Chapter 2
1754 Words
Nate's eyes opened slowly, and the first thing he noticed was white ceiling tiles. Hospital ceiling tiles.
He sat up carefully, his head still throbbing with a dull ache. The room was small and sterile—a single bed, a chair, some basic monitoring equipment. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was sitting in his car in the hotel parking garage, and then that voice...
[GOOD MORNING, NATE WORTE]
He jerked upright. The voice was back, clear as day inside his head.
[SUPREME WEALTH SYSTEM FULLY ACTIVATED]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW YOUR STATUS?]
"What the hell?" Nate looked around the room wildly. No one else was there. No speakers, no phones, nothing that could be producing the voice.
A translucent screen materialized in front of him, hovering in the air. He reached out to touch it, but his hand passed right through.
[SYSTEM HOST: NATE WORTE]
[ACCOUNT BALANCE: $247]
[PHYSICAL CONDITION: POOR - STRESS AND MALNUTRITION]
[MENTAL STATE: 32/100 - SEVERE EMOTIONAL TRAUMA]
[SKILLS: NONE ACQUIRED]
[WEALTH POINTS: 0]
[STATUS: BEGINNER]
Nate stared at the screen in disbelief. This had to be a hallucination. Maybe he had hit his head when he passed out. Maybe he was having a complete mental breakdown.
[THIS IS NOT A HALLUCINATION]
The system seemed to respond to his thoughts.
[THE SUPREME WEALTH SYSTEM HAS CHOSEN YOU AS ITS HOST]
[YOUR LIFE OF POVERTY AND HUMILIATION ENDS TODAY]
[FIRST MISSION: SPEND $500,000 WITHIN 24 HOURS]
[REWARD: 10 WEALTH POINTS AND UNLOCK BASIC SKILLS]
[FAILURE: SYSTEM WILL DISCONNECT PERMANENTLY]
Nate laughed. It came out harsh and slightly unhinged. "Spend five hundred thousand dollars? I don't have five hundred thousand dollars. I have two hundred and forty-seven dollars, apparently. This is insane."
[FUNDS TRANSFERRING NOW]
His phone, sitting on the small table beside the hospital bed, suddenly buzzed. They were text message notifications. Nate picked it up, and there were three messages from his bank.
"Large deposit detected - $500,000 has been added to your checking account."
"Your new balance is $500,247.00."
"For your security, please verify this transaction by calling our 24-hour hotline."
Nate dropped the phone. It clattered on the floor, but he barely noticed. He picked it back up, opened his banking app with trembling fingers, and entered his password.
The number was real. Five hundred thousand, two hundred and forty-seven dollars.
"This isn't possible," he whispered. "This can't be real."
[IT IS REAL]
[YOU HAVE 23 HOURS AND 41 MINUTES TO SPEND THE FULL $500,000]
[ANY AMOUNT REMAINING AFTER 24 HOURS WILL BE FORFEITED]
[SPENDING MUST BE FOR GOODS OR SERVICES - NO INVESTMENTS, NO GIFTS, NO TRANSFERS]
[MISSION TIMER STARTS NOW]
A countdown appeared in the corner of the translucent screen. 23:40:52... 23:40:51...
Nate's mind raced. If this was real and the money in his bank account suggested it was, then his life had just changed in ways he couldn't even begin to understand. But he had less than twenty-four hours to spend half a million dollars, and he had no idea how to do that.
No, wait. He knew exactly how to do it.
Nate stood up, suddenly filled with purpose. A hospital orderly was passing by his door, and Nate called out to him.
"Excuse me, how did I get here?"
The orderly looked at him with mild concern. "Someone called 911 from the Meridian Hotel parking garage. They said they found you unconscious in your car. You've been here for about three hours. The doctor will want to check you before you leave."
"I'm fine," Nate said, already looking for his clothes. They were folded on the chair, his same wrinkled shirt and worn jeans. "I need to go."
"Sir, you really should wait—"
But Nate was already dressed and heading for the door. He had twenty-three and a half hours to spend five hundred thousand dollars, and he knew exactly where to start.
The Pinnacle Seattle was the most exclusive luxury hotel in the city. It sat on the waterfront, fifty-two stories of glass and steel, catering to celebrities, business moguls, and foreign dignitaries. Their presidential suite cost twenty thousand dollars a night. Their basic membership, which gave access to their private restaurants, spa, and business facilities, cost a quarter of a million dollars annually.
Nate had walked past this building a hundred times during his deliveries, never imagining he would actually go inside. Now he stood in the back of an Uber, watching the building grow closer, and felt his heart pounding.
The car pulled up to the entrance. A valet in a crisp uniform opened the door.
"Welcome to the Pinnacle, sir. Will you be checking in?"
Nate climbed out, acutely aware of how he must look. Three hours unconscious in a hospital hadn't improved his appearance. "I'm here to purchase a membership."
