Diary of a Poor Billionaire

CHAPTER 5: He Beat His Own Son

-Third Person POV-

Meanwhile, at the Grand Jewel Hotel

A man, who was in his forties, was comfortably sitting in a swivel chair while sipping a cup of coffee. One could see the jubilant face he wore that made him looked like he was back in his thirties. Alas! How could he not be happy if he saw in front of him the proof of his success? On that day, he managed to get a spot in the newly-built Seattle Pacific Mall.

He put down his coffee and savored every air he could breathe. His gaze fell down the streets below through the transparent glass wall. Just by the sight of it made him feel almighty.

“It was many years ago when I was one of them, dreaming to be on the top of the world. And now, here I am who still can’t believe I really made it,” he murmured to himself.

The man was none other than the owner of the hotel, Lowie Young. He was a prominent man, being the fourth richest man in the world. Other than the world-renowned Grand Jewel, he also owned the fastest growing social platform named LiveBook Community. He also became the newest CEO of the Apple Inc.

And it all thanks to Michael Moore. Who would have thought that the one he looked down in college was actually this wealthy, not to mention he owned one third of the world’s asset?

Back in college, Michael and him weren’t that close, and they weren’t enemies either. In fact, he was already in third year when he first knew Michael because the latter was not popular in campus, and it wasn’t a good start.

Lowie had been pursuing Melinda Miller, a campus belle at that time. One could say that Melinda was the hardest girl to get. Every man in class was interested in her. However, none of them succeeded because she always rejected them before the latter could express their feelings.

But everyone was shocked when, one day, Melinda was seen dating Michael Moore. And it wasn’t just a normal date; it seemed like they really liked each other.

Upon seeing them, Lowie was enraged. How could Michael, a poor man, managed to court Melinda when many rich men couldn’t? At that moment, all Lowie could think was to get a chance to take revenge towards Michael.

Though the couple was happy with their relationship, they experienced hardships because of Lowie. They were humiliated every time Lowie saw them together.

The feud continued until they finished college. Michael and Melinda soon announced they were going to get married months after graduation.

Unbeknownst to them, Lowie had already plotted a way to stop the wedding. He was desperate to get Melinda even though he humiliated her many times. Even so, he didn’t miss a night to think about her. Knowing that only few people attended the wedding, he was confident that he could assassinate Michael without harming anyone. He borrowed a sniper from his friend.

And so, the plan was executed at the time of the wedding. Lowie could see that he was successful in his attempt and believed that Michael was dead. The whole ceremony was in total chaos. All of them were shocked to see Michael being shot. Immensely satisfied, he left the spot he’s hiding.

It was many months later when Lowie tried to approach Melinda even though he was already married to the daughter of his father’s business partner and he had a child. He even met Melinda’s sister named Vilma and he received help from her in courting her sister. But he failed again. And he also knew that Melinda was pregnant with Michael’s child.

Even so, he tried every chance but failed all the time.

Four years later, a strange thing happened in his house. He came home after work only to find out that the house seemed empty. His wife and his son were not there. He panicked, knowing that it was the first time they left home without permission. He tried to find them in every room, but he only managed to find a sticky note in their bedroom.

The note seemed strange at first glance because he knew his wife never used sticky notes. He was eager to read the note, believing that maybe his wife started using it to tell him where they wanted to go. But it proved him wrong.

Instead, he almost passed out when he read it. The note told him that someone kidn*pped his wife and his son and that he would go to the address given for some negotiation. He went there alone, thinking that bringing accomplices would harm his wife and his son.

Lowie could not forget that day. The address given was the famous Four Seasons Hotel which was bought and owned by a mysterious Mr. Moore. He was confused; how could a kidnap take place here?

He went to the room indicated. As he entered the room, he could see a grand chandelier on the ceiling and everything inside bore an extravagant aura. Even the chairs looked exquisite. That room alone costs ten million dollars.

Lowie was shocked to find his wife and his son sitting on the dining area. He was confused beyond imagination. Then a man walked in, carrying a wine. He was not just an ordinary man—it was Michael Moore, and he connected the dots that Michael was the mysterious Mr. Moore whom the whole Washington was talking about!

“Lowie dear, you’re here. It’s so nice of your friend to treat us here. Come sit, he was about to invite you anyway,” he still remembered every word his wife said.

His knees seemed to collapse when he felt the intense gaze from Michael. But he tried to compose himself in front of his wife. He went straight to the table beside her.

Although the dinner seemed to be festive, Lowie knew what it meant all about. It’s a threat to him, knowing that the matter between him and Michael was not resolved yet. Even though he was not seen during the assassination, he knew that Michael had enough manpower to investigate the incident. This dinner was Michael’s way to intimidate him, to show how powerful Michael was.

And his suspicion was confirmed. Michael was staring interestingly at his wife and his son all the time. Michael sometimes looked at him meaningfully. At that time, Lowie couldn’t hold it anymore and he blurted out suddenly.

