Tower Of The Elite

What does it take for a person to drown in desperation? The one that devours the very essence that defined them.

To many people, it might be their mental strength crumbling under the pressure they face, It might be some debt that they need to pay or perhaps a loved one on the verge of death.

Yet, amidst all this pressure, the core of the problem and its solution remains the same.

Money.... Capital... Wealth... asset...

They come in different words, but they all signify one thing, 'value'.

How can you define one's worth?

By their net-worth? 

Or is it by their fame? Like the football players who themselves become an asset in the transfer market.

Ultimately, Value is what defines a person's capabilities and limits.

I am Nathaniel Owen, a broke man in debt that rises every day as my worth goes down even lower.

I used to be happy with what life had offered, but at some point, I grew desperate to increase my worth, not for myself but for the sake of my love.

But right now, I cannot even remember the last time I smiled. Happiness has long forsaken me, what I crave for now is peace, and I shall have it by ending my life.

A life so meaningless that there is nothing left worth living. I can't even count the days as they slip by, they are only relevant at the end of the month when I have to pay bills. I have lost track of time and where I am headed. It feels like there is nothing left to look forward to.

No, that is not true. There was a path once. A beautiful dream I had envisioned for myself back when I lived without pressure or the crushing need to prove myself to anyone.

Now they are anything but empty regrets, lingering reminders of what could have been. Those dreams were bright once, filled with promise and hope. I can still see glimpses of them sometimes when I close my eyes, but the moment I open them, reality comes crashing back.

I was not always like this, drowning in an ocean of misery.

I remember when I was the pride of my parents, a cool boyfriend, and a dependable older brother.

But right now as I look into the mirror, all I feel is rage. A consuming, indescribable fury urging me to shatter the image staring back at me.

*CRACK*

I gave in and smashed my fist into the mirror. The shards scattered around like fractured pieces of my life. My knuckles stung as sharp pain shot through my hand, but I did not care. I splashed cold water on my face, hoping to wash away the truth.

This unhealthy face with dark circles and scars was not this lifeless, It used to brim with confidence and positiveness.

"Where did I lose them?", I asked, seeking answers within me.

I still remember the day that set me on my path to a downfall. It was 3 years back when I was a college student and was dating the most beautiful girl of my University.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, the kind of girl any man would desire. I was no exception. It only took three exchanges for me to fall for her.

She was a gorgeous beauty with a flawless white complexion, her silver hair elegantly styled in a French braid. Her violet eyes sparkled with an enigmatic allure, often paired with an arrogant smile that only added to her charm.

After a year of friendship, I finally mustered up the courage to propose to her, risking all my efforts in one bold gamble. To my surprise and perhaps due to my good looks, she accepted. Maybe it was my looks. I had a lean build, a neat army-style black haircut, azure eyes, a normal skin tone with no pimples or marks, and cool-looking study glasses.

Other than that, the only talent I had was my above-average intelligence. Due to that, I got a seat at one of the best universities in my country.

When we both would go out on dates, she would often talk about mundane things like the bag she bought from Gucci or some such, which I had no clue or interest in.

But I still listened. To me, just watching her face was a blessing. Damn, I was so madly in love with her.

However, as not everything is perfect, she also had some bad habits. It was her way of flaunting her status. She didn't do it intentionally but as a reflex, something she had developed because of her wealthy upbringing.

And that flaunting of status, power, and wealth made me feel worthless in my own eyes. Isn't your girlfriend supposed to make you feel like a winner in life? So Why do I always feel inferior?

Anyways, after our third semester ended, we were casually talking about our future. She seemed quite anxious about our relationship, which I found adorable. It made me happy to know I held such significance in her life. But as we were talking, an argument broke out.

She asked me to join her father's company. Being the only child, she wanted me to be involved in her family's grand business.

I should have just been happy and accepted it. But I had dreams of my own, to become an aerospace engineer and work in the R&D department at X-Space Institute.

