Alex sat in silence for longer than he could remember, still unable to fully grasp the words of the 'system' in his head. For a while, he didn't know what to focus on until a point reappeared in his head.
'You can confirm the exact amount in you account.'
Alex did have a bank account. Back when he just turned 16 and got a part-time job, his boss had helped him open one to deposit his salary into for saving. However, after three months, his aunt found out about the account and forced him to give her all the money in it. Just like that, Alex withdrew all his savings for three months and was left penniless again.
Out of anger, he had broken the bank card and quiet the job, refusing to work if he couldn't even have a little money earned from his effort to himself.
That was three years ago and Alex had since forgotten about the account. To think he'd suddenly need to go back to the bank now.
Heaven View Bank was the only bank in their tiny town and was located at the town center. Alex figured it wasn't too far away and it wouldn't kill him to check in.
With that in mind, he cleared the bowl from the table, taking it to the sink where everyone else had washed theirs and washed it. Seeing a fruit drink bottle in the corner, Alex picked in up and washed it, making sure he could no longer smell that drink it had contained or detergent soap that was used to wash it. After ensuring it was clean, he filled it up with the cool tap water planning to take it with him.
The sun was scorching and it was best he had something to drink on the way.
Alex went outside. He only saw three of the five men who had sat at the dinning table and the boss was not with them. Walking up to the closest person, Alex asked about the boss's whereabouts.
"There was a call to pick up a car." The man replied nonchalantly. "Boss went with the others since it involved the police."
Alex nodded in understanding and decided to leave. If luck had it, he would return quickly. If not, he would find an excuse for the boss later. He walked quickly, avoiding crowded areas and finding detours until he got to the bank. If he were to bump into any of his former school mates, especially without the girls interference, he didn't know how he would deal with them.
With all the detours, Alex reached the bank in 30 minutes, almost fifteen minutes more than he would have.
The Heaven View Bank in front of him was a small branch of the bank, occupying three floors in the the largest office buildings in the town. Alex felt oddly out of place as he walked into the building.
The first floor was the recept floor. There were different reception desks each their to represent the various companies in the building. Alex found the desk with the bank name and approached it. Of all the reception desks, the one for the bank had the most people with only a few seats left empty. Those seated were waiting to go upstairs to the bank itself.
Alex walked up to the teller when the person in front of him was told to wait in line. If he had known there would be so many people waiting here, he wouldn't have left the junkyard with the boss permission.
"What do you need?" The female teller voice drew him from his thoughts. She only threw a brief glance at him, uncaring and somewhat despising.
Alex didn't really care how others saw him. Though he made sure to always be clean and presentable, his cloths were patched, shoes old and anyone could tell in one glance that he was poor.
"I'd like to check my account balance." He replied calmly.
The receptionist raised an eyebrow, giving him a questioning look. "You can do that at any ATM machine or from your phone." She said, obviously annoyed that someone would come to a bank for just checking balance.
Alex did not flatter under her gaze, matching her coldness with his own. "I don't have a phone nor a bank card."
Seeing that Alex didn't flatter under her gaze and even spoke to her coldly, the teller was dissatisfied but did not try anything else. She was still just a worker and even a small complaint from any customer could cost her the job. This was the highest paying job she could find after years of job hunting and she wasn't going to let a small fry like Alex cause her to be fired.
She turned to her computer and clicked away for a while. "What's your account number and name?" She asked.
Alex finally flattered. He had forgotten about this account for almost three years. How could he still remember the account number?
"My name is Alexander D'Angelo." He replied. "I do not remember the account number."
That was the last straw for the teller's. "What do you mean you don't remember your account number? Is it something you can forget?" She asked, shooting him a glare. "Have you come here to mess with me?"
"No, I'm really serious. I haven't used the account in years and forgot it even existed" Alex tried to explain. The other people sitting, waiting to be let into the bank were giving him strange looks and Alex could hear their whispers. He hadn't felt this awkward and out of place since he started secondary school and had to introduce himself to the class.
"Did you say your name was Alexander D'Angelo?" A voice suddenly asked.
Everyone turned to the new comer and the teller quickly bowed her head and greeted him. "Welcome Mr Bernard, good morning."
Mr. Bernard, the bank manager only nodded to her in response, his eyes focused on Alex. "Young man, did you say your name is Alexander D'Angelo?" He asked again.
"Um, yes. My name is Alexander D'Angelo." Alex replied, unsure of who this person was but since the receptionist was so respectful towards him, he must be someone in a high position in the bank.
A look of excitement appeared on Mr. Bernard's face and he scratched out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Barnard, the bank manager. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Alex hesitantly some his hand, his confusion visible on his face. "It is?"
Mr. Bernard laughed joyfully. "Of course. When Mr. Alex contacted me to raise the limit of his account, I was very surprised after all that account has been dormant for years. You suddenly transferred one hundred million to the account."
"Mr. Alex, I've been waiting to meet you in person."
Alex was shocked. The receptionist was speechless and even the onlookers couldn't help but gasp at the amount.
One hundred million dollars. They've simply never imagined such amount before.