Mr. Smith's Trillion Dollar System

Chapter 2

Richard was in a whole lot of pain when he regained consciousness.

His head throbbed painfully and his wrists seemed to be bound, with whatever was used rubbing harshly against his skin.

He opened his eyes to find that he was at the edge of a cliff.

Gritting his teeth, he called out. "Anyone there?"

Surprisingly, a response was heard. "Shut your mouth."

"Who's that?... Where am I?"

"I said…" a man quickly emerged from the shrubbery close by and then…

Wham

"Shut your mouth hole."

Richard sucked in cold air as he received a kick to his torso, his breath quickening as he realized what was happening.

I've been kidnapped?

What terrified him even more was that Anna was meant to be with him so if he was taken…

"Where's Anna?"

"Didn't you hear me the second time?"

"Where is she?"

"This…"

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice was heard at that moment.

Richard's expression brightened as he turned toward the origin. "Mirabel. Is that you?"

Expecting a response, his joy received a rude awakening as he heard her next words.

"What about the girl?"

"We took her to a different place."

"Good. You can leave."

"Will we get the money?"

"Tch, just leave."

With each sentence spoken, Richard's expression cooled until he was completely stiff.

"Mirabel… what's going on?" He asked softly, clearly unwilling to accept what came to mind.

Mirabel sighed. "You've always been such a fool, Richard. Even now, you can't use your head properly. What am I to do with you?"

"... Why did you kidnap me?"

"Are you asking that?... Well, let me tell you; I'm tired, Richard. I've had to do everything just to keep myself from destroying my family name but I can't take it anymore. Our marriage was a convenience and now… it's becoming inconvenient."

"Then take me back to my family home. There's no need for this."

"Tch, you think I didn't already try?... Your siblings are the ones that asked for this and since they offered a good sum, I decided to end this once and for all."

"Why?... I've never done you any wrong."

"Your existence is wrong!... So I believe it's time to end this facade and move on. You have two choices; either you jump down the cliff or… I will help you leave the country, Of course, don't expect me to do anything more than pay for your ticket."

"So that's how it is," Richard muttered softly as he struggled to his feet.

Obviously, with his hands bound and his lost sight, it was quite difficult to do so but regardless, he twisted and bent until he finally got to his feet.

Standing before Mirabel, one could quickly tell the height difference.

"What will happen to Anna?"

"Maybe she'd be sent to a mental asylum or something… I don't care much."

"She's your sister!" Richard bellowed.

Mirabel scoffed as she corrected. "Stepsister and I never thought of her as anything more than an obstacle."

"... Anna was right, your family is only out for benefits."

"Enough talk, make your choice."

Another set of footsteps was heard at that moment before yet another familiar voice was heard. "Sis, why are you wasting time with this guy?... Let me kick him off for you."

Richard recognized the voice to be Jason's voice so he did not attempt to move even as Jason approached.

The moment he grabbed him, however, Richard moved.

Trusting his senses, Richard smashed his head into Jason's face, breaking his nose on impact.

"Ah!" Jason cried out as he fell over, his nose bleeding profusely.

"Jason," Mirabel remarked, clearly surprised that the docile Richard had such a side to him.

Spitting to the side, Richard remarked. "I will remember this day, Mirabel Martinez. If I ever survive this, I promise that both you and my family… all of those who wronged me will pay the price."

"You bastard!" Mirabel cursed but Richard remained silent having already accepted his fate.

"Guards!" Mirabel called out before two men rushed forward and tackled Richard despite his attempts to throw them off.

They dragged him and tossed him off the edge of the cliff.

Feeling the aggressive winds caress his skin, Richard let out a sigh.

It would seem… this was the end.

***

Instead of the afterlife, Richard opened his eyes to find that he was in a dense forest.

Groaning softly, he found that apart from a headache, he was largely okay.

He began to scrutinize the area only to pause.

Hadn't he fallen from a cliff?

"Haha." He laughed aloud as he stared up at the dark sky. "I'm alive!"

As he reveled in the fact that he survived the fall, Richard soon discovered something in his right hand.

It was a black flip phone, like those models that came out during the 2000s.

"What's this?" He couldn't help but wonder as he studied it.

Apart from a sleek back, there was nothing else of note, prompting him to open the phone.

The screen brightened and a message immediately came in.

[Do you wish to become rich?]

Alongside the question, two options were shown.

Hesitating for a moment, Richard pressed a button and chose [Yes]

It didn't take long before another message entered.

[Good choice. Wishing you the best of luck in your rise to the peak!]

Soon after the message disappeared and in its place, a profile was shown.

This showed everything about Richard's identity but what caught his attention was further down.

[Account balance: 1,000,000,000]

He was left speechless.