I Became Rich With My System

Chapter 19

My ears still rang from the gunshot.

I heard an engine roaring to life.

I snapped my head up, just in time to see headlights cutting through the dark. A black sedan peeled away from the shadows, tires screeching as it tore down the half-paved road.

“Damn it!” I cursed, sprinting out from behind the wreck. My boots pounded the gravel as I chased, lungs burning, but the bastard didn’t slow down. The engine growled louder, the car disappearing into the horizon like a phantom.

I stopped, chest heaving, fists clenched. Whoever pulled the trigger had just vanished into the night.

Turning back, I forced myself to face Raven’s body again. He lay twisted and broken, his smirk forever frozen on his blood-soaked face.

That’s when I heard another engine.

A sleek car rolled to a stop, and the door slammed open. Seraphina rushed out, her eyes landing immediately on the corpse at my feet.

“Kael!” Her voice cracked with alarm as she came closer.

I looked at her, my face cold, voice low. “He’s dead. Again.”

She froze at my tone, but before she could say a word, I cut her off.

“I think I’m missing something,” I muttered, pacing a step before staring straight into her eyes.

Seraphina blinked, confused. “What do you mean by that?”

I advanced, every nerve in me screaming. My hand shot forward, pinning her against the hood of her car. The metal groaned beneath the impact.

“You’re hiding something from me,” I snarled, my face inches from hers. “About the Clean Seed operation. Don’t lie to me, Seraphina. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Her breath hitched as my forearm pressed across her collarbone, her hands pushing weakly at me. Her chest heaved, her eyes wide, lips parting like she was about to speak—

RING! RING! RING!

The sound of my phone ripped through the tension.

I froze, jaw clenched, then shoved away from her. Seraphina stumbled forward, clutching at her throat, coughing as she dragged in air.

I snatched the phone from my pocket, glancing at the caller ID. My wife.

I pressed it to my ear. “Hello?”

Her voice was faint, trembling, barely holding together. “Kael… you need to come home. Right away. It’s… it’s our son…”

My blood iced over. “What about him?!” I shouted, voice shaking as dread coiled in my gut. “Tell me what’s wrong with our son!”

The drive back felt like an eternity. My pulse hammering with every passing second. By the time I pulled up in front of the house, red-and-blue lights painted the walls, the night alive with murmurs and the sharp click of radios.

Police.

My stomach twisted as I leapt out of the car, pushing past a couple of officers. My eyes landed on Mia standing by the porch, her shoulders trembling, her face streaked with tears.

I rushed to her, grabbing her arms. “What the hell is going on here?” I demanded, my voice louder than I intended.

She looked at me, eyes swollen, lips quivering. For a moment she couldn’t speak, only choked sobs spilling from her throat. Then finally, like a dam breaking, she whispered, “Kael… our son… he—he killed someone.”

Her words struck me like a blade. My vision blurred, the world around me spinning.

“That’s not possible!” I shouted, shaking my head, my voice raw. “No—no, Mia. How the hell could a child, a small child like him, actually hurt anyone?!”

I grabbed her by the shoulders, staring into her eyes as if I could force the truth out of her. “Where is he, Mia? Where’s our son?!”

She only sobbed harder, her body collapsing into my chest, refusing to answer. Frustration and terror tore through me. “Damn it, Mia, tell me what the hell happened! Where is he?!”

A shadow loomed behind us. A uniformed officer stepped forward, his face grim but professional.

“Sir,” he asked, voice firm, “are you the father of the boy?”

I turned on him, breathing hard. “Yes. I’m his father. Now tell me what the hell is going on here!”

Before the officer could respond, a piercing wail cut through the night.

A woman stumbled through the crowd, her face drenched with tears, her hands clawing at the air. She rushed toward us, screaming like a wounded animal.

“Where is he?!” she shrieked, her voice cracking. “Bring him out! Bring out that boy who killed my son!”

Her cries tore through the air. She fell to her knees on the street, pounding the ground with her fists.

I stood frozen, the words echoing in my skull. My son… killed someone.

But how?

And why?

I still couldn’t believe it. My son—my little boy was accused of killing someone? No, it wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.

The woman who had lost her son was thrashing against the officers, pointing at me with venom. Her voice cracked as she demanded my child be dragged out and handed to her.

“Ma’am, please,” the officer said firmly, holding her back by the arms. “I understand your pain, but you should allow us to take it from here. The investigation is ongoing, and the boy is in custody. I need you to calm down.”

She resisted, cursing, screaming through tears, but eventually the officer managed to guide her away, his tone steady but commanding. He turned to me next, his eyes heavy with the kind of pity I didn’t want.