“M-michael, can w-we talk after dinner?” Lowie had no choice but to do anything just to save his family.

“Of course, I’m sure we have much to catch up after four years of not seeing each other, right?” Michael said while smirking maliciously. Lowie nodded and he could feel sweaty even though the room was cold.

After dinner, Lowie urged his wife to come home first as he still had matters to discuss with Michael, and the latter didn’t notice any suspicion.

Upon his wife’s departure, Michael broke up the silence, “You have such a lovely wife and a sweet child. I wonder what you feel if something happen to them.”

“What do you mean? Of course I would be devastated. I love my family more than anything,” he replied nervously, trying to beat around the bushes.

“Oh cut the pretense, my friend. First, you’re still in love with my wife, am I right? Your love towards your wife is delusional,” Michael said coldly, every word was pronounced clearly. “Second, I’m afraid you have forgotten what you’ve done to me.”

After saying those words, Lowie could feel his world shattered. He knew how powerful Michael was at that time and only a snap of his fingers could bring down Lowie’s family, including his parents and anyone with close ties with him. Hence, Lowie had no choice but to forget his dignity for the sake of his family.

“P-please spare my family, Mr. Moore. I h-have wronged you, I’m s-sorry. Please spare them and I will be forever grateful to you. Please. I will do anything in return,” Lowie kneeled pitifully in front of Michael, tears were flowing endlessly.

“Do you think it is that easy to forget? It’s been four years since you separate me from Melinda and now you’re asking for a mere apology? Tsk . . .” Michael said as cold as ever. “I’m afraid you can’t do anything for me. Even your qualifications are lower than my housekeepers.”

“Well, then, take my life instead. Please, I’m begging you Mr. Moore.”

“Hahaha! Sacrificing your life in exchange for that woman you never ever loved? How pathetic! Your life is not even that worthy,” replied Michael menacingly.

Lowie was totally desperate. No matter what he offered, he couldn’t avoid Michael’s wrath. But still, he pleaded incessantly in front of Michael.

“If you want, I will take care of your son. I will do everything just to keep him safe,” cried Lowie.

At that moment, Lowie noticed the changes in Michael’s expression upon hearing his words.

“I have a son? How come? No, you’re just cooking it up,” said Michael alarmingly.

Hearing Michael’s change of tone, Lowie could see some chance that Michael would spare him. He said, “Yes, you have. I know you are already aware that Melinda has a child, but what you have to know is that you’re the father of that kid.”

Knowing that this was the only chance that Lowie had, he added, “So please let me do you a favor of protecting your son. I know how devastated you are when the wedding was called off because of me, and now I will do anything to pay it off.”

Michael seemed to be contemplating it for a moment. And then said, “Okay, good thing I can easily forgive. I’ll give you the task of protecting my son, but you have to promise me that his identity will be incognito to anyone, or he might face immense danger.”

“Thank you so much Mr. Moore. I will be forever in debt to you.” Lowie was so delighted. He never thought he could get out of his predicament.

“Oh and by the way, you’ll transfer the ownership of all your companies to me. And I will put you as the manager. Is that clear?” said Michael indifferently.

“No problem, Mr. Moore. I’ll transfer it when I reach home. Thank you so much,” said Lowie delightedly. “Oh yes. Your son’s name is Erick John Miller.”

Even though he experienced too much loss at that time for giving up the ownership of his companies, who knew he might have a bright future with his connection to Michael. All he had to do was to give his best to protect Michael’s son.

Hence, starting from that day, Lowie was extremely loyal to Michael. He tried every opportunity he had to impress Michael. At one time, he saw an opportunity when Erick Miller was bullied in his first year in high school. Lowie covertly pushed the bully’s family into bankruptcy. Every time Erick was bullied, Lowie did something to his bully’s family without the former’s knowledge.

For years of being Michael’s best subordinate, he was able to make foundations for himself. He first became the newest CEO of the Apple, Inc. with the help of Michael. He gained lots of money from it which made him able to build the Grand Jewel with six branches all over the United States. Just a year after, Lowie hired the best engineers from around the world to create the software called LiveBook Community and soon made it an application in android versions.

It was not surprising when Lowie became the fourth richest man in the world. Since then, he was always grateful towards Michael and the latter also favored him because of his enthusiasm in his work and his loyalty. No one would know that the two had a dark past which led them to their relationship now.

For quite a while, Lowie hadn’t notice the telephone ringing. The present Lowie was still in his thoughts about the incident 15 years ago. He couldn’t help it but smile and felt proud.

The telephone rang again. This time, it had caught Lowie’s attention and he picked it up.

“Hello, what can I do for you?” said Lowie with enthusiasm.

“This is Mr. Albert. It’s my displeasure to tell you that your son had offended and hurt Mr. Erick during lunch. You already know the consequences, I presume,” said the other line.

Bang…

The telephone was slipped out of Lowie’s clutch. Suddenly, he couldn’t breathe as if a force was sucking the air out of his lungs. His face turned pale and he twitched nervously.

