While talking with Rick over breakfast, they eventually left the Grand View Hotel and headed toward the Chase Bank branch in Rick's sleek, black luxury sedan.
The car smelled of expensive leather and subtle cologne. Elric sat in the passenger seat, still trying to process how surreal his life had become in less than twenty-four hours.
When they arrived at the upscale bank branch, Rick parked smoothly and gestured politely.
"Please, Mr. Elric, come this way."
Rick led him toward the private entrance reserved for VIP clients. Before Elric could take more than a few steps, a familiar female voice called out from behind them.
"Mr. Rick!"
Elric felt a strange jolt of recognition. He turned around along with Rick, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the woman's extremely large breasts straining against her elegant white blouse. She had pale, flawless skin with a slight bluish undertone under the sunlight, striking green eyes, long flowing black hair, and a plump, attractive face that still looked remarkably youthful.
It was Elizabeth Vale — Lily's mother, or more accurately now, his ex-mother-in-law.
She didn't seem to notice him at first. Or perhaps she simply didn't expect to see someone familiar in such a high-end setting, so she paid him no attention and focused entirely on Rick.
"Mr. Rick, please… can you reconsider it one more time? Even with a lower amount, based on our previous record—"
"Mr. Elric, please excuse me for a moment. I'll talk to you shortly," Rick said, raising a hand.
Hearing the name "Elric," Elizabeth subconsciously glanced over. Her green eyes widened in shock.
"Elric…? What are you doing here?"
Elizabeth Vale.
She had given birth to Lily at only fifteen, which made her just thirty-five years old now — still in the absolute prime of her beauty. Her body had filled out beautifully over the years, and her mature charm was impossible to ignore.
Embarrassingly enough, Elizabeth had been Elric's very first real crush when he was younger. After realizing nothing could ever happen between them, he had deliberately shifted his attention to Lily instead. The guilt he felt toward Lily because of that old crush had made him avoid Elizabeth as much as possible after the marriage.
But now?
A quiet fire ignited in his chest. Why the hell should I feel embarrassed anymore? She's not my mother-in-law. Not anymore. His eyes freely traced her impressive figure. He could look at those two treasures of humanity as much as he wanted now.
"Hmm, Ms. Elizabeth. Long time no see," Elric said calmly. "I'm here for some business."
Elizabeth frowned slightly. She had felt a sense of familiarity when she first saw him, but seeing Rick's respectful smile toward Elric made her think she must have mistaken the person. After all, the clients Rick personally received usually had net worths exceeding fifty million dollars. Elric was just a regular middle-class guy or at least he used to be. She had even heard that Lily had taken the house from him in the divorce. Thinking about her shameless daughter made fresh anger rise in her chest, but she had been too busy lately to deal with that mess.
Still, she couldn't wrap her head around why Elric was being personally escorted by the branch manager.
"Oh, Mr. Elric, do you know her?" Rick asked curiously.
"Yes. She's my ex-mother-in-law."
Rick had originally planned to have security quietly escort this persistent woman away. She had been bothering him for nearly a week now. But learning that she had a connection to Elric, he showed more patience.
"Ms. Elizabeth," Rick said firmly but professionally, "as I explained before, that company economy is already in serious trouble. Even if we lowered the amount, a loan cannot solve the fundamental problem. The company is beyond saving at this point."
Elizabeth's face fell.
"Please, Madam, don't make this difficult for me. It's impossible to approve the loan under these conditions. Their debt has already far exceeded their valuation. At this stage, giving money would simply be gambling with bank funds."
Although Rick was speaking to Elizabeth, he was clearly explaining the situation for Elric's benefit — showing that the bank wasn't unwilling to help good clients, but that some cases were simply too risky.
Elric wanted to catch up with Elizabeth, but it clearly wasn't the right time. He stood silently to the side, observing without intervening.
Hearing Rick's final words, Elizabeth's shoulders slumped. It wasn't that she cared deeply about the company itself, but it was her first job — the only real job she had ever held. She had worked her way up from a simple clerk all the way to General Secretary. Watching it head toward bankruptcy left her genuinely sad and helpless.
After finishing his explanation, Rick smoothly shifted his attention back to Elric.
"Mr. Elric, shall we continue?"
"Yes," Elric nodded, then turned to Elizabeth. "Ms. Elizabeth, are you free tomorrow? I'd like to talk with you if possible."
Elizabeth, who had been looking downcast, suddenly lifted her head with surprise.
"…Yes," she replied almost subconsciously.
"Perfect. I'll call you later then."
With that, Elric turned and followed Rick deeper into the bank.
As they walked away, one thought kept echoing in his mind:
A company whose debt already far exceeds its valuation and is on the verge of bankruptcy… Isn't this a god-given opportunity to lose money?
He could almost hear the Money-Losing System laughing with delight in his head.