Barry froze as he stared at the papers in her hand.
"Laura, what is the meaning of this?" He whispered. "You can't divorce me." "Whatever gave you the stupid idea that I couldn't divorce you?" She laughed. "Everybody knows our marriage is a sham. I only pretended to be your wife for my grandmother's sake, but now that she's gone, I don't need to pretend anymore." Barry felt hot and cold at the same time. "But Laura.... I-I love you. I've always loved you since the day I set eyes on you. Please give me a chance. I made a promise to Evelyn." "Screw you and your love," Laura spat, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Don't tell me you love me. It makes my skin crawl. I hate you. I've always hated you since the day you walked into this family." Barry's heart broke in half after hearing her words. He wanted to say something but no word got out. Laura turned to face her family, waving the divorce papers in her hand. "Now that I'm divorcing this useless husband of mine, I'm entitled to 80% of what he owns." She went on after a pause, a small smile playing on her lips. "And since Barry here owns nothing to his name except his inheritance, I'll just take the white mansion." The room went wild with cheers and praises. "That's super brilliant, Laura," Jonathan Raven patted his daughter's shoulder. "I raised you well to think on your feet. Very impressive." "Yeah, sis," Curtis clapped her back. "Why should we let this pauper keep something that should belong to the entire family?" Francis Raven and Helga nodded in approval. "That's very smart Laura. Divorcing Barry would save us a lot of legal actions to take back the mansion." Barry remained silent as he watched the Raven family jubilate over his divorce. He clenched his fists and hung his head, feeling a fresh wave of emotions rushing through him. This emotion was rage. He was angry. Angry about the hatred, angry about the heartbreak Laura served him and angry about the love and commitment he promised to Evelyn. Curtis walked up to Barry, a wide jeering grin on his face. He leaned in close and whispered in Barry's ears. "I'd advise you not to fight this, Barry. We'll hire the best lawyers money can buy. You won't stand a chance against all of us. Be wise and save yourself the trouble." Barry slowly glanced up, his eyes dead of warmth and life. "Do whatever you want," he said gravely. "I don't care." Without waiting for a respond, Barry turned and walked out of the room silently. The Raven family watched him go, pleased with themselves. * * * * The divorce proceedings arrived two days later in a quiet courtroom. Barry and Laura sat across from each other, the long table littered with documents and legal papers. Lawyers and clerks walked up and down as they prepared the paperwork. Not for once did Barry glance up to meet Laura's eyes. His shoulder was slumped, dark bags under his eyes, staring at his shoes. He hadn't slept a wink in two days. Laura, on the other hand was dazzling with brightness. She had never looked so happy in her life. Finally, it was time to sign the divorce papers. As Laura skimmed through the papers, she paused before signing her name. "This Forex trading account," she began, tapping the document with her pen. "What's the full disclosure of it?" The accountant, adjusted her glasses as she explained. "The Forex trading account is fully funded with $10,000. However, the account hasn't been performing well. The market has been volatile, and the returns aren't so impressive." Laura snorted. "Forex? Who does Forex these days? It's been three years and a terrible era for traders. Everyone knows you can't make any real money in Forex. It's too risky." The room fell silent as Laura leaned back in her chair and regarded Barry. "I don't want it," she declared. "None of the Raven family members believed in Forex. Barry can keep the account. I'm not here to rip him dry. I'm a good person. As long as I keep the mansion, nothing else matters." Barry didn't argue. He was too defeated to speak a word. Once the paperwork was signed, Laura grabbed her bag and stood to her feet. "If you ever feel like working for the Raven family, you're always welcome. We'll need more helping hand around the house. That's all you're good at anyway," she said. Barry finally met her gaze. Laura felt a thrill of excitement rush through her. She enjoyed watching him suffer. "And one more thing," she added, crossing her arms. "The Raven family won't be paying for your house rent anymore or your sister's tution f*e. If you want money, then earn it. You've got that Forex account of yours. Start hustling." Barry suddenly stood to his feet, startling Laura. He stared at her from under his lashes–pain, anger and hate burning in his eyes. "I hope you're happy now," he said. Laura feigned ignorance. "Of course I'm happy. I got you out of my life and that's enough for me." Barry raised his face heavenwards and let out a deep breath. "Thank goodness. I wish you happiness." Before Laura could retort, Barry turned on his heels and marched out of the room.Barry lived in a two-bedroom apartment situated in the district zone. The district zone contains individuals with D ranks. People in D ranks were regular folks, earning average salaries and holding common positions. They're literally average Joes. But Barry, who was an E Rank, had no hopes of paying the rent nor enrolling his sister in school all by himself. As Barry headed home, his head was spinning with the additional responsibilities on his hands. With his benefactor, dead, there was no one to support him anymore. The Raven family would only pay him $200 if he continued to slave for them. But $200 was barely enough to feed himself, pay the rent or see his younger sister through school. Standing outside his apartment, Barry took a deep breath before knocking on the door. The door opened to reveal a cute sixteen-year-old high school girl wearing shorts and a sweater. “I'm home, Snow,” Barry said, forcing a wide smile on his face. “Here, I bought us dinner.”He stretched ou
