My Quadrillionaire System

#5#

Dr. Walsh stared at the screen. His smile vanished. His face went blank with shock.

Brett stopped recording. His mouth fell open.

The receptionist made a small choking sound.

No one moved. No one spoke. They all just stared at the payment terminal like it had personally betrayed them.

Dr. Walsh blinked hard. Once. Twice. He looked at Kai. Then back at the screen. Then at Kai again.

"This... this can't be right." His voice came out weak. Uncertain.

He pressed a button. The transaction details popped up. Six thousand dollars. Approved. Successful. Already processed.

The terminal started printing a receipt. The sound of paper feeding through was deafeningly loud in the silent room.

Dr. Walsh grabbed the receipt as soon as it emerged. His hands were shaking slightly. He read it once. Read it again. His lips moved but no sound came out.

"It went through," he finally whispered. "It actually went through."

Brett pushed forward, his confidence cracking. "Let me see that!"

He grabbed the receipt from Dr. Walsh's hands. His eyes scanned the paper frantically, looking for an error. Looking for something that would make this make sense.

But there was nothing. Just a successful transaction. Six thousand dollars. Paid in full.

Brett's face drained of color. The paper trembled in his hands.

The automatic doors slid open.

A woman walked in, and the entire room seemed to stop breathing.

She was stunning. Not just pretty or attractive. Stunning in a way that made people forget what they were doing. Tall, with long dark hair that fell in perfect waves past her shoulders. Her features were sharp and elegant, like they'd been sculpted by someone who understood beauty on a fundamental level. She wore a white doctor's coat over a black dress, both tailored to perfection. Her heels clicked against the floor with confident precision.

She looked like she'd just stepped off a magazine cover. The kind of woman who didn't belong in a hospital waiting room at four in the morning. The kind of woman who made everyone around her feel underdressed and inadequate.

Every eye in the room turned to her.

Brett's mouth actually dropped open. The receptionist looked down at herself self-consciously. Even Dr. Walsh straightened his posture and smoothed his coat.

The woman's eyes swept the room with professional assessment. Then they landed on the payment terminal. On the transaction display still showing six thousand dollars.

Her expression shifted. Something like surprise, then concern.

"Excuse me," she said. Her voice was smooth and cultured. "Did someone just process a payment for six thousand dollars?"

Dr. Walsh found his voice first. "Yes. Yes, Dr. Kim. This gentleman here. He paid for a full examination."

"Six thousand?" Dr. Kim walked closer, her heels clicking. "That's double our standard rate."

"He insisted," Dr. Walsh said quickly.

Dr. Kim looked at her tablet, scrolling through something. Her perfect eyebrows drew together.

"According to the system, he's been charged ten times. Sixty thousand dollars total."

The room erupted.

"WHAT?" Dr. Walsh grabbed the terminal, checking the transaction history. "That's not possible. I only charged him once!"

"The system shows ten separate transactions of six thousand each." Dr. Kim's voice was calm but firm. "All approved. All successful. That's a system error on our end."

Brett was staring at Dr. Kim like she was an angel who'd descended from heaven. He quickly smoothed his hair and straightened his shirt.

Dr. Walsh looked panicked. "We'll refund the extra charges immediately. This is highly irregular. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Who is the patient?" Dr. Kim asked.

Dr. Walsh hesitated. Then pointed at Kai.

Dr. Kim turned. She saw Kai's janitor uniform. His bruised face. The exhaustion in his eyes. For a long moment, she just looked at him, her expression unreadable.

Then something softened in her features.

"Sir," she said, and her voice changed. The professional distance melted into something warmer. Gentler. "I'm Dr. Sarah Kim, Medical Director of this facility. I'm terribly sorry about this system error. We'll refund the incorrect charges immediately, and I'd like to personally oversee your examination as compensation for this inconvenience."

The room went silent again, but for a different reason.

The Medical Director. The woman who ran the entire hospital. She was offering to personally treat a janitor.

Dr. Walsh looked like he'd been slapped. "Dr. Kim, I can handle this patient. There's no need for you to."

"I insist." Dr. Kim's smile didn't waver, but her tone left no room for argument. She looked back at Kai, and that warmth returned. "Please, allow me to help you. Someone who's been through what you clearly have deserves the best care we can provide."

Her voice when she spoke to Kai was so soft. So gentle. Like she was speaking to someone fragile and precious.

Brett couldn't stand it. This goddess of a woman was looking at the janitor dog like he mattered. Like he was worth something.

"Dr. Kim," Brett stepped forward, flashing his most charming smile. "I don't think you understand. This guy is nobody. He's the janitor from that viral video. The one where he barked like a dog. He's probably using a stolen credit card or something."

Dr. Kim turned to Brett. Her smile remained, but it was different now. Polite and professional but cold.

"And you are?"

"Brett Harrison. My family owns Harrison Industries. We're very close with the hospital board." He puffed up slightly. "I'm here for my regular checkup. I'd be happy to have you examine me instead. I can pay whatever he paid. More, even."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Harrison. Dr. Walsh can handle your examination." She turned back to Kai. "Sir, if you'll follow me?"

Brett felt something hot and ugly twist in his chest. Jealousy. This stunning woman wasn't even looking at him. She was focused entirely on the guy he'd helped humiliate. The guy who'd barked like a dog.

"Actually," Brett said loudly. "I'll match whatever he paid. Sixty thousand, right? That's nothing. I'll pay sixty thousand right now for you to examine me instead."

Dr. Kim's expression didn't change. She simply looked at him with those perfect, unreadable eyes.

"As I said, Mr. Harrison, Dr. Walsh will handle your examination." Her voice was still polite, still graceful, but there was steel underneath. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a patient to attend to."

She gestured for Kai to follow her. Kai stood slowly, his head still throbbing but his expression calm.

Brett's face was turning red. "Seriously? You're choosing him over me? Do you know who my family is?"

"I do." Dr. Kim paused, glancing back at him. "I also know that this gentleman has been overcharged due to our system error and deserves proper compensation. Good morning, Mr. Harrison."

She walked toward the examination rooms, and Kai followed.

Brett stood there, his black credit card still in his hand, watching them disappear down the hallway.

Dr. Walsh cleared his throat awkwardly. "Mr. Harrison, should we proceed with your checkup?"

Brett wasn't listening. He was staring at the spot where Dr. Kim had been standing, his mind unable to process what just happened.

A woman that beautiful. That perfect. And she'd chosen the janitor dog over him.

"Mr. Harrison?" Dr. Walsh tried again.

Brett finally looked at him. His confidence was gone. His arrogance cracked. But his pride remained.

"Fine," he muttered. "Let's do my checkup. But first, swipe my card. I said I'd pay twelve thousand. Let's prove my card actually works."

He thrust his black credit card at Dr. Walsh.

Dr. Walsh took it reluctantly. He inserted it into the terminal and entered the amount. Twelve thousand dollars.

He pressed the button.

The terminal beeped. Processing.

Brett crossed his arms, trying to look confident. Trying to salvage something from this disaster.

The terminal beeped again.

DECLINED