Chapter 3 “Ten Times”

After getting back on his feet from that head injury, Arthur decided to swing by the bank to see how much cash he had left.

“What did you say?” he asked the bank clerk, a bit confused.

The clerk replied, “You signed a contract stating that if anything happened to you, all your funds would go to your wife’s family account. Your brother-in-law informed us you were in the hospital and provided a medical certificate. They mentioned you might not make it. So, based on that contract, we transferred the money from your account, Sir.”

“Ha,” he chuckled bitterly.

His in-laws were worse than he had thought. Not only were they the reason he ended up in the hospital, but they also swiped his hard-earned cash!

Feeling broke, he left the bank. Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from his boss.

“Where are you?! We’ve got a ton of orders today. If you don’t show up, I’ll have to kick you out!” his boss complained.

Arthur sighed, "Man, if I could just track down my gold, I wouldn't have to stress about money."

He had stashed his riches in a secret spot that no one else could discover, and he was the only one who could open it. The issue was that so much time had passed that the names of the places had completely changed. He needed some time to figure out where his treasure was hidden.

"For now, I just need to get through today."

He really didn’t want to head back home to face his terrible wife, so Arthur decided to go to work instead.

"The customer wants you to drop this off at his hotel room. He spoke with the hotel staff, and they’ll let you in," the shop owner explained as he handed Arthur a pizza box.

Even though he was puzzled about why the customer wanted him to deliver it personally, Arthur hopped on his motorbike and set off.

As he rode through the streets, he was struck by how much everything had changed over the years.

"It felt calmer than it had in a long time," he mused.

Dying was definitely tougher. But watching women and kids laugh freely, unbothered by the chaos of war, brought him a sense of peace.

Eventually, Arthur made it to the hotel. He carried the pizza box up to the 15th floor. Standing outside room 153, he rang the doorbell.

Ding dong~ Ding dong~

He waited for someone to answer so he could hand over the pizza. But when the door swung open, he was taken aback to find his wife with another guy.

“A-Arthur,” Lea stammered. “What are you…” She trailed off as Arthur’s gaze fell on the robe she was wearing.

Both she and the man were in matching robes, clearly just out of the shower. It was obvious that his wife was cheating on him.

How would Arthur handle this?

“I just came to drop off the pizza. Take it while it’s still warm,” Arthur replied, sounding completely unfazed.

Lea was taken aback. Not only was he calm, but he also seemed to be ignoring her completely.

‘Is he really serious about going through with the divorce?!’ Lea wondered, glancing at her husband.

“It’s a total of $20. How do you guys want to settle up? Cash or card?” Arthur chimed in.

Mr. Chain smirked at Arthur’s response. “I’ll use my card,” he said, handing over a sleek black credit card. “Just a heads up, Arthur. You won’t get a chance to handle a card like that.”

Arthur paused, taking in the jab, but just shot him a smirk as he swiped the card through the reader. He handed it back to Mr. Chain, who was involved with his wife.

With business wrapped up, he turned to leave. But then Lea called out, “Hold on! I need to explain something!”

“Lea! Are you really going after your husband? Don’t waste your time on a loser like him. He’s not worth your energy,” Mr. Chain interjected.

Arthur halted and clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was done with this nonsense.

He spun around and said, “Hey, you…” he called out to Lea, a bit harshly. “I don’t need any explanation. I’m not dumb enough to miss that you’ve been cheating on me all along.”

"I wasn’t cheating on you! I’m just caught up in a business deal with Mr. Chain!” Lea fibbed.

“Look, we’ve already agreed to get a divorce. Just hand over the signed papers and go have fun with a guy who looks like he could be your uncle.”

“Arthur!” Lea yelled. “Watch what you say! This guy runs Cher Investment Company. He’s not someone you want to mess with! A broke loser like you has no right to talk down to him!”

Mr. Chain laughed. “No worries, Lea. Your husband just doesn’t know any better since he comes from a poor background. Someone who hasn’t dealt with millions or billions doesn’t understand the value of dignity. He’s like a dog rummaging through trash for scraps.”

Suddenly, Mr. Chain dropped the pizza box, and the pizza that Arthur had carefully delivered went flying all over the floor.

Mr. Chain scoffed. “The thought of eating the food you brought makes me sick. You’re lucky you’re married to Lea; otherwise, I’d spend every penny I have to make sure you can’t work anywhere. I might even go as far as to keep you from breathing the same air as me.”

“Arthur, what are you doing? Apologize to Mr. Chain right now!” Lea insisted.

In the past, Arthur would have been shaking in his boots at such a threat. But now…

“You mentioned I haven’t seen millions or billions,” Arthur said quietly. He stepped closer and added, “I hate to break it to you, but you’re mistaken. I’ve got money that’s three times, no, maybe even TEN TIMES what you have.”