Chapter 102: The money is all gone
Mr. Smith woke up to the most terrifying reality of his life, his account was empty.
At first, he thought it had to be a network glitch. That was the only logical explanation. Banks had errors sometimes, right? Maintenance issues, delayed updates... something explainable. Something fixable.
But as the minutes stretched into an hour, and the balance stubbornly remained at zero, a cold, creeping dread began to settle deep in his chest.
He tried everything, refreshing the app, logging out and back in, even switching devices, but nothing changed. His money was gone. Not reduced. Not partially missing. Completely gone, as though it had never existed.
With trembling hands, he contacted the bank.
Their response came faster than he expected, but it was far worse than anything he had imagined.
According to them, he didn’t even have an account.
For a moment, the world seemed to tilt beneath his feet. His mind refused to process it. No account? That was impossible. He had been using that account for years. Millions had passed through it.
Panicking, he reached out to a tech-savvy acquaintance, someone who understood systems, someone who could verify what was happening behind the scenes.
The confirmation shattered him completely.
"Your account doesn’t exist," the man had said flatly. "It’s like it was wiped clean from the system. This isn’t ordinary. This is the work of a professional... a top-level hacker."
That was when Mr. Smith truly lost his composure.
Now, he sat in his living room, staring blankly ahead, his hands clasped tightly together as if trying to hold himself from falling apart. Across from him sat his wife, Selena, her expression tense and filled with unease as he explained everything.
"Do you mean the whole money is missing?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky.
Mr. Smith let out a frustrated breath. "What don’t you understand? The whole money is gone! My guy said it can only be the work of a top hacker," he replied in anguish, dragging his hands through his hair.
Selena fell silent, absorbing his words. The room felt heavy, suffocating.
After a moment, she spoke again, her voice lower this time. "Who do you think would be responsible for this? Do you think it is Mr. Black?" she asked, fear evident in her tone.
"How would I know?" Mr. Smith snapped, irritation flaring instantly.
Selena’s eyes widened, anger rising to meet his.
"Why are you getting angry at me?" she shot back.
"I’m not the one who stole your money! I’m here trying to figure this out with you!"
Her voice carried both hurt and frustration, and for a brief moment, the tension between them crackled like electricity.
Mr. Smith stared at her, his anger slowly deflating as reality set back in. He sighed deeply, exhaustion replacing his rage.
"I’m not angry at you," he said more calmly. "I’m
angry that someone took my money, and I don’t even know who it is. That’s all."
He reached for her hand, holding it gently.
"I’m not happy that just when I finally had enough to give you the life you deserve, we’re back to square one again. I don’t want us to fight because of this."
There was sincerity in his voice, but beneath it lay something else, fear. Helplessness. And perhaps, a quiet desperation.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"Can you please give me some money? I need to book a flight. I have to be in Vegas City by tomorrow."
Selena’s expression changed instantly. She pulled her hand away from him, suspicion flickering across her face.
"You know I don’t have money," she said sharply. "Where do you expect me to get money to give you?"
Mr. Smith leaned forward slightly, his tone
softening as he tried to persuade her.
"I know you have a secret stash," he said. "And besides, I’m only going to Vegas to collect the balance Lucas still owes me for that job. You know he hasn’t paid me yet."
Selena raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.
"And what makes you think he’ll pay you if you show up?" she asked. "You’ve been calling him for days, and he hasn’t picked up once."
Mr. Smith’s lips curled into a faint, confident smile.
"I have my ways," he said quietly. "And I have evidence that implicates him. He wouldn’t want to cross me. I just need to see him face-to-face.
Trust me, he will pay, and we won’t have to struggle or beg."
Selena studied him carefully, weighing his words. After a moment, she sighed.
"Fine," she said reluctantly. "I’ll give you some money. But you’re paying me back."
Without waiting for a response, she stood up, walked to her room, and returned shortly with a credit card, which she handed to him.
Mr. Smith quickly began booking the flight online, a flicker of hope returning to his eyes.
