2 The Setup

The doorbell rang, and Ronald hastened to open the door with enthusiasm. It was as if he had been expecting guests.

An immaculately dressed man stepped in with two guards accompanying him. He wore an expensive Armani suit, and a gold Piaget watch jingled on his wrist.

"James?" Carol exclaimed, recognizing the stranger. "What are you doing here? You look… different."

The billionaire put on a charming smile. "Hi, Carol. I'm so glad you haven't forgotten me. I came to this locality to sign a five-million-dollar housing project and decided to visit you while I am here."

Ronald and Martha's eyes lit up. The billionaire talked about five million dollars so casually, which meant his net worth was several billion.

James was heir to the Colberts, the fifth most wealthy family in Springfield city. Recently, he was made CEO of the company and now exerted much influence. In fact, they had invited him to their house that day to meet Carol.

"You are always welcome here, Mr. Colbert," Martha and Ronald blurted cheerfully in unison.

"It's so nice of you to visit," Carol said. Her troubled expressions had vanished, replaced by a warm smile.

Ronald eyed Victor from the corner of his eyes. The man was apparently seeking clarification on the uninvited visitor's presence.

James completely ignored Victor's existence and took a seat opposite Carol. "I've brought a few gifts," he said, gesturing to his guard, who placed three attractively-packed objects on the living room table.

Martha rushed to open the gifts. "Oh, my God! Is that a platinum bracelet?" she exclaimed, holding up a jewelry item. "You are so generous, Mr. Colbert!"

"Yes, its price is $20,000," he said, pleased by the praise.

Ronald and Josh unpacked their gifts to find expensive Rolex watches, each with their respective names embossed on the bands. "Thank you, Mr. Colbert," Ronald said. "This is really special." Josh flashed a two-thumbs-up at the billionaire.

James nodded to them absent-mindedly and turned to Carol. He reached into his suit and retrieved a small-sized gift, handing it to her.

Carol opened the packet to find a diamond-studded ring. "It cost $50,000," he said with pride. "I had it specially ordered from London."

"Oh, James, you shouldn't have!" Carol exclaimed with an animated expression. She had never seen a larger diamond in her hands, which made her jubilant. Victor had brought her some cheap silver jewelry after their wedding and never bothered to get her anything else. Then she paused to process the implication. "But why a ring….?" she asked curiously.

James put on a charming smile and said, "You turned down my offer of marriage four months back, remember? Now I have returned as CEO of Colbert Group. I own two mansions and have three expensive cars. All the luxuries that you have dreamt of will be yours. I can give you the life of a queen. What do you say to my offer of marriage now?"

The beauty blushed at first; then, her expression turned solemn. "I'm married, James…"

"I know," the billionaire said unabashedly. "But that's not an issue for me. You can always get a divorce." Roland, Martha, and Josh nodded their agreement as if it were natural for Carol to get a divorce from her husband and marry James.

Victor's eyes widened. Was that man trying to steal his wife right in front of him?

Things started making sense to him. His in-laws' must have planned to sabotage their marriage. It was well staged. First, they showed him in a poor light before his wife as a penniless and desperate man. Then, immediately they presented James, a wealthy and eligible bachelor. The expected result was that Carol would leave Victor and get hitched to the billionaire.

He flew off the handle. "Who the heck do you think you are?" he hollered at James Colbert. "Carol is married to me! How dare you barge into the house and talk to my wife with such liberty?"

The guards stepped forward towards Victor, but James stopped them with a gesture. "No need to bother with this peasant. Everybody knows here about his impotence. He can't even get his wife a proper house, car, or jewelry. Neither will he let her escape his prison. Such a pathetic man he is."

"Get out!" Victor barked, trembling with anger.

James got to his feet and buttoned his suit. "Carol, you deserve better," he urged while leaving. "You have my number. Call me if you change your mind."

James Colbert left with his guards. Martha and Ronald followed him to the porch, looking longingly at his Ferraris. James would be the perfect match for Carol. The gifts he had brought were worth almost $100,000! He had spent the amount as if it were spare change.

Not only would the billionaire keep Carol in luxury, but he had also promised to rescue the drowning Atelier company if they let Carol marry him. They held hands and daydreamed about him being their son-in-law.

Initially, they had planned to marry their daughter to James when he proposed to her three months back. However, Reginald Atelier disapproved of the match and chose Victor Damone instead.

Ronald and Martha considered him the worst mistake of Carol's life. Victor owned no land, had barely any savings, and struggled to purchase a decent house for his wife. Moreover, right now, he was losing his mind over a few hundred thousand dollars taken from his account.

Compared to James, he was practically a beggar.

Victor took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was already tensed about his grandfather's health. Now he had to deal with a conspiracy to steal his wife?

"Why are you still here?" Martha snapped at him, walking into the living room. "Aren't you a shameless man? I rue the day I married my daughter to you. Not only are you a low-earning peasant, but you are also petty about your money. Look at James Colbert. He is a real man who deserves a quality woman like Carol."

