My Quadrillionaire System

#4#

Everyone froze.

The laughter died in their throats. Brett stopped mid-chuckle, his mouth hanging open. The receptionist blinked like she'd misheard. Even the security guard looked confused.

Then the laughter exploded back, louder than before.

"Double!" Brett slapped the reception desk, his whole body shaking with laughter. "Did he just say DOUBLE? Six thousand dollars? Is this dog having actual delusions?"

The staff joined in. The nurse was wiping tears from her eyes. The orderly had to lean against the wall.

Dr. Walsh smiled, but it wasn't quite as confident as before. His eyes had changed. Something calculating flickered behind them.

"Six thousand dollars?" he repeated slowly. "For a simple medical checkup?"

Brett was still laughing. "Doc, come on. Look at him. He probably doesn't even have six dollars. This is sad. Actually sad."

But Dr. Walsh was quiet now. Staring at Kai. Doing math in his head. Six thousand dollars for maybe an hour of work. That was a lot of money. Even for him.

"He's obviously lying," Brett said. "Just have security throw him out. I need my checkup anyway."

The receptionist nodded eagerly. "Should I call them back, Doctor?"

Dr. Walsh held up a hand. His expression was thoughtful. Greedy.

"Six thousand dollars," he said again, this time to Kai directly. "You're claiming you can pay six thousand dollars for a full medical examination."

Kai's voice stayed soft. "Yes."

"That's a lot of money for someone in your... situation."

"Yes."

Dr. Walsh's smile returned, but it was different now. Colder. More predatory. "You're clearly sick. Delusional, even. Head injuries can cause that. Makes people say things that aren't true. Makes them believe things that aren't real."

He paused, looking Kai up and down one more time.

Then something shifted in his expression.

"Actually... you know what? Fine. Let's do this."

Brett stopped laughing. "What?"

"I said fine." Dr. Walsh crossed his arms. "If Mr... what was your name again?"

"Kai," he said softly.

"If Kai here wants to waste my time with his fantasy about having six thousand dollars, then let him." The doctor's smile widened. "Because when his card inevitably declines, when we all watch it fail in real time, it'll be even more entertaining than that video."

Understanding dawned on Brett's face. He started grinning again. "Oh. Oh that's perfect."

"Exactly." Dr. Walsh was clearly pleased with himself. "I want to see the look on his face when reality hits him. When he has to admit in front of everyone that he's a liar. That he's exactly what he appears to be. Nothing."

The staff murmured. Some looked uncomfortable now. This felt cruel even by their standards. But no one said anything.

The receptionist found her smile again. "That's brilliant, Doctor."

"Isn't it?" Dr. Walsh gestured grandly. "Everyone, gather round. We're about to witness something special. A life lesson in knowing your place."

Brett was already pulling out his phone. "Oh man, I'm recording this. This is going to be even better than the barking video! Way better!"

He held up his phone, camera pointed at Kai. "Say hi to the internet, dog! You're about to go viral again!"

Several staff members pulled out their phones too. This was too good to miss. The janitor who thought he was rich, about to be exposed and humiliated on camera.

Dr. Walsh walked to the reception desk and pulled out a payment terminal. He handled it with exaggerated ceremony, like it was a sacred relic.

"Now then. Let's see this magical money you claim to have." He held the terminal up for everyone to see. "Six thousand dollars. That's what you said, correct?"

"Correct," Kai said softly.

"Not five thousand nine hundred. Not five thousand. Six thousand exactly."

"Yes."

Brett was circling with his phone, getting different angles. "Maybe he robbed a bank on the way here, Doc!"

"Or maybe," Dr. Walsh said, playing to his audience, "he's a secret millionaire janitor. Do those exist? Has anyone ever met a rich janitor?"

The staff laughed. Someone called out, "If they're rich, they wouldn't be janitors!"

"Excellent point!" Dr. Walsh set the terminal on the desk with a loud thunk. "So let's solve this mystery. Let's see if our friend here is secretly wealthy, or if he's exactly what he looks like."

He paused dramatically.

"Last chance, Kai. Last chance to admit you're lying. You can still walk away. Save yourself the embarrassment. Just say you don't actually have the money and we'll... well, we'll still laugh at you, but at least you'll have admitted the truth."

Brett moved closer with his phone. "Yeah, dog. You can still bark your way out of this. We know that's your specialty. Bark three times and we'll forget this ever happened."

More laughter from the staff. The nurse was recording now too. So was the orderly.

Kai reached into his pocket. Slowly. Calmly. He pulled out a simple black credit card. Nothing fancy. Just a standard card.

He held it out to Dr. Walsh.

The doctor took it with a theatrical smirk. He examined it closely, turning it over in his hands.

"Oh, he actually has a card. How cute." He showed it to Brett. "Looks real, doesn't it?"

"Probably maxed out," Brett said. "Or completely empty. My dad's company gives those out to employees. They look real but they don't actually work unless you load money on them."

"Ah, that makes sense." Dr. Walsh held the card up to the light like he was checking for authenticity. "So this is probably one of those prepaid cards. Maybe has fifty dollars on it. Maybe a hundred if we're lucky."

He looked at Kai. "This is your last chance. Really. Once I swipe this and it declines, there's no taking it back. Everyone will know. Everyone will see. And it'll be on video. Forever."

Kai said nothing.

"Okay then." Dr. Walsh inserted the card into the terminal with exaggerated slowness. "Let's see what happens when delusion meets reality."

His finger hovered over the button.

"Everyone ready?" He looked around at the staff. "Phones up. This is history in the making. The moment a janitor learns he's still just a janitor."

Brett was practically bouncing with excitement. "Do it, Doc!"

Dr. Walsh pressed the button.

The terminal beeped. Processing. The screen showed a loading circle spinning round and round.

Everyone held their breath.

Brett had his phone camera zoomed in on Kai's face, waiting to capture the exact moment of humiliation.

The receptionist was leaning forward, eager.

The terminal beeped again.

The screen changed.

APPROVED

AMOUNT: $6,000.00

TRANSACTION SUCCESSFUL

Silence

Complete, absolute, dead silence.