Divorced By My Wife, The System Made Me A Trillionaire!

Chapter 5.

"What are you doing here?" Clara asked again, her voice cold and sharp. It was like she could cut through the air with her words.

Lila moved forward, her arms folded across her chest, the gold bracelets on her wrists making a soft clinking sound.

She gave Arthur a once-over, her eyes scanning him from head to toe, her expression suggesting she wasn't impressed, like he was something unpleasant that had been spilled on the floor.

"Clara, sweetie, just ignore him. This is VÉLORÉ, and to be honest, the least expensive item in this store is worth more than everything he owns. “

She then turned to Arthur, giving him a gentle smile.

"Hey, darling, you're headed in the wrong direction - the beggar’s junction is actually three blocks east from here, you must have taken a wrong turn somewhere."

The third woman burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. But she couldn't contain herself and laughed even harder.

"Oh my goodness, Lila, look at his shoes!" she exclaimed. "Are those... could they actually be from a gas station?"

Arthur didn't flinch.

Clara stepped closer, her voice dropping. Cold. Private. " I don't know how you got in here, but you need to leave. You're embarrassing me in front of my friends."

"Arthur spoke in a flat, quiet tone, 'I'm here to buy some clothes.'"

Silence.

Then all three women burst out laughing.

Lila clutched Clara's arm, struggling to catch her breath. "Can you believe it? He actually came here, to VÉLORÉ, to buy clothes!" She laughed, wiping away a tear. "That's just too funny - the most hilarious thing I've heard in ages."

Clara shook her head, a smile spreading across her face. "Arthur, you're something else," she said, her voice firm but amused. "A single sock in this store costs three hundred dollars. You've got, what, a few bucks in your pocket? Not even enough to buy a decent cup of coffee." She leaned in, her eyes locked on his. "Listen, just go home, okay? Before I have to call security and make a scene. You can't afford anything in here, and I don't want any trouble."

The woman turned to the store manager, a tall guy in a black suit who was standing by the checkout. "Excuse me," she said. "This guy is just hanging around and bothering people. Can you please do something about him?"

The manager straightened. Walked toward Arthur. His eyes swept over the damp jacket.

"Excuse me, sir, but I need to ask you to—"

[Ding!]

The blue screen flickered to life. Glowing in front of Arthur's face.

[Mission Updated!]

[New Objective: Purchase EVERY item in VÉLORÉ.]

[Total Inventory Value: $38,500,000]

[Reward: 100x Cashback + MYSTERIOUS GIFT PRIZE]

[Failure Penalty: Bankruptcy.]

[Accept? YES / NO]

Arthur stared at the screen.

$38.5 million, that's the total cost, and it includes every single item.

He took a glance around, his eyes scanning the rows of blazers, the shelves stacked with shoes, the display cases filled with watches, and the tables laden with leather bags and silk scarves, taking it all in.

He pressed YES.

Arthur turned to the manager and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Clara let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes, "Come on, seriously—"

Arthur said, "I'm buying the whole lot." His voice was steady, no hint of excitement or doubt. "Every single thing," he continued. "All the items, every rack, every shelf, even the socks. I want the entire inventory, everything in the store."

The manager blinked. " Sir, that's—"

"Thirty-eight and a half million dollars," Arthur said, pulling out his phone. "I'm paying now."

Clara's smile faltered.

Lila stopped laughing.

The third woman dropped her hand from her mouth.

Arthur tapped his screen. Held up the phone. The transfer confirmation glowed bright.

$38,500,000.00 — TRANSFER COMPLETE.

The register's receipt printer suddenly roared to life, spewing out paper like crazy. It just kept coming, curling up on the floor, overflowing the counter, and forming a big pile at the manager's feet.

The sound was loud, the paper was everywhere, and it was a real mess.

The manager stared at the receipt. Stared at Arthur. His knees actually buckled.

"You've literally purchased the whole store, every single item in it."

Arthur nodded. Then he turned to Lila and the third woman.

"Take anything you like, it's all yours now. Help yourselves to any bag, dress, or shoes - I'm giving it all to you, so just pick what you want."

Lila's mouth fell open in shock. The third woman's eyes grew huge, like she had just seen something amazing.

"You're... you're serious?" Lila whispered.

