The system king

"You’re pathetic, Aiden. You’re twenty-four and still can’t afford to buy me a proper dress." Tina’s voice sliced through the small apartment like broken glass. Aiden Cross stood in the doorway. He was soaked in sweat from a fifteen-hour shift, clutching a paper bag with a cheap chocolate cake inside. It was her birthday. He had hoped to put a smile on her face. Instead, she turned her back to him, admiring her reflection in the full-length mirror he bought with borrowed money. "I'm doing my best," he muttered. His voice was barely above a whisper. Tina laughed, mocking him cruelly. “Your best? You clean toilets, deliver takeout, and load cement sacks. That’s not a life, Aiden. That’s barely surviving.” Aiden’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. His muscles ached. His bank account was empty. Even his pride was long gone. The room was filled with fashion sketches and designer fabric. That was everything Tina claimed she needed to launch her dream brand. She had dreams, and so did he. The difference was that he had to sacrifice for hers. He remembered the promises she made. “Just help me now,” she once said with a tender voice, curling up beside him, “and I’ll make sure we both shine.” He believed her. And that was his first mistake. ………… Years Earlier… The accident was on a rainy Friday night. Aiden was only eleven when the police came to the orphanage and told him that both his parents had died in a crash. His father was a failed businessman who once dreamed of becoming the next business tycoon. He had died with unpaid debts and a broken ambition. The world didn’t care. With no relatives to claim him, Aiden grew up in the underfunded Ashridge Orphanage, where his dreams were mocked more than they were encouraged. “You think you’re going to be rich someday?” the older boys used to sneer. “You’ll be lucky if you can afford your own shoes.” But Aiden never let go of his father’s final words, “Dream big, son. Even when the world tries to crush you.” ………. Present Day Aiden took up three jobs. He had Zero sleep and mountains of debt on his neck. He worked at a construction site on weekdays, delivered packages in the evenings, and washed cars on weekends. Every cent he earned went into Tina’s business. He even pledged his father's old wristwatch which stood as his last memory of the man for an industrial sewing machine Tina insisted she needed. But every time he handed over the money, she handed him disdain. “You’re such a leech,” she’d say when he asked for even a little money for lunch. “Leech. Useless. Deadweight.” He heard those words every day, but yet, he stayed with her. He stayed because if Tina succeeded, maybe, just maybe he would finally prove that he was worth something. Maybe then the world would stop laughing at the orphan boy who thought he could matter. ……… That night, Aiden stood outside the Grand Horizon Hotel, gripping a single rose and a velvet box with a cheap silver bracelet inside. It had taken him three weeks of tips to buy it just to surprise his girlfriend since it's her birthday today. He walked into the lobby with his heart pounding against his chest. Tina hadn’t told him about the party, but he overheard her bragging on a phone call earlier that week. All he wanted was to surprise her. The party was on the rooftop. It was exclusive, elegant and loud with laughter. Aiden stepped into the middle of wealthy twenty-somethings and blinking lights. His ceap shirt is sticking to his skin. Then he saw her. Tina was laughing hard. Her head tilted backwards and her eyes glistened, not at him, but at the man standing beside her, Rico Vale, the young billionaire. He's a trust fund prince who owned half the startups in the city. And he had his hand wrapped on Tina’s waist. Aiden’s heart dropped. He stepped closer, forcing a smile. “Tina…” he called her name. She turned and her face froze. The crowd went silent. “Aiden?” she sneered. “What the hell are you doing here?” She raised her eyebrows. “I… I came to give you this.” He held out the bracelet like a fool offering garbage to royalty. Laughter erupted amongst the people who were watching him. Rico smirked. “Is this the poor ex you told me about, babe?” “Ex?” Aiden blinked. Tina stepped away from Rico, grabbed the bracelet, and tossed it into the punch bowl. “You really thought this would impress me? A $10 trinket from a roadside stall? I’m dating a billionaire now.” Aiden felt the air leave his lungs. “I sacrificed everything for you,” he said with a trembling voice. “I took loans and worked nonstop because I believed in you.” Tina rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and look where that got us. You’re a failed project, Aiden. A loser with big dreams. You’re not a man, you’re just a stepping stone. And I’ve stepped over you.” Rico chuckled, raising his champagne glass. “Happy birthday, Tina. Cheers to trading up.” The crowd erupted in cruel laughter. Aiden couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. His ears rang with Tina’s final words, "I’m done with you." Rico kissed her right before him. Aiden forced the saliva down his throat. He walked out of the place with his head dangled below. While walking home, he was suddenly attacked and then, he black out! ……. The next evening, Aiden sat on a damp warehouse floor with his wrists tied behind his back. His body ached from the ambush. A black van had pulled up as he walked home, and masked men had thrown him in like a sack of garbage. Now, Victor Bale stood before him - the infamous loan shark he owed most of the money to. He was dressed in a sharp black coat, with a cigarette in his hand. Victor’s face was extremely fierce and intimidating. “I gave you fifteen days,” Victor said, puffing some smoke into Aiden’s face. “Fifteen days to repay what you owe me.” “I…I don’t have it,” Aiden croaked. “I was betrayed. I gave everything to my girlfriend. She promised me…” “Promises?” Victor scoffed immediately. “You think I collect promises?” “I just need time,” Aiden pleaded. “Please. I’ll work double. Triple shifts. I’ll….” Victor raised a hand, silencing him. “I’ve heard this sob story before, Orphan boy with Dead parents. Boo hoo. You think that makes you special?” “No… I just…” Victor stepped closer, crouching in front of Aiden. “Let me tell you something about the world, boy. The poor stay poor because they keep begging. The rich? We take what we want.”