"I wish we had married our daughter to that man. We'd all be living in a mansion right now. Instead, we are being screamed at by a petty, good-for-nothing son-in-law!"

"Leave my house, Victor," Roland said with finality. "Not only did you insult an honored guest, but you also attacked my son. Leave before I call the cops!"

Victor's mind was reeling, and his in-laws' insults gave him acid reflux. He had to escape the toxic environment before he did something terrible. He cast a sideways glance at his wife and rushed out of the house.

'I need to get the fee for grandpa's surgery somehow,' he thought, walking down the street. 'Perhaps I can borrow the amount.'

Victor placed a call to his paternal uncle, George Damone. "Uncle, please help. I need six hundred thousand urgently for grandpa's treatment. Could you loan me the money, please?"

He heard a high-pitched female voice from the other end. He recognized the voice as his aunt-in-law. "We don't have that kind of money!" she spat with contempt. "Especially for that old fart! He can die and stop being such a burden to everyone!"

The call disconnected.

Victor let out a cry of exasperation.

George's wife despised the Damone family. At least whatever was left of it. Old man Edgar Damone's company used to be profitable. He had two sons and a daughter who invested proportionately with their disposable income. When Victor's parents died in a car accident, Uncle George withdrew investment from the company following his scornful wife's advice.

Edgar suffered a stroke right afterward, leading to the company's downward spiral. George's wife did not let him visit his father on his deathbed.

Victor was desperate but wouldn't give up. He called all his friends and coworkers, wandering the streets while he made the calls.

However, all was in vain. Nobody could come up with six hundred thousand dollars at such short notice. His friend, Dave, offered ten thousand dollars, a drop in the sea. Victor disconnected the last call and sighed, looking blankly at the setting sun.

Just then, a vehicle approached him from ahead, and headlights blinded him. A Ferrari screeched to a halt along the curb.

"Hey, Victor?" James called out through a half-lowered window. "Seems like being out on the streets suits you. Anyway, normally, I wouldn't talk to a peasant like you. But I am willing to help you with your grandfather's treatment."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "What do you want in return?"

The billionaire put on a wicked smile. "You know what I want..."

"No…"

James' expression was smug. "Yes, it is exactly what you think. I want you to divorce Carol and let her marry me. If you file for divorce today, I'll take care of the entire treatment of your grandfather. And tell you what, you can use my family attorney for the proceedings, free of charge."

"I'll also throw in an extra five hundred thousand so that you can get back on your feet. How does that sound? This is a life-changing opportunity for you."

Anger flashed across Victor's face. "How dare you, you snake! Stay away from my wife, you hyena! I don't want your dirty money!" He rushed at the Ferrari, intending to smash in the windows, but the driver floored the accelerator. Victor chased the vehicle for a few yards in outrage.

"Now, you look like a proper dog chasing cars!" James shouted from the speeding Ferrari.

Victor grimaced. It had taken him two years to gather eight hundred thousand dollars, working all kinds of jobs while taking care of Edgar.

Josh looted and splurged the entire amount in a day. After swindling him of his life savings, his in-laws even took the opportunity to humiliate him. Adding insult to injury, they had arranged for a spoiled billionaire to steal his wife!

This wasn't the life he imagined leading after he retired from his old position. Did the people around him even realize who he really was?

Anger welled up in Victor. Enough was enough!

"All I wanted was to live like a regular Joe! I was done with the high-stakes life of the past! What is the point of hiding in this city when everything else is falling apart around me? When I can't even help my own grandfather survive? When brats and simpletons and inferior men are spitting on my face?"

Victor's expression changed abruptly. He became grim and reserved. It was as if the aura around him had suddenly transformed. He removed his wallet and extracted a card lodged in a secret pocket.

Victor flipped over the card and dialed a ten-digit number embossed on it.

There was a single ring, after which an authoritative voice picked up the call.

"This is the New World Order. What is your age and legend code?"

Victor repeated a set of numbers and letters he had first memorized six years back. "Age 28… Legend code is… A-4-4-5-9-I-#-E-7-7-7-8."

He could hear typing on the other end, after which the voice replied, "The legend code is confirmed. I cannot believe it. Is that you really, Caesar?"

Victor took a deep breath. It was two years since he had been addressed by that name. It was less of a name and more of a rank. "I want my crown back," he said.

There was a sharp exhalation on the other end of the call. After a short pause, the authoritative voice posed, "Are you sure about that, Caesar? You had deactivated your position temporarily of your own accord for privacy. The activation will be permanent this time, and everyone in the organization will be made aware of your return. There's no going back."

The voice was barely holding back excitement.

Victor exhaled. He was going to step into a chaotic world again. But he had no other choice. "I am positive. Initiate."

"Alright."

A series of beeps sounded, after which the voice returned. "Your Level 1 Access is activated, Emperor Caesar. Welcome back to the New World Order."

The call got disconnected immediately.