My Kidney Built Your Billion Empire

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I once defied my entire family, burning every bridge I had to marry Morgan. To fuel her startup dreams, I even sold the historic brownstone my mother had left methe only piece of my heritage I had left.

Now, Morgan is worth billions. Shes the darling of the business world, her reputation spotless, untouched by scandal. Everyone tells me I made the bet of a lifetime. They say Im the luckiest man alive.

But on my birthday, I found her.

I saw her slip into the bedroom of her widowed brother-in-law, Lucas. I stood there, paralyzed in the hallway, watching through the crack in the door as he tried to push her away. I heard him whisper, his voice thick with a guilt that didnt belong to her: "Don't do this, Daniel is right outside..."

I didn't scream. I didn't cause a scene. I walked out, went to a high-end lounge, and spent a small fortune to buy the night of a girl who looked like shed never been touched by the world.

I thought Morgan would feel the sting of it. I thought shed feel the humiliation. Instead, she just let out a dry, mocking hum.

"Lonely, were we?" she asked. Then, with a chilling indifference, she added, "Maybe its for the best. We can each do our own thing. An open marriage actually suits us."

That was the moment I shattered. I picked up a crystal vase and smashed it over her and Lucass heads.

Morgan wiped the blood from her face, her eyes turning into shards of ice. "The one thing you should never have done," she hissed, "was touch him."

After that, she dismantled my life with surgical precision. She orchestrated a fraud scheme that swallowed my fathers lifes work. She framed my brother, Ryan, for grand larceny, sending him to a federal prison.

My sister-in-law took her little girl, Gia, and jumped from the roof of their apartment building. My father, having cried himself blind in the wake of the funeral, screamed at me in the darkness of his grief: "If you hadn't provoked her, we wouldn't be in this hell! Youre a curse, Daniel! Why aren't you the one who's dead?"

That night, Morgan pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling windows of our penthouse. She had drugged me with something that turned my limbs to lead. "My sweet Daniel," she whispered, "why couldn't you just stay in your place?"

Listening to her, I stopped fighting.

I would be good now. I would do exactly what my father wanted.

...

Against the glass, Morgans hand tightened around my throat, forcing the upper half of my body out over the ledge of the open window. The freezing rain of the twenty-second floor whipped into my clothes, sending tremors through my skin.

Her leg pressed hard between my knees, and I heard the sickening tear of my silk pajamas. There was no tenderness. No kiss. Just a brutal, suffocating display of dominance.

"Talk to me, Daniel! You were so loud before, weren't you?"

She bit my ear, her voice dripping with a primal hatred.

"Your brother just had three ribs broken by a cell boss. Your blind father was kicked out of his place this morning. Hes in a moldy basement now, starving. Do you know why? Because you didn't just cheat on meyou tried to kill Lucas. You almost took him from me!"

"If you beg me right now, if you go to him on your knees and admit what a pathetic, malicious piece of trash you are, Ill sign the papers to let your brother out. Ill stop."

A year ago, I would have fought. I would have bitten her shoulder and cursed her name until my lungs gave out.

But tonight, I just stared at my own reflection in the dark glass. A ghost. No resistance. No tears.

Morgan stopped. She was panting, her frustration boiling over. She grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her.

"What is this? This 'dead fish' act? You weren't this quiet when you were throwing money at that girl, were you? You weren't quiet when you tried to embarrass me in front of everyone!"

I looked into her bloodshot eyes and swallowed hard. My voice was a ghost of itself.

"Morgan, if you were actually powerful, you wouldn't need to do this to feel seen. Are you finished? If you are, get dressed and get out."

Her pupils shrunk. The veins in her forehead throbbed.

Slap.

The blow sent my head snapping to the side.

"Ungrateful bitch," she spat. She stood up, calmly buttoning her shirt. She grabbed a wet wipe from the table, cleaned her hands, crumpled it, and flicked it into my face.

"You think youre still the golden boy of this city? You think you have dignity?"

She ground her heel into the back of my hand, twisting it.

"Tomorrow is Lucass birthday. Were celebrating at the club. Bring your blind father. Youll stand at the door, greeting his guests and pouring their drinks. If I see this pathetic face of yours, Ill call the warden. Ill make sure your brother never uses his hands again."

