The Rise of the Billionaire

Surprise from Bella

"That's slander! I had no intention of doing it, Bella. John wants to keep us apart. Believe me, I'm not who he says I am!" Frederick said sadly, then sighed in despair.

"Murderer! Whether intentionally or not, you are still a murderer and the cause of your mother's death. I want a divorce right now!" Bella said with an angry face. She turned around, completely ignoring Frederick's shouts.

"Listen to me, Bella, that's slander! Bella, wait!" Frederick wanted to run fast after Bella, then hug his woman from behind like he often did when they first started dating. However, he couldn't because a policeman intercepted him and dragged him back into the jail cell.

"Hey, how are you doing, buddy? Did you miss me already?" One of the inmates smiled sarcastically at the arrival of Frederick, who seemed discouraged because he kept remembering Bella's words about past wounds.

A murderer!

Yes. That's right, a murderer. Frederick had indeed killed his father, but it was by accident.

Bugh!

Bugh!

A kick hit Frederick in the stomach, snapping him out of his reverie. Frederick fell to the ground. His eyes looked blank.

"Are you deaf? Since a few minutes ago, I've been calling out to you! And you're just silent like a deaf person! No! You're not deaf, but crazy!"

The three inmates laughed loudly, echoing each other. Frederick was busy reminiscing about the past.

"Murderer!" Frederick said in a very low voice. However, the inmates' evil boss could hear and felt that Frederick was mocking him for ignoring all his questions.

"Hey, trash! Why are you so quiet? Do I have to give you another kick so you don't ignore me?" the inmate boss said, then he delivered a kick to Frederick's stomach again. "You trash!"

Frederick's ears burned at the insulting words that demeaned him. "No! I AM NOT TRASH! All of you are trash!" Frederick got up. He stood up, his eyes red as burning fire.

"Why are you angry? Whatever my boss says is the truth. Every inmate is trash, including you!" one of the other inmates defended his boss's guilt.

"No! I'll prove that only you guys are trash! Not me!" Frederick said.

"Am I not dreaming? Then fight us all before_"

Bugh!

Bugh!

Before the inmate boss could finish his sentence, Frederick gave him a series of hard punches. One by one, they were defeated. The sound of moans of pain was the most melodious sound Frederick heard during his time in the prison cell.

"It turns out that your strength is only this much? So is the trashy nickname for me or for you?" Frederick gloated, then he laughed very loudly, showing off his victory.

"Damn you!" Another inmate had gotten up, his hand was about to hit Frederick, but failed because a policeman arrived.

"Hey! What are you doing?" asked a policeman in a high, stern voice. "Why are you fighting and making noise in this prison cell? Now, all four of you sit down quietly or you'll regret it!" The policeman warned again.

Frederick stayed where he stood. His eyes kept looking at the face of the policeman who seemed familiar to him.

"Could that be Alex, a good friend who used to be my neighbor?" Frederick muttered.

"Alex!" Frederick called out.

The policeman named Alex stopped his footsteps, then turned to the origin of the voice. "Frederick? Is that you?"

"Yes. I'm Frederick."

"My friend!" joked Alex happily. Finally, after a long wait, he was able to meet the person he had come to think of as a god of help.

After the two of them released their longing for each other because they hadn't met in person for years, Alex invited Frederick to talk alone in a quiet room.

"Why are you in this prison? What happened to you, Frederick? Didn't you once say that your life was very happy with your little family in another city?" Alex asked quickly, eager to hear the real story from Frederick. "What are you hiding from me?"

Alex and Frederick used to be very close, but after Alex moved away, they were no longer together. Since then, Alex has rarely seen Frederick. Luckily, the two are still connected through social media.

"It's a very long story, Alex. I don't know where to start. Every time you ask me how I'm doing, I answer that I'm doing really well. I'm lying to you! My situation is very sad, unlike you who is now a man of honor. Meanwhile, I'm a trashy man who is insulted by my wife and in-laws. I am trash, Alex! I'm so ashamed to admit this to you." Frederick's head bowed in shame before his friend.

But now was not the time for Frederick to lie and feel ashamed. It was useless for him to cover up his misfortune; sooner or later, Alex would also find out the truth.

"Please talk! I promise to help you out of this problem, just like you and your mother did a few years ago. You two are like gods. There's no way I'm going to make you stay in prison for too long. Believe me!"

Frederick thought that maybe Alex was one of the ways he could get out of prison. He began to tell the story from the beginning of how the family's economic situation was, then his wife and father-in-law who were often angry after Frederick returned to poverty, until finally Frederick told him about John who was arbitrary and liked to insult him.

"Making John hurt and humiliated was the start of me going to prison. I thought that after going to prison, John would be satisfied. But he wasn't! He sent a policeman to beat me up, not just once but every day, then John also instigated Bella to divorce me. I don't know how much of a grudge he had against me. I don't understand either, Alex."

"John? I think I've heard that name before? Is he the man who is dating the owner of the company?" Alex responded seriously.

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"You'd better stay away from that man, Frederick. He's the worst man I've ever heard of. But as bad as John is, your wife and in-laws are even worse. How could they treat you so badly?"

"I don't know. They say it's because I'm poor."

Alex stood up and reached for the cell phone in his pocket. He sent a message to someone, requesting a meeting as soon as possible. Soon, Alex got a satisfactory reply. Tonight, the two of them would meet at a restaurant for dinner while discussing an important case.

"You just take it easy. I will get you out of this prison soon. Be patient and follow my orders, then you won't be disappointed," Alex said with soothing words.

"Thank you, Alex."

