CHAPTER 2Alex stared at Lily for a long moment.The laughter around him grew louder even louder.Students whispered, pointed, and chuckled like they were watching some cheap street show.Alex slowly looked around at the crowd.Then he faced Lily again.His voice was calm, but it had an edge to it.“You should answer my question.” He tilted his head slightly. “How exactly did your cousin end up proposing to you?”The crowd burst into laughter.Someone shouted from the back. “Is this guy serious?”Another voice mocked loudly. “Damn, he’s even more stupid than I thought!”A tall boy folded his arms and sneered. “Buddy, everyone here knows Lily and Daniel have been dating for years.”“Four years,” a girl added with a laugh. “Maybe even more.”Alex froze.“What?” His brows slowly furrowed, “Four years?”The crowd nodded and laughed again.“Yeah, four years!”“So you really didn’t know?”“Man, this guy might be the dumbest man alive!”Alex stared at Lily.His voice dropped.“Four years?” H

The conversation between Alex and the receptionist started drawing attention from the people around them.At first it was only a few curious glances.Then whispers began.“What's happening over there?”Within moments, several customers who had been minding their own business slowly turned their heads toward the reception desk. The raised voices, the mocking laughter, and the obvious tension between the poorly dressed young man and the sharply dressed receptionist made the situation impossible to ignore.Soon more people gathered and a large crowd formed.Expensive suits. Diamond watches. Designer dresses.They stood there, watching Alex like he was some kind of entertainment.Murmurs started spreading through the group.“Who let this guy in here?”“Look at his clothes.”“He looks like he just crawled out of a dumpster.”Another man snorted loudly. “This bank really needs better security.”A woman holding a designer handbag wrinkled her nose as she looked Alex up and down.“Honestly,”

Alex walked out of Gold Crest Bank slowly.His steps were steady.But his mind was not.He looked down at the envelope in his hand. Then at the black card between his fingers.“Eight hundred billion…” he muttered.He stopped walking.Then he said it again, this time slower. “Eight. Hundred. Billion.”He let out a dry chuckle. “So the machine really said that.”He nodded to himself. “Yeah… it did.”He stood there for a moment like a man trying to wake up from a dream.“Which means…” He paused.“I have eight hundred billion dollars.”He shook his head immediately. “Impossible.”His lips curved into a faint smile. “Alex, you’ve been in prison too long. Now you’re hallucinating money.”But the card was still in his hand.The envelope was still real.The memory of the machine’s voice was still clear.“Account balance: Eight hundred billion dollars.”Alex exhaled slowly. “So it’s real.”He started walking again.“But how?” he murmured.“That old man… Victor…”He frowned slightly. “Who gives

The manager staggered forward.His face was pale. His cheeks were still burning red.“Miss… please…” he said, his voice trembling. “I made a mistake. I didn’t know… I didn’t know who he was.”He pointed weakly at Alex. “If I had known, I would have never—”Isabella didn’t even look at him. “Enough.” Her voice was cold and final.The manager froze. “But Miss, I—”“I said enough.” She turned slightly, her eyes finally landing on him. “You’ve said more than enough already.”Her gaze was sharp. “You judged a guest by his clothes.”She paused. “And then you blamed him for your own mistake.”The manager opened his mouth but nothing came out.The crowd watched in silence.The same man who had been arrogant moments ago now looked like a beaten dog.“Please… don’t fire me…” he tried again, his voice lower now.Isabella didn’t respond.Instead, she turned to Alex.“Sir,” she said calmly, “please follow me.”Alex glanced at the manager once.Then away.Indifference.Like the man no longer existe

Alex stood there with clenched fists as his fellow students hurled all kinds of abusive words at him. They were clearly convinced by everything Lily and Daniel had told them. No one seemed interested in hearing his own side of the story—which, of course, was the truth.To them, Alex was a thief, a criminal, and a murderer, just as Lily and Daniel had claimed.Daniel’s upper lip curled into a triumphant smirk. “Yes, you should listen to them and get out. Murderer!”That was it—Alex’s patience had finally worn thin. All of a sudden, his eyes turned cold.“Call me that one more time, and I will show you what a murderer is capable of,” he said in a low but menacing tone.Daniel scoffed mockingly. “Look at this loser,” he said while pointing disdainfully at Alex. “Are you threatening me?”Then he took a daring step forward. “Murderer. You are a murderer! What are you going to do about it?”Something inside Alex snapped. Before anyone could react, he stormed towards Daniel, his eyes filled