Chapter 1 Worst day ever

Unlike any other day, tonight was a busy night at the Estana Five-Star Restaurant. Jay stood by the kitchen counter, about to pick up another order. He had been moving nonstop since his shift started.

The restaurant always became crowded on Friday evenings because that was when people usually took their dates or partners out for a nice dinner, and Estana was one of the most popular places in the area due to its high standards and luxurious atmosphere.

Jay picked up the order and glanced at the receipt tucked beneath the plate, notifying him that the order was for Table 9.

Balancing the tray carefully in his hands, he stepped out of the kitchen into the brightly lit restaurant hall. The soft sound of piano music filled the air while couples laughed quietly over glasses of expensive wine. Waiters moved swiftly between tables, carrying steaming dishes and bottles worth more than Jay’s monthly salary.

Jay let out a tired sigh and adjusted his grip on the tray. His legs were already aching from hours of nonstop work, but he couldn’t afford to complain. Missing a single order or making one mistake could cost him a month salary or even worst, his job, and right now, this job was the only thing keeping him alive.

As he approached Table 9, his footsteps slowly came to a stop and the little smile he had on his face froze instantly the moment he saw who was seated on it.

Sitting at table 9 was his girlfriend, Vanessa.

But she wasn’t alone.

A well-dressed man sat across from her, wearing a costly black suit with a shining silver watch wrapped around his wrist. Vanessa laughed softly at something the man said before reaching across the table to touch his hand affectionately.

Jay felt his chest tighten painfully seeing that.

For a moment, his mind went completely blank making the tray in his hands trembled slightly as disbelief filled his eyes.

Vanessa, the same woman who told him that she was too busy today to see him was here having dinner with another man.

“Vanessa” her name slipped out of his mouth unconsciously.

“Jay...” 

Vanessa replied, caught between shock and disbelief. She knew Jay worked as a waiter, but she had never imagined he could get a job at a five-star restaurant like this. That alone showed how lowly she truly thought of him.

“What are you doing here? I... I thought you said you were going to your grandpa’s birthday,” Jay asked, expecting some kind of logical explanation.

“Jay, I umm...” Vanessa opened her mouth, desperately trying to come up with a lie—anything to cover her shame.

But before she could speak, the man sitting across from her suddenly chuckled.

“Well well well, so this is that good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend you told me all about?” the man said with a mocking smirk.

Hearing this, Jay turned sharply toward him.

“What do you mean… ex?” Jay asked slowly, completely stunned by the man’s words. Because as far as he was consigned, he and Vanessa were still dating.

Jay quickly glanced back at vanessa hoping for her to say something, any thing that would make sense of this but she quickly avoided his gazed.

That single reaction was enough to make Jay’s heart sink.

The man leaned back comfortably in his chair, clearly enjoying the situation. “Come on, men. Don’t tell me she hasn't dumped you yet.”

Jay ignored him and kept staring at Vanessa. “Vanessa what's he talking about?”

Vanessa bit her lower lip nervously before finally speaking in a low voice.

“Jay I was going to tell you.”

“T-tell me what?”

“That we’re over.”

Those words hit harder than a truck.

Jay stood there frozen, unable to process what he had just heard.

“We’re over?” he repeated blankly. “Vanessa what are you saying? We literally talked yesterday.”

Vanessa sighed impatiently, as though she was already tired of explaining herself.

“Jay, look around you,” she said while gesturing toward the luxurious restaurant. “Do you really think I can keep dating someone like you forever?”

Jay’s fingers tightened around the tray.

“Someone like me?”

“Yes,” Vanessa replied coldly this time. “You’re twenty-four years old and still working as a waiter. You have no car, no house, no future. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with someone that has no future. Besides am not getting any younger and I need someone who could provide and care for me.”

Every word pierced into Jay like a knife.

The man beside her smirked proudly before wrapping an arm around Vanessa’s waist possessively.

“Vanessa deserves better,” he said arrogantly. “Not some broke waiter carrying food from table to table.”

Several nearby customers had already begun watching the scene unfold. Some whispered quietly among themselves while others simply stared at Jay with pity.

Jay felt humiliated.

His face burned with embarrassment, but the pain in his chest hurt even more.

After everything he had sacrificed for Vanessa. After all the overtime shifts, the sleepless nights, the money he saved countless times just to make her happy. This was how she chose to end things.

In public.

Like he was nothing.

“Vanessa please..., we can talk this out. I love you,” Jay said, completely shattered by the situation.

“I’m sorry, Jay, but I can’t spend the rest of my life with a loser like you,” Vanessa replied coldly as she reached for the man’s hand.

“Edward, on the other hand, is a wealthy businessman with standards. He’s more caring and loving than you will ever dream to be. So stop making a scene and do your damn job.”

Jay felt hopeless hearing those words come from her.

He had never imagined Vanessa could be this ruthless.