Now Frederick can be a little relieved. It turns out that there are still people who love him sincerely even though he is now a poor man and a prisoner. In the past, when he still had wealth, many people approached him and offered to be his friends, but after Frederick went bankrupt, everyone disappeared and when they appeared, they turned into opponents. One such person was Bella, his wife.

After Frederick's meeting with Alex, Frederick felt that his sentence in prison was no longer severe. The other prisoners also didn't dare to hurt him anymore. Perhaps this is what is called luck.

The journey out of prison is not as easy as turning the palms of both hands. It took several weeks, even months for Alex and his friends to free Frederick from prison.

During his release, Frederick had to accept the harsh reality that he and Bella were divorced, legally. One day, the divorce documents arrived, and Frederick's tears continued to flow without stopping at the thought of living without Bella and Jason, his son.

"I know how it feels to lose. But I think this divorce is better than you being tormented living with people who like to insult you. One day I'm sure you will find a woman who genuinely loves you, Frederick." As always, Alex would come to comfort Frederick when he was feeling down and out. "Don't think about it too much. It's better for you to focus on yourself now. One day when you get out of prison, you can look for your ex-wife and child."

Frederick nodded, feeling much better and stronger after listening to Alex's advice. "Yes, you're right. Thank you, Alex."

Their conversation was interrupted when Alex's cell phone rang. Alex moved slightly away from Frederick and immediately received a call from someone he had been conferring with about Frederick's problems for the past few days.

Good news came. Alex smiled at Frederick, who was also looking at him with great hope.

"Prepare to go home, Frederick. Freedom is waiting for you."

The morning had grown hotter, with the sun shining brighter, illuminating Frederick, who still stood waiting for Alex's arrival. Today he was free, but as a condition, Alex had asked Frederick to work part-time at the police station.

"Hi, Frederick! Sorry to keep you waiting." Alex arrived. As usual, he looked dashing and authoritative in his police clothes and attributes.

Frederick tapped Alex on the shoulder, smiling happily. "No problem. I waited on purpose to say thank you to you."

"You've said it many times, Frederick," Alex laughed, reminded of Frederick who had repeatedly said thank you to him. By Alex's count, the number of times Frederick had thanked him was probably more than a dozen in every hour. "I think two days is enough for you to enjoy your freedom. After that, come here to work. I'm sure you really need this job to make a living."

"Yes. I understand, my friend."

The first place Frederick went to was his old house, which had been sold by Bella. It turned out that the house had a new owner named Montera; he did not know Bella's new residence. Actually, Frederick had predicted something like this, but his hopes and love for his ex-wife were too great, making Frederick sometimes forget the harsh reality.

Day after day, Frederick had been working at the police station for over a month. Every day, he would come to clean the entire office and the courtyard, and after work, he would take a short walk to enjoy the crowd. It was in this way that Frederick had survived, momentarily forgetting his longing for Bella and Jason, his son.

When he was sitting down to relax, Frederick suddenly saw a woman who was so familiar to him. The woman from the past that Frederick loved so much. Although in the end, their marriage ended.

"Bella? Is it really her?" Frederick asked himself because he was not sure about his eyesight.

Frederick saw Bella entering a hotel, holding hands, and smiling intimately with a man. It had only been a few months since they separated, but now Bella had found a new partner and seemed to have forgotten her past with her ex-husband. Frederick, meanwhile, seems unable to forget Bella, the first love that is still strong in his heart.

"Yes. It's Bella!" Frederick said. He had a plan to follow Bella secretly into the hotel, without Bella even knowing that Frederick was nearby.

"Are we really going to spend the night here, darling?" asked Bella while getting into the arms of her new partner. Now the two were sitting, making out on a sofa not far from the hotel lobby.

Frederick deliberately stood with his back to Bella and her lover while pretending to play with his cell phone. He could hear the conversation that made his chest tight with jealousy and anger.

"Yes. We'll stay here as long as you want. Are you very happy, Bella?"

Frederick's heartbeat was racing. He was familiar with the voice of the man who was Bella's new lover.

"I'm so happy!" Bella kissed her lover's cheek repeatedly, and Frederick happened to turn around. Frederick's chest instantly felt hot. He wanted to punch his ex-girlfriend in the face. But Frederick resisted and could only blink his eyes sharply. Luckily, Bella did not realize Frederick's presence there.

"I've never stayed in a hotel before. Frederick has never taken me to have fun in a beautiful building like this hotel. He can only give me a rotten mattress and endless suffering. Every night, I had to endure the swarms of mosquitoes and the filthy air of that old house." Bella laughed, her beautiful face radiating even more when she was happy. "It's true what you say, dear. Poor people like Frederick are forever just bad luck. I was lucky to have you and soon left him alone."

"I heard that Frederick is out of prison. Are you sure you don't want to go back to him?" Bella's new lover only teased as his hand continued to stroke the blonde hair of the woman beside him. -----"No! He's trash! A poor man who will forever be trash doesn't deserve a woman as beautiful as me!"

"You heard that right, Frederick?" Bella's new lover turned around. He stood up, folding his arms across his chest. "Your ex-wife doesn't want to be with you. Then, why are you still standing here like a beggar?"

Frederick and Bella's eyes met. Neither of them could hide their surprise.

"Frederick, why are you here? You must be spying on me on purpose... watch out! I'll report you to the police!" Bella's face was red with anger at seeing Frederick in front of her eyes. She pushed Frederick's shoulder, causing him to almost fall to the floor. "Go away! Get out of my life forever, you trashy man!"

Frederick was silent not because he could not reply to Bella's words, but he was silent because he felt unexpected by the man who was now his ex-wife's new lover.

"Paul?" Frederick asked. Then his eyes turned to Bella. "Why him? Why Paul, Bella?"