At the dining table, Amy was sitting at the head with Bella and Bryan on either side.
"What took you so long and why are you still wearing these clothes?" Amy said after looking at Bryan's clothes which were the same in which he came from the airport.
Bryan used his foot and tapped Bella's foot.
"Mom, I was thinking why don't you give my half to Bryan for the bitcoin thingy." Bella said while looking down on her plate, not facing her mother.
Amy didn't look at Bella but at Bryan as she spoke, "It wasn't enough for you. Bryan, you know I still haven't given you the money. What are you teaching your little sister. She might not get the scholarship like you. Do you want to gamble with her future?"
"Mom, it's not gambling. Fine, I won't ask you for more now. What if the tip I told you about turns out to be true. Are you ready to trust me then." Bryan said.
"I am not. I can gamble with Bella's future just because you said so." Amy said.
Bella saw that her mother was getting really angry so she chipped in for her brother, "it's only for a month. Why don't you trust me, just give him half, I promise I won't need the money for college, I am definitely smarter than him."
[Thanks I guess, although she did insult me there.] Bryan thought.
"I had enough. It was fine till it was only Bryan. I am not giving you anything now. Young man, we will go to the bank and I will co-sign the loan for you. They decide how much you get." Amy said with a serious voice. She had enough of her kids trying to act like they knew how the world worked.
~Tring~
Bryan's email notification rang. He picked it up the same moment as his mother finished speaking. Feeling a little disheartened at the slipping away of 50k, Bryan's eyes brightened at what he read. Bryan had subscribed to the bitcoin news forum. The greatest country had identified bitcoin as a virtual commodity.
[The trigger is here. It's going to blow up.] Bryan thought.
Bryan moved his chair closer to Amy as he said, "Mom, look. Didn't I tell you about the news that my friend had tipped me about. It's happening, see this."
Amy was not very interested in seeing but looking at Bryan's excitement, she slowly read the news article.
[Is it actually true. Is it the gold rush?] Amy thought as she snatched the phone to read it again.
"Mom, we need to do it now. It will be too late in a few hours."
"Fine but if it's not as you said and the value doesn't rise. I am taking it back. These are account details. - 1000000696969 and the password is .., it's written on the back of that notebook." Amy said as she pointed to a bookshelf.
.
Bryan left his food and ran to the shelf. This wasn't the time to eat. He had to act and buy it now or the payoff would be less by a huge margin.
Bryan took the notebook and looked for his bag which he had brought with him. Bella sat at the side as she looked at the huge amount of money Bryan was given while she wasn't able to get a new iPhone.
Bryan made a new account with another email as he bought the bitcoins. The price had breached 240 and was closing in on 245 by the time Bryan completed the procedure.
[Another 310 bitcoins. This means I have 940 bitcoins now. It will be enough for a specialist bot and more.] Bryan thought and finally felt better.
Bryan got up from his laptop to finish his food.
"Is it rising?" Amy asked with worry. She was already regretting listening to her son.
"It is. It's 250 now." The one to reply wasn't Bryan but Bella who was looking at the laptop screen with zeal.
"Really?" Amy said as she walked next to Bella and sat down. The family was fully invested into the gambling now.
Bryan finished his meal and looked at his mother and sister who did not seem to be blinking as they looked at the bitcoin price charts.
"Bee, Mom. You guys don't have to sit here. It will rise even without you looking at it all the t.."
"Shut up." The women replied at the same time.
"Fine. But isn't it Bella's studying time?" Bryan tried to take down Bella.
Amy looked at Bella who was sitting next to her and spoke, "He is right. Go to your room."
Bella could only give Bryan an angry stare before going back to her room.
"I mean you too, Mom. Don't worry. It will be up by a lot in a few hours. You don't have to keep looking at it." Bryan said to ease his mother's tension.
"I will see it for myself. You go and change these clothes." Amy said and Bryan went to take a bath.
The house was old so he didn't have a bath attached to his room. It was a common one. Bryan washed up.
"Fuck, I forgot bring in the change of clothes." Bryan said to himself as he toweled up and walked back to his room.
"Brie. What do you think you are doing. MOM!!!!!" Bella shouted as she saw Bryan parading half naked inside her room.
It wasn't Bryan's fault. Old habits die hard and that's what happened. He went back to his 'own' room which had been occupied by Bella now.
"Why are you shouting? I just forgot it's your room." Bryan said irritated by her scream.
Amy came in running as she had just heard the last MOM part of Bella's shout.
"Bryan. Are you taking drugs?" Amy said.
[I came in a plane. I can't have anything on me?] Bryan thought.
"What?" Bryan said, confused.
"My colleagues were discussing kids taking drugs to enhance their muscles. How did you get muscles in less than 2 months." Amy said as she saw the abs on her son.
Bella who had not been concerned by this noticed the change as well.
"You were definitely a little chubby when you left for college." Bella said as she walked up to Bryan. She didn't stop there as she touched his abs.
"It's so hard, mom." bella said.
[Wrong choice of words, Bee.] Bryan thought as he tried to get away.
"Feel it mom." Bella continued.
"Get off me." Bryan said as he tried to move away.
Seeing Bryan trying to escape, Amy got curious as well.
[I have seen him naked. Why am I hesitating?] Amy thought as she touched his abs.
"Did you exercise a lot?"
"I did. Stop." Bryan said as he didn't like where it seemed to be going.
[Fuck the gene potion. It's more than a minor problem.] Bryan thought as he tried to open the wardrobe.
[What the fuck!] Bryan quickly closed it back as he had seen something which didn't belong to him.
"What are you embarrassed about? It's just the abs. We have seen you naked when you were little." Amy said to make Bryan feel less embarrassed.
"I am not embarrassed. Your hands are cold." Bryan said as he turned around and left the room.
The awkward situation ended but it was just the beginning for Bryan's troubles.