The Ex-convict Rises To Riches

"Whoa! I'm free at last!" Alexander Davies screamed excitedly with his face to the heavens. After taking a deep long breath, he turned around to look at the prison where he had been incarcerated for four long years. He backed up while vowing never to return to this place.

In a taxi on the way back to Nuledo, Alexander fiddled with the ring on his finger as he recalled Willard Edwards' last words to him before he was let out of prison.

"Make sure you keep the ring safe. Two months later, take it to Dragon Island."

Although Alexander had spent a lot of time with Willard while in prison and also learned a lot of things from him, he still didn't know much about the man.

Why was this ring so special that Willard gave it to him with such instructions? Where was Dragon Island? Willard hadn't sat him down to explain this clearly.

All that old man did was throw the ring and a medical book to him just when it was time for him to leave.

Several minutes later, the taxi came to a stop in front of a gated and beautifully decorated community. Alexander picked up his shabby backpack and got out.

Alexander's heart became heavier as he walked to the house that was ingrained in his memory. Mixed feelings surged inside him when he finally came to the door.

Over four years ago, at a graduation party, Sharon Wilson was drugged and almost raped.

Alexander had shown up just as the rapist was about to take advantage of her. Without thinking twice, he knocked out the man and saved Sharon.

Little did Alexander know that the man he knocked out was Victor Johnson, heir of the Johnson family.

The Johnson family was one of the third-tier families in Nuledo. Although Alexander's father also had a company, that didn't make him half as wealthy or powerful as the Johnsons.

Instead of getting rewarded for his good deed, Alexander was framed and sent to prison for four years. It was pretty easy for the Johnson family to do that.

Sharon was not ungrateful, which brought much relief to Alexander.

When she learned that Alexandra was going to be sentenced to prison, she promised him amidst tears that she would wait for him to get out and marry him no matter how long it would take.

Thinking of his fiancee, whom he hadn't seen for four years, Alexander was extremely excited.

"Sharon! Not to worry, I'll make sure no one bullies us from now on," Alexander vowed silently with determination.

He was just about to knock on the door when a moan came from inside.

"Easy there, honey. Don't rub it so hard. Remember the wedding is tomorrow. If you ruin my dress, what will I wear? Be patient. You can fuck me while I'm still in this dress tomorrow night. How does that sound?"

Standing outside the door, Alexander couldn't believe his ears.

The coquettish voice sounded just like that of Sharon-the woman he had been thinking of day and night for the past four years.

"No, it can't be her!" Alexander kicked the door open, hoping that his fiancee wasn't in there.

The sight that greeted him the next second sent him staggering a little.

A woman was in a white full dress as she lay entangled in bed with a man.

The woman was none other than his fiancee, Sharon. And the man was the enemy who had sent him to jail, Victor.

These two were making out in his house.

At the sight of Alexander, Victor was a little taken aback. One would think that he would jump out of bed and run away before things escalated. But he did none of that. Instead, he squeezed Sharon's boobs tighter.

"Wow? Isn't this Alexander Davies? What was prison like for you? Was it like going on a vacation?"

As he spoke, Victor slapped Sharon's buttocks unscrupulously and then laughed complacently.

"You didn't see this coming, did you? What a pity! Sharon crawled into my bed once I sent you to jail. She has been my girl ever since."

Victor's statement was like a punch to Alexander's gut. Despite the sight in front of him, he couldn't believe what he just heard.

He yelled, "Sharon! He is lying, isn't he?"

Sharon blinked at Victor seductively and rubbed his chest as he remained on her. Then, she looked at Alexander with disdain.

"No lies told, Alexander. I came back to my senses right after you were sentenced. Why should I waste my youth waiting on a loser when a better man was available? Well, in case you haven't noticed, Victor and I are getting married tomorrow. Use your head. Get out of here. Don't bother me anymore. I want nothing to do with you!"

Victor echoed disdainfully, "Yes, our wedding is going to be at Majesty Hotel. It's going to be grand. Although you are an ex-con, I won't discriminate against you since you were once Sharon's fiance. You can come to our wedding."

He had barely finished speaking when he was kicked to the floor.

"You motherfucker! I should have killed you back then. How stupid of me!" Alexander withdrew his foot and sneered.

