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.