Trash to trillions

TOUCHING THE TIGER'S TAIL

Caelum smiled broadly and accepted it. He slipped it into his worn out wallet which was in a pathetic state. The platinum card looked sorely out of place beside his old bank card which now held ten million dollars. But he didn't seem to mind.

Once everything was finalized, Stacy offered to see him off. However, he immediately turned it down. He would rather not attract attention to himself by riding in expensive cars without explaining everything to his siblings.

Thinking about his siblings brought a smile to his face.

“They're going to be so shocked by this life changing news. I will be able to pay for Denise's medical fees with the amount of resources available to me now. I will pour all the money into medical research if I must. Denise must make a complete recovery, I will make sure of it.”

He clenched his fists tightly, his veins burning with determination and a new kind of fire he had never experienced before.

Caelum dashed into a mall and splurged on high quality food items and fruits. He also bought clothes for the twins and bought Denise's medicine from the pharmacy. His heart was brimming with joy as he counted the cash Stacy prepared for him.

“Once I pay rent to the old landlord, we can start looking for a better house.”

He wanted to pay three times the original amount to show his appreciation. It wasn't easy to remain patient for so long, especially when it seems like the tenant didn't have the means to pay.

Caelum suddenly frowned as he noticed people pointing at him.

“He looks like the jade thief.”

His heart skipped multiple beats and the huge smile on his face disappeared. He adjusted his back pack and shopping bags, and hurried out of the mall.

The joy in his heart had melted away. Despite all his money, he would probably never be something other than a jade thief thanks to the stigma the Marlowe family slapped on him.

“Damn them! I need to clear my name as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will never be able to hold up my head in public. What a jinx!”

****

Caelum arrived before the dingy apartment where he lived with his younger siblings. He looked at the ancient building with mixed feelings. The walls of his unit had heard his most desperate prayers, and experienced his most profound anxiety and heartache.

But there were good memories too…with his siblings. He was definitely going to move out to a better place, but this place that sheltered him through the worst phases of his life would remain special.

He looked at the grocery bag in his hands, and smiled.

“Let's eat first, then we pay rent and move on.”

He made his way upstairs, only to find the apartment door open, obviously broken into. His heart skipped multiple beats, and he rushed inside. “Denise! Daniella.”

The house was a mess, and there were blood and signs of struggle. There was a half eaten plate of egg fried rice on the kitchen counter, the kids were probably eating lunch when disaster struck.

Cold sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead, and soon covered every inch of his body. He shook in trepidation, his legs felt as heavy as lead, rooting him to the spot.

Different worst case scenarios played out before him, causing indescribable agony to tear through him. The twins were all he had left, letting anything happen to them was a blow he could never recover from.

Caelum raced out of his unit, taking the stairs. All he could think about was going to the neighborhood watch’s office to check the CCTV.

The door of their neighbor living on the floor just below theirs opened as he ran past.

“Caelum! You're finally back.”

Hearing his name from the old woman made him freeze. Grandma Nancy had been their neighbor for years, ever since they moved in. Others left at some point, but like them, she never left all these years. She was the reason Caelum could leave for long periods with peace of mind. Grandma Nancy often sent food to the twins when there was nothing left at home. It was nothing much since she was equally scraping by, but it was enough to keep them from starving till their elder brother returned from wherever he went.

“Grandma Nancy, I'm in a hurry right now. The twins are missing.”

“I know. That was the reason I was calling you.”

Caelum ran back to her, his eyes red, and face filled with panic. His breathing was erratic and painful like one on the edge of a panic attack.

“Aya! I have been calling you for nearly an hour now, but it couldn’t go through.”

“What?” Caelum fished out his phone, only to realize that his battery had died at some point.

“Kid, the landlord came here with some thugs a while ago and dragged the kids away. They are in danger, you should hurry now. I tried to stop them, but my old bones simply couldn't manage it.”

Caelum finally noticed the injuries on the old woman's body, probably from when she tried to reason with the landlord.

He pushed the grocery bags to her.

“Grandma, you can have these. I'm off to find my siblings. Please take care of yourself and call Nurse Beatrice to pay a home visit to treat your injuries. Once I settle with the landlord, I will drop by.”

“Hey, kid, he wanted to sell them…”

But Caelum didn't hear her, he had already run out of the building, making his way to the landlord’s town house.

Grandma Nancy sighed and looked at the bags in her hands.

“Poor boy, how will he settle this? Ever since their mother died, it has been from one problem to another.”

She finally got a good look at the grocery bags. It was filled with premium food items, not the cheap, nearly spoiled type he normally went for. The asserted meat and vegetables were quite sizable, and there was a crate of eggs, rice and other things, making the three bags quite heavy.

“Where did he get the money for all these?”

****

In five minutes, Caelum had arrived in the decent town house where the landlord lived with his household. Some guards were standing at the gate, looking all burly and scary as if waiting to unleash chaos.

“Good morning, I want to see Mr. Mason.”

“Mr. Mason is busy. He doesn't have the time to meet with insignificant people like you. Just get lost, he doesn't want to see you.”

Caelum scoffed and looked at them.

“Insignificant people? How rich! Does living in a house less than a quarter acre with minimum wage maids, and street thugs mean that one is wealthy and significant? Tell him to step out here, and bring out my kids, then he can have his money.”

“I already asked you to get lost nicely.” The burly thug with red beards growled and rushed towards him.

Caelum avoided his blow and punched his fat belly hard.

“Where the f**k are my siblings? Tell him to get out here, or I will burn the place down.”

“Your siblings? Oh, they're probably already dead. The boss sold them to people that would find their little poverty-stricken flesh useful.”