The heavy glass door slamd behind Sebastian Hawthorne with such force that the entire wall shuddered. I watched through the office window as he stord across the bank's polished marble lobby, shoving past a startled security guard. His tantrum was visible even through the soundproof glass – face contorted with rage, hands gesticulating wildly as he barked into his phone.
"Well," Leopold said with a satisfied smile, "that was certainly entertaining."
I turned back to the desk where my two-billion-dollar loan agreent lay waiting. "Is he always that dramatic?"
Leopold chuckled. "The Hawthornes aren't accustod to hearing the word 'no.' Especially not Sebastian." He slid the platinum VIP card across the desk. "Your funds are imdiately available, Mr. Knight. This grants you access to our exclusive services – 24/7 personal banking assistance, priority processing, private investnt opportunities."
I picked up the card, weighing it in my hand. It felt impossibly heavy for such a small object – not physically, but with the weight of what it represented. Three weeks ago, I'd been sleeping on a friend's couch, scraping together cash for als. Now I held two billion dollars between my fingers.
"This doesn't feel real," I admitted, pocketing the card.
"I imagine not." Leopold's expression softened slightly. "If I might speak frankly, Mr. Knight – wealth of this magnitude changes everything. People will treat you differently. So will resent you for it, as we just witnessed. Others will suddenly discover they've always been your dearest friends."
I nodded, thinking of all the forr colleagues and acquaintances who'd ignored my calls when I was down but would surely co crawling back now.
"I appreciate the advice," I said, gathering the signed docunts. "And everything else you've done."
Leopold waved away my thanks. "I'm rely honoring my debt. What you did for my Margaret... no amount of money could repay that."
The ntion of his wife brought back to the present. Three days ago, I'd used my knowledge to cure Mrs. Shepherd's supposedly terminal cancer – knowledge that ca from my mysteriously awakened abilities and the ancient dical texts suddenly accessible in my mind.
"How is she doing?" I asked.
Leopold's professional deanor cracked, revealing genuine emotion. "The doctors are calling it a miracle. The tumors are gone completely." He cleared his throat, composing himself. "But enough about that. You have a financial empire to build, and I've taken enough of your ti."
We shook hands, and as I walked toward the door, Leopold called after .
"Mr. Knight? Sebastian Hawthorne won't forget this slight. The man holds grudges like treasures."
I paused, hand on the doorknob. "Let him co. I'm not the sa man I was before."
---
In the bank's marble lobby, I found two people waiting for . Aurora Sinclair, looking sleek and professional in a tailored pantsuit, and to my surprise, Jaxon Langley – my forr colleague who'd joined the chorus of mockery during my downfall.
"Liam!" Aurora rushed forward, beaming. "I've been promoted to Manager Ross's position! Can you believe it?"
Her excitent was infectious, and I smiled genuinely. "Congratulations, Aurora. Well deserved."
"It's all thanks to you," she said, lowering her voice. "After what you did to Ross, exposing his embezzlent sche... Well, let's just say the higher-ups were impressed with how I handled the transition."
I nodded, unsurprised that my small act of revenge against my forr boss had rippled outward in unexpected ways. Before I could respond, Jaxon stepped forward awkwardly.
"Liam," he said, extending his hand. "Good to see you."
I looked at his outstretched hand without taking it. The last ti I'd seen Jaxon, he'd been laughing as security escorted from the building, my possessions stuffed into a cardboard box.
"Is it?" I asked coolly.
He dropped his hand, flushing. "Look, I know I was an ass. Complete and utter ass. But I want to make it right." He glanced around nervously before continuing. "Word's getting around about your... connections. The Ashworth family, Leopold Shepherd... I'd like to take you to dinner. Just to talk. For old tis' sake."
The pathetic transparency of his attempt almost made laugh. Three weeks of unemploynt had clearly humbled Jaxon – his designer suit looked rumpled, his confidence diminished.
"Old tis' sake?" I repeated. "Which old tis would those be, Jaxon? When you told everyone I slept my way into the firm? Or when you stole my client portfolio after I was fired?"
Aurora shot Jaxon a disgusted look. "I didn't know you were behind those rumors."
Jaxon's face went from red to white. "I was jealous, okay? You were rising faster than anyone, and I... I made mistakes."
I considered him for a mont. Once, his approval had mattered to . Now he seed small, desperate – a remnant of a life I'd left behind.
