A yellow cab stopped at the Estate gate. Since it wasn't registered in the Estate security system, it couldn't be allowed in. Richard alighted and paid his fare, and then decided to walk back to the Warren mansion. The holographic panel had been blinking, it was flashing the words; «Host stat available.»

Richard decided to check it out. He gave a mental command to the system to show him his stats.

«Ding!

Host's Status Window.

Name: Richard Tucker

Race: Human

Age: Twenty four

Strength: 14

Agility: 16

Stamina: 20

Perception: 20

Charm: 15 (appearance, clothes, spirit, etc are closely related)

Skill: None available

Knowledge: Business Management

Funds: $1,090 (All funds are from reasonable and legal sources. There is no need to worry about fraud acts)

System: Trillionaire System

System level: Level one»

He reached the mansion in no time, Just as he was about to press the doorbell, he heard hearty laughter coming from inside the house. He stopped and listened intently. He knew there was no celebration plans before he left the house, so what exactly was happening?

"Young master Brian, since you're so sincere about Diane, I'm certain we can work something out. I always knew you were to be my perfect son-in-law."

Richard was stunned. He was extremely certain that voice belonged to none other than Kathleen Warren, his mother-in-law.

'Just what the heck is going on?' Richard thought to himself.. but then another round of laughter, but this time from a single person..

"Madam Warren, don't be too formal and polite, after all, we will soon be family, why don't you just call me by my name?"

Richard's knee almost buckled under him. He knew that voice.. in fact, he had committed that voice into his very soul.. that voice belonged to none other than Brian Lawrence, the very reason his life and that of Diane was in shambles.. what in the world was he doing here.

Richard wanted to storm into the house, but somehow his guts told him to stay quiet and listen more.

"Of course, what a gentleman you are. Oh my dear daughter Diane is so lucky to have met you. You two will make a very fine couple." Kathleen's voice was heard.

Sigh! "I really wish it will be so.. but, we both know about Diane's husband.." his voice trailed, reminding everyone that Diane was still married and his hands were tied.

"You mean that orphan piece of trash? He's not worth being called her husband, he's nothing but this family's house boy, and we've made sure he's aware of that. I assure you a divorce can be handled and I will personally kick him out of this house myself." Kathleen said. Her voice was laced with disdain and disgust, as if the very mention of Richard was same as swallowing a bug. "Don't worry, in no time, my son-in-law will be none other than you." Her voice returned to it's honeyed tone.

Hearing this, Richard could bear it no more. He wasn't sure if Diane was in there, but from what he heard, it didn't seem like her opinion mattered anymore.

DING DONG!! He pressed the doorbell.

"That must be Diane right now." Kathleen's voice was enthusiastic, but it also confirmed Richard's earlier assumption that Diane wasn't around.

Having settled her daughter's marriage with the son of a wealthy family, Kathleen was in a very good mood, and so she opened the door in glee, perhaps hoping to see her daughter.. however her expression dramatically changed as soon as she saw who was at the door.

"You! What are you doing here!? Didn't I say you're sleeping outside? So why are you here and not in a makeshift shelter somewhere." Kathleen looked extremely furious right now.

"I thought Diane will be lonely, so I came back home Mother." Richard replied, he did his best to suppress the rising anger in his chest.

"How could you have the cheek to return you good-for-nothing. And it's Mrs Warren to you fool, don't you dare act close to me as if we're family. Didn't your deceased mother teach you any manners at all?" Kathleen was basically shouting now. She felt so furious as she knew Richard's presence now will disrupt everything.

Meanwhile Richard was almost near explosion point. Kathleen had basically insulted his dead mother. He shut his mouth and glared at her. If looks could kill, Kathleen would've been sliced a million pieces.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want to kill me too?" She shouted at him and walked closer to him, as if daring him to hit her. "You're such a bundle of bad luck.. you just had to come and mess things up."

"Who's out there!?" Another voice called out. Richard knew it was his father-in-law, Gerald Warren. He walked out, but didn't have much of a reaction when he saw Richard.