“Mr. Kael,” he said, “you’ll need to follow us to the station. We have procedures to follow. Your cooperation will help your son.”

I clenched my jaw. My fists curled. But I forced myself to nod. “Fine. No problem.”

Moments later, they brought my son out. His small wrists bound in front of him. His face pale, eyes wide with fear. My heart tore apart seeing him like that.

“Son!” I shouted, trying to push through the officers surrounding him. “It’s me, look at me!”

But they blocked me, forbidding me from getting closer.

He turned his head, our eyes met for a brief second. His lips moved, whispering, “Dad…” before they shoved him into another vehicle. I screamed his name, again and again, but the doors slammed shut and the car rolled away.

By the time we reached the station, I was barely holding myself together. They sat me down in a small office, two officers across from me. One flipped open a file.

“The report was filed by your son’s teacher,” the officer explained. “This morning, your boy had a dispute with another student… Lucas Merrill.”

My stomach twisted.

“The fight was over a watch. Lucas’s watch. Somehow, it was found in your son’s possession. The teacher intervened and settled it between them.” The officer sighed, rubbing his temple. “But later in the afternoon, your son approached Lucas again. He told Lucas he wanted to play, that he wanted forgiveness. Lucas agreed. He followed him into the school backyard.”

The officer’s eyes darkened. “There, your son shoved Lucas to the ground. Witnesses claim he stomped on him repeatedly… until Lucas stopped moving. The boy died on scene.”

I covered my mouth with my hand. My chest caved in. I couldn’t breathe.

“No… no, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t,” I muttered, shaking my head violently. “He’s a child—he doesn’t even know what that means.”

The officer leaned forward. “Mr. Kael, I should also mention… your son has been denying it. He keeps repeating that he’s innocent. That he didn’t do it.”

That sliver of hope stung me even worse. My boy swore innocence, yet the story painted him a murderer.

“Where… where will you keep him?” I asked, my voice cracking.

The officer looked at me with practiced calm. “Children below the age of legal punishment are kept in protective juvenile custody. He will not be treated as a criminal, but he must remain under supervision until the truth is clarified.”

I staggered out of the room, my legs weak. Mia was waiting, clinging to the rail outside. She rushed up to me.

“What’s going to happen to our son?” she begged, clutching my arm.

Before I could answer, a black car pulled up in front of the station. Its tinted windows gleamed under the streetlamps.

Two men stepped out, not in police uniform—undercover agents. Their presence shifted the air. They brushed past me and Mia, heading straight inside.

I followed them in, tension clawing at my veins.

“We are from the Directorate,” one of them announced, flashing a badge. “We’re here on direct orders. The boy will be transferred to us immediately.”

My chest tightened. “Why?” I snapped. “Why are you trying to take my son?”

The taller one fixed his eyes on me, cold and sharp. “You shouldn’t intervene, Mr. Kael. This matter is beyond local jurisdiction. Interference from you could be seen as an objection to the government itself.”

His words cut deep. I stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar. “Who sent you? Was it the president? Or are you with Black Spire?”

He shoved my hand away with force. “Stand down.”

I watched helplessly as they processed the extradition, my son dragged away once again. Rage burned in me. I turned to the officer who had earlier spoken to me.

“Who are they?” I demanded.

The officer’s voice was low, reluctant. “They work directly for the president. That’s all I can tell you.”

The president’s name left my lips like venom. My vision tunneled, my heart pounded. I stormed out, Mia chasing after me.

“Kael! Where are you going? What’s happening?!” she cried, her voice cracking.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My feet carried me, fast, determined.

Back at the dorm, I spotted a black sedan waiting. Seraphina stood guard beside it. The look on her face told me everything.

As I approached, she opened the rear door. “The president is waiting for you inside.”

I didn’t say a word. I slid into the car.

The president sat there, calm, his hands folded, eyes cast out the window. I sat beside him, the air thick with unspoken truths.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Then finally, I broke the silence.

“Tell me everything,” I said, my voice sharp. “Were you aware of what Raven was using those people for? Were you aware of Malik Radwan and Dr. Milton Carroway—how the two are connected?”

The president said nothing, his gaze still fixed on the city lights beyond the glass.

“Then answer me just this,” I pressed. “My son. What happened to my son?”

Slowly, he turned to me. His expression unreadable. From his coat, he pulled out a passport and placed it in my lap.

“You should leave the country for a while,” he said flatly.

I exploded. “Damn it, Mr. President! Tell me what the hell is going on!”

His eyes finally locked with mine. Cold. Heavy. Final.

“Your son,” he said quietly, “is also affected with the Black Serpent.”

The words crushed me.