She kicked a chair out of her way and slammed the door.

I lay on the rug, my face numb, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. Slowly, I crawled to the bathroom. I opened the vanity drawer and pulled out an unmarked plastic bottle.

For six months, I had been faking insomnia, visiting a dozen different pharmacies, slowly hoarding pills. I poured them into my coat pocket. Then, I took a single blade from my razor and tucked it away too.

I was done fighting. Morgan was rightthis was my fault. I sold my mother's legacy for a woman who used it to bury my family.

My sister-in-law and Gia were gone because of me. My brother was a convict because of me. My father hated the very sound of my breath. Morgan had built her throne on the bones of the people I loved, all to elevate Lucas.

I would listen to my father. I would die.

But before I left, I needed to see him one last time.

The basement in the slums smelled of rot and damp concrete. I pushed open the rusted iron door. My father sat on a broken spring mattress, his sightless eyes fixed on the door.

"Dad," I whispered, fighting the ache in my throat. I opened a thermal container. "I brought the shrimp dumplings you like. Eat while they're hot."

At the sound of my voice, his thin frame began to shake. He lunged toward me, guided by the sound, and struck me across the face. The container flew, spilling the scalding soup and dumplings across my chest.

The pain was sharp, but I didn't move.

"Get out!"

His skeletal fingers clawed at my neck, digging into the skin.

"You curse! How dare you show your face here! Morgan sent people today... they smashed the urns, Daniel! Gias ashes... her mothers... they poured them into the sewer! I crawled in the filth trying to save them, but there was nothing! Nothing left!"

He was hysterical, his tears mixing with the saliva on his face.

"You insisted on marrying her! You stole the company seal for her! You built her up with our blood! And now were all dead! Are you happy?"

My vision blurred as the air left my lungs. I didn't pull his hands away. I deserved this.

"Why won't you just die, Daniel? Die and give Gia her life back! If you have a shred of soul left, go jump off a building! Stop making us sick by existing!"

He let go, collapsing to the floor in a heap, wailing. He struck the concrete with his fists until his knuckles bled. His tears landed on my burned skin, hotter than the soup.

He was right. Why was I still here?

I knelt and picked up a crushed, dirt-covered dumpling, placing it back on the lid.

"Okay," I said, looking at the broken man. I bowed my head to the floor three times.

"Dad... Ill do what you want. Im going now. Take care of yourself."

I stood up and walked toward the rain.

"Daniel...?" his voice wavered for a second. I paused. "Hmph. Don't try to play the victim. Death is too good for you after what you've done."

I didn't look back.

The rain was torrential. I was soaked to the bone by the time I reached the street. A Maybach roared past, slamming through a puddle and drenching me in muddy water.

The brakes screeched. The window rolled down. Morgan sat at the wheel, her gaze dark. In the passenger seat, Lucas held his nose, looking at my dripping clothes with disgust.

In the back, Courtney, Morgans best friend, let out a sharp laugh.

"Well, look at the little prince now. Looking for handouts, Daniel? You really have a gift for looking like a stray."

Morgan stepped out of the car, grabbed me by the hair, and yanked my head back.

"I told you to be at the club. What are you doing here? Crying to your pathetic father?"

The pain in my scalp was searing. I bit my tongue. "I wasn't..."

She didn't listen. She dragged me to the car and shoved me into the back seat. Courtney kicked me toward the corner of the footwell.

We reached the VIP lounge. Morgan dragged me by my collar through the gilded hallways and threw me onto a glass coffee table in the center of a crowded room. The glass shattered. Shards sliced into my palms and knees, blood blooming through my wet clothes.

"Pour the drinks, Daniel," Morgan commanded. She sat in the center chair, pulling Lucas into her lap, and lit a cigarette.

Courtney walked over with a bottle of red wine and poured it directly over my head. The cold liquid stung my eyes.

"Whats the matter, Golden Boy? Forgot how to use your hands?"

The room erupted in jeers. These were the people who used to crawl at my feet.

"Hey, Morgan, if hes this pathetic, why not let us have some fun? Ill give him fifty bucks to take off a shirt."

