Chapter 3

3

I held the card between my fingers, making sure the nearest security camera could see it.

"This is a Black Card. Limited edition, no limit. Only a hundred people in the world have one."

I scanned the room, raising the stakes.

"Whoever sends me the footage of Jade hitting me gets a million dollars. One million per video, no cap!"

The crowd froze. A few people started lunging forward, shouting, "Me! Pick me!"

Jade stepped in front of them, her guards forming a human wall.

She stared at the card in my hand for a second, then let out a sharp laugh.

"You're a better liar than I thought. Stealing isn't enough? Now you're using fake credit cards?"

She turned to the restless crowd, her voice loud and commanding.

"If that card actually had money, it would be from illegal sources anyway. You wouldn't get a cent before the feds froze it."

"In fact, you'd probably go to jail for taking dirty money. This woman is a fraud."

"If she was really that rich, why would she bother stealing a baby pacifier?"

Jade's logic worked. The greedy crowd turned on me once again.

"The clerk is right. Why steal if you're a millionaire?"

"She's a total head-case. I'm not trusting a thief."

"But what if… what if it's real? That's a million bucks."

An older woman stepped forward, challenging me. She said if I could pay the store's fine right now, she'd believe me.

I agreed instantly. I pressed the card against the card reader.

A second later, a mechanical voice filled the room.

【Transaction declined. Virtual user. Please use a valid payment method.】

I couldn't believe it. "That's impossible. This was my eighteenth birthday gift from my parents. It's a real card! Your machine is rigged!"

I shook the machine in frustration. Jade pulled out three more readers.

Every single one gave the same error.

I felt my world crumbling. How could my card be invalid?

Jade smirked and pulled an identical Black Card from her own pocket. She tapped it against the machine.

【Payment successful.】

The crowd went wild. They began mocking me with pure venom.

"Trying to play rich when you're broke? Pathetic."

"She almost had us! Her card was a total fake."

"Honestly, someone should just knock her out. She's a menace. Next thing you know, she'll be scamming our grandparents."

"I'm down for that! Let's get her!"

The noise was deafening. Everyone wanted a piece of me. Jade climbed onto a display table and grabbed a megaphone.

She pointed a spotlight directly at my face.

"New deal!" she shouted. "Ten thousand dollars to anyone who lands a punch on her!"

"Twenty thousand for a slap!"

"The more damage you do, the bigger the bonus. I'll cover all the legal fees!"

She looked down at me and mouthed three words, her eyes dancing with malice.

"I swapped them."