The Night My Wife Left, I Made $500 Trillion From Crypto

The new hotel owner

"Excuse me?" the manager said, unsure if he had heard correctly.

"You heard me," Ethan said, his voice steady and confident. "I want to buy Paradise Hotel. Give me a price."

The receptionist was the first to find her voice. She let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You can't be serious! You can barely afford a room, and now you want to buy the entire hotel? This is ridiculous! Mr. Brown, please call security and have this lunatic removed!"

But brown held up his hand, silencing her. His eyes studied Ethan with a fresh spark of interest. There was something about the way this man spoke with a confidence that didn't match his appearance.

"Sir," Brown said carefully, "Paradise Hotel is valued at approximately $1.8 billion. It's not a small investment. Are you telling me you have that kind of capital?"

Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He opened his crypto wallet and turned the screen toward Brown.

"I have far more than that," Ethan said, his voice flat. "Now, you tell me: are you going to take me up on my offer or not?"

Brown leaned forward, his eyes scanning the screen. His face suddenly drained of color in shock, and he instinctively stepped back.

The account balance displayed on Ethan's screen was $499,999,999,000,000.

"My God," he whispered. "That's... that's impossible. Is that actually real?"

The receptionist craned her neck, trying to see what had caused her manager's reaction. Even the nearby staff were curious. They had never seen the manager behave that way before over a customer's account balance.

The big question on everyone's mind was: how much did he actually see?

Ethan slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Why don't you show me where I can pay, so you'll know for sure whether it's real or not?"

Brown's eyes were filled with awe as he looked at Ethan. Throughout all his years of serving and hosting wealthy men in his hotel, Ethan was by far the wealthier among them.

To everyone's shock, Brown leaned forward and bowed to Ethan. "Sir, I apologize for any disrespect you may have experienced tonight. I assure you, this is not the way we treat our guests at Paradise Hotel."

"It's too late for apologies," Ethan said coldly. "But I'm willing to give you a chance to set things right. I'm still interested in buying this hotel. However, before we discuss the sale, there's something else I want to address first."

He turned his gaze to the receptionist, who had gone completely still. The color had drained from her face, and she looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Her earlier confidence had evaporated, replaced by a growing sense of dread.

Ethan pointed at her and said, "I want her fired. And the bellhop, along with anyone else who thought it was appropriate to mock a paying customer."

The receptionist's eyes went wide with panic. "Mr. Brown, you can't! I've worked here for five years! I'm one of your best employees! I was just doing my job—"

"Your job does not include mocking guests," Brown cut her off, his voice sharp. "Especially not guests who could afford to buy this hotel ten times over."

"Ten times?" the receptionist whispered, her face growing even paler. "What are you talking about? He's just a poor cripple whose wife abandoned him—"

"That's enough!" Brown's voice thundered through the lobby. He turned to the receptionist with a look of pure fury. "You are fired. Clear out your desk and leave the premises. Security will escort you out."

The receptionist's mouth dropped. She gazed at Ethan, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"Who... who are you?" she whispered.

Ethan met her gaze with cold, unblinking eyes. "You dared me to fire you. Now what do you have to say for yourself?"

The receptionist's face crumpled as tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't believe she had underestimated the very man who was humiliated at his high school reunion and caused her to lose her job.

"Please," she pleaded, dropping to her knees as she crawled toward Ethan. "Please, I ask for your forgiveness. I had no idea you were wealthy all along. I wouldn’t have laughed at you. Please, this job is all I have."

"Security!" Brown shouted. Almost immediately, two large men in uniform appeared. "Please escort her to her desk, help her gather her belongings, and see her out. She no longer works here. Also, the bellhop and everyone else working in this lobby are fired."

All the staff in the hotel lobby stiffened. They were all fired just for laughing at Ethan.

The security guards nodded and moved toward the receptionist. She glanced between them and Brown, her face etched with desperation.

"No," she whispered, then lunged at Ethan, but the guards caught her before she could reach him.

"No!" she exclaimed, struggling. "Please, don't let them fire me. I'll do anything. I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry for insulting you. I beg you, have mercy."

The lobby slowly fell silent as she was dragged out. Not a single person dared to speak.

Brown stepped forward toward Ethan, bowing slightly once more. "Sir, I want to personally apologize for the terrible treatment you received tonight. If there's anything I can do to make this right, please tell me."

Ethan looked at the manager, then at the luxury surrounding him.

"Give me an offer for the hotel," Ethan requested. "And everything will be forgiven."

Brown nodded eagerly. "Of course, sir. Right this way. We can discuss the details in my office. I'll arrange for the best champagne we have to be brought up."

Ethan followed the manager toward the elevator, his crutches tapping softly against the carpeted floor. The staff parted before him like the Red Sea, their eyes wide with a raw fear.

He had entered the hotel feeling broken and humiliated. But now, he has become its newest owner.