"A hundred if he licks the wine off the floor!"

Morgan blew a cloud of smoke, her eyes cold as she watched me. "Do whatever you want with him."

The room filled with laughter. Courtney grabbed my hair and forced a bottle of whiskey into my mouth. I choked, coughing up streaks of red.

Lucas leaned against Morgans shoulder, his voice soft and performative. "Morgan, don't. Daniel was good to you once."

He stood up, took a stack of hundred-dollar bills from his bag, and walked over to me.

"Take this, Daniel. Go get the divorce papers signed tomorrow. Don't be a ghost. Morgan loves me now."

He threw the money at my face. The bills fluttered down like dead leaves. I didn't move. I just looked at him. My silence seemed to unnerve him.

Suddenly, Lucas stumbled back, hitting the corner of the table. "Ah!"

He clutched his chest, rolling on the floor. "Morgan... my heart... Daniel pushed me... he wants me dead!"

Morgan snapped. She kicked the table over and drove her boot into my chest. I flew back, hitting the wall. I heard the distinct crack of my ribs. A wave of heat rose in my throat, and I vomited a mouthful of blood.

Morgans eyes were manic as she scooped Lucas up. "Daniel! If anything happens to him, I will tear your family apart piece by piece!"

She pointed at the glass and blood on the floor. "Get on your knees. Right there. Start bowing. If you stop before I tell you, Ill have your father killed tonight."

I forced myself up through the agony. Under the mocking gazes of the room, I knelt in the sea of broken glass.

Thud.

My forehead hit the floor.

Thud.

Thud.

"That's more like it," Morgan sneered. She didn't look back as she rushed Lucas out to the hospital.

The crowd lost interest once the "show" was over and filtered out. Soon, only Courtney remained. She kicked the door shut and walked over, grabbing my collar.

"Stop it. They're gone. Who are you performing for?"

Her eyes were predatory. Her hand traced my face and moved down to my chest. "Youre so pathetic, Daniel. Remember when I begged you to be my boyfriend in the rain? You called me a toad. Look at you now. Morgan tells you to bark, and you don't even hesitate."

She set her phone up on a bottle, hitting record. "I want to see how that 'noble' body of yours handles a little common fun."

She started stripping her coat, reaching for a small vial in her pocket.

I looked at her, my soul feeling heavy and gray. "Lock the door."

She paused, then laughed. "Scared someone will see? Want to save a little face? Fine. Ill give you that much."

As she turned to bolt the door, I took the plastic bottle from my pocket. I unscrewed the cap and swallowed the entire contentsdozens of white pillswashing them down with a half-drunk glass of scotch from the floor. They scraped my throat, but I forced them down.

Then, I pulled out the razor blade. I didn't hesitate. I sliced deep into my left wrist, right across the artery.

It wasn't deep enough. I did it again. Twice. Until I saw the pale gleam of bone through the red. Blood sprayed, coating the leather sofa and the rug.

Courtney turned around and froze. The predatory smirk vanished, replaced by a mask of pure horror.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

She scrambled back, her legs giving out.

I leaned back against the sofa, watching the fountain of red. I felt the light beginning to dim at the edges of my vision.

It didn't hurt anymore.

Dad, Ryan, Gia... Im coming to pay my debt.

Meanwhile, at the City Hospital.

The emergency light flickered off. The doctor stepped out, looking at a frantic Morgan.

"Hes fine," the doctor said, his voice flat. "Mr. Lucas has a minor bruise. And..." He hesitated. "He didn't have a heart attack. There's nothing wrong with his heart."

Morgan went still. "What?"

Lucas was wheeled out, his face pale, avoiding her eyes. "Morgan, I..."

A memory flashed in Morgan's mind: Daniel, kneeling in broken glass, his eyes devoid of anything resembling life. A sudden, sharp panic seized her chest. She pushed Lucass hand away.

She pulled out her phone, dialing my number. Disconnected.

With trembling fingers, she opened the clubs security app. The feed loaded.

The room was bathed in red. Courtney was in the corner, screaming, clawing at a locked door.

Morgan dropped her phone, her eyes wild, and ran for the elevator.