The Decision
328 Words
Victor didn't run out and tell Eliza. He didn't run out to the bank or buy a new car or do anything that would signal to the world that his life had just changed forever. Instead, he tucked the ticket into his wallet and drove to the garage as if nothing had happened.
He knew Eliza would want to share the news with her family, and that was the last thing he wanted. He'd seen what money had done to people like her parents, the way it made them look down at people like him, the way it had given them the license to judge him from on high.
No, he wasn't ready to let them know. Not yet. He needed to think. To plan. To make sure when he did show them what he was capable of, it would not be just about money. It would be revenge.
Weeks passed and, to the onlooker's vision, nothing changed in Victor's life. He still worked at his store and went home to Eliza night after night, making a convincing pretension of being one with her. However, inside, a different flame had been lit: one where this secret growing inside him-the power-would now surely cause a shift in balance regarding his whole life, marriage included.
Victor used his lottery winnings strategically. He didn't go on wild shopping sprees or buy a new house. Instead, he started investing-quietly, secretly. He bought real estate, poured money into small businesses, and even started a charity under a pseudonym. Slowly, his fortune began to grow.
All the while, he kept up the facade of the humble mechanic, never letting anyone know what was really going on. He drove the same old truck, wore the same worn-out clothes, and to everyone, he was still the same old Victor Carter, the poor husband of a rich girl.
But what no one knew was that Victor was already building something much bigger than anyone could have imagined.
- Writer
