2023-11-02 16:07:46
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
THE URBAN PHOENIX: Arthur Salvatore's rise from the ashes. CHAPTER 13
ARTHUR GROANED AND opened another can of beer. "A job at a nightclub…" He muttered to himself as he raised the beer to his mouth. Then he shrugged and sat down, after all, The system did not specify if he had a deadline or not. He thought that he could chill for as long as he wanted. But just as he prepared to close his eyes and sleep on the couch, his mind kept on wandering about what his stepbrother had just told him. The major part of his day had been spent being punished for a crime he did not do because he was a 'nobody'. He groaned again, stood up, and put on his coat. He decided that there was no way that he was going to spend the night drinking beer and sleeping, so he took one glance at his living room before walking out. As he walked along the street which was still very busy, he put his hoodie up because it was a cold night. Bright neon lights flashed and caught his attention as he walked past. He hummed to himself as he walked lightly, making sure not to brush past any
THE URBAN PHOENIX: Arthur Salvatore's rise from the ashes. CHAPTER 14
"WHO ARE YOU?!" A loud voice shrieked. Arthur snapped awake, tumbled backward over the chair he had been sleeping on, and tried to gather himself. "Wha?" He rubbed his face. His brain was still half asleep so he tried to remember why there was another person in his house as he stood from the floor. "Who are you?" The lady asked again. "And where am I?" Then Arthur remembered the events of last night. The bar. The alley. The two men. And finally, this woman. She was awake now. "I saved your ass from robbers last night!" Arthur snapped, twisting his neck to release the cramped feeling there. "Robbers?" The woman asked. "It looks like you kidnapped me!" Arthur sighed. "I don't have the strength for this. Look," He pointed at the door. "That's the door. It's unlocked you can go." He walked over and sat on the couch. The woman looked at him. uncertainty and suspicion glinted in her eyes, but then, she reluctantly went over to pick up her shoes. She sat at the other end of the cou
THE URBAN PHOENIX: Arthur Salvatore's rise from the ashes. CHAPTER 15
ARTHUR WALKED INTO the first restaurant that he came across and sat down near the window. When the waitress approached him to ask what he would like, He said, "I want a full breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles, hashbrowns, toast, and a jug of orange juice." The waitress looked at him, "All those for only you?"Arthur nodded. She walked away to get his orders and came back a few minutes later balancing two trays in her arms. She gently placed them on the table. "All those food are going to kill you," She said jovially. Arthur laughed. "No, it won't." Then he dug in. He knew he needed to eat a lot to be able to gain as much muscles as he wanted. After he was done here, he was going to find a gym to enroll himself in. 45 minutes later, Arthur was done with the breakfast. To the waitress's humor, he could barely stand straight. His stomach jutted out and he felt very filled. "I think I over ate," He muttered as he waddled out. He strolled the area until he found a gym. He got
THE URBAN PHOENIX: Arthur Salvatore's rise from the ashes. CHAPTER 16
IT HAS BEEN three weeks. Three long, excruciating weeks for Arthur of going to the gym 5 days a week. He groaned awake and turned over on his bed, groaning even more at the sore and aching muscles all over his body. After lying in bed rebooting his brain for 10 minutes, he swung his leg over his bed and stood up. He went to the bathroom to brush his mouth and wash up, as he did his things, he looked at himself in the mirror. "There are no changes!" He muttered at his reflection. "I'm still as skinny and puny as I was one month ago."He rinsed his mouth and went to the kitchen. He had been following his coach's instruction by cooking his meals himself. He had bought a cookbook filled with different recipes that he wanted to try and after he started cooking his meals, he found out that he enjoyed cooking very much.He mixed up his protein shake, broke 5 eggs into his heated-up frying pan, and sat down to drink his shakes as the eggs cooked. All he wanted to do today was just to eat,
THE URBAN PHOENIX: Arthur Salvatore's rise from the ashes. CHAPTER 17