"Hey! How dare you hit my fiance!" Sharon immediately screamed in bed.

"Fiance? You call this pervert your fiance?" Alexander chuckled bitterly. His eyes turned cold again and he headed for Victor.

As soon as Sharon sensed he was going to beat Victor up, she said anxiously, "Let me tell you something you don't know, Alexander! Your parents sold their company, house, and everything they have got just to reduce your sentence. They even begged my fiance for a long time just so he could intervene at the appeal."

Alexander suddenly stopped and looked at Sharon in shock.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me!" Sharon took delight in his stunned expression, so she added complacently, "As we speak, your parents are breaking their backs at the construction site of Southside Road just to pay off their debts. If you lay a finger on Victor now, your family will be doomed. You will all spend the rest of your miserable lives in jail!"

At this moment, Victor found his footing and grinned hideously. "You dared to attack me again? It seems you haven't learned a lesson. I'll finish off your entire family with just a snap of my fingers. Just wait and see!"

"Oh, stop daydreaming. I'll get my lick back when I have time for you," Alexander retorted with a sneer, turned around, and headed for the door.

With his hand on the doorknob, he turned to look at the woman who was still lying on the bed. His eyes were ice-cold.

"Sharon, if you had waited for me just as you had promised, I'd have made you the happiest woman alive. You have made a very big mistake. For breaking my heart and making a fool out of me, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your godforsaken life! Your wedding is tomorrow? And your fiance dares to invite me? Mark my words. That wedding will be a joke!"

After swearing zealously, Alexander pulled off the pendant Sharon had given him before he was sent to prison. He crushed it with his bare hand while staring at her. Afterward, he stormed out without a backward glance.

Alexander stared out the window on the way to the construction site Sharon had mentioned. The new tall buildings, shops, and renovated structures were a clear indication that a lot had changed since he was last a free man.

He took a deep breath and mumbled to himself, "Everything happens for a reason. If I hadn't gotten sent to prison and met Willard reciting a cultivation method called Invincible Formula instead of chatting unreasonably, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to learn from such a great teacher and also become this strong and skillful."

Alexander was already missing that old man even though he had only been out of prison for an hour.

Back then, Willard didn't get mad at Alexander when he found out that the lad understood his words. Instead, he took Alexander under his wing and taught him many things.

In just four years, Alexander managed to master Willard's medical skills, martial arts skills, and treasure-appraising skills. He was almost as good as his teacher.

Now, he clenched his fists and muttered to himself, "It should be pretty easy to finish off those two without leaving a trace. They deserve to die, but I need to set my priorities straight now. Finding my parents comes first."

Revenge could always come later. It was best served cold, after all. Now that he knew that his parents had been suffering because of him, he couldn't just allow that to go on.

Alexander soon arrived at the construction site of Southside Road. From a distance, he spotted a couple sitting on the bare ground with their backs to a concrete wall as they had lunch.

Their lunch was very simple. It comprised a sandwich and a bottle of water.

Alexander quickly ran to them, sank to his knees, and held their legs.

"Dad! Mom! I'm sorry. You have suffered a lot because of me."

Santino Davies and Nadine Davies froze. The second they saw the face of the young man in front of them clearly, their sandwiches in their hands fell to the ground.

"Alex? My son!"

Nadine's body trembled as she reached out to touch her son's face. But when she saw that her hand was dirty and rough, she withdrew it.

Alexander immediately grabbed his mother's hands and put them on his face. At the same time, he nodded vigorously. "Mom, it's really me! I'm back!"

When Alexander remembered that Sharon was the first person he wanted to see after getting released, guilt almost ate him alive. What an unfilial son he was!

"Mom, Dad. It was all my fault! I'm so sorry for dragging you down."

With a look of guilt, Alexander raised his hand, intending to slap himself hard.

Santino grabbed his wrist just in time. There were tears in his eyes as he shook his head. "Don't blame yourself for what happened, Alex. All that is in the past now. I'm just glad that you are now free!"

"This is no big deal. Nothing else matters to us as long as you are alive and free," Nadine echoed with a shrug.

Alexander's heart tightened at his parents' caring words. The loving look on their faces made him put down his hand slowly.

"Did you really sell our company just to get me out?" Alexander looked up at his parents' gaunt faces and asked with concern.

