Rise of an Alpha Male

Silvio walks to the side of the campus' lake and sits down on the bench deep in thought. 

On the riverbank, he observes a couple snuggling together, and his mind is flooded with happy memories. 

He thinks about the time when he and Julia have been so happy. He remembers helping her cook and riding together on his old motorcycle together to their class. He has used the money he had saved to buy Julia's cosmetics. 

Silvio's train of thought is disrupted by his phone ringing. He brings back his mind to the present, as the name Sara Swift appears on the screen. 

Sara is the captain of the university's cheerleading squad and Silvio is also a member of the squad. The rest of the squad are girls so they need a man to move the props around, to lift the stereo, and to go buy ice cream. They also need someone to fan them when they are hot. In other words, they use him as free hard labour. 

"Hello, Silvio. You must come to the west sport field now!" 

"What is it?"

"If I tell you to do something, just do it. Cut the crap or you are dead." Sara hangs up the phone. 

Walking towards the west sports field, Silvio sees six pretty girls heading his way. 

The girl with the most well proportioned body addresses him, "Silvio. You finally come. What takes you so long?" It is Sara Swift, who has just called him. 

She takes out 10 dollars and gives it to him. 

"Buy 6 bottles of water for us." 

"Captain, why didn't you ask on the phone? I would have bought it on my way over!" 

" Hei, why are you in such a bad mood today? It's not fair. What's wrong? Can't you take it anymore?"

Her words shot at Silvio like cannonballs. 

"No. All right. I'll buy it." Silvio says, choosing to go and buy the water rather than arguing with Sara Swift.

Silvio takes the ten dollars from Sara, feeling the weight of her words. He heads towards the nearest convenience store, his mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Julia. He wishes things could be different, that he didn’t have to put up with Sara’s demanding attitude and the constant reminder of his place in the cheerleading squad.

At the store, Silvio picks up the six bottles of water, his thoughts drifting to happier times with Julia. He wonders if she misses him as much as he misses her, or if she’s moved on. The thought stings but he pushes it aside, focusing on the task at hand.

When he returns to the west sports field, Sara and the other squad members are sitting on the grass, laughing and chatting. He hands the water bottles to Sara, who barely looks up from her phone.

“Thanks,” Sara says distractedly, grabbing the bottles and distributing them among the group. “Now, can you get us some ice cream? We’ve earned it after our practice.”

Silvio’s patience wears thin. “Sara, I’m really tired today. Can’t we just skip the ice cream?”

Sara raises an eyebrow, clearly annoyed. “You know the rules. You’re here to help, not to complain.”

He sighs, realizing that arguing will get him nowhere. “Fine. I’ll go get the ice cream.”

As he walks away, Silvio’s frustration builds. He thinks about how little he’s valued and how much he’s given up. The campus, once a place of joy and excitement, now feels like a reminder of his sacrifices.

On his way to the ice cream shop, he passes a small park where a group of students is playing a casual game of soccer. He stops for a moment, watching them and feeling a pang of longing. He used to be active and happy, always looking forward to something. Now, his days are filled with mundane tasks and unfulfilled dreams.

With a deep breath, he continues his walk, determined to finish his errand quickly. As he returns to the west sports field with the ice cream, he tries to push his personal troubles to the back of his mind. He hands out the ice cream, hoping that once he’s done with this, he can find a moment of peace.

They are interrupted by Sara's phone ringing. She takes out the phone on a pink cover and looks at the number, frowning slightly. 

"Hey, Karen. Don't be too stressed. Your family is just worried because you're not married yet. Fine, fine. If you are free, why don't you come to the amusement park. Stop worrying. Call me if you need anything."

Sara hangs up the phone and walks to her friends. 

"What's wrong?" 

"It's my cousin, Karen. Her family is urging her to hurry up and get married."

" Your cousin is very beautiful. She doesn't have to worry about getting married."

On the next day, Silvio is wandering around the college when Sara calls.

"Sara. Do you need me to do some chores again?" 

He has a little to do with Sara, so why else would she call. 

"No. Of course, not. Holy shit. I don't think anyone else overthinks as much as you do." Sara's tone is full of disdain.