But that hope didn’t last.
As soon as he reached the payment section and entered the card details, the transaction failed.
Insufficient funds.
He froze.
Selena frowned. "That’s not possible," she muttered, snatching the card from him. She brought out another card. Then another. And another.
Each one returned the same result.
Declined. Insufficient funds.
A cold silence filled the room.
"No... no, this doesn’t make sense," Selena whispered, her hands beginning to tremble. She quickly grabbed her phone and called the bank, her heart pounding violently in her chest.
The response she received nearly knocked the breath out of her.
Her account had been frozen due to fraudulent activity.
Selena staggered slightly, gripping the edge of a table for support.
"That’s my savings..." she whispered. "My secret funds... I’ve barely touched that account for years. How can there be fraudulent activity?"
Her voice broke, panic rising rapidly.
Meanwhile, Mr. Smith began pacing the room, his mind racing, his anxiety barely contained.
Selena suddenly snapped.
"You thief!" she screamed, her voice piercing. She rushed forward and grabbed Mr. Smith by his shirt.
"Did you steal my money on purpose?!"
"Are you even listening to yourself?" Mr. Smith shouted back, grabbing her wrists. "Why would I hide my own money and then go after yours? Do you think I’m that foolish? Use your head! This is clearly someone targeting us!"
But Selena wasn’t ready to let go.
"Whoever took my money is someone you brought into this house!" she fired back. "So you’re the one who will return it!"
"Selena, be sensible!" he said, struggling to remain calm. "Whoever is doing this wants us to fight, to break apart. Don’t give them what they want!"
His words seemed to reach her, if only slightly. Her grip loosened, and she stepped back, breathing heavily.
"Then who do you think it is?" she asked finally, her voice quieter but still tense.
Mr. Smith hesitated.
"I think your first guess was right," he said slowly.
Selena’s eyes widened. "Mr. Black?"
He nodded.
"I think he’s trying to flush me out," Mr. Smith continued. "He may not have solid evidence yet, but this... this is his way of saying he knows something. That he’s watching."
A chill ran down Selena’s spine.
"Does that mean you won’t be going to Vegas anymore?" she asked, her voice laced with fear.
The thought of Mr. Black was terrifying enough. But the thought of being completely broke again? That was unbearable.
Mr. Smith shook his head.
"We need to lay low for now," he said. "When things settle, I’ll go for the money. Mr. Black is not someone to trifle with."
He ran his hands through his hair, pacing restlessly, while Selena stood there, worry etched deeply on her face.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
The loud sound made her jump in fright before she realized it was just her phone. She glanced at the screen.
Ashley.
She answered immediately.
"Mom, you have to help me! I’m in trouble!" Ashley’s frantic voice echoed through the phone.
Selena straightened, her heart racing. Even Mr. Smith moved closer, straining to hear.
"What’s going on?" Selena asked quickly.
"I came to buy a dress at a boutique," Ashley said, her voice trembling. "But there’s no money in my account! It’s like it disappeared! I swear I saw money there this morning, but now it’s gone, and they’re holding me here!"
Selena’s head began to pound.
"Mom, can you ask Dad to help me pay?" Ashley continued desperately. "I’ll pay him back, I promise. I just need to save face here!"
Selena closed her eyes, exhaling slowly.
"There’s no money, Ashley," she said, her voice heavy.
"What do you mean there’s no money?" Ashley snapped, her tone shifting to irritation. "Dad has money! Just tell him to pay, it’s not a big deal!"
Before Selena could respond, Mr. Smith snatched the phone from her.
"Are you not listening?" he shouted into it. "There is no money! It’s gone, just like yours! Someone stole it! If I were you, I’d drop whatever you’re holding and leave while you still can!"
He ended the call abruptly, his chest heaving with anger.
Under his breath, he began cursing, blaming the day Ashley was born, convinced she brought nothing but misfortune.
On the other end, Ashley stood frozen.
A chill ran down her spine as she slowly lowered the phone, realizing all eyes in the boutique were now on her.
