The Billionaire's Forbidden System

Chapter 1: The Man Who Couldn't Catch a Break Ethan Vale had exactly twelve dollars, a dying phone, and three problems. His rent was due tomorrow. His stomach had been empty since noon. And the woman currently sitting across from him was about to break his heart. "Ethan." He looked up from the cup of cheap coffee between his hands. Amelia wasn't drinking hers. She had been staring at the same cup for nearly five minutes. That was never a good sign. Ethan sighed. "Just say it." She looked at him. "I met someone." There it was. Simple. Clean. Cruel. Ethan leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. For some reason, he almost laughed. Of course. Why wouldn't she? He had spent the last three years trying to build a future with her while barely surviving the present. He worked at a restaurant during the day. Delivered food at night. Fixed computers for people whenever he could find the work. He had promised Amelia that things would get better. He just hadn't expected "better" to take this long. "Who is he?" Ethan asked. Amelia looked away. "Daniel." Ethan's smile disappeared. "Daniel Cross?" She nodded. He knew Daniel. Everyone in the city knew Daniel Cross. Twenty-six years old. Heir to Cross International. Sports car. Luxury apartment. Designer clothes. The kind of man who could spend Ethan's monthly salary on dinner without noticing. Ethan looked back at Amelia. "Does he know you're still with me?" "I told him." "And?" "He said he'd wait." Ethan gave a quiet laugh. "Classy." "Ethan..." "No, it's fine." He stood. Amelia looked surprised. "You're not angry?" "I am." "Then why are you smiling?" Ethan looked at her for a moment. "Because if I start crying in this restaurant, somebody's going to record me and put it on TikTok." Amelia almost smiled. Almost. That hurt more than if she had laughed. Ethan pulled a few coins from his pocket and placed them on the table. "That's for the coffee." "I'll pay." "I know." He turned to leave. "Ethan." He stopped. Amelia's voice became softer. "I'm sorry." Ethan didn't turn around. "Take care of yourself." Then he walked away. Outside, the evening air hit his face. Cold. Clean. Unforgiving. Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking. He didn't cry. Not because he wasn't hurt. He simply had a strange rule. If life punched him in the face, he refused to give it the satisfaction of seeing him fall. His phone vibrated. He pulled it out. One new message. LANDLORD: Rent by 10 AM tomorrow. No excuses. Ethan stared at it. "Yeah." He looked up at the sky. "Because apparently heartbreak wasn't enough." His stomach growled. He looked down at himself. "Even my body is complaining." A laugh escaped him. He walked into a small convenience store. The cashier recognized him. "Late dinner?" Ethan pointed at a packet of instant noodles. "Luxury dinner." The cashier laughed. "Again?" "Don't judge me." "I wasn't." "You were thinking it." "I was." Ethan placed the noodles on the counter. The cashier scanned them. "$2.10." Ethan reached for his wallet. He opened it. Twelve dollars. He counted the money. Then noticed an old man standing behind him. The old man was staring at a loaf of bread. His clothes were worn. His hands trembled slightly. Ethan looked at the bread. Then at the old man's empty hands. The cashier didn't seem to notice. Ethan sighed. He took the bread. "Add this too." The old man looked at him. "No, no. Young man, I don't need—" "It's fine." "But you..." "I have enough." The lie came easily. The cashier looked at Ethan strangely. Ethan paid. Outside the store, he checked his wallet. $9.90 remained. He stared at it. "Great." He had just spent almost twenty percent of his remaining money on a stranger. His stomach growled again. "You're not helping." He started walking home. Halfway there, his phone rang. His boss. Ethan answered. "Hello?" "Ethan." The voice on the other end was uncomfortable. "We need to talk." Ethan stopped walking. "About what?" "You don't need to come in tomorrow." Silence. Ethan slowly looked at the road ahead. "Why?" "We're reducing staff." "You told me last week that I was getting more hours." "I know." "I've been working there for two years." "I know." "I've never missed a shift." "I know." Ethan laughed softly. "So I'm fired." His boss didn't answer. That was answer enough. Ethan ended the call. He stood there beneath a streetlight. No job. No girlfriend. Almost no money. Rent due