"Fine," I said finally. "Dinner. Tomorrow at Saint Laurent's. Eight o'clock."
Relief flooded his face. "Great! I'll—"
"You'll pay," I cut him off, "and you'll bring the client list you stole. All of them."
He swallowed hard. "Of course."
I nodded to Aurora. "Keep climbing. You deserve it."
As I walked away, I felt their eyes on my back – Aurora's admiring, Jaxon's calculating. The weight of the VIP card in my pocket was a constant reminder of my transformation. Leopold was right – wealth changed everything. But so did power.
And I was just beginning to understand mine.
---
Sebastian Hawthorne slamd his phone against the dashboard of his Bentley, cracking both the screen and the polished wood trim. Three banks in one afternoon, and three humiliating rejections.
"GODDAMMIT!" he roared, pounding his fists against the steering wheel.
His driver remained stone-faced in the front seat, pretending not to notice his employer's ltdown. Sebastian had visited every major financial institution in Eldoria, each ti receiving the sa response – his loan applications were denied. Institutions that had practically begged for his business last month suddenly found "concerns" with his company's projections.
Soone was blocking him. Soone with serious influence.
The phone rang again – his father, for the third ti today. Sebastian rejected the call. The old man would only demand explanations Sebastian didn't have. The Hawthorne Industries expansion plan required that capital, and without it, they would lose their chance to acquire their competitors' vulnerable assets.
In desperation, Sebastian scrolled through his contacts and stopped at a na he'd sworn never to call again: Isabelle Ashworth.
He hesitated only briefly before hitting dial. MyVirtualLibraryEmpire(*)hoststheoriginal.
"Sebastian," her cool voice answered after one ring, as if she'd been expecting his call. "How unpleasant to hear from you."
"Cut the crap, Isabelle," he snapped. "What did you do?"
"You'll need to be more specific," she replied, her tone maddeningly calm. "I do so many things in a day."
"The banks!" he snarled. "Every major financial institution in Eldoria has suddenly denied my loan applications. This has your family's fingerprints all over it."
Isabelle's soft laugh sent rage coursing through him. "Oh, Sebastian. Always so quick to bla others for your failures."
"Don't play gas with ," he hissed. "Your family is blocking ."
"If I wanted to block you, you'd know it," she said, her voice hardening. "But this particular situation? I can't claim credit."
"Then who—" Sebastian stopped abruptly, the pieces clicking into place. "Knight. It's that nobody, isn't it?"
"Liam is many things," Isabelle said, emphasizing the na with sothing like affection, "but 'nobody' isn't one of them."
Sebastian gripped the phone tighter. "What hold does he have over Leopold Shepherd? Blackmail? Threats?"
Isabelle laughed again, genuinely this ti. "Oh, Sebastian. Your mind always goes to the darkest places. Did it never occur to you that Liam might have *earned* Leopold's favor?"
"Earned? How could so disgraced nobody possibly—"
"Did you know Leopold's wife was dying?" Isabelle interrupted. "Terminal cancer, Stage 4. The doctors gave her weeks."
Sebastian frowned, caught off-guard. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"She's in complete remission now," Isabelle said simply. "So might call it a miracle. Leopold calls it Liam Knight."
The implications hit Sebastian like a physical blow. "That's... that's impossible."
"Is it?" Isabelle's voice dripped with mockery. "While you were trying to leverage your family na for special treatnt, Liam was saving a woman's life. It seems Leopold has different priorities than you anticipated."
Sebastian sat in stunned silence, trying to process this information. Knight had cured terminal cancer? It didn't make sense.
"I don't believe you," he said finally, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Your belief is irrelevant," Isabelle replied. "The facts remain: Liam has your loan, Leopold's gratitude, and apparently, my continued interest. You, on the other hand, have... what exactly?"
Sebastian could almost see her satisfied smile through the phone.
"This isn't over," he managed through gritted teeth.
"For you, it is," Isabelle said pleasantly. "Goodbye, Sebastian."
The call ended, leaving Sebastian in silence. He stared blankly through the windshield, his mind reeling with the implications of what he'd just learned. Liam Knight wasn't just a pawn in Isabelle's ga. He had power of his own – power Sebastian couldn't begin to comprehend.
The realization left him ashen-faced and speechless, a man watching his carefully constructed world crumble around him.
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