Price Of Grace: The System Made Me Billionaire

no one to help

Ethan didn’t know how he got back to the hospital.

His mind was completely numb, and he walked back from the club to the hospital in heavy rain without noticing a single thing.

His mother was losing her chance to live with every passing minute, and he had no means to save her.

He felt useless, and for a second, he thought about dying.

But he knew that he couldn’t.

The heavy downpour had washed away the soot, but it couldn't cleanse the shame clinging to Ethan’s skin.

For three years…

For three years, he did everything to keep his marriage going smoothly.

He had given up his career, his freedom, and his self-respect for Sarah, only to be cast aside like trash when his mother needed help the most.

His mother was dying, and Sarah made his pain a topic of their fun.

He staggered into the hospital lobby, drenched to the bone, water pooling around his ruined shoes.

Every step forward felt like dragging anchor chains.

He sat down on a bench outside the ICU and leaned his head against the cold tile wall.

The harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, a monotonous hum that echoed the numbness in his chest.

He needed $150000 to buy his mother’s life, but he only had a few hundred dollars in his bank.

“Bro.” He looked up, and tears pooled in his eyes.

Emily Vance, his younger sister, came running towards him.

He wanted to stand up, but he had no strength left in his body.

Emily crouched down and hugged him tightly while crying.

Ethan wanted to hug her back, but his limbs refused to listen to him.

“What did the doctor say?” Emily asked anxiously, holding her elder brother tightly.

She had rushed to the hospital as soon as she received his call. She worked at a company in the neighboring city, and it had taken her nearly two hours to reach City Hospital.

Ethan lowered his head.

“The doctor said Mom needs surgery.” His voice cracked as he struggled to hold back his tears. “There’s swelling in her brain, Em. They need to operate before morning, or she might…”

He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Emily’s face drained of color. Ethan didn’t need to finish the sentence for her.

For several seconds, Emily stared at the white wall behind Ethan’s head as though she had forgotten how to breathe.

Then she shook her head violently, refusing to accept what she had heard.

She broke the hug and looked at his brother’s tear-stained face.

“No. No, that can’t happen. Mom was fine this morning! You told me you were taking her for a checkup. How could something like this happen?” She demanded the answer, but her voice was completely choked.

“A car hit us.” Ethan closed his eyes, and the memories of the burning vehicle flashed through his mind. “The car rolled into a ditch. Mom hit her head, and I couldn't get the doors open. I tried everything, Em. I really did.” His voice trembled.

“I almost lost her before we could even get out.”

Emily covered her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Ethan had always been the one who held their family together.

Even when their father died, he had shouldered the responsibility of looking after their mother without complaining.

He had always assured Emily that everything would be fine, even when their circumstances were far from it.

Seeing him sitting there, covered in bruises and bloodstains, with tears streaming down his face, frightened her more than anything else.

“What about the surgery?” she asked, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

“We can pay for it, can't we? How much does it cost?” She asked, searching for hope in her brother’s eyes.

Ethan’s shoulders slumped before he answered shakily.

“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

Emily went completely still.

She worked as a junior administrative assistant and barely earned enough to cover her rent, transportation, and daily expenses. Whatever remained of her salary usually went toward helping her mother.

One hundred and fifty thousand dollars was more money than she could imagine saving in several years.

But she couldn't think about that now.

“We'll find a way,” she declared, gripping his shoulders. “We have to. I'll call everyone I know. I'll ask my colleagues, my friends, and my manager. Someone will help us.”

Ethan looked at her helplessly.

“Emily.”

“There will be a way.” She mumbled, stood up, ignored her brother, and ran away.

“Emily, wait,” Ethan yelled behind her, but she took her phone out with shaky hands, thinking about who to call first.

It only made Ethan feel worse than he already was.

He wanted to tell her that she was too young to carry such a burden.

That he was the older brother and that it was his responsibility to save their mother.

But what could he do?

He had already tried everything he could think of.

He watched her disappear around the corner before turning toward the ICU doors.

Behind those doors lay the only woman who had ever loved him without expecting anything in return.

His mother had never cared how much money he earned, how successful he was, or what other people thought of him.

Even when he had abandoned his ambitions to take care of Sarah and her, she had worried that he was sacrificing too much.

She had told him countless times that he deserved a better life.

And what had he done?

He had spent three years being treated like a servant by a woman who considered his existence an inconvenience.

His gaze fell to the silver locket lying against his chest.

The heirloom had belonged to his family for generations. His father had given it to his mother, and she had eventually passed it to Ethan when he married Sarah.

It was one of the few things his father left for them.

For a moment, he considered selling it.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

Even if he found a buyer willing to pay a substantial amount for an antique silver locket, it wouldn’t be enough to cover the medical expenses.

He let out a bitter laugh.

Three years ago, he had graduated with excellent grades and received several offers from technology companies.

He had dreamed of building his own software business, creating something that would make his family proud.

Instead, he had abandoned everything to support Sarah's ambitions.

He had written programs for her company, managed her household, and taken care of every little detail that allowed her to focus on expanding her business.

And now, when he desperately needed money, he couldn't even access the funds he had helped her earn.

His cracked phone vibrated in his hand.

Ethan glanced down, expecting another message from Emily.

Instead, a notification appeared on the screen.

[Congratulations! Your game rewards are waiting!]

He frowned as if he didn’t remember playing anything recently.

Perhaps it was another advertisement that had somehow slipped through the cracks of his damaged phone.

He was about to dismiss it when another notification appeared.

[PLAYER ETHAN VANCE: YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR AN EXCLUSIVE CHALLENGE]