The wrinkles on their faces deepened as they exchanged glances. Finally, Santino took a deep breath and filled Alexander in on what happened within the past four years.

It turned out that Santino had gone to Victor and begged him profusely to let what happened go so Alexander's sentence could be reduced. Victor asked for the sum of four million dollars in return.

At that time, Santino's company wasn't big and he had just bought a new home in Alexander's name. He couldn't afford to pay so much money.

But just to secure his son's release, he sold the company in which he had invested a lot and also their old house for about three million. He gave it all to Victor.

They still owed a few hundreds of thousands. As a result, they took up working at this construction site.

His father's words caused Alexander to frown. Something wasn't adding up. "But what about the house you got me? It should be worth at least one million. Why didn't you sell it?"

When she heard that question, Nadine's shoulders slumped and her face darkened. "Sharon insisted that she bought the house. With the Johnson family on her side, it was impossible for us to take back the house."

"Argh! Those two demons. How dare they claim my house?" Alexander gritted his teeth and growled.

"Calm down, son. I trust that your time in prison has taught you how the world works. Although it's unfair, you must understand that there are some people we can't afford to offend even when they are in the wrong."

"That's unacceptable, Dad!" Alexander shook his head and said angrily, "No one is above being called out! I'm not afraid of either of them. I'll make them pay for what they have done to us. By the time I'm done with them, they would curse the day they were ever born."

"Wait! Alex, let it-"

Just as Santino was about to dissuade his son, a deep male voice interrupted him. "You two are having lunch, huh?"

Alexander turned his head and saw a chubby man in a helmet heading towards them.

Santino leaped to his feet and walked up to him. After a bow, he said, "Mr. Williams, what brings you here at this time of the day?"

"Your salary. You don't even have a smartphone, so I can only pay you two in cash." Rory Williams chuckled, whipped out an envelope from his breast pocket, and stuffed it into Santino's cupped hands.

"Alex, say hello to our foreman Rory Williams. He is very kind to us. He pays us on time, so we can meet up with the deadline for the debt," Nadine hurriedly introduced.

Hearing this, Alexander smiled at Rory and said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Williams. Thanks for being so nice to my parents."

Rory waved his hand humbly. Afterward, he pointed at him. "You are Alexander? Your parents told me a few things about you. They have gone through a lot, so you have to stay out of trouble from now on, okay?"

Alexander nodded obediently. Suddenly, a loud noise came from not too far away.

Everyone turned their heads in that direction. They saw a bald man in a colorful vest with many scary hooligans behind him. The men were wielding clubs and all kinds of harmful objects as they swaggered towards them.

As soon as the other workers who were resting saw them coming, they ran helter-skelter and took cover in the makeshift shelters. The previously lively site suddenly became as quiet as a graveyard.

Santino's face turned white. He sidled up to Rory and whispered, "Mr. Williams, these guys are here for me. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Please get my son to safety."

When Rory tried to do what was requested of him, Alexander didn't agree.

He immediately stood in front of his parents and said in a deep voice, "Dad, Mom, I have got this. I won't let them lay a finger on you. Trust me."

The bald man and his goons gained ground on Alexander and the rest before they knew it. He pointed at them and yelled angrily, "You two oldies! When are you going to grow up? You are old, but you still don't use your brains. Why do I have to come here to demand the money before you will pay? Do I look like a joke to you?"

Seeing this, Rory quickly bypassed Alexander and walked towards the man named Richard Smith. He took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to him with a smile.

"Please don't be angry. It was never their intention to make you come here. I actually just paid them. They were planning on handing it over after lunch, but you came early. What a coincidence!"

Surprisingly, Richard-a chronic smoker-didn't look at the pack of cigarettes. He just slapped it away from Rory's hand.

"You fat man, have you become delusional just because I've shown you some respect before? Do you really now see yourself as a big shot? This is not about you! Get out of my sight! If you piss me off, I'll get my boys to fuck this entire construction site up!" Richard cursed, his saliva splashing on Rory's face.

The smile on Rory's face froze when he saw that Richard was big mad.

Alexander's face darkened and he said, "Mr. Williams, don't worry about us. We'll be fine. You shouldn't get into trouble because of us."

Rory looked back at him. After several beats, he sighed and left helplessly.

