemed to be the same type of underwear he had bought for his girlfriend a few days ago. Just then the woman from earlier returned to the car. Her expression hardened as she saw him.
Matthew froze, “Ashley, what are you doing here?”
Matthew stood with one hand on the window of the car, his mind swirling with frustration and anger. He had doubted that the voice was Ashley's, and maybe even that underwearHis girlfriend, whom he valued more than the most precious gemstone, was cheating on him shamelessly!As the thought arrived in his mind, Matthew couldn’t hold it in any longer.“Ashley," he called out, his voice trembling with emotion. "How could you do this to me?! You cheated on me! And you even came here with another guy? Why, Ashley! Didn't I love you enough, or did you never love me back?”Ashley stammered, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. "You! How… did you…"But as her gaze fell on the emerald bracelet on her wrist, that Michael had bought her just some minutes ago, her hesitation evaporated. She met Matthew's eyes with a cold sneer as she spoke;"Yes! Yes to both those things. Your love was never enough for me, because just this stupid feeling called love can't give me the lifestyle I deserve. An
At the police station, a crowd of onlookers and policemen had gathered outside the chief's office. After all, Michael Bale had just dragged someone inside, and the air was thick with whispers and murmurs about what was going on. Although, through the closed door, only shouts and abuses could be heard.Inside the office, Michael was pacing furiously, his face red with rage. “This fucking maggot had the audacity to hit me. Me! Mr. Bowen, I'm sure you will teach him a good lesson, because if it was up to me, I would have killed him then and there, and buried his worthless corpse where nobody would ever find him! But I have faith in you—"The police chief, Mr. Bowen, raised his hands in a calming gesture. “Mr. Bale, please be rest assured, everything will happen the way you want. If you want, he will never even see the open sky again."Michael smirked, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Maybe that's what will serve him right. He deserves to rot in jail!" He turned towards Matthew, who was sl
When the police chief heard the name of Victor Donovan's client, the most popular lawyer in the country, he almost didn't believe his ears. His jaw nearly dropped to the ground, and he struggled to control his surprise from showing on his face. "Pa-pardon me!" He tried to compose himself, “Actually, Mr. Donovan, I have been busy with a new case and I think I must have imagined that perp’s name from your mouth. Do you mind repeating yourself?”Victor Donovan was visibly irritated, but still repeated;“My client is Matthew Houston."The chief went silent, trying to understand the unexpected turn of events. "Is there a problem?"Donovan asked, his tone sharp.Clearing his throat, the chief quickly replied, "No, no problem at all! But, Mr. Donovan, why don't we sit in my office while we wait?"Donovan glanced at his watch and sighed. "Fine, but I want to make it quick.”Once they were inside his office and the situation was a little controlled, the chief was a little more relaxed.“
Victor Donovan looked at the police chief with disgust as he groveled in fear and desperation, asking for forgiveness. He gestured for Matthew to step forward, and he did the same, ignoring the pathetic cries of the corrupt chief.The doctor escorted Matthew out with respect, his respectful demeanor seemed very odd to Matthew, especially after the hostile environment they were leaving behind. They collected Mathew’s belongings: a mobile phone and a watch. Matthew looked down at his car washing uniform with complicated emotions before picking up his old watch and mobile phone. He had been fired from his job, and had barely $50 in his account… What was he going to do now? Where was he even going to go? And how was he going to pay this lawyer's fee?!Matthew stepped outside the police station, but before he could ask anything, Mr. Donovan led him towards a sleek, luxury car. "Please, get in." Victor Donovan opened the door for Matthew.He settled into the plush seat, the unfamiliar
As Matthew and Victor entered the opulent reception hall, Max Delacroix's eyes immediately locked onto Matthew's attire. His lip curled in disgust."Good God, what are you wearing?" Max sneered, looking Matthew up and down. "Did you pull those rags out of a dumpster? I've seen homeless people with better fashion sense."Matthew's face flushed with anger. "You have no right to judge a man by his clothes," he retorted, his voice tight with indignation.Without warning, Max roughly shoved Matthew, causing him to stumble off the sofa. "People like you should know their place. On the ground, where you belong."He puffed out his chest with pride as he said the next words. "But if it isn't, then you should also know that I have a close relationship with the Houston family. In fact, I'm here to discuss business and cooperation; although I didn't expect to be disrespected like this! After all, why would someone ask me to sit in the reception hall with a lowly beggar like you?”Max's superiori
The reception hall suddenly became alive with a flutter of murmurs and activity as Lady Houston arrived into the reception hall. She was nearly seventy, but in spite of her advanced age and bent stature, she had a powerful aura. There was determination, strictness and dignity on her wrinkled face, and her presence was enough to command the respect of everyone present there. However, at this moment, she was nearly invisible behind the wall of tall and strong bodyguards that surrounded her, shielding her from everyone's eyes. Max Delacroix, seeing the matriarch approach, eagerly rushed forward to greet her and make a good impression. After all, he was always ready to take advantage of a good opportunity. Pushing through the people around her, Max began."A very good afternoon, Lady Houston. What a blessing to be able to meet you out here—" But Lady Houston completely ignored him, her gaze fixed ahead, like she hadn't even heard him. One of the bodyguards shoved Max aside, clearing
Max's mouth went dry. "Dad, I... I can explain. They overreacted to a simple confusion, I didn't mean to—""Really? That's all you have to say, that you didn't mean it? Max, you idiot! How will I ever die in peace, knowing that a disaster- maker like you is going to be my heir?”Max was stunned into silence. Meanwhile, his father's voice boomed. “Do you have any idea what you've done? All our partners are claiming they can't work with us because you offended the Houston family! If that happens, there won't be anything left for you to inherit, except a mountain of debt!""Dad, I—""Save it!" Lucas Delacroix cut him off angrily. "I have no doubt that your careless actions must have offended someone important. So shut up and listen to me! Go back right now, and beg for forgiveness. I don't care what it takes, go on your knees, grovel, whatever! Do whatever you have to, to make this right. Fix it by tonight, or don't bother coming back!" The call ended abruptly, leaving Max standing th
"What's impossible, Matt?" asked Lady Houston.Matthew just scratched his head. "I just still feel like this is a dream."He felt as if the world around him was turned upside down. He never imagined his life could change this quickly. Lady Houston gently rubbed Matthew's shoulder. "This is real, My Grandson."Matthew was too stunned to accept the fact, like being hit by a tsunami wave that came without warning. "This...this can't be," he whispered, his eyes glued to the bank card his grandmother was holding. Lady Houston smiled faintly, her wrinkled yet stern eyes looking directly into Matthew's. "As the heir to a billion-dollar fortune, it is imperative that you learn to spend your money wisely. Take this in stride, my grandson."With a tremor of his hand, Matthew reached for the card, feeling the weight of responsibility suddenly falling on his shoulders. Lady Houston nodded understandingly, realizing the burden Matthew now had to carry. "You have time to adjust. But remember, thi