When Lara had first received the paper cranes, she'd cried her eyes out, saying it was the most thoughtful gift she'd ever gotten.

Now, she held it up to the camera with disdain.

"Guys, look. This was what my loser ex-husband gave me. A bunch of scrap paper, and he thought that would be enough to keep me?"

She flicked her wrist. "Trash like this belongs in the garbage."

With a clatter, the paper cranes I'd folded with my own hands hit the floor. She crushed them under her high heels.

And my world shattered right along with them.

"Lara, don't get worked up over someone like Russell. He's not worth it."

Adrian eagerly handed her a glass of champagne. The camera happened to catch a close-up of the new gold watch on his wrist, the very same 12.5-million-dollar purchase that had just scrolled across the bank's live stream.

Lara took the glass and sipped, the disgust on her face instantly melting into pleasure.

"You're right. Why waste energy on a broke loser? Starting today, the word 'settling' doesn't exist in my vocabulary."

She lifted her chin high toward the camera.

"Ladies, do you see this? A woman needs to treat herself right. Back then, my husband couldn't even bring himself to buy me a nice purse and is always going on about saving for the mortgage. And now? Anything in this mall that catches my eye is mine!"

She turned and snapped her fingers at the mall manager standing behind her.

"Wrap up every new-season bag, outfit, and jewelry in your store. And clear the place out, right now. I don't like random people hovering while I shop."

The mall manager looked flustered.

"Ma'am, this really isn't standard procedure."

Adrian stepped forward and slapped the black card onto the counter.

"Run it! Don't you see? There's a billion dollars in here. It's enough to buy your lousy store ten times over. Keep running your mouth, and you'll be out of a job by tonight!"

The manager's face instantly turned pale. Complying with the bank's instructions, he could only bow and scrape as he began clearing the area.

In the live stream, Lara's follower count was exploding.

"Lara, you're amazing and a total baddie!"

"Now that's a queen! Dumping that loser was the best decision ever!"

"I'm so jealous! When is it my turn to hit the jackpot?"

In the bank's official live stream, the comments told a very different story.

"Oh my god, is this woman insane?"

"The acting is so over the top. She totally gives off that new money vibe, like she's desperate for everyone to know she's rich."

"That guy is disgusting too—textbook trash with a taste of power."

"I feel bad for the cardholder. What a nightmare of a wife he ended up with."

"Am I the only one who noticed the words 'Virtual Transaction' after every purchase? Haha. All that hype for nothing."

I sat in the VIP room, staring expressionlessly at Lara's ugly sneer on the screen.

The woman who once brought me a bowl of hot soup after I came home from overtime and who would sit by my bed crying when I was sick turned out to have all been a lie.

Or rather, when money entered the picture, all that tenderness hadn't meant a thing.

Ms. Harmon handed me a document at just the right moment.

"Mr. Brewer, this is a record of the reputational damage Ms. Crawford has caused both you and the bank during the live stream. Our legal team has already begun collecting evidence."

Instead of taking it, I just pointed at the screen.

"Can I talk to her?"

Ms. Harmon hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Of course."

The call connected quickly, and Lara had it on speaker.

Before I could even speak, her impatient voice came through.

"Russell? You're awake? Good. Saves me the trouble of notifying you again. I want a divorce. I don't want to spend another minute with a broke loser like you. The house and the car are mine. Consider it compensation for everything I've put up with."

"You can forget about getting any of my money. I found this card, so it has nothing to do with you."

I let out an exasperated laugh at how shamelessly entitled Lara sounded.

"Lara, aren't you afraid of karma?"

"Karma?" She laughed like I'd just told the joke of the century, cackling along with Adrian.

"Karma is me with a billion dollars, and you still being a bottom-feeder stuck riding the subway and eating instant noodles! Oh, and I forgot to tell you that my mom is going to call your parents later and tell them to keep you in line.

"So, stop bothering me. Anyway, I'm busy shopping. I don't have time to waste on a loser like you."

The line went dead, and my heart turned to ice.

True to her word, five minutes later, Lara's live stream featured a video call with her mother, Lucinda Garza.

Lucinda's face, always impeccably made up, was now plastered with a smile that was both fawning and cruel.

"My darling daughter, I always knew you were destined for greatness. Don't you worry. I've already called the loser's parents and made everything crystal clear."

A flood of viewers immediately poured into Lara's stream.

"Here we go. The mother-in-law's about to tear into the poor husband too."

"The whole family's a circus."

Lara was clearly thrilled with the response. She motioned for her mother to keep going.

Lucinda cleared her throat and launched into a haughty retelling of her phone conversation.

"I told Myra that since Russell couldn't make anything of himself, he shouldn't drag you down with him. You're a billionaire now, destined to marry into real high society.

"And country bumpkins like them need to stop dreaming about climbing the social ladder. They need to tell Russell to get lost and stay out of your way."