I had been passionate about this career since my early teens, driven by a desire to revolutionize transportation by improvising rocket jets travel so fast that a man can stay in New York and go to work in Beijing in just 30 minutes. Some might think it is needless, but I can clearly picture a scenario where the world would change drastically with unforeseen challenges, like a new virus or a new effect from global warming.

I was deeply committed to a goal that, because to me, it might one day become a foundation for the new civilization of humanity in he future. Giving all that up, just like that, was not a decision I could make easily. 

My girlfriend did not like that, she mocked my indecisiveness and before I knew it, we started arguing.

I sat down at the dining table eating my last meal in silence as our arguments rang in my ears.

"Do you wish to be a lazy nobody who relies on his rich girlfriend, Nate?"

"I had never said I was going to be a nobody, and I never asked anything from you. The field I want to work on is a promising aspect and... and in the future, I will make you proud, Reina."

"Never Asked?" She questioned as if asking me to take it back and continued, " Did you forget the gifts I had given you? Those expensive smart devices that you had wanted to have so badly."

"You bought them on your own!!!!" I snapped, my tone louder than usual before I calmed down and spoke again in a softer voice, "I did want to buy them one day, I am not denying it, but like I said that day, I just wanted to be with you. You surprised me the first time with those gifts and it was one of the happiest moments of my life, I received something precious for the first time from a girl aside from my family. I truly liked it and I will always be grateful. But, you kept on giving more when I never asked. I am not some client or professor you need to please with gifts, just being with you enough."

"Wh-What are you saying? Do you mean to say that... I... bribe my professors to get good grades?"

"No wait, that's not what I..."

"I am disappointed in you!", Reina was on the verge of shedding tears and before I could apologize, she left, shutting the door loudly in my face as I tried to stop her.

'I still don't understand, was it entirely my fault that day?'

After that, the arguments just got a lot worse. She told me she had been arguing with her parents for me. But why did she tell them all of a sudden after making me promise to keep our relationship a secret? I was by no means ready for marriage, and it's not like we crossed any lines, aside from kissing. She just went ahead all by herself like usual and never brought me in, yet somehow I am the dude who's responsible for the mess?

At that time, I wondered if she really considered me as a lover or if was I just a pet. I deserve to have a bit of pride, after all.

Later on, as the fights got worse, one day her best friend, Melissa, came to me and told me all the things she had not told me.

Only then did all the dots finally connect in my head, her anxiety, her persuasions, and her reluctance, It finally made sense to me as I heard the untold story.

It turns out that the whole mess started with Reina's mother introducing a man to her daughter with hopes for an engagement. The man was her friend's son, who was a 22-year-old entrepreneur. 

I also found out that she had threatened her family members that she would cut her throat if they forced her to marry him. After countless arguments and bickering, her family eventually agreed to our relationship but had some conditions. And that was the reason she made me do all those things that I never liked to do.

That same day, I visited her father who threw me a cheque worth two million dollars and told me to stay away from their lives. His action ignited a spark within me and I tore the cheque in front of him as if to prove that I would not sell my love.

After that, I called her to apologize, but she just said she was tired of everything. Her tired voice that day broke something within me and created the desire that brought me to this position.

I felt the need to prove to her and her family, that I, Nathaniel Owen can become successful and have what it takes to marry Reina Paraguis, the eldest daughter of their famed family.

After that, I faced betrayals, got into scams, and finally, I turned into a gambling addict.

Before I knew it, my noble desire, my conquest for love turned me into something worse.

I started selling drugs and consumed some of them due to my depression, I felt the need to raise her family's expectations, to win her back somehow, but everything felt slipping away as time passed.

I was ready to do anything, but nothing worked in my favor and I just kept incurring more debts. When I finally saw her again, Her stare was dead cold, carrying no warmth or pity for my condition, she was so disappointed in me that she left without saying a word.

I got even more desperate and did some more reckless things like stealing my family's property papers and other assets. I gambled with some of them, and invested a few in stocks, but in the end lost them all again.

My father kicked me out. I was a failed engineer with no job. From there till now, every decision and move I made was filled with regret.

