The next day, Elric slowly woke up in the unbelievably fluffy king-sized bed of the presidential suite. The mattress felt softer than a cloud, gently cradling his body in perfect comfort. Silk sheets whispered against his skin as he stretched lazily, a deep, satisfied sigh escaping his lips.
Damn… until now, I've really been living a dog's life, he thought, staring at the ornate ceiling with its crystal chandelier.
After confirming the billion dollars were real, he had no intention of continuing his old frugal existence.
He tested the system thoroughly and discovered something important: it didn't care how he spent the money or what he did with it afterward. As long as the loss was legitimate according to the rules — through qualifying purchases — he would earn the Power Points. Nothing more, nothing less.
So right after leaving the Chase Bank branch yesterday, he had immediately booked the most expensive presidential suite in one of the top five-star hotels in the city. No more musty $700 apartments for him.
He glanced at the sleek watch on his wrist — a gift from Rick along with the car — which now showed 9 AM. For the first time in years, he had slept deeply and peacefully. No alarms, no stress, no worrying about bills. Just pure, luxurious rest.
Today he had to meet Elizabeth.
After a quick shower in the marble bathroom that was bigger than his old apartment, Elric got dressed in one of the new designer outfits he had ordered the night before. He headed down to the valet area where his brand-new Lamborghini, the surprise gift from Rick — waited, gleaming under the morning sun like a sleek red predator.
Sliding into the driver's seat, he felt a thrill run through him. The engine roared to life with a deep, satisfying growl as he pulled out onto the street and made his way to the high-end café where they had agreed to meet.
With one billion dollars in his account, he could live however he wanted fucking deliriously comfortable. Traveling the world, buying a yacht, owning private islands, whatever his heart desired. And according to the system, once he burned through this money, it seemed more would come as long as he kept finding creative ways to lose it legitimately.
But all of that paled in comparison to the real prize: the ability to evolve beyond human limits. What would happen when he pushed his attributes higher? Immortality? Superhuman strength? The power to fly? The possibilities made his newly sharpened mind race with excitement.
That was why he wanted to spend no, lose as much money as possible, and as quickly as possible.
Gambling was out of the question. According to the system's strict rules, true gambling didn't qualify because the outcomes were either 100% win or 100% loss with no realistic middle ground of potential profit. So he had to get creative.
The second-best option? Hollywood. Everyone knew the world's biggest money-burning machine wasn't Vegas — it was the movie industry. He had heard plenty of stories about films that cost hundreds of millions and flopped spectacularly.
First, though, he needed to talk to Elizabeth.
Elric stepped into the elegant café, the aroma of fresh coffee and pastries filling the air. His eyes naturally drifted toward a familiar curvaceous figure sitting near the window. Elizabeth looked stunning in a professional yet stylish outfit that accentuated her mature beauty.
"Ms. Elizabeth, good morning," he said warmly as he approached the table.
"Elric… good morning," she replied, a mix of surprise and politeness in her voice. "How have you been?"
She hesitated for a moment, then added softly, "I'm really sorry about Lily."
"Ms. Elizabeth, it's not your fault," Elric said sincerely, sitting down across from her. "There's no need for you to apologize. Anyway, I've already moved on."
Elizabeth blinked, clearly caught off guard by how calm and detached he sounded. She had assumed he wanted to meet to ask about Lily or vent about the divorce, but his tone suggested he genuinely didn't care anymore.
"So… what did you want to talk about?" she asked.
"I need to discuss some business," Elric replied directly.
Hearing the word "business," Elizabeth looked surprised. She had expected something personal, not professional.
"What business?" she asked cautiously.
"It's about your company. I want to buy it."
"What?!" Elizabeth couldn't suppress her voice. She nearly shouted, drawing curious glances from nearby tables. Her face quickly turned red with embarrassment as she sat back down, lowering her head slightly.
"Elric, what are you talking about?" she whispered urgently. "Can you not joke like this?"
Elric's face remained completely serious. "Elizabeth, I'm not joking. I'm dead serious."
She studied him for a long moment, searching for any sign that he was playing a prank. When she found none, her expression shifted to one of concern.
"Elric… okay, I know you suddenly got some money — though I have no idea where from — but you have to understand something. Ten million dollars is still a very small amount in Hollywood.
You might not even be able to properly invest in a single movie, let alone buy an entire company. Even though our company is small compared to the big Hollywood giants, it's still valued at around 400 million dollars."
Four hundred million.
Elric was genuinely surprised — not because it was expensive, but because it was fucking cheap. He had expected something closer to eight or nine hundred million. Buying it for 400M, then dumping another 100M or so into a doomed movie project would push the already struggling company straight into bankruptcy. Perfect for the system.
Still, he couldn't help but sigh internally. Losing one billion dollars is actually really difficult when you think about it.
Without wasting any more time, Elric reached into his jacket and pulled out his new Chase Bank book. He slid it across the table toward her.
Elizabeth took it uncertainly, her hands trembling slightly as she opened it. Her eyes scanned the balance.
One billion dollars.
Another loud, involuntary shout escaped her mouth, louder than the first one. More heads turned in their direction, but this time Elizabeth didn't even notice. She stared at the bank book in disbelief, her green eyes wide with shock.