The Billionaire High School Bully

6 - Regrets and revenge

Sophia

By the time I got home, my clothes were completely drenched. Water was dripping from me. The tiny two-room apartment was dark. On days like this, coming home felt even more lonely. The tiny entrance, where we could only fit a few pairs of shoes, lead to the run-down kitchen with an old cooker, a sink, and a small space for making food. There was a table that fit only two chairs. I had to fix it a couple of times as the floor wasn't even and the table kept moving when we put something on it. The bathroom we used here was small, it only had a miniature shower, a washbasin, and a toilet in the small square space. Our bedroom fit just an old creaking bunk bed and a small-scale wardrobe, which was sometimes hard to open as the hinges met their usage limit a long time ago. We couldn't afford more. But even now, this small place felt so empty and big for me to stay in. It was different from when grandpa was still alive. We lived in a house with a small garden. My grandpa used to grow all kinds of vegetables and fruit there, as he loved gardening. Coming back there from school always felt like I was returning to paradise. The whole place felt warm and kind, it was filled with light and cozy energy. Grandpa used to water his vegetables and grandma used to either cook in the kitchen or watch grandpa gardening in the back of the house. Even when it was raining, the place felt like it was sunny inside.

It all changed when grandpa suddenly died in a car accident. It was just an ordinary day, I was at school when the school got a call about what had happened. Not even a year later we had to sell the house and move into this old cramped apartment. I couldn't work as I was still too young. My grandma got sick about half a year after my grandpa's death. She was being rushed in and out of the hospital all the time. If I was smarter, I would have studied to become a doctor, so I could treat her. Regrettably, I wasn't blessed with studying skills as much. Becoming a doctor would be very hard for me, if not nearly even impossible. My grades weren't that good even at my previous school. The reason I got a scholarship for the Highlands High School was my talent in art. Nothing else. But how many painters had made it big during their lifetime? Not many... In fact, most of their paintings and artwork had risen in value only after they had died.

"There's at least something I have been born well with. The talent and a country, where medical care is free for everyone. If I had to pay for my grandma's hospital bills, I wouldn't even finish high school." I dropped the school bag on the floor and finally took my shoes and socks off. Everything was soaking wet. If I decided to squeeze the water out of it, I would get a full bucket. Eventually, everyone had to deal with their misfortunes alone.

"I hope my clothes will dry by tomorrow... I can't go to school wearing wet things." I tried squeezing as much water from my clothes as I could. I then hanged them on a clotheshorse in the corridor and went into the bathroom to take a short hot shower. Just three minutes and that was it. Water was one of the things I could save money on. Electricity as well. So when it was possible, I didn't turn the lights on anywhere and just wandered around the place in the dark. I switched the cooker on to boil water for hot tea. The short shower didn't do much, as I was freezing until I managed to get home. The tiny clock we managed to put on one of the shelves in the kitchen was slowly ticking. It was well past ten when I started sipping my tea.

"I still have to do my other homework for tomorrow. Hope it didn't get too wet in the leather school bag we received." I glanced at the bag, that I left in the corner. It was quiet, I could only hear the rain hitting our windows.

Benjamin

"Welcome home, sir." Our house butler was the only one to welcome me home when I arrived this late.

"Where are my parents?" I asked him, handing him my school bag.

"As far as I know, they are attending one of the events of the airline company they wanted to acquire in the future. Also, I have a message from them. Your mother seemed quite upset that you weren't home in time to join them. As the future heir, you are supposed to attend these events with them. You should think about it as well, it might be good to acquire the contacts early on. It will help you in the future when you overtake the company." His words weren't much different from my parents'. Everyone here cared only about money. But that's how our world worked. We married for profit and connections. The world love was just an abstract concept and it didn't mean anything to us.

"Do you have any requests, sir?" We reached the double-winged mahogany door to my room. We managed to walk through the main hall with a white marble floor lined with white walls. The enormous crystal chandelier hanging above the stairs was as clean as ever. I never saw a piece of dust on it, it was always shining. The red carpet, that was laid on the stairs, was changed every few weeks to make sure it would never look old. The golden door handles and golden decorations everywhere were just showing how well my family had been doing. The dust on them was never left in place for too long. The walls in the corridor of my room were painted dark red as I wanted and the bottom part of the walls was lined with white wooden planks. The floor was kept without a carpet as well. I hated the sound of footsteps on carpets. When one wore exquisite and well-made shoes, they were supposed to make the right sound on hard polished floors. The carpet would ruin everything.

"No, I believe not," I answered him, waiting for him to open the door for me.

"Would you like to have late-dinner served?"

"No, I had a meal with the student council at school. Also, please relay this message to my dearest parents: I understand that business is important, that's why I'm studying it. But at the same time, building business relations at the school is also important, as these people will stand as the heads of their parents' companies in the future. I believe that having connections with them is more important than talking to old pops, who won't run the companies once I enter the business arena." I didn't need to look at him. I knew him better than my parents. He was the one always standing there, watching my education progress, watching me run around. Yet, he was as stoic as ever. He never smiled nor laughed. He was just there, as a non-changing statue.

"I understand and I will definitely relay your message, sir. Just allow me one more thing to say, before you enter." He was making this longer than it needed to be. I had had a long day and I didn't want to be stopped in reaching my room and FINALLY spending time alone. I had had enough of people around me for the whole day. The scholarship creature was giving me a headache. I didn't need to listen to anyone else trying to lecture me about my life!

"Yes?" I said, feeling completely irritated.

"These events also help you find your future spouse. It might not be a bad idea to join them at least once in a while before all the good ones are taken." After that, he cleared his throat and opened the door for me. I swiftly entered and before he closed the door behind me, I turned to him, being seriously annoyed.

"I don't need a wife, who is being home-schooled and doesn't know how to behave when there are people of her age around her. Being obedient isn't everything. Just look where it had gotten my mother. It's enough my father has decided to marry another one, without even giving her enough time to rest under the ground peacefully." I answered bitterly. My father was a pure businessman. He didn't care about emotions and others, he was willing to even walk on corpses if need be to get to his goal. That's why he discarded my mother when she was suffering from her illness. Just a year in the hospital and he already found a replacement for her!

My fist hit the wall hard, making the items on the cupboard below tinkle. That monster! All rage was building up inside of me. I wanted to smash something. Smash all of this up and throw it in front of his eyes. He destroyed this family! He and his greed!

I hit the wall harder. Focus. Just focus. Your main goal is to show him you're better than him. You need to show him what a fool he is. What a creature he married! Low-life low-class creature only thirsty for money and more money! That's what all of them are! It's the same for the new girl! She only wants to get her hands on a pretty sum and use everyone she can to do that. That filth!

I moved on to my couch, eased the tie, and fell on the sofa. I spread my arms on the top of the backrest and tilted my head back. There is no need to feel intimidated. I'm in my own territory. She has no idea what to do. She knows no one. I can easily win this. It will be a good stepping stone for slowly reaching my goal. I exhaled loudly as if I was exhaling cigarette smoke above me.

"A glass of champagne would go well to celebrate my upcoming small victory. A whole bottle when I manage to complete it." I smirked. I needed a bit of cheering up. I was returning to the battlefield tomorrow morning again!