Uprising of Ace Winchester

Chapter 2: Welcome Master Ace

Ace rushed to the hospital, his heart pounding with every step. His mind raced, consumed by the fear of what could have happened to his mother.

“Hi, I was told my mom was rushed here in an emergency. Can you help me find her?” Ace hurriedly asked a nurse behind the desk, who was too absorbed in typing to notice him.

The nurse didn’t even glance up at first, causing a deep scowl to form on Ace’s face. His patience was quickly evaporating.

“Hello, I’m talking to you,” Ace pressed, his voice strained.

Finally, the nurse lifted her gaze, sizing him up for a moment, as though trying to figure out who he was.

“Who are you looking for?” she asked with indifferent calmness.

“Mrs. Winchester,” Ace responded, his patience wearing thin by the second.

“Yes, that poor woman,” the nurse replied with a shrug. “She was brought in after a heart attack. I heard it happened after she lost her house. But—hey! You can’t go in there!”

Ace didn’t wait for her to finish. Her indifference fueled the anger already bubbling inside him, and he stormed off, ignoring her warning.

Ace walked through the sterile, lifeless halls of the hospital, each step heavier than the last. He could feel the oppressive atmosphere pressing in on him, the weight of uncertainty dragging him down. His mother was somewhere in this building, fighting for her life, and he had no idea what was happening to her.

He kept searching the hallways until he spotted her through a window. His heart skipped a beat. She was lying in a bed, unconscious, with a strange man sitting beside her.

The man looked disturbingly familiar. It didn’t sit well with Ace.

“Is that the doctor?” he muttered under his breath as he approached the room.

But then, the man reached out and touched his mother.

“Step away from her!” Ace barked, his voice low and furious.

The man flinched and slowly turned toward him, an eerie smile on his face. "Welcome, Ace. Took you long enough to see your mother," the man greeted him coolly, standing up from the bed.

Ace’s heart sank as he locked eyes with the man. The recognition hit him like a punch to the gut.

"He’s not the doctor," Ace muttered to himself, disgusted by the stranger’s presence.

Ignoring the man, Ace moved toward his mother’s bed, desperately trying to check on her, but the stranger’s voice stopped him.

“She’s going to be fine,” the man said again, his voice calm, but there was something chilling about it. Ace felt a cold shiver run down his spine, but he didn’t let it stop him.

Ace grasped his mother’s hand, pressing it to his lips. “I’m sorry for not coming sooner, Mom,” he whispered softly, hoping she could hear him.

“You know who did this, and you can stop it. You can make things better,” the man said, turning toward Ace with a knowing smile.

Ace’s eyes narrowed as the man’s words seeped into his mind. "What are you talking about?" Ace demanded, his voice sharp with suspicion.

The man simply smiled, his expression unreadable. “Luther,” Ace spat, his voice dripping with venom. “What are you doing here?”

Luther's grin widened. “I came to bring you back. We need you. I need you,” he said, his tone soft but loaded with something Ace couldn’t place.

“I’m not going back to whatever you’re involved in,” Ace replied coldly, stepping closer to his mother. “I like my life here.”

Luther’s eyes gleamed with something dangerous. “Don’t lie to yourself, Ace. I know about your relationship. Everyone knows, except that I had your face blurred out before the photos went viral. But everyone at your school knows you’re a nobody,” Luther sneered.

Ace stood in stunned silence, his grip tightening on his mother’s hand as he fought to keep his emotions in check.

"I’m not the man I was," Ace muttered under his breath, trying to regain control.

Luther’s face twisted in amusement. “If you don’t make a change, your mother will never be at peace,” he called after Ace as the man turned away.

Ignoring Luther’s taunt, Ace made sure his mother was as comfortable as possible with the little money he had left. He knew he had a bigger battle to fight, and it wasn’t just with Luther. The betrayal with Lisa was still gnawing at him, and he was determined to confront it head-on.

His next step was clear: he had to see Lisa’s father.

“Yes, I’ll go to him, and maybe he can help me talk to her,” Ace thought, his resolve hardening as he walked toward the Dean’s office.

Ace had no idea Lisa’s father was the Dean until she confessed why she hated the school. When he arrived at the office, however, he was taken aback to see Lisa walking out with Richard following closely behind her.

"Lisa, wait," Ace called out, his voice thick with frustration as he grabbed her hand. But she jerked away, her face contorted with anger.

“Never touch me with your filthy hands again!” Lisa snapped, slapping him across the face.

Ace stood frozen for a moment, disbelief flooding his senses. He never expected this, not from her. Deep down, though, he regretted it. It felt too final, too irreversible.

With a deep breath, Ace walked into the Dean’s office.

“Good day, sir. I’d like to talk to you about me and Lisa,” Ace began.

But the Dean, without even looking up, shot him down immediately. “I don’t want to hear anything. You think you can just waltz in here and demand to speak to me?”

Ace’s eyebrows shot up in confusion. “I don’t know what you’ve discussed with Lisa, but you’ve got it wrong. I didn’t—”

The Dean cut him off, seething with rage. “You think I’m going to believe a lowly peasant like you over my daughter? You cheated on her, and now you’re back here? How dare you show your face here! You’ve got some nerve.”

Ace’s jaw tightened as the Dean continued to lash out.

"Your scholarship’s been terminated," the Dean declared, his voice dripping with venom.

“You can’t do that!” Ace exploded, his anger rising.

The Dean simply sneered. “I can’t? Richard’s father owns 40% of the school, and he’s close friends with Mr. Winchester, who owns the rest. It’s funny, really, how you share the same last name as Mr. Winchester, but you’ll never be as great as him. You’re nothing but a nobody. And with their help, you’re out of here. Now, leave. Or I’ll call security.”

Ace stood there, stunned. His world was crumbling before his eyes. He had nothing left here, no allies, no future.

He turned and walked out of the office, his shoulders heavy with defeat.

As he exited the building, he let out a frustrated sigh. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Richard and Lisa—this betrayal, the lies, the pain. They took everything from me.”

But Ace wasn’t going to let it slide. Not now. Not ever.

Just as he muttered to himself, a sleek black Mercedes rolled up in front of him, and Luther’s face appeared in the driver’s seat, his white hair gleaming in the sunlight.

“You made the right choice, Ace,” Luther greeted with a smile.

Ace’s eyes narrowed, but he wasn’t about to argue. “Take me to my mother. I need to check on her. We’ll deal with everything else later.”

Luther nodded, a grin spreading across his face. “A lot has changed since you left, Ace.”

“I said, take me to my mother,” Ace insisted, his voice heavy with determination.

“I’ll do that,” Luther muttered, “but there’s something else you need to hear. Your accounts are still active.”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “Accounts?”

“A total of twenty trillion dollars,” Luther replied with a satisfied grin.

Ace’s eyes widened. “That’s not what I remember.”

“I invested for you, Ace,” Luther said proudly. “I knew you’d come back.”

Ace didn’t respond, but inside, a fire began to burn. This was only the beginning. He had a new life ahead of him. And now, nothing could stand in his way.

***