The streets of Cloudridge City were drenched in luxury.
Towering skyscrapers loomed above like gods of glass, watching over the wealthy and indifferent. Lamborghinis cruised by on quiet electric motors while holographic billboards screamed the faces of influencers, CEOs, and young billionaires.
Among them, Jayden Cole stood out, but not in a good way.
His sneakers were worn flat. His shirt, a size too small, clung to him from the heat. His delivery bag, faded from years of use, rested heavily on his back as he rode his electric bike to a luxurious building.
The golden letters on the entrance gate of Silverhorn Lounge glared down at him like a warning: "YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE."
But he had no choice.
He was actually here to deliver a highly expensive wine that cost $200,000 to Luka Vane, a socialite rich kid known for spending more money on wine than Jayden made in a year.
This was one of the part-time jobs Jayden engaged in after lectures at Sky High University. As the poor, helpless fella that he was, it was the only way to make ends meet.
Sky High University was indeed the place for the wealthy, and the likes of Jayden being there could be questionable. However, the truth was that Jayden was once a rich kid like the rest of them before his father got accused of embezzlement and was jailed. If his father hadn't covered his entire fees for all his semesters, he would have been driven out long ago.
Parking his electric bike in one corner, he took the wine, which was packed in a stylishly designed white box, and went ahead to deliver it.
"Hey! Who are you?"
Just as he got to the lounge entrance, a hefty man dressed in black stopped him and asked fiercely.
"I'm Jayden. I came to deliver this package to Luka Vane. This was the location he sent us," Jayden said as he showed the bouncer a small white paper.
The bouncer collected it and took a short look at the paper, then nodded and asked Jayden to follow him.
Jayden shrugged and followed him without hesitation. He actually wanted to finish the delivery job early today so he could move on to glass-cleaning of skyscraper buildings.
He needed to gather enough money to get a new Rolex watch and a new handbag for his girlfriend Sofia, whose birthday would be the next day.
The bouncer finally led him to where Luka Vane was... It was a wide, luxuriously furnished room where almost every structure was made with gold.
There were only a few people here, as this was a VVIP section of the lounge. Sure enough, Luka Vane and his friends were children of the city's richest men.
While Jayden stepped into the room, his eyes widened after he spotted the most shocking view of his life.
"Sofia?!"
There, settled comfortably on a golden couch with a young man who had his left arm wrapped tightly around her waist, was his girlfriend.
Indeed, it was her.
Jayden wasn't dreaming.
That guy—Jayden quickly recognized him. It was Royce Kingsley, son of Gregory Kingsley, the highest shareholder and Director of Kingsley Group, who accused his father of embezzling 150 million dollars from the company.
Royce was one of the rich kids who always mocked and bullied him, making fun of what his father did—which he knew wasn't true.
Jayden didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that point, as he clenched his fist.
"Jayden?! What... the hell are you doing here?" Sofia asked, her voice breaking, though she was more relaxed than worried.
Jayden's voice was barely a whisper. "You told me you were busy this weekend."
"Isn't it not what it looks like?" she asked. "This was supposed to be a surprise tomorrow, but damn, guess you've screwed it up."
"Why is Royce sitting next to you?" Jayden's eyes sparked.
He never believed Sofia would ever do this to him.
She flinched. Royce Kingsley smirked from her side, one arm casually draped around her waist.
"Well, look who it is," Royce said. "The delivery boy."
They all burst into laughter, causing Jayden's heart to jerk uncontrollably.
Sofia looked away...
"Hey, Mr. Fraud's son. Let's get this straight..."
Royce suddenly stood up and said, a sharp, intimidating smile appearing on his face.
"You and I know that you don't deserve a beauty like her. Come on! Look at her... her face, her curves, and her god-gifted melons. A poor, pathetic fraud like you can't afford such beauty, man! She's mine now," Royce said.
"After all I have done for you, Sofia? After all we shared?" Jayden struggled to stay up, as he felt like collapsing on the spot.
"Actually, Jayden. You did nothing for me. Is it the cheap earrings and wristwatches you used to buy? Or the stinking burgers and bread that almost turned me deathly pale?" Sofia glared.
"I get it, Sofia. This is who you really are. I hate myself for mistaking you as a better person..."
"I hate myself for ever meeting you," Jayden said as his voice broke repeatedly.
Dropping the package in front of Luka Vane, he quickly left the room and rushed through the gate, sobbing in pain.
"Hey, you three. Follow him to a lonesome place and teach him a lesson for ruining our party," Royce ordered his bouncers in a mutter.
....
After his father's sudden death after a year in jail and his mother fleeing from home while leaving him behind, Sofia was the only family Jayden had.
Unlike himself, there was nothing he hadn't done for Sofia. All the money he made from the part-time jobs he did was spent on Sofia, as he made sure she was happy.
Seeing her betray him with his greatest enemy was the last betrayal he ever expected... His emotions couldn't be explained at this point.
After what had happened, he decided to cancel the rest of his work today and made his way home. After all, he had nothing and no one to work for anymore...
Jayden now lived in the slum part of Cloudridge City, since his father's manor was taken away from them after the case. It was an old apartment where he paid $500 yearly and even still found it hard to afford.
All he ever had was constantly going to Sofia...
Reaching the apartment, which was dimly lit and boring, he stepped down from his bike and attempted to walk in.
And this was when three hefty men arrived with a black van and dashed out.
Before Jayden could process it...
"Jayden Cole, yes?"
POW!
A huge fist suddenly smacked his nose at once, sending him falling into the dirt outside.
POW! POW! POW!
The three men began to beat Jayden up without stopping—punching, kicking, and smashing him until he began to bleed.
Jayden coughed out blood, his eyes swollen in moments.
The three men quickly entered the van after making sure he was brutally injured and drove off at high speed.
Jayden clutched his chest and belly, struggling to get up. The pain was intense, as he felt part of him had been beaten off.
Just in a matter of seconds, he couldn't help but succumb to the pain, and he passed out.
....
When he woke up, he discovered he was still lying helpless in front of the apartment gate. Of course, even if anyone noticed him, no one would want to help the Fraud's son.
He wasn't surprised at all.
However, just while struggling to get on his feet...
[System Activation Complete!]
[Congratulations Jayden Cole. You have been selected as the Host of the Infinite Wealth System.]
[Your destiny is to rise above all and build the greatest financial empire in human history.]
[Current Status: BROKE. HUMILIATED. BETRAYED.]
[Come on, host. Let's fix that!]
Hearing the unfamiliar voice and seeing the green interface in front of him, Jayden flinched in shock.
"What the heck is this?!"