And so, to end it all, I decided to kill myself in the easiest way possible. I might have so much pain mentally, but physically I was not ready to die a gruesome death like lighting myself on fire or poisoning myself.

So to die in a second, I decided to jump from the highest tower of my city.

Before leaving, I left a suicide note on the dining table after finishing my meal:

' Never fall in love before you finish building your worth. Only then do you become strong enough to fight because to be a lover is to be a fighter. First, fight for yourself and your goals, then fight for your love.

Love Alone is a strong weapon that destroys a person from within, It is much more dangerous than the reward it gives. Maybe I am wrong and I am just weak on the inside but If I had a second chance in life, this is the motto I shall follow, the message I would give to my past self.

I was not blaming anyone in my note; it was just advice. Advice from a failed person who failed as a boyfriend, son, friend, and brother.

As I prepared to leave the rented studio, my eyes fell on the lottery ticket. 'It is that today, right?'

I shrugged. 'Nothing has been lucky for me since that day, so what is this gonna do?', I took it with me anyway.

On my way, I stopped at the commercial store to buy cigarettes. I still wanted to take a last one. 

This habit started as a way to find an escapade and before I knew It, I became a slave to these habits, no wonder everybody hates me, I am so weak...

I barely stopped the tears threatening to leave my eyes as I finished the billing and prepared to leave, but before that, I was stopped because of the commercial on TV.

It was about the draw I had entered. Since it would be announced in a few seconds, I thought, 'Why not just stay and watch the lucky guy whose life is going to be changed?'

Surely It cannot be me with my shitty luck. How many times in the past had I prayed and hoped for such miracles to happen while wasting all my fortune in such games?

[ We have our first number of the series, which is ... /drumrolls/ is '43' ]

Many people sighed with disappointment, they probably lost with just that. Also, look at the hosts trying to build up more anxiety by delaying the inevitable, some even started cursing at him for trying to gain more screen time.

As the number continued to be announced all the people watching the announcement left one by one cursing at the announcer and the lucky winner and soon, the final number was declared.

" These people who had never been lucky cursing at someone would only serve as a blessing to them" A chuckle escaped my lips when I murmured that.

" What did ya say, pal?", Unfortunately, someone had heard my remark and confronted me with their local gang.

I shrugged while looking at them, 'Are they seriously gonna beat me? Someone who has already given up on life'

" Nothing, I just said how unfortunate we are to never be blessed " I replied while giving them a sad smile, It's not that I am afraid of confronting them but I just simply want to get out of this mess without trading blows as that would hurt me even in my lowest mental state, I am not a masochist of course.

"If you are also like us, then why is there no sadness in your eyes" one of the gang members, a bald guy with tattoos asked me.

" Do I look happy to you?" I questioned back, my voice carrying an edge and anger that I held back.

"Show me your ticket then. Let's see your luck" The tallest guy who looked like their leader and was the first to confront me asked, his voice carried an edge that conveyed a hint of suspicion. 

I took out my ticket and flashed it to them.

But instead of the disappointing or mocking reaction I expected, they all seem to be in shock.

" Thr- Three and half million dollars!" One of the girls in the band with heavy makeup muttered.

I became suspicious to their stunned reactions and decided to turn the ticket to read the number.

'It couldn't be'

I had never bothered to look at my serial number this time cause I would forget it right after a drink.

I looked at my number and was struck with the same amount of shock or even more than the others.

'Did heaven finally bless me?' I triple-checked the number and still couldn't believe it.

"Hahhh....", I sighed while looking at the lottery ticket again.

after all that shit luck in gambling here I am left with a few millions of money that won't change anything much.

Maybe it can clear the debts of my family and help them start anew. At least that would mend a few cracks in our relationship.

As I was pondering, someone struck me from behind and I fell face first on the ground.

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A/N:

I will change to third person POV to other character POV, whichever fits best with the narrative, This is my first time writing so, please go easy on me.

Starting chapters may be too lengthy but I will try to keep word count around 1700-1900.