tomorrow. He looked at the sky. "Okay." A drop of rain landed on his forehead. Then another. Then another. Within seconds, the rain became heavy. Ethan laughed. "You're actually funny." He started walking again. A few minutes later, thunder shook the sky. Then Ethan heard something. A faint sound. Someone crying. He stopped. It came from the alley beside an abandoned building. Ethan hesitated. He was tired. Broke. Cold. And honestly, he wanted nothing more than to get home. The crying came again. He sighed. "Of course." He stepped into the alley. "Hello?" No answer. He walked deeper. At the end of the alley, he found a little girl sitting beneath a broken awning. She couldn't have been more than eight. She was soaked. Ethan immediately crouched. "Hey." The girl looked at him nervously. "Are you okay?" She nodded. Then shook her head. Ethan took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Where's your mother?" The girl pointed toward the road. "I lost her." Ethan looked around. "What's her name?" "Mommy." He almost smiled. "Okay. That's going to make finding her difficult." The girl stared at him. Ethan pulled out his phone. The screen flickered. Five percent battery. "Perfect." He looked at the girl. "What's your name?" "Lily." "Okay, Lily. I'm Ethan." She hesitated. "Are you a policeman?" Ethan looked down at his wet clothes. "No." "A doctor?" "No." "A superhero?" Ethan considered it. "Not yet." For the first time, Lily smiled. Ethan smiled back. Then his phone died. The screen went black. Ethan stared at it. "You've got to be kidding me." Suddenly, the bracelet around his wrist became hot. Ethan froze. He had almost forgotten about it. The bracelet had belonged to his grandfather. He had worn it for years. It had never done anything. Until now. A strange symbol appeared on its surface. Then a voice sounded inside his head. [Host detected.] Ethan's smile disappeared. "What?" [Conditions satisfied.] [Humanity has been evaluated.] [Host has demonstrated repeated acts of kindness despite personal disadvantage.] Ethan stared into the darkness. "Who are you?" [Answer: I am the Fate System.] A translucent screen appeared before his eyes. Ethan's heart began racing. [FATE SYSTEM] [Host: Ethan Vale] [Fate: Ruined] [Fortune: Extremely Low] [Current Fate Points: 0] Ethan swallowed. "This is a joke." [Incorrect.] "Am I dreaming?" [Probably not.] Ethan blinked. "Probably?" [The System has never been asleep.] Ethan stared at the screen. For the first time that night, something other than despair entered his eyes. Curiosity. The System continued. [The Host has one opportunity.] [Change one person's fate.] Ethan frowned. "Whose?" The screen changed. A map appeared. A red dot blinked several streets away. [There is a man named Marcus Reed.] [He will die in seventeen minutes.] Ethan's expression changed. "What?" [His death will alter the fate of 2,314 people.] [Saving him will alter the fate of 18,902 people.] Ethan stared at the numbers. "Why are you telling me this?" [Because you are the first person in 742 days who met the required conditions.] "Which are?" [You helped someone when you could barely help yourself.] Ethan looked down at Lily. The girl was still wearing his jacket. He looked back at the screen. "And if I save him?" [You will receive your first Fate Point.] "One point?" [One.] "What can I buy with one point?" [Nothing.] Ethan stared. "You're useless." [The System agrees.] Ethan actually laughed. Then the screen changed again. [However...] [The Host may exchange Fate Points for opportunities.] [Not money.] [Not instant power.] [Opportunities.] Ethan's eyes narrowed. "What kind of opportunities?" [That depends on the fate you change.] He looked toward the street. Then at Lily. Then at the blinking red dot on the map. Seventeen minutes. He had no idea who Marcus Reed was. He had no idea why his death mattered. He had no idea what this strange System wanted from him. But there was one thing Ethan knew. Someone was going to die. And if there was even a small chance he could stop it... He couldn't walk away. He stood. "Come on, Lily." "Where are we going?" Ethan looked at the rain pouring over the city. "To save somebody." The System made its final announcement. [First Fate Mission activated.] [Objective: Save Marcus Reed.] [Time remaining: 16 minutes, 42 seconds.] [Failure will permanently alter the Host's fate.] Ethan started running. For the first time in his life... Fate was running with him.