ARTHUR CHECKED HIS wristwatch again. It was 8.00 p.m. on the dot when he walked through the door. He gave a nod at the bartender. It was not the one he knew, but that didn't deter him from greeting. Mr. Swan stood near the door of the stairs, beside him was a huge man that made Arthur feel like a dwarf. "Ah, there he is," Mr. Swan said when he saw Arthur coming towards him. The huge man turned and gave Arthur a hard stare. "Arthur, this is your direct boss, Ethan," Mr. Swan said. "Ethan, this is the new guy, Arthur." Ethan and Arthur stared at each other for a while, and then Ethan stuck out his hand for a handshake which Arthur started to take. But then he looked into Ethan's cold eyes and realized what he was about to do so at the last moment, he retraced his palm a fraction and caught the handshake well. He knew Ethan wanted to squeeze his hand and watch him writhe in pain, but Arthur caught Ethan around his fingers instead of his knuckles and watched as Ethan squeezed and ex
THE URBAN PHOENIX: Arthur Salvatore's rise from the ashes. CHAPTER 18
ARTHUR GLANCED BACK briefly as he hurried through the dark hallway, he could still see the silhouette of the lady following him. "What the hell?" He muttered to himself as he burst through the door of the employee restrooms. He went to the hand basin and poured water from the tap onto his face. As expected, a few seconds later, the door opened and the lady walked in. Arthur looked at her through the mirror and then turned, "I'm sorry, ma'am but you can't be here. This is the male employee's bathroom," She smirked and walked forward, "Are you going to carry me out?" She asked slowly as she approached Arthur. "What do you want?" Arthur asked gripping the edge of the basin. "I remembered you from that restaurant that day," The lady said. "You've gotten even hotter. More…" she touched his upper arms, "Masculine and harder." Arthur slicked out of her grasp. "So what do you want with me?" He asked. "I want you," The lady said, walking forward again. Arthur took a step back. "Listen,
THE URBAN PHOENIX: Arthur Salvatore's rise from the ashes. CHAPTER 19
"WE SHOULD DO this again," Moriah said, running her fingers over Arthur's chest. Arthur groaned and sat up. The past 3 hours had passed in a blur. He had come over to Moriah's house and they had had sex, and it had felt good at the time, but now, he felt like shit. "No, we shouldn't." He sat up and grabbed his shorts from the floor. "I don't want to see or hear from you again. Just stay away from me.""I can't do that," Moriah said, sitting up and missing closer to Arthur who flinched and stood up. "Oh, that's how it is, huh?" Moriah asked, clutching the sheets to her chest. Arthur ignored her and started dressing up. "Maybe you won't ever see me again, because when I tell Brandon that you raped me, you will be floating dead in the Atlantic Ocean."Arthur stilled and turned to look at her. "What? You can't do that." He said. "I didn't rape you, you came at me first." "Who will he believe? Me or you?" Moriah asked and laughed. "You are now stuck with me."Arthur, who was already re
THE URBAN PHOENIX: Arthur Salvatore's rise from the ashes. CHAPTER 20
"Liver problem?" He slid off the examination table. He knew the doctors would not be able to do anything to him. This was a punishment from the system, and Arthur knew that he was at the mercy of it. He groaned as he reached for his trousers and began to dress up. The nurse returned. "Mr. Salvatore?" He hurried over to stop him. "The doctor is not done with your diagnosis yet. You are supposed to lie back down until the doctor comes back," She started to direct him back to the bed. Arthur pushed her off. "I am alright," He said. He coughed and wiped the blood from his lips. "I know what is wrong with me." "What?" The nurse asked, dumbfounded. "I'm leaving already," Arthur muttered. "At least, wait until the doctor comes back. He will prescribe some things to aid with the pain if it is the cost of scanning and surgery that you are worried about." This time, it was Arthur's turn to be dumbfounded. "What?" He asked. "Maybe you are worried that you would not be able to pay for th
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 38