The first cock crow woke Barry up. He groggily lifted his head, blinking against the light coming from his laptop. Barry was startled his laptop was still on. The time was 5.am. Expecting to see a modest gain or a loss, Barry peered into the laptop screen. “Let's look at how much I've earned today.”Suddenly, Barry froze as he saw his account balance. $375 TRILLION!Barry staggered back away from the laptop as if it had suddenly turned into a cobra. He backed himself against the wall, his heart pounding wildly against his ribs, but not for once, did his eyes left the numbers on the screen:$375 trillion. “I don't believe it,” he muttered, his breathing laboured. “This is a dream. It has to be a dream.”Barry pinched his arm, hard and twice. The pain he got told him he was wide awake, and this wasn't some dream. He slowly approached the laptop, his legs wobbling. When he was close enough, he peered at his account. The balance ticked up again:$375,010,420,000,000.00Barry gas
Veronica Phoenix took her private jet from headquarters and flew to North Hills as soon as she received Jeremy's message. When her private jet finally landed in North Hills airport, she rushed over to the Phoenix Bank. A staff was waiting to welcome her. They all inclined their back at angle 90 to greet her as she walked past them. When she was ushered into Jeremy's office, she was surprised to find a shabbily dressed young man seated opposite Jeremy. “What's this about, Jeremy?” She demanded, oozing an aura of confidence that overpowered the room. Jeremy stood up, bowing respectfully before her. “Miss Veronica. Allow me to introduce you to Barry. Barry, here, came into my office with his Forex account, which he thought was fluctuating. But after examining it… You need to see this for yourself.”Veronica moved to the desk as Jeremy spun the laptop towards her. The balance read: $450.144 Trillion. Veronica stiffened in shock. Are those numbers real?Another second passed, and th
The landlord revealed he sold Snow to the Nightingale family at an underground slave auction. He revealed Reeves Nightingale ran the transaction, buying Snow in cash. Barry almost went nuts as the thought of Reeves claiming ownership of his sister's life filled him with cold dread. “You cold-hearted bastard,” Barry bawled at Barnes' face. “How could you do this to me behind my back? You didn't have to sell my sister just because we owe you rent.”Barnes was scared of the viciousness in Barry's eyes that he lost most of his colour. “I-It's not my fault,” Barnes retorted nervously. “A member of the Nightingale family needed a heart transplant. They took your sister to the Central hospital, and she was a perfect match. I couldn't resist the price Reeves offered me.”Barry smacked a blow to the side of Barnes' face, dislocating his jaw. “You're evil,” Barry said breathlessly, his voice laced with malice. “When I get back, I promise you, I'll have this apartment torn to the ground. Ma
“You rotten piece of trash,” Reeves roared, slamming his fist on the desk. “How dare you ignore us and make such an outrageous demand? I'll have you skinned alive.”Before Reeves could make a move at Barry, Kane Nightingale stood up and raised a hand, stopping him immediately. He gazed at Barry with growing interest. “Don't push it, Reeves. Barry, you've piqued my interest. Do you really think you can buy this hospital which is owned by the government?”Barry looked straight into his eyes. “I will. Once I acquire it, the surgery won't happen.”Kane threw his head back and laughed as loud as he can. “This is just remarkable. You? Buy Central hospital? You're the same broke bastard who couldn't pay rent without the assistance of a dead woman.”Barry gritted his teeth. “Don't make mockery of Madam Evelyn.”Kane's smile widened into a smirk. “This is really entertaining to say the least. I'll humour you, Barry. Here's a deal. If you acquire this hospital this very night and prevent the s
Barry didn't want to reveal the entire truth. “I made a call to someone I knew.”He made it sounded so simple. As if he just pressed a few buttons. “Bullshit!” Kane Nightingale bawled angrily at him. “There's no way you could have pulled that off. Not only was the hospital bought out, but the government also forbade us from proceeding with the surgery. How did you pull it off?”Barry dug his hands in his pockets and gazed down at Kane. “What's this? I thought we had a deal? If I'm able to prevent the surgery, my sister leaves. That was the deal, or are you backing out on your words?”“You bastard!” Reeves yelled at Barry. “You had better start talking, or I'll rip you apart right here.”Barry frowned. “You can't do anything to me, Reeves. We had a deal and that's that. I won't disclose how I pull it off. I owe no one any explanation.” Barry approached the doctor in charge of the surgery and placed both hands on the desk. “About my sister, doctor. Where is she?”The doctor cleared hi