"Well, why are you standing out there, come in, we have an important guest, hurry up and go serve him." Gerald spoke in an authoritative tone.

Kathleen harrumphed and walked back inside, behind him was her husband Gerald, and then Richard followed them.

When Richard entered the house, he was stomped, for one, the living room seemed to be packed with no less than ten persons, and he recognized them as the Warren's relatives.

'What the heck is happening!? Were they planning all these today!? Was that the reason Kathleen sent me out of the house and insisted I sleep outside?' Richard thought to himself, and then he turned to the most eye catching person who was dressed in an expensive blue suit.. Brian Lawrence.

'Was he the young master the thugs mentioned? Wait! Was this the plan all along? To kill me so he could successfully get married to Diane!?' the more Richard thought about it the more his blood boiled.

"Mister Lawrence, I don't think my wife will be happy to see you when she returns, I think it's best you get going now." Richard spoke out before he could even stop himself. The words rolled out of his mouth and his cold expression solidified the fact that he meant what he said. The room became pin drop silent.

The silence was deafening. But then Kathleen walked up to Richard and gave him a resounding slap across his cheek.

"Who do you think you are!?" She berated him in a loud angry voice. She raised her hand to slap him again, but surprisingly, Richard held her hand in place.

"Diane will not like to see Mister Lawrence here. If he was here to apologize for what he did to my wife, then it's long overdue, but if he's here to make trouble, then I must insist he leaves." Richard replied with a firm voice. Meanwhile Kathleen was shocked, Richard had never stopped her before, nor talked back at her. Just what was happening.

Brian Lawrence stood up, an amused expression on his face, but one could see the flames of anger in his eyes. Never before has he been so humiliated, and by a nobody no less.

"Mr and Mrs Warren, it seems I am not welcome here, I will take my leave now." He said, and the let out an exaggerated sigh, "And just when I was thinking of helping you get the Denali Clean Energy contract." He shook his head, feigning disappointment.

"No! Young master Brian, you should calm down, don't let the words of this good-for-nothing fool you. He is nothing but a dog in this family, not even worth being part of our family." Kathleen hurriedly spoke. She then turned to Richard with a furious glare, "You, get in there and pack your things! You're leaving this house, and by tomorrow you will get divorced!" She hollered, her spittle almost touching Richard.

CLICK!

Diane had just returned, and walked in on a scene she never expected to see. She stared from her angry mother who standing so close to Richard as if challenging him to an MMA fight, to her relatives who never thought twice about condemning and abandoning her when the scandal surfaced, then finally she saw him, the man who was responsible for her life almost being in shambles.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" She shouted. Richard on the other hand raised an eyebrow to Kathleen, as if to say "I told you so."

"Dear daughter, The young master came bearing gifts, he's a changed man and wants to make amends." Gerald spoke to Diane in a fatherly tone, trying to coax her to understand.

"He's here to ask for your hand in marriage." Richard blurted out without thinking. Even he didn't know where he found the courage to contradict his father-in-law.

"The gall on that dog!" One of the relatives said

"Gerald should have tossed him back to the streets before now, if it was me, I'd not even let him sleep in my house for a single night." Another chimed in.

Richard heard all these, he knew these hypocritics were simply here to get a share of whatever benefits Brian Lawrence will give to his wife's parents.

"Diane Darling, Brian here just wants to make amends, and he's even willing to prove it by bringing the Denali contract to our family." She then left Richard and went to stand in front of Diane, taking her hands in hers, "We all know Brian has always fancied you from the very first time he saw you. Don't you think it's time to give him a chance?" She spoke so soothingly one would believe she's actually trying to help her daughter.. well, perhaps that's what she thinks.

"You can't be serious! I am married, and even I wasn't, I won't even think of accepting that snake!" Diane retorted as she withdraw her hands from her mother's.

Brian grimaced. He had just been insulted again. He was really angry this time. He turned to Gerald, "I am leaving, don't call me until you've settled things. And concerning the contract, I don't think I will be extending a hand as I previously promised!" He walked towards the door, turned around and stared at Richard, who actually returned the glare, and then he left the house. Kathleen attempted to plead with him but he walked to his car, got in and drove off.