HIS NEXT STOP was a fashion store. He glanced at the clock on the car's dashboard, the time was 8.56 a.m.He chuckled. He still had time. He trapped his fingers on the steering wheel slightly as he cruised the street, looking for the best fashion store around. A glass and chrome budding caught his attention and he drove to the parking lot. His car was getting the attention of some nearby people, and they stared as they walked by. A girl quickly took a selfish in front of the car. She was going to post it on her Instagram and pretend that she knew who owned it. With a smile on his face, Arthur got out of the car, and the people around gasped. They could not believe that such a shabby-looking man could own such a wonderful car. Arthur pressed the key button to lock the doors and the car responded with the flash of lights. He walked into the store and was welcomed with pleasant cool air. He could immediately see his type of clothes – a regular shirt and baggy jeans – lined on a shel
CHAPTER 37
ARTHUR WOKE UP to a call from his secretary, Helen. She basically ran his whole life schedule now from his gym sessions to meetings with dignitaries and governors of the state to even press conferences. He rolled over in his bed and groaned when he looked at the caller ID. He tried to recall if she had told him about any meeting for today, but he could not think of anything so he picked up the call."Yeah?" He answered gruffly. "Morning sir," Helen said brightly. Sometimes Arthur wondered how she did it. When he wanted nothing more than to collapse back on the bed and sleep as long as he wanted, her voice was always sharp. It was like she did not sleep. "Hello, Helen," Arthur muttered. He swung his leg over the side of his bed and stood up. He might as well fix himself a cup of coffee to wake up. "Yes, sir," Helen said. He could hear the sound of traffic in her background and realized that she was on the road already, this early. What time is it? He glanced at the digital clock.
CHAPTER 36
"WE REALLY NEED to talk," Liam said again, starting to walk into the restaurant. "Uh, we can't talk in there," Arthur said, pointing at the restaurant.Liam stopped. "Aren't you the owner?" Arthur sighed and nodded. "You saw it on the news." "Yeah, we all did," Liam said. "Including your father." "Did he recognize me?" Arthur asked. "We need to talk," Liam repeated. "Well, we can't talk in there," Arthur said. He did not want anyone including his staff or his customers to see him with Liam. Some nosy person might go and start an investigation and connect the dots. "Let's go to my house." "Downtown?" Liam asked, entering his Porsche. "I know it. I'll race you there."Arthur chuckled and shook his head as he climbed his bike. "I've moved." "Moved? To where?" Liam asked. "And where the hell did you get that monster bike?" Arthur snapped on his helmet and kickstarted the bike. "I moved to Beverly Hills. Follow me." He screeched off the parking lot. Liam sat in his car for some s
CHAPTER 35
"Mr. Cole Snr.?" Arthur asked. He was surprised and wondered to himself what Mr. Cole was doing here. He looked at Mr. Lambert and asked, "Didn't you tell him that you're the one in charge?""Someone like Mr. Cole…" Lambert said. "... when he asks for the owner of the restaurant, it's better for 'The owner of the restaurant' to meet him… not just the manager or one in charge."Arthur rolled his eyes. He hated this fear and reverence that they showered on the Cole family. He hated the entire Coles too. The oven made a Ding! sound. "Yep, that's for me," Arthur said. "But sir, Mr. Cole is waiting," Lambert said. "Phillipe would get really cross if these get burnt," Arthur said, stuffing his hand into the mitten, he turned and added, "If Mr. Cole cannot wait, he had better leave. I am running a business here." He opened the oven and took out the tray lined with golden brown-crusted delicacies. "I will, um, go and delay him for a while," Mr. Lambert said, shuffling away. Arthur took
CHAPTER 34
"THE GRAND REOPENING of Le Savoureaux restaurant is a great success. The new owner, Mr. Arthur (surname not provided) graced the event with his million-dollar one-of-a-kind bike and his handsome looks. He did not have much to say to the press, but the manager and previous owner, Mr. Jean Lambert said that le Savoureaux will continue to serve the best French meals in the city, and that is without a doubt. Mr. Arthur has told the press that he will complete the renovation of the restaurant's kitchen and higher the staff's salary resulting in better customer service and better meals. There are talks to introduce English and even Italian meals to the restaurant, as rumor has it that Mr. Arthur is learning his chef skills from one of the best. The grand opening is one that will definitely be remembered by the city for a long while due to its success and the amount of money spent. And it's all thanks to the mysterious billionaire, Mr. Arthur. From left to right in the image below; The
