Pale morning sunlight filtered through the dusty windows of the apartment in Peckham, South London. Arthur stood before a cracked kitchen sink, staring at a glass of water with hands that still trembled slightly. His mind was racing. He was in the year 2010—the year the world was still crawling out of the 2008 financial crisis, the year Bitcoin was worth only pennies, and the year he—in his previous life—had chosen to borrow from loan sharks for a stock speculation that nearly destroyed his family.
"Arthur?"
Elena's voice shattered his reverie. She stood in the kitchen doorway, cradling a drowsy Leo. Her beautiful yet weary eyes watched Arthur with guarded vigilance. There was a vast distance between them, an invisible wall built by Arthur over years of bitterness and cruelty.
"Aren't you... aren't you going to the exchange?" Elena asked cautiously. Usually, by this time, Arthur would be shouting for a clean shirt before slamming the door without a word.
Arthur turned, forcing a warm smile that felt stiff on his youthful face. "Not today, Elena. I want to have breakfast with you both."
Elena was stunned. She set Leo down on a wobbly wooden chair. "But you said you had urgent business with Mr. Henderson. You said it was the only way we could pay the rent this month."
Arthur approached the dining table. He looked at Leo's plastic plate, which held only a small piece of plain white bread without any jam. A sharp pang hit his heart. In the future, he had provided Leo with Wagyu steak and caviar, yet his son had never wanted to eat with him. Now, this dry crust felt more precious than all that luxury.
"Mr. Henderson can wait," Arthur said calmly. "My family cannot."
He reached into the pocket of his frayed jeans. He knew exactly what was there: five ten-pound notes. It was their last bit of money to survive the week. In his past life, he had spent this on high-risk stock options that failed miserably on the first day.
"Elena, use this to buy eggs, milk, and maybe some meat for Leo," Arthur said, placing three of the notes on the table.
Elena's eyes widened. She didn't reach for the money immediately; instead, she stared at Arthur with deep suspicion. "What are you planning, Arthur? You don't usually give me grocery money without me begging first. Have you done something wrong again? Did you lose it gambling?"
Arthur took a long breath. He realized that redemption couldn't be achieved overnight. The scars he had carved into Elena's heart were too deep to be healed by a single hug and a few bills.
"I just want us to eat a decent meal, that's all," Arthur replied softly. He tried to touch Elena's hand, but she pulled away quickly, as if she had been electric shocked.
"Don't lie to me," Elena whispered, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "The last time you were 'kind,' you sold my mother's heirloom necklace for one of your failed business ventures. I don't need your kindness if it means you're hiding another disaster."
Arthur fell silent. He remembered that moment. He truly had been a bastard. "I understand why you don't trust me. I won't ask for forgiveness with words, Elena. Just give me time to prove it."
Arthur then turned to Leo. He ruffled his son's hair and kissed his forehead. "Papa's going out for a bit to make some money, champ. Take care of Mama, okay?"
Leo just nodded innocently, his mouth busy chewing the dry bread.
Arthur stepped out of the apartment into the damp London air. He didn't head for the brokerage firm where he usually loitered. Instead, he made his way to a small internet cafe on the corner that smelled of cigarettes and stale coffee.
He sat before a slow, bulky CRT monitor. With nimble fingers, he began to type. His knowledge as a former tech-giant CEO gave him an advantage no one else in the world possessed in 2010.
First, capital, he thought.
He opened a commodity trading site. He remembered clearly that at 2:00 PM London time today, there would be a sudden announcement regarding a copper supply disruption in Chile due to an aftershock. Copper prices would spike by 15% in less than three hours.
Arthur used his remaining 20 pounds to execute a leveraged trade through a small brokerage account he had almost forgotten. It was an "all-in" gamble. If he was wrong, he wouldn't even have bus fare to get home. But Arthur couldn't be wrong. He had memorized the 2010 market charts like the lines on his own palm.
While waiting for the market move, he began sketching business schemes in a cheap notebook. He wrote down names: Julian, Hugo, Marcus. He had to assemble his team, but this time he wouldn't lead them with fear, but with loyalty.
At exactly 2:05 PM, the graph on the monitor began to climb vertically. Green. Deep green.
Arthur watched with bated breath as the figures in his account balance shifted. From 20 pounds to 100... 500... 1,200... and finally stopping at 2,800 pounds after he closed his position at the peak of the surge.
To a future billionaire, 2,800 pounds was chump change. But to the current Arthur, it was the first breath after drowning.
He immediately withdrew some of the cash from a nearby ATM. As the notes slid out of the machine, Arthur didn't feel his usual greed. He felt relief, knowing that tonight Elena wouldn't have to cry silently in the kitchen worrying about the electricity bill.
On his way home, Arthur passed a small jewelry shop on the outskirts of town. His eyes caught a simple gold ring adorned with a small sapphire. It was strikingly similar to the wedding ring he had forced Elena to sell a year ago.
Without hesitation, he went in and bought it.
That evening, the apartment felt quieter than usual. Elena was sewing Leo's torn clothes under a low-watt bulb when Arthur arrived. The savory aroma of cooking filled the cramped space; Elena had indeed used the money from that morning to buy proper food.
Arthur placed a large shopping bag on the table. Inside was the best formula for Leo, fresh fruit, and a bottle of Elena's favorite non-alcoholic wine.
"Where did you get this much money in one day?" Elena stood up, her face pale. Her fear peaked again. "Arthur, tell me you didn't rob someone or do something illegal."
Arthur stepped closer, and this time, he didn't let her pull away. He took Elena's rough hand and placed the small jewelry box in her palm.
"This isn't from anything illegal, Elena. I used my brain, not brawn or crime," Arthur said earnestly. "Open it."
With trembling hands, Elena opened the box. At the sight of the ring, the tears she had been holding back finally broke.
"Why...?" she whispered hoarsely. "Why are you doing this now? After all the insults you threw at me?"
"Because I nearly lost you in my dreams, and I realized that no number in a bank account can ever replace you," Arthur looked into her eyes with an intensity that left her rooted to the spot. "I know you can't forgive me yet. I know you might still hate me. But let me stay here. Let me be the husband and father I should have been all along."
Elena looked at the ring, then at her husband. She wanted to believe—so desperately—but years of trauma don't vanish easily. She closed the box slowly.
"I will keep this ring," Elena said quietly. "But I won't wear it yet. I want to see if this Arthur lasts more than a day, or if you'll turn back into a monster the moment the money runs out."
Arthur gave a thin smile, one that carried both pain and resolve. "Fair. I will prove it every single day."
That night, for the first time in a long while, they ate dinner together in peace. Though Elena's wall of suspicion still stood firm, Arthur knew he had managed to create one tiny crack in it.
However, in the darkness of the London night, Arthur knew the real challenge was just beginning. Tomorrow, he would have to face Victor Thorne—the man who had destroyed him in his past life—before the man even knew Arthur existed.
Arthur Valeska wasn't just going to be rich. He was going to become the predator that protected his pack.