"I call because I want you to come to the Starbucks just off campus."

With that, Sara abruptly ends the call. Silvio is puzzled, "What does Sara want with me?" 

He leaves the campus and makes his way to the high-end coffee shop that wealthier students visit.

He enters and spots Sara's brown hair. She is dressed in jeans and flat shoes.

"Sara, are you here alone?" Silvio asks, looking around in surprise.

"Yes, obviously." She snaps, "Do you see anyone else here?" 

A waiter comes and asks, " Sir, what would you like?"

"Don't bother asking him. He's never been here before, and wouldn't know what to order." Sara said to the waiter, " Just give him a cappuccino."

She sips the coffee and she sizes him up, trying to decide if he is suitable for her plan.

Silvio feels uncomfortable as she stares at him like that. 

"I'll just come right out, and say it." She says, watching him. " I need a favour. I need you to date my cousin."

" What? Silvio gapes at her. "Don't be stupid!" He knows she thought he was a loser, so she couldn't possibly want her cousin to date him. 

"I'm serious." She glares at him. "My cousin doesn't have many requirements as her boyfriend. As long as you're honest and well behaved, she will accept you."

"But.."

"Don't argue..just treat her well.. she will be here any moment!"

With that she walks out of the shop, pulls out her phone and calls her cousin.

"Karen, are you here?" 

"Yes, I am parking my car. Did you find someone who can be of use?"

" Yes. He is sitting in there. I promise this guy is a loser. There's no one better suited. If you meet him in the street, you'd never know she is a student. You'd think he is a construction worker."

"Ah, that's perfect. I am sure he will be able to attract the man."

"I don't understand. Why do you need a loser like him to pretend to be your boyfriend?" The younger Sara has no idea what her cousin is trying to do.

"I want to make that man jealous." 

"Oh, that's so smart." Sara finally understands.

A young woman comes out of a Toyota car. A slim, long haired woman wearing a pair of black stockings steps out of the car.

Right away, she attracts the attention of a dozen men, who stare at her as if she is a model. 

"Karen." Sara calls up, striding towards her.

"Come on. He is waiting, right?"

They walk together into the coffee shop.

"Silvio, my cousin is here!" Sara yells at him. " Don't just sit there. Come and meet her!" 

He stands up and turns towards them.

Silvio is stunned. It is Karen Swift, the officer at Top G Bank who caused him so much trouble.

When she sees Silvio, Karen is sure that her cousin had found a real loser. But when she sees his face, she recognized him as the guy she tried to throw off at the bank. After the incident, the manager confirmed that the Divine Card was owned by this young man. Customers who possess Divine Card at least possess fifty million dollars. 

So, the person now standing in front of her is seriously rich, and she doesn't know what to do.

"Hello, how are you?" Karen tries to be polite now that she knows who he is.

Sara snaps, "Hurry up, pull the chair for my cousin!" 

"No need. I can do it myself." Karen uses her eye signal to instruct Sara to be nicer. She pulls the chair and sits down. Sara feels confused, "What's wrong with Karen?" 

"Karen, this is Silvio. He is a student at my university. I think you will get along enough."

" Silvio. Why are quiet? Why don't you go find the waiter?"

" You stay. I will go." Karen says hastily and standing up. She isn't going to send a rich man to chase after a waiter.

After receiving the drink, Sara goes to the washroom. 

"Mr Gesell. Forgive me for Sara's behavior. She shouldn't have spoken to you in that tone of voice." She begs, panicking.

"It's fine. Sara is always treating me like that." He meets her eyes, "You know who I am, do you?"

The last time she met him, she hadn't believe he was very rich. She nods. Although now she doesn't know his exact identity, she knows Silvio has unimaginable wealth.

"I don't understand. You're beautiful and have good job. Why are you looking for a loser like me to date?" 

" Ah, well.." Karen doesn't know how to answer that. She couldn't tell him originally she was just planning to use him to make another man jealous.

She thinks this might me a good opportunity to woo this rich man. 

"When I misjudged you at the bank, I felt terrible." She feigns innocence, hoping he would believe her.

"I realize I should be with an ordinary person to understand my life better."

If she acts well, if she seems humble enough, she could win his favour.