The Revenge Of Julius Sabbath

Chapter Four: Claim of the Assets

The next morning, the city felt like a breath of fresh air. Puddles reflected the city lights, and the air was cool and crisp. It was indeed a welcome relief from the previous night’s heavy downpour. Hence, the streets, now washed clean, shimmered under the morning sun, creating a familiar yet rejuvenated cityscape.

Julius rose from his poor mattress and got ready to visit the rightful place his father had told him to go. His father, a wealthy tycoon, had sent him to poverty training since he was ten years of age, as it was according to their family tradition. Their belief in this training was that a wealthy heir without poverty training might someday lead the family’s companies and resources into bankruptcy. For this reason, if the heir trained in poverty and embraced street orientation and smartness, he would be able to overcome all challenges, and the companies would thrive even further under his leadership.

For ten years, Julius had been in poverty training without any resources from his father to help him survive. He lived in an abandoned one-room apartment and worked his ass off on different part-time jobs so that he could feed himself and afford his basic needs.

Each time his poverty challenges hit him hard in the face, he wished more than anything that the poverty training would be over instantly. And it was also more challenging because he did not know how long he would be trained before his training was over. And now that he finally received the call, he was happy and ready, more than anyone else in his family, to assume his position as the only heir of the Sabbath’s family.

***

Julius adorned himself in a faded black suit and a spoiled white inner shirt like a thrift store fashionista. This was truly a suit out of vogue, but there was nothing he could do; it was the only suit he had and had been wearing for over six years. His trousers, a worn-out pair of jeans, clung to him like his poverty-challenged memories. And his shoes, each scuff and worn-out sole echoing tales of paths trodden and miles of bicycle riding in uncomfortable times.

Stepping out of his one-room apartment, Julius hailed a taxi like a modern-day navigator as he was ready to journey down into the city. Arriving at his destination, he stretched his hand from the back seat where he sat and said, “Here you go, sir. Please keep the change. Thank you for the ride.”

But, of course, the taxi driver, seeing what Julius looked like, could not take the change. “No, man, you need this money more than I do. Here you go, your change,” the taxi driver said as he stretched his hand to Julius from the driver seat with a smile on his face.

“No, keep it. Do not worry about me. I am not the poor guy you think I am,” Julius blurted with happiness written boldly on his face.

It felt good for Julius at this moment, as for the first time in a long while, he could boldly tell someone that he was rich and not poor. Compared to previous times, most people easily looked down on him, and some even mocked him for his financial incapability.

“Ugh, poverty is a bastard,” Julius muttered as soon as he stepped down from the taxi. 

Standing before him was a building, a towering structure that reached into the sky like a modern financial colossus. Its sleek glass facade reflected the aspirations of the affluent patrons it served. Vividly on the door, Julius read aloud, “Fortuna Elite Bank.”

Immediately, as he read this, he walked closer to the sleek glass door and closed his eyes like a nervous performer backstage, gathering courage before stepping into the grandeur of the Fortuna Elite Bank.

“Julius?” A familiar feminine voice called suddenly, and Julius recognized who owned this voice immediately.

Opening his eyes, he saw that his instinct was not wrong at all. "Olivia?" Julius exclaimed.

Olivia was in a short, flowered gown, reminiscent of the beautiful Cinderella on her wedding day. A necklace adorned her neck, its sparkle resembling a cascade of stars on a clear night sky, and her high heels beneath her feet clicked confidently, adding a touch of elegance to each step, like a dancer gracing the floor with every movement. Beside her stood Alexander, in his well-tailored suit and perfectly slim-fitted tie, exuding charm and sophistication like a leading man from the pages of a classic novel, ready to sweep Olivia off her feet.

“Are you here to start begging people for money? Huh, Julius?” Olivia mocked immediately, her voice pulling Julius out of his sudden thoughts as he looked at both Olivia and Alexander from head to toe.

“Don’t be so hard on him, babe,” Alexander cautioned Olivia in his low tone. “Perhaps he has taken our suggestion for him and he wants to rob the bank so that he can finally put an end to his miserable suffering.” Alexander burst into mocking laughter immediately as Olivia joined him.

And yet, if that was all, it was a lie. Still at the sleek entrance of Fortuna Elite Bank, Alexander leaned a bit forward to Julius and said in a whisper, “When we suggested that you rob the bank, we did not mean this bank. Do you not know how prestigious this bank is? This bank only offers its services to wealthy men of society, and you, my friend, belong to the poor class of society. Even your generation cannot afford to use a bank like this. So, how dare you even nurture the thoughts to rob it? Now, get lost before I decide to report you to security.” Alexander warned.

If any words Alexander said to Julius made any sense to Julius at this moment, it was a lie. Immediately as Alexander stopped his nonsensical words, “Is that all?” Julius smirked like a poker player, holding all the aces.

“Now, if you are done, I want you to push aside, as I need to make my entry into the bank.” Julius said with confidence, unlike before, when he would act like an infant whose milk was snatched from his mouth.

“I know my worth,” he thought to himself.