In an alleyway outside Club Geno which sat at the heart of Las Vegas, a phone rang. The ringtone sliced through the alleyway.
"We've finally found you, young master," the voice on the other side of the phone said, with obvious relief in his tone.
Adrian Vale just stood there confused as he took a large gulp of his vending machine coffee. For a minute, everything around him, the buzz of fluorescent lights, the chatter of people heading into the club, the smell of vomit and cigarette all faded into the night.
Then he laughed under his breath. "These scammers are getting creative," he muttered as he clicked the button to end the call. He removed the Club Geno vest he had on and put on a nice shirt.
The world came rushing back in dull color. He slipped his phone into the pocket of the shirt and glanced at the small, neatly wrapped gift box he was holding. A faint smile made his lips curl. Inside the box was a handbag, a limited-edition Dior his girlfriend wouldn't stop talking about for months.
As he walked away from the club, he wore a sheepish smile. Three months' worth of double jobs, ramen dinners, and empty bank notifications had gone into it. But seeing her smile tonight would make it worth it for him.
His girlfriend Maya had told him not to worry about Valentine's Day. She told him that he should focus on himself for once. She was soft and sweet and even laughed when she said it, she then pulled his nose, the way she always did. But Adrian knew her well enough to see the glint of disappointment in her eyes.
So he'd planned to surprise her. He got some Flowers, the gift. He planned to make a simple dinner at the small apartment he'd helped her pay rent for these past few months.
He'd imagined her expression...shock, joy, maybe even tears.
As he turned the key and stepped into her apartment, what he saw etched itself into his mind like a scar from bottle wound and his smile vanished immediately.
Maya and his younger brother, Damon were tangled together on the couch.
The door clicked shut behind him and created a deafening sound in the silence that followed. The box slipped from his fingers and hit the floor, the thud made it open and the Dior bag rolled out.
Maya's head snapped up, her lipstick smudged, her shirt halfway buttoned allowing her cleavage be the center of attraction. "Adrian…..what the f**k are you doing here? I thought you were working the night shift."
He forced out a shaky breath. "I took the night off. Thought I'd surprise you." His gaze shifted to Damon. "Well I guess I'm the one who got surprised."
Damon didn't even look guilty. He just stretched lazily, his arm still wrapped over her. "Relax, brother. You're acting like this is the end of the world."
Adrian's chest burned. "You..." He swallowed hard, words splintering in his throat. "You're my brother, Damon!."
Maya stood, dragging her skirt down her thighs, her cheeks flushing with anger replacing the shame. "You don't get to barge into my place and make a scene. You have no right."
"No right?" Adrian's voice broke, a bitter laugh escaping him. "I've been paying your rent for six months and you talk about rights!"
Her eyes turned away as her lips tightened. "I never asked you to. You chose to do so yourself."
His breath hitched and everywhere became blurry. "Maya…"
Damon rose, towering over him as he stood, smirking. "Come on, Adrian. Don't make this dramatic and hard on yourself. You've always been the charity case. Mom and Dad took you in out of pity, remember?"
"He's not even your brother?" Maya said with so much disdain in her voice.
Adrian's world tilted. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on," Damon scoffed. "You didn't really think you were one of us, did you? You're just the orphan they picked up when they thought they couldn't have kids. Then they had me and you became obsolete after that."
Adrian's hands trembled. "Stop playing Damon, that's not true."
"It is," Damon sneered. "And here's the fun part, everything you ever had came from my family's leftovers. Including her."
"Here, I got her this Hermes bag and a new watch. You see, with the family's wealth at my disposal, I can do anything she wants" Damon said as he stared Adrian in his eyes.
"That's a..." Adrian was cut short by Damon before he could utter anything else. "Shushh, it would take you years to save up for a bag like this, so of course she chose me who could get it for her easily"
Maya stepped closer, her perfume which used to be his favorite was now nauseating. She reached for the gift box, still lying on the floor. "I'll take that," she said flatly.
He caught her wrist. "You don't deserve it."
Her eyes went cold. "Neither do you peepsqueak!."
Damon shoved him hard, with rage in his eyes. "How dare you touch her!"
The punch came out of nowhere, it was wild and fast. Adrian staggered back, blood on his lip. Then something inside him, years of swallowed pride, quiet humiliation and unspoken longing snapped.
He punched Damon back in his gut.
Damon hit the wall, gasping, his Louis Vuitton shirt stained with blood from his nose. "You'll regret that," he spat.
Adrian didn't answer. He turned and walked out, his heart pounding, the February air slicing into his lungs.
Under the streetlight, he stopped, clenching his fist. His breath became rough, every exhale held a silent vow.
One day… I'll make them regret ever looking down on me.
His phone buzzed at that moment.
Adrian almost ignored it. Then he saw the notification.
ALERT: $100,000,000.00 has been deposited into your account **1623
Balance: $100,000,300.00
His heart stuttered. "What the…?"
Before he could gather his thoughts, his phone rang again. It was the same number who called earlier.
"Mr. Vale, are you there?" the voice said calmly this time, the same voice from before.
I forced myself to breathe as I swallowed hard before answering. "I am here…"
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am James Sinclair, the butler of the Vale family. We wired a hundred million dollars to your account to prove our sincerity. You are not a fraud victim. You are Adrian Vale, the sole heir of the Vale Dynasty."
Adrian froze, the world around him started spinning. He couldn't believe what he just heard.
The Vale Dynasty. One of the ten oligarch families that ruled the country from the shadows. 'This must be some kind of mistake.' Adrian thought to himself as he was still in shock.
The line crackled softly, the voice was firm but was obviously trembling with excitement.
"Welcome home, young master."