The woman he cared deeply and would have done anything for was now looking at him like he was trash beneath her feet.

For a brief moment, Jay felt like the entire restaurant was spinning around him. The whispers from nearby tables grew louder in his ears, and he could feel dozens of eyes staring at him mockingly.

His pride was being crushed right there in front of everyone.

Feeling utterly embarrassed, Jay did the only thing he could do.

He carefully placed their orders on the table.

“Enjoy your food,” he said with a smile before walking away.

But the smile was so forced that anyone paying close attention could easily tell it was fake.

The moment he turned around, the warmth disappeared from his face completely.

His expression became hollow.

Behind him, Edward suddenly laughed loudly.

“Pathetic,” he muttered while cutting into his expensive steak.

Jay returned to the kitchen area and stopped in the hallway, resting his back against the wall to steady himself.

His breathing was uneven.

Everything that had just happened felt so unreal to him.

Vanessa’s cold words kept replaying endlessly inside his head like a broken recording.

"I can’t spend the rest of my life with a loser like you."

Jay clenched his trembling fists tightly.

For a few minutes, he simply stood there silently, staring blankly at the floor before he finally forced himself together, taking a deep breath before walking straight toward the kitchen counter to continue his shift.

But the moment he stepped forward, he heard his name being called.

“Jay.”

He turned around immediately and found Mr. Tanshin standing right behind him, his expression caught somewhere between anger and disappointed pity.

“What the hell did you think you were doing, causing a scene at Table 9?” Mr. Tanshin demanded.

“I wasn’t causing a scene, it was—”

“Don’t… I don’t want to hear it,” Mr. Tanshin snapped, cutting him off before he could finish.

“Do you have any idea who that man is? That’s Edward Devin—a well-known businessman and a close friend of this restaurant owner.”

Mr. Tanshin took a deep breath before continuing.

“I’m sorry, Jay. You’re a hardworking kid… but Mr. Edward wants you gone. Pack your things. You’re fired.”

Jay froze completely.

“M-Mr. Tanshin…”

But the manager couldn’t even meet his eyes.

Without another word, Mr. Tanshin turned around and walked away.

Jay stood there in stunned silence. he had just been fired just like that because Edward said so. 

Something inside Jay finally snapped.

Anger exploded through his chest, overpowering the humiliation and heartbreak.

Without thinking, he stormed out of the kitchen and headed straight toward the restaurant hall.

When he arrived, he spotted Edward and Vanessa already leaving through the restaurant exit.

Jay immediately followed them outside.

“Why?” Jay shouted the moment he caught up to them. “Why did you ask Mr. Tanshin to fire me?!”

Edward slowly turned around with a smug smile on his face.

“Well because I can,” he replied arrogantly, as though controlling people’s lives amused him.

That single sentence instantly enraged Jay.

“How dare you?!” Jay roared. “That job was all I had!”

Before anyone could react, Jay threw a punch straight at Edward’s face.

BAM!

The punch landed hard, nearly knocking Edward to the ground.

“What are you doing, you moron?!” Vanessa screamed in panic while trying to support Edward, whose nose was now bleeding heavily.

Edward staggered backward before glaring at Jay with murderous fury.

“What are you idiots standing there for?!” Edward yelled toward the two bodyguards beside his car. “Deal with him!”

The bodyguards moved instantly.

Before Jay could react, they grabbed him violently and dragged him toward a dark dumpster corner near the restaurant alley were they started beating him brutally. 

One of them kick struck his stomach, knocking the air completely out of his lungs.

Jay collapsed onto the cold ground, with blood spilling from his lips as the bodyguards continued beating him mercilessly.

Meanwhile, Edward adjusted his suit while watching from a distance ordering Vanessa to get inside the car. 

During the assault, one of the bodyguards suddenly received a phone call.

The man answered immediately.

“…Alright, sir.”

After a brief pause, he ended the call and looked toward the other bodyguard coldly.

“Boss said we should end him.”

Jay’s eyes widened weakly upon hearing that as fear finally crept into his broken body.

“N-Nooo”

But it was too late.

One of the bodyguards calmly pulled out a pocket knife, plunging it deep into Jays stomach multiple times.

SHINK!

Jay screamed in agony.

Warm blood rapidly soaked his uniform as his strength slowly faded away.

The bodyguards finally stopped moving and stepped back coldly.

“He’s done.”

Without another glance, they walked away, leaving Jay lying beside the dumpster like trash waiting to die.

Rain slowly began to fall from the dark night sky.

Jay’s vision blurred as his body felt cold.

Then suddenly.. 

[DING]

A glowing blue screen abruptly appeared before his fading eyes.

[Touch-to-Wealth System Initializing...]

[Warning host vital Status is in Critical Condition to Near-Death, Before full binding and emergency restoration can proceed, the host must accept the system. ]

[ Accept and ascend to immeasurable wealth - or - Reject and perish here. ]