Seeing that Brian had left, Kathleen walked back into house and went straight for Richard, but Diane was a step faster, she stood in front of Richard, shielding him from her mother.

"You ingrate!!! Do you have any idea what you just caused!?" She hollered angrily. "You not only caused me to lose a wealthy son-in-law, but also caused my family to lose any hope of acquiring a contract worth fifty million dollars!, tell me, how will you be able to compensate this family!?"

Meanwhile Richard had a frown on his face as he stared at the holographic panel in front him that was invisible to others.

«Ding!

Congratulations to Host on getting a quest for the first time. $10,000 has been awarded to Host.»

«Ding!

New Quest: Face slap

Description: Host has just gone against a rival, and won, but the cost of this victory is immense. Host needs to recoup the losses and face slap everyone who made fun of him.

Job: Get the Denali Clean Energy contract.

Time limit: 14 days (Two weeks)

Reward: $1,000,000 + 60% share of all Denali Corporation revenue.

Failure penalty: Host will be deemed unworthy by everyone, including the system + loss of the system.»

"Well I'll be damned!" Richard muttered under his breath. He then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, which worked.

"What?" Kathleen said with a scowl.

"I will get you the Denali contract." Richard said with a firm voice.

Silence at first, then a sudden row of laughter. Diane turned to him with shock on her face. "Don't say stupid things." She berated him with an annoyed look on her face.

"Did the dog just say he will fly?" A relative said and everyone burst into laughter again.

"Listen here you good-for-nothing. The Denali is owned by Robertson Family, they are people even the Lawrence family dare not mess with.. and you, you're saying you're getting to get a contract from them? Don't make me laugh." Kathleen spoke with pure disdain. But Richard simply looked at Diane in the eye, "Trust me on this, I will get you that contract, no matter what it takes. Before two weeks, the Denali Clean Energy contract will be handed over to you." Richard spoke with confidence, even though he didn't know how he will do it, but he trusted the system.. besides, if he didn't do it, he stood a chance to lose everything.

"Don't say such nonsense." Gerald finally spoke up. Meanwhile Kathleen's eyes suddenly went wide and a smile played on her face. She walked up to Richard, "Let us make a bet, if you are able to get that contract on two weeks, then I will fully accept you, but if you fail.. you divorce my daughter and forget everything about us." Kathleen said with an evil smirk.

"No!" Diane spoke out, but her mother didn't even spare her a glance, rather she stared at Richard.. indicating the final decision was his to make.

Diane sharply turned to Richard and looked at him with pleading eyes, silently begging him not to do so, but contrary to what she wanted..

"Deal." Richard said.

Richard had woken up earlier than usual. Kathleen had made even more absurd changes to the deal they made the night before. She has told him to leave the house the next day and only return when he got the contract. Richard hadn't agreed at first, but his mother-in-law took it as a sign that he wouldn't succeed, so Richard had no other choice but to bite on the bait. And now here he was, getting ready to leave the Warren Family Mansion for God knows where. He had checked his status, he had no less than $17,000 in his savings account now.

'That should be enough to rent an apartment for a week or two.' Richard said as he walked towards Diane's room. He knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Who is it?" Diane's voice came from inside.

"It's me." Richard responded.

"Stand out there, I'm not through yet." She said. Her tone had a bit of annoyance mixed in it. Richard knew why she was annoyed. She was still soured up about the deal he made with his mother-in-law. No one believed he would be able to get the Denali Clean Energy contract, and frankly, he also have any idea how he will be able to do so either, but he knew that if he didn't do so, he stood a chance to lose the very thing that could change his life.

Richard for a few minutes before Diane opened the door. She walked out, in a red suit that gave her a professional businesswoman charm. She truly was beautiful, and Richard fell in love over and over whenever he sets his eyes on her.

