Chapter 1

The day the Grantham Group fell apart, I was at the mall buying a watch.

The saleswoman, clad in white gloves, held it out for me to inspect. It was the only piece of this season's limited edition available anywhere in the world.

I did not even ask the price. I simply handed her the black card Nicole had given me.

The card reader let out a sharp beep.

[Payment Declined]

The saleswoman's smile froze for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. "Mr. Jensen, there might be a problem with the bank's system."

I stared at the screen. For the first time, the words [Insufficient Balance] flashed across it.

I had carried that card for three years. I had used it to buy yachts, sports cars, and even a beachfront villa whose address I forgot the moment I finished touring it. Not once had a payment failed to go through.

I pulled out my phone and called Nicole.

There was no answer.

Normally, whether she was in a board meeting or on a plane, my calls never rang more than three times before she picked up.

I was about to call again when a sudden commotion erupted outside the store.

Several reporters rushed toward the entrance of a jewelry store owned by the Grantham Group, snapping photos furiously as workers took down the sign.

On the massive digital screen overhead, the Grantham Group's stock price continued to plummet. In just half an hour, nearly 2 billion dollars in market value had evaporated.

The news headlines grew more alarming by the second.

[Grantham Group Chairman Suspected of Financial Fraud, Formally Resigns from All Positions]

[Grantham Family's Eldest and Second Daughters Taken In for Questioning Over Cross-Border Financial Case]

[Twelve Funds Jointly Announce Unlimited Short-Selling Campaign Against the Grantham Group]

The saleswoman quietly took the watch back.

I looked at her.

She immediately lowered her head, no longer daring to meet my eyes.

Just minutes earlier, she had called me "Mr. Jensen" every other sentence and asked whether I wanted to see the latest custom-order cufflinks while I was there.

Now, the Grantham family had barely run into trouble, and she had already decided I could no longer afford anything.

The world really was that cold.

With no other choice, I returned to the Grantham residence empty-handed.

…

The villa was in chaos. Lawyers, accountants, and company executives packed the living room. Everyone had a phone pressed to their ear, their voices growing more frantic by the second.

Nicole's father, Leopold Grantham, sat in the middle of the sofa, looking as though he had aged ten years overnight.

Her mother, Dorothy Briggs, had bloodshot eyes and kept asking for news about her two daughters.

When Connor Grantham saw me, the anger he had bottled up all day finally found an outlet.

"The Grantham family is about to go bankrupt, and you're out shopping?" His eyes fell on the shopping bag in my hand, and his face went pale with rage. "Lionel Jensen, do you even have a heart?"

I sighed. "There was a watch I really liked. I couldn't buy it. The card wouldn't go through."

Connor's face turned livid. For a moment, he was too furious to speak.

"How did my sister ever fall for a heartless thing like you?" he grumbled.

An exhausted voice came from the doorway. "Connor."

Nicole walked into the living room with her suit jacket draped over one arm and her silk blouse slightly wrinkled.

She must not have slept in a long time. Her eyes were bloodshot.

Yet when she saw me, she still stopped and pulled me into a hug. "Don't listen to their nonsense."

I nodded and kissed her with a smile. "Wifey, you're always the one who's good to me."

Connor turned and stormed off.

Nicole did not scold me. She simply pulled a new bank card from her wallet and pressed it into my hand. "This one still works."

"How much is on it?" I asked.

"10,000,000 dollars."

I frowned. The cards she used to hand me without a second thought had always carried at least nine figures.

Nicole could tell I was unimpressed. She fell silent for a moment, then brushed a few loose strands of hair from my forehead. "Make do with it for now."

…

That night, no one in the Grantham family ate.

I sat alone in the dining room and finished all six courses the chef had prepared.

At 2:00 a.m., the light in the upstairs study was still on. I went up to find Nicole, intending to ask when my old card would start working again.

Just as I reached the door, I heard the lawyer speaking in a low voice. "Miss Grantham, the twelve funds have already seized control of all the Grantham Group's overseas accounts. If we can't secure funding before the market opens tomorrow, the company is finished for good."

The study remained silent for a long time.

Nicole finally spoke. "Liquidate all my personal assets. Also, arrange a plane."

The lawyer froze for a moment. "Are you leaving?"

"Not me."

I opened the study door.

Nicole stood behind it. Her expression faltered for a moment when she saw me. Then she placed a passport and a plane ticket in my hand. "Pack your things. Tomorrow morning, I'm sending you out of the country."