The next morning, Lucas woke up and began calling Amanda's name, thinking she was close to him, but as soon as he remembered she was no longer alive, he let out a sigh, his teeth gritted in anguish.
Today was the day he was to go claim the lottery prize, as instructed in the text message he had received, and after some investigation, he discovered that the message wasn't fake but real from the Golden Hue company themselves.
After laying Amanda into the ground and burying her. Lucas took out his phone for the last time and tried to call Clara, but she wasn't picking up her calls.
He sighed. And just as he was about to put the phone back into his pocket. The phone began ringing, and the caller was Clara.
Lucas hesitated to pick up the call. And when he finally decided to answer the call, Clara's furious voice raged out.
"You good-for-nothing fool, why have you been disturbing my phone with missed calls? Or are you scared to get divorced and want to beg me? Just know that my decision is made and you must get that divorce."
Clara didn't even make Lucas say a word before she began spouting the nonsense from her mouth. Though Lucas stood quite even with the anger, he chose to make her finish what she was saying.
After she was done, Lucas spoke into the phone. "Amanda has died, and I just buried her."
At that moment after Lucas said this, silence fell from both ends of the phone. But just after that, laughter burst out from the other end.
"So you are still into these lies of yours. After pulling the other one that didn't work, you still want to bring up another one, you fraud."
Lucas tightened his grip and then ended the call. He went over to the roadside and then waved a taxi. After getting in, the taxi drove away.
A few minutes later, the taxi stopped at the location as indicated on the text message. Lucas dropped from the car, staring at the tall skyscraper building of the Golden Hue organization.
The tall building beamed with extravagant perfection. Lucas stared at it, already getting carried away by its perfection.
In the whole city, no building matches its class. The Golden Hue organization had helped so many dying companies and had raised numerous poor people to become millionaires. Its wealth is unmatched.
The lottery from the Golden Hue is held every year, but this year's lottery was exceptional, putting in 2 billion for any participant who ended up winning.
The organization is associated with the United States government. Owned by a single man named Derick Storm.
Lucas took a deep breath, then stepped forward, reaching the entrance of the tall building. Two security guards stood strong on the ground, stopping Lucas from entering.
"Who are you looking for, Mr.?" one of the security guards asked, his voice deep.
Though Lucas had expected this to happen, he knew the security here would be tight, so he came with the lottery tickets.
Lucas pulled out the ticket from his pocket and showed it to the security guard. "I'm here to claim my prize."
Immediately, the security confirmed that the ticket wasn't fake and they had been expecting a person like Lucas; they bowed their heads and then apologized grimly.
"Sorry, sir, we have been expecting you. Please get in."
Lucas nodded. The door opened, and he walked into the building. He was assisted by one of the female security guards to the elevator. While on the elevator, she looks very surprised, staring at Lucas like he was some sort of celebrity.
"Can't believe I would ever meet the winner of the 2 billion lottery. The news came out like something out of a fantasy book; it was unbelievable."
Lucas remained silent without saying a word to her.
And then she continued. "How were you able to win it? I have bought countless tickets over the years, but I was never lucky. You must be the luckiest man on earth."
Though this was the first time Lucas had tried playing the lottery, he hoped he would win. He wasn't into gambling; he just chose to try and see how luck plays on his side.
Soon the elevator reached a halt, and the door opened. Lucas was guided to a specific section of the office. And the security stopped.
She knocked on the door twice before pushing it open. She gestured for Lucas to step in, smiling wildly, but Lucas didn't reciprocate; he remained untouched, calm, and bold.
He stepped into the office, and the door behind him closed. Before him was a man seated in a wheelchair. His hands propped on the table, his stare deep into Lucas. The man looks old, with white hair and beards.
Lucas didn't take a step forward due to how the man was staring deep into him like a predator locking into its prey.
And just then, the man began to clap. "Congratulations, Mr.… Mr.… what's your name again?"
And Lucas replied. "My name is Lucas."
"Then congratulations, Mr. Lucas, the winner of the ultimate 2 billion lottery award. I am Derick, the CEO of Golden Hue."
Lucas' breath was caught by the name he just heard. "So I'm actually talking to the almighty trillionaire, a man whose presence is like gold."
Lucas almost fell to his knees from the overwhelming feelings that washed over him. He wasn't expecting to meet the almighty Derick Storm, the founder of Golden Hue Organization, the richest man in the world.
Derick Storm gently gestured for Lucas to have a seat. "Please, Lucas, have a seat. It's really remarkable seeing the winner of the 2 billion lottery prize. I'm impressed."
Lucas gently sat on the seat offered to him. His expression was pale. Surprise washed over him like a river moving in high current.
"I can feel how surprised you are. But before that, can I see the tickets and the message sent to you so I can confirm if you are truly the one?" Derick Storm requested with a calm smile. "I flew across the country just to come attend to you, so it's necessary to confirm if your ticket is authentic."
Lucas nodded. "Yes, sure, I have the tickets and the text message."
Lucas deepened his hands into his pockets, then first brought out the ticket and handed it over to Derick Storm. While doing this, his shirt rose a bit, and on his chest, he has a birthmark that caught Dericks attention.
Immediately, Derick saw the mark on Lucas' chest, he froze in disbelief, his lips slightly quivering. The mark looks exactly like the one on his son's chest, Rowan, who had been missing for over twenty-five years.
The boy went missing when he was just four years old. It happened when a flood struck the town twenty-five years ago, which led to the death of Derick's most precious wife, and ever since, Derick has chosen not remarried, holding the grief of his son and wife.