“Take it easy, that's painful,” Barnes groaned as his wife tended to his busted jaws. His wife hissed as she removed the ice bag from his jaw. “How could you let your tenant hit you that hard? And Barry for that matter.”“I didn't expect such a reaction from the kid,” Barnes barked, feeling humiliated at being punched by his tenant. “I can't believe you'll let that bastard get away with it,” his wife ranted. “You're a disgrace if you allow Barry to walk freely around without fixing him.”Barnes knew his wife would talk about this for weeks. She would definitely gossip to her friends and her friends would in turn tell their husbands.Soon, word would circulate and Barnes would end up becoming a laughingstock. His other tenants won't respect nor fear him. If Barry, a nobody could punch him and get away with it, the other tenants could feel the need to do the same when Barnes demands for his rent money. No, he can't allow that. No matter what, he must find Barry and make an example
Barnes heart skipped a beat when his wife delivered the bad news. “What do you mean they destroyed our house?” Barnes asked, grabbing her shoulder and giving her a little shake. His wife snapped angrily at him. “Are you deaf? Our home was demolished five minutes after you left. They said they were given orders and permission to demolish all our properties. As at this moment, they're currently demolishing our shopping complex. Do something, Barnes. They'd ruin us all.”Barnes eyes widened in shock. He glanced at Barry and saw the seriousness in his eyes. That was when he realized Barry wasn't fooling around. “Barry, what have you done?” Barry wore back his dark glasses. “I kept my promise to you, landlord. You never should have sold my sister in the first place. This is your punishment for your wickedness.”Barnes owned the block of apartments which his twenty tenants lived in. He also owned a small shopping complex and a private house. If what his wife was telling him was true,
Barnes heart skipped a beat when his wife delivered the bad news. “What do you mean they destroyed our house?” Barnes asked, grabbing her shoulder and giving her a little shake. His wife snapped angrily at him. “Are you deaf? Our home was demolished five minutes after you left. They said they were given orders and permission to demolish all our properties. As at this moment, they're currently demolishing our shopping complex. Do something, Barnes. They'd ruin us all.”Barnes eyes widened in shock. He glanced at Barry and saw the seriousness in his eyes. That was when he realized Barry wasn't fooling around. “Barry, what have you done?” Barry wore back his dark glasses. “I kept my promise to you, landlord. You never should have sold my sister in the first place. This is your punishment for your wickedness.”Barnes owned the block of apartments which his twenty tenants lived in. He also owned a small shopping complex and a private house. If what his wife was telling him was true,
“Take it easy, that's painful,” Barnes groaned as his wife tended to his busted jaws. His wife hissed as she removed the ice bag from his jaw. “How could you let your tenant hit you that hard? And Barry for that matter.”“I didn't expect such a reaction from the kid,” Barnes barked, feeling humiliated at being punched by his tenant. “I can't believe you'll let that bastard get away with it,” his wife ranted. “You're a disgrace if you allow Barry to walk freely around without fixing him.”Barnes knew his wife would talk about this for weeks. She would definitely gossip to her friends and her friends would in turn tell their husbands.Soon, word would circulate and Barnes would end up becoming a laughingstock. His other tenants won't respect nor fear him. If Barry, a nobody could punch him and get away with it, the other tenants could feel the need to do the same when Barnes demands for his rent money. No, he can't allow that. No matter what, he must find Barry and make an example
Barry didn't want to reveal the entire truth. “I made a call to someone I knew.”He made it sounded so simple. As if he just pressed a few buttons. “Bullshit!” Kane Nightingale bawled angrily at him. “There's no way you could have pulled that off. Not only was the hospital bought out, but the government also forbade us from proceeding with the surgery. How did you pull it off?”Barry dug his hands in his pockets and gazed down at Kane. “What's this? I thought we had a deal? If I'm able to prevent the surgery, my sister leaves. That was the deal, or are you backing out on your words?”“You bastard!” Reeves yelled at Barry. “You had better start talking, or I'll rip you apart right here.”Barry frowned. “You can't do anything to me, Reeves. We had a deal and that's that. I won't disclose how I pull it off. I owe no one any explanation.” Barry approached the doctor in charge of the surgery and placed both hands on the desk. “About my sister, doctor. Where is she?”The doctor cleared hi
