Rise of the Greatest Prodigy

Betrayed

Charles had a faint smile on his face as he walked through the streets.

The buildings and structure of this neighbourhood indicated that it was average living people who reside here.

The clothes he wore didn’t rhyme with his looks as they looked quite old and cheap.

It didn’t take more than a first glance to know that he was struggling to survive.

He was forced into a life of struggle after his mother's death. For the past year, he has been without a family as he no longer considered those people who were responsible for his mum’s death as one.

He wanted so badly to have his revenge on them, but alas, he was completely powerless to do so.

Everyone he thought was his friend and well-wishers abandoned him even before his mother’s death, including his girlfriend.

That was what he thought as she returned shortly after, saying that she was forced out of town by her parents and helped him to overcome the most sorrowful moment of his life.

He just lost his family name, which was of course nothing he deemed important, but there was still one good thing in his life.

Yes, this was his girlfriend.

When they started dating she belonged to a middle-class family but was very beautiful and intelligent so a lot of people were interested in her but he was blessed to be the one who got her.

She’s been very supportive and probably the reason he was still alive.

Before he left for the confrontation with his family, he earned more than the usual $100 he normally got.

It was due to the kindness of one of his customers who gave him a total bill of $1000.

With that, he got some things for them especially her on his way back home.

He never planned on depending on money from those people.

It might sound pathetic, but after what he just went through in the hands of those poeple, he badly wanted to see her because she was the only one who could make him feel better.

“I’m sure she’ll love it,” he muttered to himself.

He was no longer rich, so he struggled his best to make her happy.

He got to their apartment which was originally owned by her.

This was 6:30 pm and she shouldn’t be home by this time so he pulled out his key to the apartment but just before he put it in the keyhole, he noticed that something was out of place.

He usually puts the door knob in a particular position whenever he was heading out but now it was out of place and he could hear slight noises from inside.

‘Is she home or is it a burglar?’

Now that he noticed this, he thought back to something quite strange that happened on his way in.

A man about 60 who recently began living in their apartment building and usually sits outside by this time, shook his head in pity when she saw him walking in.

He was confused at what this might mean.

Just in case there was someone with nefarious intentions he dropped the groceries and prepared himself.

Luckily, he saw a stick not too far away so he quickly grabbed it before taking a deep breath.

He slowly opened the door and when it was wide enough what he saw shocked him to the core as the stick fell from his hands.

He had to blink several times.

It was his best friend from school before he got kicked out of his family.

The number one person who he expected to be there for him and also the first to abandon him.

But this was not all, he was with or better put, on top of his girlfriend.

He refused to believe what his eyes were seeing. “This can’t be real. It must be a dream or something right,” he muttered trying to convince himself.

His best friend was also surprised to see him.

He looked back at Cynthia who was below him on the couch with a ruddy face filled with ecstasy.

“I thought you said he wouldn’t be home by now.”

“Dan, what are you talking about, let’s just contin……” it was then that his words registered as she quickly pushed him away and turned around to see Charles who now believed that this was indeed reality.

“C-Charles? I wasn’t expecting you to come home. I thought you said you were going to work overnight.”

He lied about this to surprise her but he was the one in for a surprise.

An awkward silence reigned and the one who broke it was Charles with just one word.

“Why?”

She stared at him for some time before shaking her head in pity and deciding to open up her heart.

“Let’s put it like this.

Trash!

That’s what you’ve been for the past 3 years.

Honestly, I got some information and believed that there was a chance of you getting called back to your family and gaining a large inheritance which was why I stuck with you and put up with all your wailing and sorrow for the past year and look at where that got me.

Nowhere!”

She spat in contempt.

Charles felt his heart which had slowly begun to fix itself shatter once more at her words. There was only one reasonable explanation he could come up with as to why she was acting like this.

“Cynthia, you’re being blackmailed right? You don’t have to……”

“Hahahahahaha!” She burst into laughter like this was the funniest thing she had heard in her life because, in a way, it was.

“Blackmailed? You truly are naïve and pathetic to have not accepted your fate. You have nothing to offer me. Absolutely NOTHING!”

Hearing all these words from someone who he trusted and loved was too much for him.

He hasn’t fully recovered from his mum’s death, and now this. Why was the universe this cruel to him?

He went ahead to ask her a question that could hurt him even further but he needed to know.

“How long has……”

“A year,” she replied with a grin, not even allowing him to finish the question which caused him to turn pale and numb.

He has been played the entire time.

“What’s with that look, Charles? I’m the victim here. Sacrificing one year of your life just for nothing is more painful than you can imagine. So at least you should be lenient enough to let me have some fun, right?

Oh! And in case you don’t know my family is now 3rd class So you should also know how difficult it was for me to play a lower-than-average life. And it was all thanks to Dan’s family. He’s such a darling."

A big grin appeared on Dan’s face as he pulled Cynthia closer.

They were both nearly naked so seeing this simple action felt as though his heart got stabbed by a thousand needles.

After watching all this drama Dan decided to also offer some words to his once best friend.

“Charles, poor little Cynthia here told me that you’ve never slept with her. The pain she must’ve felt.”

Cynthia nodded with a sad pout.

“Don’t worry bro,” he continued. “I’m generous enough to play both our roles. You’re my best friend after all.”

Hearing these words and the chuckle which followed shortly after, the sadness and hurt Charles felt began turning into rage as he clenched his fist hard.

“If you don’t mind, excuse us. We aren’t done here yet.”

He freed his fist as the tragedies of what he has faced in life came flooding in.

He just got betrayed by his girlfriend who was pretending all along to care for him with his best…no. He didn’t deserve to be called that.

And once again he was powerless to do anything about it. Just like with his mother.

He would end up on the losing side if he resorted to violence.

“I……I……You……”

Cynthia raised an eyebrow waiting for what he was going to say.

“You’ll both regret this,” he finally said which led to both of them chortling.

He turned around to leave but paused, and looked back at them, before walking away lifelessly.

“Shut the door!” Cynthia shouted for naught as he had a lot going through his head.

This was it. He was finally driven to the edge.

Just what has he done to deserve all this? And just in one night.

Ever since he was kicked out he has experienced a lot of things which was not healthy for someone his age, so even if what he just witnessed was so painful, he failed to shed a single drop of tears.

He was tired of everything and just wanted to rest.

He walked out of the building and into the streets.

Because of all the things going through his head, he failed to notice that the old man who was always still outside by this time was no longer there along with the fact that it just began raining heavily.

He walked through the street getting more soaked with each passing minute and didn’t realize that he was now in the center of the road.

He looked up to the crying sky.

“Mum, is it okay if I join you?” Right now, he reached his breaking point of sorrow when suddenly.....

[All conditions met]

[Initializing…………..]

[Affluent System Activated]

These words appeared on a screen in front of him completely confusing him as he wondered if he finally ran mad which won’t be too surprising.

But before he could ponder further on what this was, a screeching sound was made at his right.

Shifting his gaze towards there, the last thing he saw was a vehicle slamming into him.