"Take whatever you want. Consider it a gift."

For three seconds, neither woman moved.

Lila suddenly darted towards a display of Chanel handbags, her eyes scanning the shelves as she grabbed a few.

Meanwhile, the third woman was busy snatching up two pairs of Louboutin heels, her hands moving quickly as she shoved them into her bags.

The atmosphere was chaotic, with the women laughing and squealing as they stuffed their arms with as much as they could carry, one of them even grabbing onto Arthur's sleeve in her excitement.

"Oh my God, you're amazing," Lila gushed, pressing against his arm. " Forget what I said earlier. You're literally the sweetest man alive."

One of the women suggested they grab dinner together, giving a flirtatious smile as she said it.

"We should catch up over dinner," she said, "I've got a pretty open schedule this week, so just let me know when works best for you."

Clara stood frozen. Her shopping bag dangled from her fingers. Her mouth hung open.

The store doors swung open.

Julian Thorne walked in.

He stood there, his Cartier glasses slipping down his nose, his gold chain dangling unevenly around his neck.

The security guards had dragged him out of the hospital just an hour ago, and his face was still flushed with anger and embarrassment.

As he scanned the room, his eyes landed on Clara and Arthur, and his expression darkened, his lips twisting into a scowl.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Arthur turned. Smiled.

"Hey Julian," he said with a tilt of his head, "you missed out on the party."

Julian's gaze fell on the receipt lying on the floor, then shifted to the bags piled up in Lila's arms, and finally landed on the manager, who was bowing deeply.

As he took in the scene, his face underwent a dramatic transformation, changing from a deep red to a pale white in a matter of seconds.

Julian took a step closer to Arthur, his finger pointed accusingly at him.

"Do you really think you've gotten away with this?" he sneered. "You think this money is actually yours? I'll make sure everyone knows the truth. I'll find out where you got it, and I'll expose you for the fake you are. You're a thief, a fraud, and you'll be behind bars by tomorrow morning."

His voice lowered to a menacing growl as he leaned in closer.

"You're nothing but a pretender, a beggar trying to play the part of someone important. And I'm going to take great pleasure in tearing it all away from you."

Arthur laughed.

Actually laughed. Low. Easy. Like Julian had told a mildly amusing joke.

He turned to the manager again.

"There's something else," he said. "That cream-colored coat the woman in the back is wearing - the one on Clara." He pointed her out. "Add that to the bill too, I'll cover it."

Clara went pale. " I don't want your—"

Arthur gave a quick tap on his phone and the transfer was complete.

Julian stared at the phone in Arthur's hand. The screen glowing. The numbers ticking. Millions. Just... gone. Like water.

Something snapped behind his eyes.

He lunged.

Grabbed the phone out of Arthur's hand.

Julian slammed his foot down on the screen, crushing it into the marble floor. The screen shattered into a thousand pieces, glass flying everywhere.

The shrapnels of glass filled the floor and his hatred for Arthur was evident and his countenance darkened and his anger grew with every passing second.

He stomped on it again, and again, grinding the shards into the tile with a fierce determination.

He kept this act up to prove that he hated Arthur with passion and he couldn't bear to see him prove that he was thriving in any way shape or form.

The sound of crunching glass filled the air as he repeatedly brought his foot down, pulverizing the remains of the screen into tiny fragments.

Julian was completely out of breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he spoke.

He had exerted so much energy in the stomping that he was trying to regain his breath and he was inhaling and exhaling oxygen.

"That's it," he said, his voice firm. "No more phone, no more transfers, no more playing around."

Arthur looked down at the shattered phone.

Then he looked up.

The blue screen flickered. Glitched. The numbers scrambled.

And vanished.

Gone.

Arthur stood in the middle of VÉLORÉ, surrounded by thirty-eight million dollars of clothing, and the system was nowhere to be found.

Arthur felt abandoned and he felt a rush of emotions. A rush of emotions would be an understatement he felt a swirl of emotions compared to that of a mighty tornado inside of him, his eyes looked in shock and his mind froze along with his body.

He found every possible avenue to figure out what was going on but it seemed at this point that he had completely run out of luck.

“Where is your money now , huh?”

This question pierced him like a sharp arrow.