“You rotten piece of trash,” Reeves roared, slamming his fist on the desk. “How dare you ignore us and make such an outrageous demand? I'll have you skinned alive.”Before Reeves could make a move at Barry, Kane Nightingale stood up and raised a hand, stopping him immediately. He gazed at Barry with growing interest. “Don't push it, Reeves. Barry, you've piqued my interest. Do you really think you can buy this hospital which is owned by the government?”Barry looked straight into his eyes. “I will. Once I acquire it, the surgery won't happen.”Kane threw his head back and laughed as loud as he can. “This is just remarkable. You? Buy Central hospital? You're the same broke bastard who couldn't pay rent without the assistance of a dead woman.”Barry gritted his teeth. “Don't make mockery of Madam Evelyn.”Kane's smile widened into a smirk. “This is really entertaining to say the least. I'll humour you, Barry. Here's a deal. If you acquire this hospital this very night and prevent the s
The landlord revealed he sold Snow to the Nightingale family at an underground slave auction. He revealed Reeves Nightingale ran the transaction, buying Snow in cash. Barry almost went nuts as the thought of Reeves claiming ownership of his sister's life filled him with cold dread. “You cold-hearted bastard,” Barry bawled at Barnes' face. “How could you do this to me behind my back? You didn't have to sell my sister just because we owe you rent.”Barnes was scared of the viciousness in Barry's eyes that he lost most of his colour. “I-It's not my fault,” Barnes retorted nervously. “A member of the Nightingale family needed a heart transplant. They took your sister to the Central hospital, and she was a perfect match. I couldn't resist the price Reeves offered me.”Barry smacked a blow to the side of Barnes' face, dislocating his jaw. “You're evil,” Barry said breathlessly, his voice laced with malice. “When I get back, I promise you, I'll have this apartment torn to the ground. Ma
Veronica Phoenix took her private jet from headquarters and flew to North Hills as soon as she received Jeremy's message. When her private jet finally landed in North Hills airport, she rushed over to the Phoenix Bank. A staff was waiting to welcome her. They all inclined their back at angle 90 to greet her as she walked past them. When she was ushered into Jeremy's office, she was surprised to find a shabbily dressed young man seated opposite Jeremy. “What's this about, Jeremy?” She demanded, oozing an aura of confidence that overpowered the room. Jeremy stood up, bowing respectfully before her. “Miss Veronica. Allow me to introduce you to Barry. Barry, here, came into my office with his Forex account, which he thought was fluctuating. But after examining it… You need to see this for yourself.”Veronica moved to the desk as Jeremy spun the laptop towards her. The balance read: $450.144 Trillion. Veronica stiffened in shock. Are those numbers real?Another second passed, and th
The first cock crow woke Barry up. He groggily lifted his head, blinking against the light coming from his laptop. Barry was startled his laptop was still on. The time was 5.am. Expecting to see a modest gain or a loss, Barry peered into the laptop screen. “Let's look at how much I've earned today.”Suddenly, Barry froze as he saw his account balance. $375 TRILLION!Barry staggered back away from the laptop as if it had suddenly turned into a cobra. He backed himself against the wall, his heart pounding wildly against his ribs, but not for once, did his eyes left the numbers on the screen:$375 trillion. “I don't believe it,” he muttered, his breathing laboured. “This is a dream. It has to be a dream.”Barry pinched his arm, hard and twice. The pain he got told him he was wide awake, and this wasn't some dream. He slowly approached the laptop, his legs wobbling. When he was close enough, he peered at his account. The balance ticked up again:$375,010,420,000,000.00Barry gas
Barry lived in a two-bedroom apartment situated in the district zone. The district zone contains individuals with D ranks. People in D ranks were regular folks, earning average salaries and holding common positions. They're literally average Joes. But Barry, who was an E Rank, had no hopes of paying the rent nor enrolling his sister in school all by himself. As Barry headed home, his head was spinning with the additional responsibilities on his hands. With his benefactor, dead, there was no one to support him anymore. The Raven family would only pay him $200 if he continued to slave for them. But $200 was barely enough to feed himself, pay the rent or see his younger sister through school. Standing outside his apartment, Barry took a deep breath before knocking on the door. The door opened to reveal a cute sixteen-year-old high school girl wearing shorts and a sweater. “I'm home, Snow,” Barry said, forcing a wide smile on his face. “Here, I bought us dinner.”He stretched ou
Barry froze as he stared at the papers in her hand. "Laura, what is the meaning of this?" He whispered. "You can't divorce me.""Whatever gave you the stupid idea that I couldn't divorce you?" She laughed. "Everybody knows our marriage is a sham. I only pretended to be your wife for my grandmother's sake, but now that she's gone, I don't need to pretend anymore."Barry felt hot and cold at the same time. "But Laura.... I-I love you. I've always loved you since the day I set eyes on you. Please give me a chance. I made a promise to Evelyn.""Screw you and your love," Laura spat, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Don't tell me you love me. It makes my skin crawl. I hate you. I've always hated you since the day you walked into this family."Barry's heart broke in half after hearing her words. He wanted to say something but no word got out. Laura turned to face her family, waving the divorce papers in her hand. "Now that I'm divorcing this useless husband of mine, I'm entitled to 80% of w