With every word she spoke, Lara's live stream lit up with comments like "Well said!" and "Exactly!".

Meanwhile, I sat in the VIP room, watching Lucinda's smug expression on the screen, my blood ran cold.

My parents were simple, honest farmers.

To put me through college, they sold the only thing of value they owned—our plow ox.

To help me buy an apartment when I got married, they emptied their life savings and even borrowed money from relatives.

They had never once raised their voices at anyone, yet now they were being humiliated by my mother-in-law with such cruel, vicious words.

I picked up the other phone Janine had prepared and called home.

The moment the call connected, I heard my mother, Myra Watson, trying to stifle her sobs.

"Russell, how could Lucinda say those things about us?"

My father, Frankie Brewer, grabbed the phone and said in a trembling voice, "Russell, be honest with us—did you do something to hurt Lara? The money doesn't matter, but your character does!"

I couldn't hold back any longer. A wave of anger surged through me, rushing to my head.

"Dad, Mom, don't believe a word she says," I replied icily. "Don't do anything or get upset. Just turn on the TV and tune into Skysea Bank's official live stream. Watch the show, and when it's over, I'll bring you both to the city to enjoy a better life."

After hanging up, I turned to Janine.

"Ms. Harmon, can I take part in this test too?"

Janine adjusted her glasses, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Of course, Mr. Brewer. Every good show needs a perfect ending."

At the same time, Lara's live stream had reached a new peak.

Looking to juice up the donations, Adrian pitched an idea.

"Lara, how about a little something for the top spender?"

Lara waved her hand magnanimously, practically bursting with fake generosity.

"Who's my top spender? Step forward! I'm in a good mood today. Whoever takes the top spot, I'll give you one million dollars in cash back."

The moment Lara finished speaking, a user with the ID "GoldDiggerCure" instantly dropped a dozen lavish virtual gifts, rocketing to the top of the leaderboard.

Then, he posted a message in the public chat.

"Keep the money and convert it into slaps instead. Use them to wake this delusional woman up."

The live stream went dead silent for a single beat, then exploded.

Lara's face cycled through shades of pale and red. But within seconds, she was swept away by an overwhelming surge of vanity.

She convinced herself the guy was just jealous.

"One million dollars? Please, that's just chump change."

She had Adrian jot down the user's info, then announced her most outrageous decision yet.

"Guys, shopping malls are so yesterday. I'm buying the city's landmark—Skyline Tower. I want everyone in this city to know who the real queen is."

The live stream hit peak frenzy in that moment.

Skyline Tower was the most expensive commercial property in the city, valued at over five billion dollars.

Lara and Adrian descended on the sales office with their streaming entourage in tow, sweeping in like a bomb ready to detonate.

The moment they walked in, the place erupted.

A swarm of reporters, drawn by the buzz, packed the scene until it was barely breathable.

"Ms. Crawford, is it true you're buying Skyline Tower in cash?"

"Can you disclose the source of your funds?"

Surrounded by cameras and microphones, Lara felt her ego satisfied like never before. Arm-in-arm with Adrian, she soaked up the spotlight like a queen holding court.

"That's right. I'm buying it. As for the money? Well, I earned it with my ownabilities."

Her reply sent the bank's live stream chat into hysterics.

"With her own abilities? Does she mean drugging her husband?"

"To call her shameless would be an understatement. This woman is really something else."

"I can't wait to see the look on her face when that card gets declined."

The sales manager, already tipped off by the bank, played his part to perfection.

A carefully prepared letter of intent—dotted with traps—was placed in front of Lara. Adrian urged her from the side, "Come on, Lara. Sign it, and this whole building is yours!"

Without even glancing at it, she scrawled her signature with a dramatic flourish.

The sales manager offered a helpful reminder. "Ms. Crawford, per the terms of the contract, if your card is declined, you will be required to pay a penalty of 1% of the transaction value. That comes to 50 million dollars."

Lara scoffed. "50 million dollars? That's just pocket change to me. Just run the card."

She thrust the black card forward arrogantly.

Every eye in the room locked onto the small POS machine.

For a moment, time itself seemed to stand still.

I sat in the VIP room, watching the countdown timer at the top of the screen.

"00:10:00"

Ms. Harmon's voice sounded beside me. "Mr. Brewer, ten minutes left in the test. The show's about to begin."

I nodded. Then, I rose to my feet and straightened my collar.

The face staring back at me from the mirror was so calm it almost seemed unrecognizable.

The man who had once doted on Lara unconditionally and loved her so humbly was gone. He'd died the moment she crushed those paper cranes.

The one standing here now was an avenger.

Ms. Harmon handed me a tiny earpiece.

"Mr. Brewer, our team on-site is ready. It's time for you to step in and bring this circus to a close."

I took a deep breath and pushed open the door of the VIP room.

Beyond it lay a blindingly bright corridor, and at the end of it was a whole new world.

In just ten minutes, Lara's and Adrian's world was about to come crashing down.