Hearing what Alexander said, Richard pushed down his sunglasses and gave him a good stare-down with his eyes squinted.

He smiled and said, "Oh, it's really you, Alexander. I'm Richard Smith. Remember me? The man who lived next door when you were a child!"

"Cut the bullshit! Your face and voice makes me sick!" Alexander snarled with his face contorted.

Richard's face darkened all of a sudden. "Do you think I am here to play? You must think you are something, huh? So arrogant just because you spent a short time in jail!"

As soon as he said those words, his men let out loud peals of laughter. They pointed at Alexander as if he were a clown.

Richard swaggered up to him. Flashing his yellow teeth, he sneered, "I admire your guts, young man. If I were you, I'd be so ashamed to show face here. It's nice that you showed up anyway. Since your parents are already working here, you can start picking up trash on the streets. That way, you would be able to pay off the debt in like ten years. Not bad, right?"

Santino had put up with a lot of humiliation from Richard and his men. He never said a word or fought back when they ganged against him.

But now that they were insulting his son, he couldn't take it at all.

"Fuck you, Richard! You are such an ungrateful bastard. I was nothing but nice to you when I was still living comfortably. I have lost count of how many times I got you out of trouble. But how do you repay me? You became the Johnson family's henchman and have continued to make up lies to torment me. Now, you want to move to my son? Look at yourself. You have turned yourself into just for a few coins. You are worse than a pet dog that can at least wag its tail."

Surprisingly, Richard didn't take offense in that. He just chuckled and said, "Santino, how can you blame me? The one to blame is right under your nose. All this wouldn't have happened if not for this criminal!"

Richard reverted his gaze to Alexander and pointed at his eyes. "You fool! Why did you step on the Johnsons' toes? Don't you know that one of them is way more powerful than all three of you combined? What made you think that you stand a chance against them?"

Richard was so busy being complacent that he didn't notice the storm that already gathered in Alexander's eyes. If looks could kill, Richard would be dead at this moment.

"Did Victor put you up to this?" Alexander suddenly asked.

"Ha! You think Mr. Johnson gives a shit about a loser like you? No one put me up to this. I just don't like scums like you!"

Alexander nodded at those words. Then, he turned to his father. "Dad, you shouldn't have been so harsh to him. Who said he's worse than a dog? He only wags his tail at his master. Doesn't that make him a loyal dog?"

Richard's face changed and then he laughed. "At least, I'm the henchman of someone rich. What are you? A criminal like you doesn't even stand a chance to work any good job. Anyway, your father is right. He was nice to me before. For that, let's make a deal. If you slap yourself until I'm satisfied, I might just forgive you. That reminds me! Mr. Johnson is currently in need of a toilet cleaner. I can put in a good word for you so he can hire you. You'll be perfect for the job."

Hearing this, Alexander held his belly and cackled.

"He needs a toilet cleaner? Why would he need one when you are already eating up his shit? Tired much?"

This clapback made Richard lose his temper. He raised his hand to slap Alexander. "You motherfucker!"

Seeing this, Santino roared, "Richard! Don't even dare lay your filthy hands on my son! Take the money and get the fuck out of here! If you don't leave, I'll call the cops! Do you and your goons want to go on a vacation in jail?"

At the mention of the police, Richard's hand froze in the air. Fear flashed in his eyes. Although he worked for Victor, he was still nothing but a debt collector. The immunity he had was because he worked for the Johnsons. If he got arrested, there was no way they would bail him.

"Okay, hand it over. I'll circle back to that insult later."

As he spoke, Richard shoved Alexander aside and walked to Santino. He snatched away the envelope and opened it.

Richard gave it a quick count. His face darkened immediately. "Are you two old fools trying to trick me? Why is this eight hundred short?"

"No way! We didn't take a single bill from that envelope, so it should be more than the required installment." Nadine panicked instantly.

"This ain't enough!" Richard waved the stack of dollar bills as if it was really nothing and said fiercely, "We collect debts according to the number of debtors. Since this criminal has been released from prison, he has to contribute to offset the debt faster! Listen here. If your son doesn't chip in something, none of you will leave this place even if you call the cops."

With that, Richard gave Nadine a hard push.

Nadine staggered back. If not for Alexander who caught her, she would have crashed to the ground.

"Bastard!" Alexander cursed angrily.