Lucian opened his eyes.
He was back in his room.
He sat up slowly, glancing around as if expecting something to look different, but everything was the same. The bed creaked under him. The fan in the corner buzzed faintly. Nothing around him hinted at the deal he'd just made.
He looked down at himself. Still the same body. Same round belly. Same soft arms. He didn't have horns or anything hinting he was inhuman.
He pulled his shirt up slightly and stared at his stomach.
He sighed. "I'll work on that later."
Leaning back against the headboard, he tried to think.
Alright, now came the real problem, money.
It sounded easy in theory. Everyone always said just find a way, just grind, just hustle. But sitting here, Lucian realized it was the same question half the world asked every day, and most of them never found an answer.
Even on the illegal side, he didn't have any useful skills. He wasn't a fighter. He didn't know how to cook drugs, run scams, or launder money. He didn't have connections or a crew.
He couldn't just walk into the streets and start committing crimes. That was stupid. That got people killed fast.
If he was going to do this, it had to be smart.
Every move needed to be covered. Every risk calculated. He'd have to learn fast, and learn from real examples.
Because now, whether he liked it or not, failure wasn't just about losing money, it was about losing time.
And time was already running out.
Lucian rolled his eyes and reached for his phone. The buttons felt smaller than he remembered, and typing on them was slow and frustrating. Still, he pushed through it, pressing each key carefully.
He opened the browser and started typing:
"what is the easiest crime to make money"
He stared at the words on the screen.
It felt ridiculous.
He sighed once, then hit search.
The results loaded.
[SEARCH RESULTS]
Query: what is the easiest crime to make money
■ 1. 10 Easy Crimes That Still Happen in 2020
pettycrimehub.net/articles/lowriskfastcash
From selling stolen goods to street-level scams, here's what people try when they're desperate...
■ 2. The Easiest Illegal Hustles That Actually Work
graymarketwatch.org/top-side-gigs
Avoid prison while making fast money? It depends where you live…
■ 3. Dumpster Diving to Credit Fraud – A Tier List of Street Hustles
urbanthreads.co/blog
Not all crimes are created equal. Here's a breakdown from lowest effort to highest payout.
■ 4. I Made $500 a Day Selling Knock-Offs
shadygrind.com/forums/stories
True stories from people who found shortcuts through fake shoes, watches, and more.
■ 5. The Truth About Quick Money and What Gets You Caught
streetlawsimplified.info
The police know most of these tricks. Here's how fast you'll end up in jail.
<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>
Lucian stared at the screen, thumb hovering.
He didn't know whether to feel more desperate or more stupid.
But he kept reading anyway.
He was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Before he could even respond, Scarlett pushed it open and stepped inside.
Lucian sighed. If this family had any respect for privacy, it wasn't showing.
She stood there, arms folded, squinting at him like she was trying to read something off his face.
Lucian looked up from his phone. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing…" she whispered. "You look weird. Anyway, I have a day off today. I thought maybe we could visit Dad."
"Sure."
She blinked. "Okay, I understand, I'll just go with, wait. Did you say yes?"
Lucian sighed again, setting his phone aside. He wasn't shocked by her reaction. It wasn't that he hated their father. In fact, growing up, he had been closer to him than to anyone else.
When their dad was arrested, right when their mom was pregnant with Jamie, Lucian had believed he was innocent. He still saw him as a good man. A great one, even.
But things changed.
The divorce came straight from prison. No warning or explanation of why that was the case. Just a signed letter that broke the family in half.
Lucian never fully recovered from that. Not because he couldn't understand mistakes, but because up until then, he'd held on to the hope that their father would return. That somehow, everything could be fixed.
The divorce ended that illusion.
He didn't hate him. But he despised the choice he made. It wasn't just about leaving, it was about choosing not to try.
And ever since he was a child, like Jamie, Lucian had never once visited him.
That's why Scarlett's jaw was still hanging open.
Lucian stood, walked over, and gently pushed her chin up with two fingers. "Close your mouth. Flies might get in."
She smacked his hand away and swung at him.
"Idiot."
Scarlett looked at her brother with a flicker of concern.
"Lucy, you don't have to go," she said. "I'm not forcing you. If—"
"It's fine," he cut in. "Can't keep hiding from him… plus, Jamie's been seeing him ever since."
Scarlett paused, then smiled. Without saying anything else, she stepped out of the room.
Lucian could see it on her face, she was excited. Even if she tried to play it cool, it showed. For years, he'd refused to visit their father. Now that he was finally saying yes, it meant something.
And out of everyone in the family, Scarlett had probably carried the most.
Their mom was always working. Always gone.
So Scarlett had to pick up everything, cooking, cleaning, watching Jamie, managing her own school and jobs. She had been the second parent by default, whether she liked it or not.
That was why Lucian looked up to her more than anyone else.
Of course, their mother wasn't absent either, she was just present in a different way. Her presence wasn't soft. It was sharp. Serious. That kept the house running out of respect and fear.
And when she got mad, it got worse.
Lucian could still hear the voice, especially when she started switching from English to Russian. No one knew what she was saying, but everyone knew to keep their mouths shut.
She didn't have to yell to be terrifying.
She just had to look at you.
Lucian stood there for a moment, thinking about it all.
Guess today, he was seeing the man who started it all.