"Don't just stare at me, here." She thrust her purse into his hand, and then walked towards the stairs. Richard followed quietly behind her.

"Are your belongings packed? Not like you have anything worth keeping anyway." Kathleen's voice sounded from the dining table. She had an annoyed expression on her face. She was expecting to see Richard with a duffle bag or something, but Richard was actually holding.. a purse? And from the looks of it, the purse was Diane's. What's he doing with Diane's purse?

"What are you doing with my daughter's purse? Do you plan on stealing all her money before you take your wretched self out of here?" She asked him. Her eyes set on his.

"Mom! What do you mean? I told him to hold my purse for me when he came to remind me of breakfast." Diane retorted sharply and rolled her eyes at her mother. She took sat down, took a plate and helped herself to the spaghetti and meatballs on the table. Meanwhile, Richard placed the purse on the table beside her, and returned to the kitchen. Ever since he came to live with the Warrens, he had never once ate on the same table with them.. it was clear as day he wasn't seen as part of their family.

Richard waited a few minutes, and soon Diane and her family were through with breakfast. He went back and took out the plates, the next thing was to do the dishes.

"I want you out of here in half an hour, do I make myself clear?" Kathleen's voice sounded from the dining table. Richard didn't respond. His mind was occupied on which Estate to rent an apartment. He already knew his mother-in-law was expecting him to beg her for a few more days to stay at the house, but he wouldn't, not when he already had a plan in mind.

*

The cab came to stop in front of a tall skyscraper. This was the Sunset Agency, they were in charge of the Sunset Estate, and that's exactly where Richard planned to stay.. why live in a poor environment when he was rich now.

Richard walked into the building, the lobby wasn't as crowded as he had expected, but what did he care? He made his way to the reception. He could see a middle-aged man arguing with a lady who was dressed in a professional white top and black skirt outfit.. seems to be the receptionist.

"What do you mean it's five thousand? The last time I was here, the price was three thousand a week, and twelve thousand a month. And now you're telling me it's five thousand a week? What do you take me for? A fool!?" The man was basically furious with the receptionist. It seems the price for apartment rent has skyrocketed.. well, price of everything was getting very high every day, so that didn't come as a surprise to Richard, besides, he wasn't bothered, he gets twelve every day from the system.

"Uhm, excuse me, but I'll like to rent an apartment, just the Garden View apartment." Richard spoke out, breaking the heated argument between the two. The middle-aged man turned to Richard, sized him up, and couldn't help but notice Richard's plain wornout T-shirt, grayed out jean trouser, and unremarkable footwear. He immediately burst into laughter, while the receptionist stared at him with disdain and disgust in her eyes.

"This kid just cracks me up." The man said and burst into laughter, attracting the stares of the few people around.

"Sir, I'd like you to leave right now, this is a high-end agency, certainly not for your kind." The receptionist said with a straight face.

"My..kinda?" Richard whispered.

"You heard the lady, kid. Crawl back to whatever sewer you came from, this isn't a place for you." The man said harshly and then turned his attention back to the receptionist, "I will pay $3,500 a week. That's the highest I'm paying."

"I see, so this is how the prestigious Sunset Agency treat a potential customer." Richard said, his voice firm and laced with annoyance.

Hearing his words, everyone turned to him. The middle-aged man wasn't laughing this time.

"Sir, leave now or I will call security to escort you out." The receptionist said.

"And what if I refuse? I'm here because I want to rent an apartment, and you, a common staff, not only just disrespected me, but even going as far as saying you will call security to toss me out?" Richard then stared at her, and his voice toned down to icy cold, "What do you think the management will do to you when they hear of this?"

To his words, the receptionist was now livid, meanwhile everyone else had a smile on their faces as they couldn't wait to watch a show.

"What's going on here?" A gruff voice spoke out. Everyone turned to the newcomer.. it was a man dressed in a well ironed beige suit..

"That's Mr Timothy."

"Isn't he the manager of Sunset Estate?"

"That kid is in trouble now."

Meanwhile Richard's expression never changed, it remained as stoic as when he had entered the building.