I Became A Billionaire Overnight

Chapter 2

Mason walked out of the apartment building and hit the warm afternoon air. Vanessa had just left him for another man. There was absolutely no use crying over spilled milk. He had a massive fortune sitting in a digital wallet and he needed to secure it immediately. He had scheduled an urgent appointment at the central bank to cash out the massive sum and officially transfer the funds. He planned to put at least one billion dollars straight into a high-yield savings account. He needed to be extremely careful with this level of wealth. The money was his only future now.

He checked the time on his phone screen. The digital clock read 4:28 PM. His stomach dropped instantly. He was completely late. He had genuinely thought a quick celebration with Vanessa would not have taken much time at all. Now he was severely behind schedule. The bank was actively expecting him right this minute. A transaction involving two billion dollars required the absolute highest level of clearance. The branch manager had to oversee the entire process personally. The bank would never let a standard clerk handle a customer carrying that much capital. He was supposed to be sitting in the VIP office by 4:30 PM.

Mason opened his banking app out of pure habit and saw the depressing three dollars sitting in his checking account. He could not afford a taxi. No cab driver in the city would accept a promise to pay later. He had to run.

He sprinted down the busy sidewalk. He pushed past pedestrians and dodged street vendors. His worn-out sneakers slapped hard against the concrete pavement. His faded t-shirt clung to his back as he worked up a heavy sweat. He ran block after block. His lungs burned intensely by the time the massive glass doors of the First National Bank finally came into view.

He arrived at the entrance panting heavily. Sweat dripped down his forehead. He wiped his face with the back of his hand. He peered through the thick glass doors and spotted the branch manager, Martin Sanchez, pacing in the lobby. The man wore a pristine suit and kept checking his gold wristwatch. He was definitely waiting for the massive DroCoins client to arrive.

Mason stepped forward to push the door open. A massive security guard immediately stepped into his path and blocked the entrance. The guard crossed his arms and glared down at Mason.

Before Mason could speak, a sharply dressed woman walked up the steps right behind him. The security guard immediately straightened his posture. He offered her a polite and respectful nod.

"Good afternoon, Madam Assistant Manager," the guard said warmly.

Anita Bertha ignored the greeting completely and looked at Mason with absolute disgust. The guard quickly pointed a thumb at Mason.

"My apologies, Ms. Bertha," the guard added. "This man is a disturbance. I am handling him right now."

Anita looked Mason up and down. She took in his sweaty t-shirt, his scuffed shoes, and his heavy breathing. She went completely ballistic right there on the steps.

"What are you doing blocking the entrance?" she demanded loudly. "We are expecting a really important customer very soon. Get out of the way immediately. A broke man like you has absolutely no business at this bank."

Mason tried to catch his breath. "I have to get in. I really do not care about any other important customers. I have a scheduled appointment for 4:30."

That specific time set Anita off completely. Her face flushed bright red with anger.

"How dare you say that to me?" she yelled. "You are a complete nobody. We do not give out mini loans to beggars off the street. Get out of here right now!"

The security guard stepped closer. He raised his hands and prepared to grab Mason by the shoulders.

Just then, the heavy glass doors slid open. Martin Sanchez stepped out into the humid afternoon air. He frowned at the loud commotion happening on his front steps.

"What is going on here?" Martin asked. His voice carried a tone of strict authority.

Anita turned around and smiled sweetly at her boss. "Do not worry, sir. The trash was just on his way out."

Anger flared hot in Mason's chest. He stepped around the guard and pointed directly at the woman.

"Don't you dare call me that," Mason spit out.

Anita scoffed loudly. "What is the worst you could possibly do?"

Mason turned his attention away from her and looked directly at the branch manager. "It is me. I am the one here to cash out the two billion dollars."

Anita burst into a fit of mocking laughter. "You are insane. You are not even worth fifty dollars as I am looking at you right now."

Martin did not laugh. He looked closely at Mason and seemed to seriously think about the claim. He studied Mason's cheap clothes and exhausted appearance.

"How can I possibly trust you?" Martin asked carefully. "There is only one active wallet left in the entire DroCoins network right now. My guess was the holder was a top corporate shareholder or a massive hedge fund manager. I did not expect a man who looks like a struggling restaurant cashier."

"It is me," Mason insisted firmly. "I am completely honest. I am the sole wallet owner. I have stuck with DroCoins all this while when everyone else abandoned it."

"Prove it!" Anita yelled. She stepped aggressively into Mason's personal space. "Prove it is actually you."

Mason looked at her. "How exactly do you want me to do that?"

"I do not know," she said sharply. "Show us your wallet ID right now. We will run it through our internal files and see if it is the exact same number as the one on our VIP reservations list."

Martin nodded slowly. He clearly liked the idea. It was a foolproof way to verify the massive claim right there on the spot.

"And if it is not you," Anita added with a wicked smile, "I will have you arrested for causing a major public disturbance. I will make sure you spend a very long time in a holding cell."

Martin looked at Mason. His face was completely fierce and highly serious. He was clearly not against that idea at all. They were wasting precious time on a potential scammer while a billionaire might be waiting in traffic.

"Alright," Mason said confidently.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He opened the DroCoins application and navigated to his private profile. He held the screen up for both of them to see clearly. The digital display showed his personal identification code.

His ID was 2348865.

"Alright," Martin said. He pulled a sleek tablet out from under his arm. He opened the bank's highly secure reservation file. He typed the numbers in to check it against the incoming whale client.

The screen showed a swirling loading circle. It hung perfectly still on a pending status. The file simply refused to load.

Anita smirked triumphantly. She immediately pointed a manicured finger right at Mason. "He is a liar! I knew it the second I saw him." She turned to the guard. "Call for backup security right now. Grab him!"

The guard reached for his radio.

"Calm down," Martin ordered loudly. He held his hand up to stop the guard. "Let me run the system scan again."

He tapped the screen to refresh the database. The system registered the request. The word pending flashed across the digital display once more.

This time, however, the loading bar actually started moving.