Impossible! How could it be?

Lowie could not believe that all his hard work would go to waste in just one call. And worse, it was his own son who led him into big trouble. No matter how much he loved his son, it was nothing when their future was at stake.

After he recovered from shock, he quickly called his son, Justin, to come over at his headquarters. Even though he was reluctant, it was obvious that Mr. Albert would like to see some punishments because of the incident.

“Dad, what happened? Why are you mad?” said Justin cautiously when he entered the room.

“Who did you hurt today?” said his father coldly. “Tell me or I will disown you, you little piece of sh*t.”

Cold sweat was now visible on Justin’s face. He was confused and hurt. How come his father accused something like it was a big deal? He never did anything wrong today; or at least, nothing that his father accused him of.

“N-nothing. I never did anything wrong today. How can you suspect I did something worse, dad?” said Justin, almost tear-eyed when he saw how his father reprimanded him.

“Continue to deny it, huh? Did you know how much damage you’ve caused?”

“Dad, I don’t understand. Why are you so mad at me? What damage are you talking about?” said Justin. He seemed very confused.

“Sigh. I know you hurt someone named Erick, right?” said Lowie, sounding defeat. “I guess it’s time for you to know the truth.”

Justin was shocked when he heard the name Erick, especially because it came from his father’s mouth. The one his father talked about must be Erick Miller, the one he punched earlier.

Lowie told everything to his son about Erick. At first, Justin couldn’t believe a pimp like Erick had such a huge background. But as Lowie told him about how Erick and his mother were separated from Michael Moore, he began to see the whole picture. He was horrified beyond the core when he heard it from his dad.

“So, what are we going to do now, dad?” asked Justin dreadfully.

“I’m afraid you have to take the punishment alone, son. I always love you, but you have to take it or else we’ll face much trouble later. Please forgive me after this,” said his father.

“What do you mean?” asked Justin, looking confused.

Instead of answering him, Lowie called his three bodyguards through PA. Once the bodyguards entered the room, Justin was sweating coldly. He knew what this meant.

“Bat my son twenty times and video-record it. Once you’re done, send the video to Mr. Albert,” said Lowie with authority and the guards were shocked by his order. Reluctantly, they obeyed their boss. One of them got the baseball bat from Justin’s cabinet.

Justin, who heard his father’s order, was extremely terrified. ‘How powerful was Erick to make my dad act like that?’ He knew his father’s order was an edict, so he couldn’t persuade his dad to bend his order.

“D-dad p-please . . .” Justin begged in vain.

“Take him away from me,” said Lowie. The bodyguards did what they were told and Justin was wailing desperately to his dad, but the latter just ignored him.

The truth was that Lowie was also hurt when he saw his son being beaten. But he knew better that without punishment, they would be in serious trouble.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of Four Seasons Hotel . . .

-Erick’s POV-

Tina and I had arrived at Four Seasons Hotel. It was my first time to get inside a hotel as big as this. I never thought that the hotel I dreamed to enter was right in front of me.

I felt anxious as we went up to upper levels. Perhaps because the most prominent man in Seattle was actually my father. I only felt reassured because Tina was beside me.

“You all right, Young Master?” asked Tina all of the sudden.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t mind me,” I replied.

“All of this might be sudden to you, but rest assured I’ll help you stand on your grounds. I’m sure your father is excited to see you.”

“Thanks, Miss Tina.”

The ping from the elevator was heard and we went out from it. A magnificent hallway was greeting us; paintings were hanged from both sides. Two bodyguards were joining us as we walked through the hallway.

It took us ten minutes before we arrived in my father’s accommodation. This room seemed very different from the rest below, and it seemed that this part was not actually open to public, more like a permanent residential hall. Even the outside was elegantly designed.

Miss Tina stopped in front of the door and beckoned the guards to enter the room first to ask for permission. A placard was placed on the door and the name Michael Moore was engraved on it.

I stood there, waiting. My anxiety grew to some extent, knowing that I will be facing my long-lost supposedly-dead father. Who would have thought that the famous Michael Moore was my father? Even until now, I thought all of these were just part of a dream.

“What will I say to him, Miss Tina? I don’t know how to approach him,” I said nervously.

“Come on; think of it as a normal father-son convo. I’m sure your dad will be fine with that. I guess he would be happier in that way,” she said confidently, but I still felt doubt.

“I don’t know. It’s still seemed complicated at this stage,” I said. There’s some truth about that, I guess. It would be weird if I just greet him casually like we’ve never been separated, right?

“Well then, let your father initiate it. Just make sure you will not act either too formal or too casual,” said Miss Tina.

“Alright.”

Just then, the two guards reappeared.

“Miss Smith, Mr. Moore has granted your permission. You can enter now,” said the guard with the nametag Gordon.

“Are you ready, Young Master?” said Miss Tina with a smile.

I smiled back and heaved a big sigh. “Let’s go.”