Price Of Grace: The System Made Me Billionaire

he got the money

Ethan’s P.O.V.

For several seconds, I couldn't bring myself to touch my pocket.

I could hear the violent pounding of my heart.

It was so loud that all the noises around me vanished.

I had been using the same banking application for years, and I could recognise that sound even in my sleep.

But what if I heard it wrong?

What if it was another notification from that ridiculous game?

Or worse, what if someone had deliberately programmed the application to imitate my bank's notification sound?

I couldn't bear another disappointment.

Not tonight.

I had already suffered enough humiliation, desperation, and helplessness for one night.

For a brief moment, I wanted to pretend I hadn't heard anything.

But my resolution wavered the second my gaze moved towards the ICU lobby.

The thought of Mom lying unconscious in the ICU forced me to reach for my phone.

My fingers trembled as I pulled it out of my pocket.

The screen was still badly cracked, but the display had returned to normal.

A notification was sitting at the top.

[A/C 3XXXXXXXXXXXXX6983 credited by $200,000.00 Total Bal: $ 200, 375.56 CR Clr Bal: $ 200, 375.56 CR]

I froze.

My eyes widened, and I forgot how to breathe.

My ears buzzed so hard that I felt a headache.

I blinked several times, staring at the notification.

I tapped the notification with a trembling finger, expecting it to redirect me to some suspicious website or advertisement, but it stayed there.

My heart was racing, and so was my brain.

I instantly opened the mobile banking app and logged in.

My fingers were trembling so hard that I entered the wrong PIN for the first time.

The loading circle spun for several seconds.

I couldn’t breathe in fear.

Then my account balance appeared.

AVAILABLE BALANCE: $200,357.56

“It’s real,” My voice came out in a strangled whisper.

I checked the transaction history to reassure myself that I wasn’t seeing things.

That I was still sane, not delirious.

The money was still there.

I checked the reference number, the transaction date, and every other detail available on the screen.

Everything looked genuine.

I was a software developer. I knew how digital transactions worked, and I also knew how easily a fake application could display fabricated information.

But this was my actual banking application, not a random payment page.

I was still in denial.

So, I logged out and logged back in.

My heart was pounding so hard that I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

The balance remained unchanged.

My knees suddenly weakened.

I leaned against the wall, clutching the phone tightly.

"Two hundred thousand dollars," I whispered again.

A few minutes ago, I was wondering whether I could sell my mother's family heirloom to raise a few thousand dollars.

Now I had enough money to pay for her entire surgery.

My eyes burnt.

I covered my mouth with my injured hand as a sob escaped my throat.

"Mom…"

For the first time since the accident, I felt as though someone had lifted an enormous weight from my chest.

I could save her.

I could finally save her.

I didn't know who had transferred the money or why.

I didn't know whether the game was real, whether someone was playing a cruel joke on me, or whether I had somehow become involved in something dangerous.

But the money was there.

And I was going to pay for the surgery.

I will face the consequences later if it was really a scam or if someone had transferred the amount accidentally.

I wiped my tears and looked at the phone again.

The strange application was still installed.

Its silver emblem gleamed faintly against the black background.

I hesitated before tapping it.

A message immediately appeared.

[CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYER ETHAN VANCE.]

[EMERGENCY TASK COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY.]

[REWARD: $200,000.]

[TOTAL WINNINGS: $200,000.]

[NEXT TASK: LOCKED.]

The urge to check the application software was strong, but I needed to go.

My mother was still waiting for surgery.

I locked my phone and hurried toward the billing department.

"Excuse me! I need to pay for emergency surgery." I said to the receptionist sitting behind the screen hurriedly.

She looked at me calmly and asked politely.

"Patient's name, sir?"

"Nancy Vance. She's in the ICU. The doctor said she needs emergency brain surgery."

The woman typed something into her computer.

My hands were still shaking badly.

“Do you want to deposit the advance deposit or the full surgery f*e?” she asked me after a few seconds.

“The full surgery f*e.” I answered without hesitation.

She nodded and glanced at me up and down before moving her gaze back to the computer screen.

I couldn't blame her.

My clothes were soaked and stained with blood.

My face was pale, my arms were covered in cuts, and I probably looked like someone who needed hospitalisation himself.

But I didn't care.

“Card or scan?” she asked me, her eyes still on the screen.

“Scan,” I answered, and opened the digital payment app.

To my relief, the phone didn’t freeze, and the back camera was still working properly.

It also reminded me that my card was with Sarah.

I knew what I needed to do next.

My gaze kept drifting toward the clock hanging on the wall.

The receptionist moved the scanner towards me.

I read the amount reflected on the screen twice before scanning the code.

For a few terrible seconds, I thought the payment might fail.

I held my breath while the screen displayed the processing notification.

The second the screen showed the payment successful notice, I collapsed with relief.

“Sir?” The receptionist shrieked, but I raised my hand, slowly sitting on the floor.

“I…………… am okay,” I whispered, breathing heavily.

The surgery f*e was paid.

My mother would be saved.

The relief made me feel dizzy.

“Someone.” The receptionist still screamed.

“Di…. Did you receive the payment?” I asked her in a shaking voice, trying to ensure that they really received the payment.

“Yes, Mr. Vance. The payment has been received. Please stay calm. The staff is coming.” The receptionist answered hurriedly.

“Thank you,” I whispered, closing my eyes.

The tears escaped, and I didn’t stop them.

I needed to call Emily back.

I slowly opened my eyes and dialled my sister’s number.

But before I could make that call, her call came.

“Where are you? I am in the ER.” Emily asked hurriedly.

“Come to the billing section, Emily. I am here," I instructed her and took a deep breath.

“Oh…. Okay.” She answered, and I hung up.

But before I could close the call, another call came.

My jaw clenched when I saw Sarah’s name on the broken screen.

Without hesitation, I hung up.

This was the first time that I hung up on Sarah, but it only reminded me of something important.

“Sir?” I looked up and saw a man in a white uniform leaning down.

“Please….” I said hoarsely.

“Help me go to the ER. M… my sister is coming,” I requested and gulped hard.

I was clutching my phone tightly.

He nodded and instantly walked away.

I didn’t make an attempt to stand up and opened the bank app again.

She had managed our finances for years. She knew the details of several of my accounts, including the bank account where the money had just arrived.

It was my old account, and I didn’t know whether Sarah remembered the login credentials, but I wasn't willing to take any chances.

Not after what had happened tonight.

I froze the card first, and then I changed the password, PINs, and the email password associated with the account.

I reviewed the registered devices, removed any sessions I didn't recognise, and enabled additional verification for new logins and transactions.

I also changed my phone's security credentials.

Only after finishing everything did I finally relax a little.

The man came back with a wheelchair.

Emily also came at the same time.

The man helped me sit up in the wheelchair.

“Are you okay, bro?” Emily asked me worriedly.

“I am going to the ER. I paid the f*e. Take the receipts and see if anything else needs to be signed or finished.” I instructed her, exhaustion now taking over my consciousness.

“What?” Emily stammered.

“Oh… okay.” She added, but I closed my eyes.

Now I was relaxed, and all my injuries and wounds were throbbing hard.