Chapter 5 Sign This

"Darius, he just said he's not getting a divorce. Do you think he suspects something?" Linda typed quickly as her eyes repeatedly darted to the window warily.

Darius' answer came a moment later. "I don't think so. He's been none the wiser for the last few years."

"He's been acting strange today. I mean it." She bit her lip as her eyes bored holes into Anthony's shut room. "You know he used to be a trust fund baby. He was arrogant, overbearing, and malicious. He might kill me if he finds out about us."

This time, Darius's response took a little longer to arrive. "Just keep him happy. He gives you money every month. You can ask Tim to check if he's getting suspicious."

She stared at the screen, her finger hovering over the keyboard for a long, long while. "You never did anything for me or Tim. You're divorced, yet you still won't let us live with you?"

"You know you always have a place in my heart. My divorce is just the first step of my plan. Calm down. We'll become a proud couple soon enough. This is a crucial time. Make sure to keep your husband fooled."

Her face fell. That wasn't the answer she wanted. A flash of resentment flickered to life in her eyes as she thought hatefully, 'Men. They're all the same.'

Still, she replied with a curt "Okay" a while later. Then, she tucked her phone away and strode into the living room like nothing ever happened.

…

Anthony had no clue what schemes were afoot. He was more invested in the news Samuel sent him.

"Found the Black Audi Q7 guy. The owner's Darius Thompson, who's 32 years old. He's recently divorced. He runs a renovation company and lives in Bresenia's new development, Champ-Elysees Park. His house is Building 12, No. 704. I'll stake it out tomorrow."

That was the answer Anthony had been looking for.

Linda had monkey-branched and found an exit, which meant that he, her loyal slave, had outlived his worth. Then again, that wasn't quite right, was it?

After all, she had planned to use Timothy to bleed him dry.

He didn't want to imagine how hellish his life would be if he had never learned the truth, considering how Timothy knew he was someone else's child and helping his mother hide the truth.

Anthony thought, 'Can’t he learn to appreciate everything I've done for him? Fine. I’ll raise him into a heartless ingrate who bites the hand that feeds him.'

He chose to look on the bright side, letting go of the negative emotions, and went to bed.

He slept like a baby that night.

It was already 9 a.m. by the time he got up. The house was quiet, which meant Timothy must've gone to school.

Anthony went into the main bedroom and rummaged through the nightstand. Eventually, he found the insurance that listed Timothy as the beneficiary. He would cancel the policy as soon as he could and would rather use the extra money on himself.

He then took a shower, shaved, got ready, and checked his reflection. He looked like a different person, but what was the point without a new way of life?

First, he went to a restaurant for a 200-dollar breakfast.

That was when he had an epiphany.

'I shouldn't live my life like it's for someone else. I should live my life comfortably. I was nice to her because I thought she would be nice to me. I should've been kind to myself from the start. There's no middleman involved.'

After that, he wasted no time acting on it by going to the insurance company and renegotiating the terms and conditions. Alas, he only got 600 grand out of it, which meant he lost out on 400 grand.

Still, that was Linda's tab once they got a divorce. After all, Timothy wasn't his, so he had no right to Anthony's money.

Anthony didn't dwell on his losses too much. Once the papers were processed, he promptly left the insurance company and went to a used car dealership.

He sold his Passat for 55 grand there before walking to the BMW dealership next door and paying a 300 grand down payment for an X5.

The loan came out to a total of 480 grand, and it would be paid back over five years. That would cost 8,000 every month, which just so happened to be how much he had been giving Linda every month.

When Anthony slid into the driver's seat, he couldn't help but be reminded that his first-ever car was also an X5.

He eventually switched to a Range Rover, but he sold that car when his family went bankrupt. He couldn't exactly afford flashy cars back then. He wasn't going to get anything flashier either. Plus, it was better to lay low if he didn't have the money to show for it.

Rich people without any power or influence would face grisly ends. He had heard horror stories about how other companies had been set up and taken over for free, just like his family's.

He drove to a mall and bought himself some clothes. He felt a lot better after his shopping spree.

Then, he went to his workplace to hand in his resignation letter.

Anthony's boss just sighed. He muttered that Anthony should think before making a leap of faith. Still, anyone with eyes could tell that he didn't really care, what with how his hands didn't falter when he approved Anthony's resignation.

And so, Anthony would be released from the job in a month. He didn't really care about work since he now had two billion to have a fresh start in life.

Besides, he'd supported Linda and her boy for seven years. It was really about time for her to support him now that he was suddenly jobless.

…

Rachel called him during lunch. "Please come to the firm when you're available, Mr. Crestellan. We've made progress."

Anthony had to squash down his excitement as he got into his new car and went to the financial district. Unlike his previous visit, he no longer looked unkempt. Instead, he was now in smart casual wear.

Although he didn't groom himself to perfection, the way he carried himself had drastically changed. There was no dejection in his eyes, only confidence.

Rachel politely asked him to take a seat and asked her assistant to serve him coffee. Anthony stopped them and requested plain water.

After the assistant was gone, Rachel sat on the couch across from him and slid a thick pile of files over.

"We founded a shell company in Porton. Eternium Capital, and it has 50 million Porton dollars as its founding fund."

Rachel went straight to business, but there was a curious glint in her eyes when she looked at Anthony. Nevertheless, she knew it was unprofessional to pry into her client's private matters. So, she only talked about the matter at hand.

He took the files and flipped through them.

…

After about 15 minutes of reading, he looked up and smiled. "You move faster than I expected."

"I don't like to drag things out." Rachel reached for the scattered files and pointed at them. "However, I have two issues I'd like to discuss with you. First off, to maximize your profit, the Bitcoins will be split into ten batches in order to maximize your profits, with every batch coming to about four to five hundred.

"So, it'll take two months to make sure the market isn't heavily affected by your decision to cash in. That way, we'll be able to fly under risk control's radar.

"Secondly, and this is the snag. Once you get the money, we'll have to explain how you got it. What story will you go with?" Rachel looked at Anthony, waiting for his suggestion.

He was pleased that she'd laid things out so clearly. He met her eyes and said calmly, "I'm going with a round-trip investment."

She arched her eyebrow in surprise as her lips curled, asking, "You'll make the company look like it has Porton investors?"

He leaned on the back of the couch. "The Porton company will register as a foreign-invested entity in Bresenia. That way, it'll seem like it's pumping the money in via consultation fees or share transfers."

She fell silent for a moment before shrugging. "It looks like you've done your homework. I'll create the framework according to your plan."

"I was in debt for years," replied Anthony matter-of-factly. "People like us might as well have calculators in our brains."

Rachel smiled for the first time since they'd first met. It was just the barest quirk of her lips, but it still made her look softer. Anthony had a mountain of wealth, but he wasn't pretentious. He might be young, but she had a feeling he had seen far more of his share of cruel reality.

She couldn't help but wonder what made him this way. Still, that wasn't any of her business. So, she cast those thoughts aside as she snapped the file shut.

Then, she took a contract out of her drawer. "Then, please sign this. If everything goes well, you'll get 25 million Amestrian dollars after five days. It'll be transferred into the Porton account."

Anthony said nothing more. He went through the files carefully and signed the contract that would change his life for the better.