A Billion Dollar Riddle

"What am I doing here? I'm supposed to be the one asking you that, what the hell are you doing Hannah?" Marcus asked, his voice mixed with emotions and disbelief.

"But you said you were going to take pictures of a newly launched hotel. You lied" Hannah reminded.

“You said you were going to attend to a friend's problem.” Marcus gritted his teeth.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing Hannah, tell me this is a joke, explain this to me. I'm your husband Hannah, you can't be doing this" Marcus raised his voice.

"I…I…I owe you no explanation Marcus" Hannah then said, as her expression changed, as though she didn't regret what she did.

"What are you saying! You are my wife Hannah!" Marcus shouted in anger.

"I'm sorry Mr Marcus, I didn't know that our client has a relationship with you, but try not to make a scene" the director gestured.

"Yeah what he said Marcus, you can leave"

Hannah added with no sign of emotions.

"What happened to you Hannah, I can't believe this is you" Marcus asked.

"What happened is, you are nothing but a poor and wretched husband, I was stupid leaving my wealthy family to marry a scumbag like you, and now I am an outcast from my own family because of you" Hannah blasted.

"But I thought we loved each other"

"Yes. I did, but you're not worth it, you can't take good care of me Marcus. I mean look at my skin, it's all dark and filled with spots, one year with you was more than hell. And I'm comfortable with my new job, and I'm earning more than you can ever afford" she abused.

"How long have you been working here?" Marcus had to ask his fist clenched.

"Three months, and I'm already becoming an upcoming rising star. I'm sorry for shattering your hopes, but this is me Marcus" she said.

Marcus stood frozen in the heart-wrenching silence, the weight of the revelation anchored him to the ground. His breaths came in shallow gasps, echoing the cadence of a shattered heart. The woman he once held as the embodiment of unwavering loyalty and love, now an enigmatic stranger before him.

She was his world, the celestial center of his universe. Her smile had been the dawn that graced his every day, the lighthouse guiding him through life's tempests. But in this stark moment, reality unraveled into an agonizing nightmare, as she stood draped in the shadows of betrayal.

"You can leave Marcus, I'm busy" she said, as she threw her clothes on his face, continuing her intimacy with the man.

"Come on babe let's ride on," she said locking lips with the man.

"Sure, sugarplum," the man replied, turning her over into a doggy style.

Marcus clenched his fists, veins were all over his forehead. "Hey don't touch my wife!" Marcus exclaimed as he threw his camera on the man.

“Hey!”

"What's wrong with you Marcus?" Hannah shouted.

"This is getting out of hand, you have to leave Mr Marcus" the director ordered, as he held Marcus's hand.

"No! I'm not leaving without her" Marcus said. Pushing the director backwards.

"Don't let me call the security," the director warned.

"I don't care"

"Security!" The director called.

Abruptly, the tranquility of the room shattered as two formidable men barged in, their massive frames dominating the space. With relentless force, they seized Marcus, their iron grips wrenching him from the sanctuary of the room, hoisting him off the ground like an inconsequential feather.

"Let me go, I want my wife" Marcus's desperate pleas reverberated through the room, a futile outcry muffled by the overpowering strength of the men.

Struggling against their unyielding grasp, his legs dangled helplessly, their tips grazing the floor as he thrashed in a futile attempt to break free. His frantic resistance painted a portrait of agony and panic, a man grappling with the overwhelming torrent of emotions and the ruthless force dragging him away from the one he sought..

The men threw him out of the studio building, then closed the door.

"Let me in!" Marcus shouted as he tried to open the door, gritting his teeth. He punched the door hard with his bare hands, as he began to bleed from his fist, but he didn't feel anything. The pain of seeing his wife with another man was more painful than even a knife on his chest. An unbearable weight that eclipsed the stinging wounds on his fists.

It cut deeper than the sharpest blade, a gaping chasm tearing through his very being.

Marcus sat beside the door for a while, his mind was swallowed in thoughts, he never believed she could do this to him.

Time flew quickly, and it was already past eleven. Marcus finds himself adrift in a hazy world, the street, honking of cars and noises from pedestrians and companies, all that was like murmurs in his ears. His mind sank deep with thoughts. He walked sluggishly, crossing the road slowly not minding if he would be hit by a car or something worse, he didn't care anyways he was better off dead than to experience such traumatic heartbreak.

Less than an hour later he arrived at his house. He opened the door, gently sat on the couch in his sitting room. He glanced at the food on the dining table, it was a stark reminder of the drama he just witnessed. He leaned back on the chair, trying to get over what just happened, it was depressing.

All his life the pain of being poor, had never been more severe than today. He was raised in an orphanage, having no idea of who his real parents were, once he clocked sixteen, he learnt a skill as a cameraman in a free skill acquisition.

And when he was eighteen he was perfect at it, he became a freelancer and helped himself in the university when he was twenty, the Brilliant college, one of the best. And that's where he met Hannah Summers, despite him being poor and always being bullied by the rich students, she still finds him interesting, due to his sincerity and intelligence.

Defying all the odds, even with absolute disapproval of her parents, Hannah agreed to marry him at his twenty five years after they graduated from the University. He learnt business administration, but couldn't get a good job. And it has just been one year, their love was tested but she couldn't pass it or rather he failed to be a good husband.

What could be more painful than seeing your wife with another man.

He tried closing his eyes to sleep but he was unable to, the disbelief was an absolute torture.

Suddenly Marcus's phone buzzed, he then brought out his phone from his pocket and checked the message.

"What can $100,000,000,000 do for you?"

This was the most ridiculous question ever, who would want to offer someone hundred billion dollars, even the richest man on the planet wouldn't try such a mistake, highly delusional. He just ignored the message, it was obviously from all those scammers. Who would want to scam someone like him, his account balance is not even up to $1,000.

Abruptly, another notification flashed on Marcus's screen, this time an alert from his bank. ‘You have successfully received $100,000,000,000 from…’

Marcus jolted up. ‘What’s this?’ He wondered. He then decided to check his mobile banking app, if it was a legit transfer.

The screen displayed an inconceivable sight: a staggering entry of a hundred billion dollars. The surreal figures seemed to mock his reality, he was the kind that seems impossible to have even a million dollars in his account, not to mention a hundred billion. A paralyzing wave of disbelief struck him.

"What in the..." His voice trailed off into a stunned silence. A bone-chilling sensation cascaded down his spine, the sheer weight of this monetary windfall suffocating the very air around him. His head throbbed with the intensity of a thousand drums, as if teetering on the precipice of an imminent explosion.

‘Who would have done this?