Sky CityThe rain slicked the asphalt outside the worn-down diner, reflecting the neon signs Dean Anders could never afford to eat under. He pulled his jacket tight against the chill, his hand slipping into his pocket to touch the small, worn leather pouch inside. Every dollar, every nickel he’d scraped together over the last four months was in that pouch. Three hundred and forty dollars. Just enough to take Maya to L'Étoile, the Michelin-starred restaurant she’d been dropping hints about for weeks.Maya had been cold lately. Distant. She barely looked at him when they walked together, her eyes always glued to her phone, her answers short and clipped. But Dean convinced himself she was just stressed. If he could take her out, if he could show her that he could give her the finer things, maybe the spark between them would reignite. He loved her too much to let her slip away.His phone buzzed in his palm. It was a text from Felix Croft: Need a quick run. $200 cash if you drop a

“This… Is this money really mine? Is it actually real?” Dean muttered aloud, looking around the empty, rain-drenched overpass. An undeniable thrill began to surge through his chest, a feeling he had never experienced in his life. He had never seen this much money, let alone owned it.【All funds belong entirely to the Host. However, every dollar must be spent. Failure to expend the funds will prevent the Host from completing System tasks, resulting in mandatory penalties.】The thought of being punished made Dean uneasy, but he needed more answers, and standing out in the freezing downpour wasn’t helping.He ducked under the concrete overhang of a nearby closed storefront to shelter from the rain before asking in his mind, “What kind of punishment are we talking about if I fail?”Ten million dollars was an astronomical sum. Having lived hand-to-mouth his entire life, the concept of spending that much money so quickly felt foreign, and the threat of an unknown penalty made him deeply un

“Dean Anders? Is that really you?”Dean turned toward the voice and immediately recognized the woman stepping up the grand entrance steps. It was Mila Evans, Maya Hanson’s blonde, sharp-tongued best friend.Beside her stood Marcus Polland, her wealthy, middle-aged boyfriend, holding her loosely around the waist.“Dean, what on earth are you doing here?” Mila asked, her eyes widening in disbelief as she took in his faded sportswear. “Why would someone like you be at the Mapleland Sales Center?”Mila was accompanying Marcus for a morning of house hunting, dressed to attract attention in beige stockings and a fitted slate-gray pleated skirt. She leaned into Marcus, brazenly allowing him to wrap a hand around her hips.Dean raised an eyebrow, his expression entirely unbothered. “What’s the issue? Am I not allowed to walk here? Does your family own Mapleland now?”Dean had never tolerated Mila. She was a hypocritical, status-obsessed instigator, the exact influence that had driven Maya fu

Everyone in the showroom was rendered completely speechless by the shocking turn of events.‘Good lord... seven million dollars. Was it really that easy to spend that much money?!’“D-Did... did it actually clear?!” The manager stood frozen, his eyes bulging as he stared at the terminal screen.A sudden chill ran down his spine, followed by a violent wave of heart palpitations. He had come terrifyingly close to kicking out a genuine multi-millionaire, and all over an arrogant, middle-aged nightclub owner like Marcus Polland.“S-Sir, please... please hold onto your card safely,” the manager stammered, his hands trembling as he reverently handed the black card back with a nervous, overly eager smile. He couldn’t care less what Dean was wearing, ‘cause looking at him now, Dean was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.Dean nodded coolly, taking the card and slipping it back into his pocket.Beside them, Mila stood frozen in total shock, her mind completely blank, while Marcus Polla

Inside an elegant private room at the Night Owl, the air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and foreign liquor.Several gorgeously dressed women sat across the plush leather sofas, their revealing dresses and colorful stockings striking under the flickering lights. They exuded a mature charm, throwing flirtatious glances and teasing winks toward Marcus.Sitting off to the side, Mila looked noticeably out of her depth. Dressed in her short skirt, she couldn’t compete with the worldly charm of the women who frequented the Night Owl. To them, she was just an amateur. Marcus had only pursued her because he had grown bored of the club regulars and wanted a fresh, naive distraction.Mila knew deep down she was nothing more than a temporary trophy to Marcus, which was precisely why she had always been so bitter and envious of Maya’s steady relationship with Dean.It had been so easy to manipulate Maya. All Mila had to do was flaunt the lavish gifts, high-end dinners, and lifesty