The valet looked at him just for a second with something like doubt. But he was too professional to show it openly. "Of course, sir. The membership desk is to the left of the main lobby."
The lobby was even more impressive inside. Marble floors, a waterfall feature, and original artwork on the walls. People in expensive suits and designer dresses moved through the space with the casual confidence of those who belonged.
Nate felt every eye turn toward him as he walked to the membership desk. He heard whispers, saw the looks of confusion and disdain.
A young woman sat behind an elegant wooden desk. Her nameplate read "Jennifer Myles - Membership Coordinator." She looked up as Nate approached, and her professional smile faltered slightly.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her tone suggesting she very much doubted it.
"I'd like to purchase a membership," Nate said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.
Jennifer's smile became fixed. "Sir, our membership program has very specific requirements—"
"The Platinum tier," Nate continued. "I understand it's a quarter million annually, with full access to all hotel facilities and services."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Sir, the Platinum membership is indeed $250,000 per year, but there's also an application process—"
"I would like to pay today. In full." Nate pulled out his debit card and placed it on the desk.
Jennifer stared at the card like it might bite her. It was a standard bank card, scratched and worn from two years in his wallet. Not the black card or platinum card you'd expect from someone who could afford a quarter-million-dollar membership.
"Sir," she said carefully, "perhaps you're not aware of the full costs involved. In addition to the membership fee, there are activation charges, processing fees—"
"How much total?"
"$267,500."
[EXCELLENT CHOICE]
The system's voice popped into Nate's head.
[SPENDING: $267,500]
[REMAINING BALANCE: $232,500]
[TIME REMAINING: 23:17:08]
"I'll take it," Nate said.
Jennifer opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Sir, I really don't think—"
"Is there a problem?" A man's voice cut through the conversation. Nate turned to see someone he recognized, and his stomach dropped.
Blake Duncan. Valerie's younger brother.
Blake was twenty-six, two years younger than Nate, but he'd already made junior partner at his father's investment firm. He wore a suit that probably cost more than Nate used to make in a month, and his expression when he saw Nate was pure contempt.
"Nate?" Blake laughed, a sharp bark of disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here? Did someone order takeout?"
Heat flooded Nate's face. "Blake."
"Oh my God, this is too perfect." Blake pulled out his phone. "I have to tell Val, she's going to die when she hears—"
"I want to purchase a membership," Nate said quietly.
Blake stopped mid-text. He looked up slowly, his face changed from amusement to confusion then outright mockery. "You're what?"
"A Platinum membership," Nate said, louder this time. "Is that a problem?"
"Jennifer, is he serious?" Blake turned to the membership coordinator. "He's serious? This is the guy who showed up to Thanksgiving in a shirt with a broken button. The guy who tried to pay for his anniversary dinner with a coupon. You actually think he can afford…"
"I can afford it," Nate interrupted. "Can you?"
That stopped Blake cold. A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "Of course I can afford it, my father's a member. I have full access through him."
"But you don't have your own membership, do you?" Nate pressed. He was taking a risk here, but the look on Blake's face suggested he had guessed right. "You're just using daddy's card."
Blake's jaw clenched. "I don't need my own membership. That's not how our family operates. We share resources, we support each other. Not that you'd know anything about family, would you? Oh, wait, your family threw your mother out like trash. My mistake."
Nate's hands balled into fists. Every instinct screamed at him to punch Blake right in his smug face but he forced himself to stay calm.
"Jennifer," he said, never taking his eyes off Blake. "I'd like to complete my purchase. Now."
Jennifer looked between the two men, clearly torn. "Sir, I really need to verify—"
"Verify what?" Nate pulled up his banking app and turned the phone screen toward her. "Here's my account balance. Here's my ID. I'm ready to pay. So unless there's some other requirement I'm not aware of, I'd appreciate it if you'd process my application."
Jennifer stared at the phone screen. Her expression changed entirely.
"That's... that's actually sufficient," she said slowly. "Mr. Worte, if you're serious about this purchase, I can certainly process it immediately."
"I'm completely serious."
"This is… is ridiculous," Blake stuttered. "Jennifer, do you know who this guy is? He's a delivery driver. He probably stole that money or—"
"Mr. Duncan," Jennifer interrupted, her voice cooling considerably, "unless you have specific evidence of fraud, I'm required to process any legitimate membership application. Mr. Worte's funds appear to be genuine."
Blake's face was turning red. "I'm calling my father. He's on the hotel's advisory board, we'll see how legitimate this is."
"Please do," Nate said. He was surprised by how calm he felt. Maybe it was the system, or maybe it was just the sheer satisfaction of watching Blake panic. "In the meantime, Jennifer, let's complete this transaction."
It took twenty minutes. Jennifer processed the payment, verified the funds, and prepared the membership materials. Blake stood nearby the entire time, on his phone, his voice getting louder and more agitated as he apparently couldn't
- Writer
