The Son-in-law's Wealth System

Chapter 4

The elevator ride down from the hotel room feels like the longest journey of my life. I feel the weight of my decision sinkingdeeper in my mind in every floor I pass. But it also feels liberating in a strange way. The cold steel walls of the elevator feels strangely comforting. No one is offering their judgment and expectations here. All I hear is the hum of the elevator and the quick beating of my heart. Closing my eyes, I exhale slowly and tries to calm my the thoughts running inside my head.

"Family Legacy, huh..." I mutter under my breath.

Until now, I am still trying to process the strange system that showed up in front of me. The blue light from the holographic screen, the words flashing on it, the wealth and power it promised... It feels like something you can only see in your dreams.

But this is not a dream. I have lost track of how many times I shake my head and pinch myself to make sure that I am not dreaming. Not to mention that the loud heartbeat in my chest tells me that all of this is real.

With a sigh, I look down on my phone screen to see if there's any notification. There is still no messages or calls from Jannica. But I am not surprised with it. My now-ex-wife is always quick to throw me away when the situation is not in her favor.

Still, I can't stop the small part in me to expect that Jannica will feel some kind of regret following our heated exchange in the hotel room. But as the minute goes by, I realize that she is truly not capable of feeling regret. All she wants is the luxurious material things in this world. It is something I failed to recognize while I was trying to make her happy during our marriage.

When the elevator doors slide open, I step out of it and sees the modern-styled lobby of the hotel. I barely notice the expensive marble floors and the gold-accented decorations in it earlier since I was urgently getting into the hotel room. I can also hear the hush voices of the other guests mingling around me.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and past the reception desk. The receptionist looks up to me but I don't meet her gaze. My thoughts are still busy thinking about the weird system in front of me.

I pull out my phone again and unlocks it to check if there's any new notifications for me. But there is nothing. No calls, no messages, no emails. It feels like almost everyone has already forgotten about me. Even Jannica, the woman I once thought was my everything, is already moving on and thinking how to live her new life as a rich woman again.

When I reach the front doors of the hotel, the automatic sliding glass doors opens with a soft hiss and I step out of it to feel the cold night air. The streets are busy as usual with their bright neon signs and the buzz of conversations from people all over the places. But I can feel myself being distant from these noises. I feel as if I no longer belong in this world.

I look up and sees the familiar blue holographic screen that appeared in from of me earlier. It is still there and hovering in my sight. As I focus on the icon, the blue hologram keeps flashing familiar words in it.

[Family Legacy Activated. Wealth Unlocked.]

As I keep reading the familiar words, I can feel my pulse quickening. I can also feel a sense of urgency growing inside me. My fingers hovers over the screen but I'm still hesitating to touch it unlike earlier. The holographic screen is still displaying the words “Pending Request: Transfer Funds” with the countdown clock ticking away. There's still two hours and thirty minutes left in it. I have no idea what is going to happen when that time expires but I can feel that it is something important.

The cold city air is no match for the warmth I feel within me. I don’t know how or why this system is appearing in front of me. But since I have this now, I decided not to be the fool and let this opportunity to slip through my fingers.

While I'm standing idly in the middle of the street, several questions suddenly pops up in my mind. What should I do to with it? What does it mean to have wealth unlocked when I have nothing to show for it? And how should I use it once I finally get it?

The money I have in my bank account is not enough to cover my daily necessities. The savings I got from my mother are all gone now after I use it to buy Jannica the things she always asked from me on every occassion. And now that I have lost my job, I am not sure how I will survive for the next few months.

Remembering these things makes me realize that my life is like a house of cards that is ready to collapse at any moment.

'Wow... I'm fucked, huh?'

I take another step into the busy street and let my mind think of what should I do next. Then I suddenly remember the words my mother used to tell me. A person has a lot of potential paths in their lives. It's like everyone has a lot of doors to choose from. But once you are in front of these choices, none of them will feel certain. Without knowing what will you find behind each doors, they will all look like something that can lead you to the edge of a cliff.

As I let out a loud sigh, a luxury car pulls up beside me and a familiar voice calls out.

“Heh. You're still here?”

I turn to see Manuel who arrogantly steps out of his sleek black car. I didn't noticed it earlier but he's dressed in a designer suit with his hair styled in a pretentious back slick that he thinks makes him look important. As usual, he is now looking down on me as if I’m some poor charity case that he needs to pity everytime.

“What do you want now, Manuel?” I ask while keeping my voice sounds normal. I can taste the bitterness in my mouth but I am determined not to let him know about it.

"Don't be so full of yourself. I’m just here to make sure you will not do something stupid, Chandler." Manual said with a smug grin spreading on his face.

"What do you mean?"

“Hah! Stop pretending. You are probably thinking how to get more money from your divorce, right? I know the likes of you. A poor bastard like you will always try to leech off money from us."

I can feel a surge of anger swells inside me after hearing his words. Until the very end, Manuel will always see me a lowly person. He never misses a chance to humiliate me whenever he sees one to do it.

"You can shove that money to your ass if you want."

Manuel rolls his eyes at my words.

"Oh, please. Don't pretend that you didn't shiver in fear whenever you sees us."

I balled my hand into a tight fists. I was never afraid of them. But since they are Jannica's family, I always tried to be accommodating with them. I never argue with them or make trouble for their family.

"I am done being your doormat, Manuel." I firmly said. "And my marriage with Jannica? I was a huge mistake in my life not because I can’t give her the life she wants. It’s because I deserve better than the way you all treat me.”

Manuel scoffs at me. He's clearly unimpressed with my words. He is obviously not taking me seriously too.

“What's with the bullshits you spat at us earlier again? Jannica will regret leaving you? Ha! Don't make me laugh. Do you really think the universe is going to give you a lot of money so easily? You must be going crazy now!"

Manuel laughs at me mockingly before he continues.

"Chandler, always remember that you are just a nobody! You are just a waste of space in this whole city. Someone like you will never have the power to rise on the top!"

His words are like poison I don't feel the sting they used to do in me. I already heard those words countless times already. Their vile judgment. The sneering. Their mockery saying that I will never rise above my station.

“I don’t need your approval" I said in a calm but firm voice. "This is my life now. I don't need to ask for anyone's validations.”

I turn around and does not look at Manuel anymore. I will remember my past mistakes or my failures. I will use it to remind me of the things I need to endure in life.

I keep walking and each step I take feels lighter as I move away from the judgment these people. The weight of everything that held me back in the past is starting to slip away. Right now, I can feel the unfamiliar yet comforting sense of possibility within me.

I look at the holographic interface again and let my thumb hovers on it. The countdown is still ticking down. There's only two hours and two minutes left. I still have no idea what will happen when it after this. I feel as if I am about to enter an unfamiliar world where I will have the opportunity to take control, make my own decisions, and shape my own destiny.

And I am going to make the most of this rare opportunity.