Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

"See you at the courthouse entrance tomorrow morning at 9:00 am. Whoever doesn't show up is a coward," I said.My wife, Celia Lynch, froze for a moment, clearly not expecting me to agree so readily.In her opinion, a loser like me, who ran a tiny lottery shop and scraped by on hard-earned money every month, should have dropped to my knees and cried pitifully the moment I heard her bring up divorce.Celia's mother, Meryl Unwin, spat at my feet and mocked, "Stop trying to act tough. Do you think you can shake us off just by agreeing to divorce?"She took out a piece of paper and a pen from beneath the coffee table.Meryl went on, "Sign this debt assumption agreement. Put it in black and white that you, Zac Lorenz, are the one who incurred the gambling debt of 100 million dollars. State clearly that it has absolutely nothing to do with Celia!"I glanced at the document and found it ridiculous.Celia's useless bum of a younger brother, Timmy Lynch, loafed around all day. He somehow

The bills smacked against my face and scattered into the spilled soup on the floor. All the grease from the soup got onto them.I stared intently at Edwin's arrogant face. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles cracked, and my nails dug deep into my palms.The siren of the ambulance grew louder in the distance, piercing through the noise on the street."Move aside! Everyone move aside!"The medics rushed in carrying a stretcher and quickly began administering emergency treatment to Mom."Her blood pressure is critically high, and her heartbeat is irregular. We must get her to the hospital immediately!" the doctor shouted with a grave expression.I couldn't spare any attention for Edwin or Celia anymore. I scrambled after the stretcher and climbed into the ambulance.As the doors shut, I looked through the window and saw Edwin flashing a victory sign at the livestream camera. Celia leaned against his chest, smiling.At the hospital in the city center, outside the emergenc

Without any warning, Jonah lifted his leg and drove a vicious kick straight into Edwin's stomach.Edwin let out a pig-like squeal as his body folded in half, and he crashed heavily onto the red carpet. The bouquet he had been holding scattered across the ground. The flower petals were soon crushed beneath the men's feet.Celia's face went pale with terror as she screamed and stumbled backward. "What are you doing? How dare you beat up someone in broad daylight? Have you no regard for the law?"Meryl also started wailing at the top of her lungs. "Murder! The mob is murdering people!"Jonah dug at his ear in annoyance and tilted his head toward one of his lackeys. "Drag that pathetic man here."Two burly men walked to the last van and slid the door open. Then, they dragged out a bloodied, battered man and tossed him beside Edwin.The man's clothes were torn to shreds, and his face was swollen and covered in blood. He was nearly unrecognizable.But the moment he let out a weak groa

Harlan's excited voice echoed across the entire courthouse plaza through the reporters' microphones.The scene fell deathly silent. It was as if someone had pressed pause on the world itself—even the wind seemed to stop.Jonah's cigar dropped to the ground, and the ashes scattered around in sparks. Edwin's mouth hung wide open, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Celia and Meryl became frozen like statues."1-120 million?" Celia muttered to herself, her voice trembling uncontrollably.Her eyes were locked onto the enormous ceremonial check, staring at the endless string of zeros.Harlan enthusiastically shoved the check into my hands before turning toward the media cameras and saying, "Mr. Lorenz not only possesses extraordinary vision, but he also has an incredible mindset! Even in the face of such an astronomical prize, he remains humble and calm. "Let's give Mr. Lorenz another round of applause!"Camera flashes went off in a frenzy, capturing my calm expression alo

Mom sighed and accepted the apple, saying nothing more.She was a kind person, but being kind did not mean she was all right with anything or that she had no boundaries. The shove from Celia had severed the last remaining bond between them as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.Three months later, Mom made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital.Using the prize money, I bought a luxury apartment with a garden in a wealthy downtown residential area and a low-key black Mercedes. I didn't close the lottery shop. Instead, I hired a manager to run it while I started studying investments and financial management myself.Life had finally returned to normal. The chaotic past felt like something from a lifetime ago.On the first day of winter, light snow drifted down from the sky. I drove Mom to the mall to stock up on some winter clothes.As we came out of the underground parking garage and passed the garbage collection station behind the mall, I caught sight of a familiar f