CHAPTER 33
THE OWNER OF GERMAINE real estate was called Mr. Germaine. Yes, he named the company after himself. He was a short pudgy man with a tiny voice. He came out to meet with Arthur in front of the company. "Mr. Salvatore," Mr. Germaine said, extending his hand for a handshake which Arthur accepted. "I am Germaine." Arthur nodded. "Your staff, Helen, said something about you wanting to sell the place," Mr. Germaine looked at the building and nodded. "Yes. I want to move on to another phase of life. Understand?" Arthur nodded. "How much is the place worth?" Germaine chuckled and stroked his mustache. "The company is worth a lot, I assure you." He looked at the building again. "We are not running at a loss or anything like that. The company's future is secured. I just want to move on."Arthur smiled. He knew that Germaine was lying. The company was almost on the verge of bankruptcy, He remembered that Helen had said something like that. "So how much do you want to sell it?" Arthur aske
CHAPTER 32
THE LADY, HELEN, was stunned. Her mouth fell open. "What did you say, sir?" Arthur looked around the company. "Yeah, I'm sure you heard me well. I want to buy the place." He turned to the man, "Call your boss and tell him that there is an interested buyer. Do it now!" The man was called Fraser, he chuckled uneasily. "I don't want to disturb the boss for something that is –""Just do it, Fraser!" Helen snapped. Fraser shook his head. "You believe that this thing can buy a house in Beverly Hills and also the company?" He laughed. "You are even more stupid than I thought, Helen." He walked to a leather chair and sat down. "Don't worry about him, sir," Helen said. "He is just having a bad day." She tried to cover up for her colleague, but it was a lie. Fraser had always been like that, rude and impatient. She repeated, "I will call the boss myself, Fraser is just having a bad day."Well, his day is just about to get much worse, Arthur thought to himself. He simply smiled at Helen and
CHAPTER 31
IT WAS THE ringing sound of the system that roused Arthur 5 hours later. [Ding! Ding! Ding!] "Huh?" Arthur lifted his chin from the floor. There was a drool of saliva running from the side of his mouth. He wiped it with the edge of his shirt as he stood up. [The host succeeded in doing an almost impossible feat, and the host must be rewarded] [Compatibility with system >>> 70%][Numerous good deeds completed][Liver health has been restored to maximum][Host general health upgraded >>> 80%][New skills unlocked][Rational thinking unlocked][Credit alert of 20,000,000 dollars credited into bank][Level upgraded >>> Class A economy man] [New Task ]The system reeled all those out in the space of 3 seconds. Arthur was still disoriented and his brain was still fuzzy and he was struggling to catch up. "What does all these mean?" He asked. The system replied to him, "It means that you have been healed. Your liver will not give you any more problems."Arthur did not believe it. He im
CHAPTER 30
"OH SHIT!" DANTE muttered. He looked around the men who shuffled back nervously. "Who did this?" He yelled at the men. Arthur rushed to Ethan's side. His clothes were soaked in blood and he could tell that Ethan was quickly bleeding to death. "Someone fucking call 911!" Dante yelled at the men. Arthur knew that the ambulance would not get here in time, before they did, Ethan would be dead. "What do I do? What do I do?" He murmured to himselfThe system suddenly came to life. [New Gifts unlocked][Gifted surgical hands and knowledge unlocked][Gifted hands and surgical knowledge activated]Suddenly it all became crystal clear to Arthur. He knew what to do. He turned to one of the men, "Oi, you. Go to the bar and get a bottle of alcohol. The strongest one available." The man sneered. "You want to drink your way out of this misery?" Fire and anger flashed in Arthur's eyes and the man mellowed and hurried away. Arthur turned to another. "Go and get a flame blower from the other bar