Chapter 2: A Villa for a Dollar!
1285 Words
After scrolling through the news, Nolan Quinn opened his ** and noticed a new post from Linnea Woods.
"Only when you meet the right person do you realize all past relationships were mistakes!"
The accompanying photo showed Linnea and Owen Phillips' hands adorned with designer watches, clearly taken in a hotel room.
At that moment, Nolan's pupils shrank to pinpoints, his hand clenched in sudden rage, filled with anger and humiliation...
Nolan had thought a night's sleep would quench his anger, but this moment intensified his urge to confront this shameless couple far more than the night before.
What did she mean by "wrong relationships"?
And what about "the right person"?
He had given so much to Linnea, only to be dismissed with a single sentence?
But then, despondently, he put down his phone and silently started to get ready for the day...
What was the use of his anger?
After all, she was with the heir of The Phillips Company, who could bury him with money alone.
What value did he, a penniless man, have?
Nolan couldn't afford a single tire of theirs with years of his earnings. To Linnea, he indeed was the wrong person!
Resigned, Nolan spent a good while sulking on the sofa before he could suppress his fury and change to go downstairs for breakfast.
"I'll take a burger, and I'm paying cash," Nolan declared upon arriving at the breakfast joint.
"Sure," the owner responded without looking up.
Nolan reached into his pocket, pulling out a $10 bill.
It was hard to come by change these days. This was the money Nolan had found on the street the night before, which Samuel Reed jokingly said was a good omen after Linnea's departure, only making Nolan feel worse...
However, as Nolan handed over the money, something felt off.
The bill's texture was smoother, and upon closer inspection, dense golden threads were woven across the portrait...
"What's this? Did I pick up a new currency?" Nolan murmured, handing over the money, "Change, please."
Expecting the owner to gladly accept it, Nolan was taken aback by the owner's stunned reaction.
Jealousy and shock riveted the owner's gaze onto the bill, his body trembling as he stepped back involuntarily...
"What's wrong?" Nolan asked, puzzled by the owner's hesitation.
The owner's expression went from shocked to incredulous, and then, right before Nolan's eyes, to angry...
The next moment, the owner slammed the table, furiously accusing, "Are you trying to provoke me, huh?!"
Nolan was dumbfounded, "What do you mean? When did I provoke you?"
"You're passing off counterfeit money, isn't that provocation?" the owner bellowed.
"I'm giving you a chance to leave now, or I'm calling the cops!"
Nolan was flabbergasted, unable to believe that offering a mere $10 bill would lead to a police threat.
What was going on?
Fuming, he retorted, "Are you out of your mind?"
"How is this counterfeit? This is as genuine as it gets!"
The owner, even more enraged than Nolan, yelled back, "Counterfeit money!"
"You're caught red-handed and still dare to argue?"
"I'll have you know, I've only ever seen a $10 bill on TV! You're so poor, how could you possibly have real money? You're using fake money, any questions?"
Nolan was stunned, first thinking the owner was joking, "What? You've only seen $10 bills on TV? Are you kidding me?"
"Aren't your burgers priced at $10 each?"
The owner glared, "Kid, are you brainless? Are my burgers made of gold? How could I possibly charge that much?"
"Everyone knows $10 equals 10 billion microdollars. And you think a burger costs $10? Am I robbing you?"
"Take a good look at my menu!"
The owner tossed the menu at Nolan.
Hearing this, Nolan was shocked and bewildered upon seeing the prices on the menu—
It read: Beef Burger, 10 microdollars.
Nolan doubted his vision, "10 microdollars? Wasn't it $10? That's incredibly cheap!"
"Young man, did you study yourself stupid? Let me tell you again, 1 billion microdollars equals 1 dollar! 10 billion microdollars equals $10! $10 isn't cheap; did you know $10 could buy the entire neighborhood behind you?"
The owner was at a loss for words.
The owner suspected Nolan Quinn had escaped from a psychiatric hospital.
Nolan doubted he heard correctly, "What did you say, sir?"
"One dollar equals a billion microdollars? And with ten dollars, one could buy a neighborhood?"
The owner replied with dissatisfaction, "Yes! Check your phone, see if what I'm saying isn't right. Don't you even have this basic knowledge?"
What's with young people these days? Not taking their studies seriously?
Not even knowing how much one dollar is worth?
Rushing to his phone, Nolan opened a shopping app, and this time he was utterly astonished!
An Apple phone for 10,000 microdollars.
A Ferrari for 5 million microdollars.
A top-tier luxury villa in Philadelphia...
Seeing the price, Nolan was even more surprised!
Just one dollar.
Indeed, he hadn't misread.
Only one dollar!
The owner was correct.
One dollar truly equaled a hundred million microdollars!
What was happening?
How could the world's pricing change overnight?
Just then,
Nolan's phone pinged with a notification,
"Ding—
Dear Valued Customer of the Top-tier Banking Service, your Petty Cash Wallet has been auto-debited 16,993.37 microdollars at 07:12. Your current account balance is $211,436 and 9999830063 microdollars!"
At that moment, Nolan's mouth dropped open in shock, speechless...
His hands trembled.
He realized the truth, the entire world's pricing had changed, but his money hadn't!
He still had two hundred thousand dollars in microdollars!
Now, could he instantly buy two hundred thousand luxury villas, four million Ferraris, twenty billion Apple phones?
At this moment, only one thought crossed Nolan's mind—
My God!
Turns out, I'm wealthier than the richest person in the world!
Indeed, I'm about to become the richest among the rich!
Moreover, Nolan discovered that the mobile payment interface had also changed when he scanned to make a payment, no longer in dollars but in microdollars.
"Now, young man, why are you silent? Did you find out you can't mock me with a fake $10 bill and now you're afraid to speak?" the owner gloated, thinking he had exposed Nolan.
"Sir, you're right, thank you," Nolan replied to the owner, barely containing his elation with a chuckled.
Now that he knew the real value of $10, naturally, he wouldn't insist on proving his point about the $10 bill being real. If someone else caught wind of it, that would be trouble.
"Learn your lesson, I'm sharp!" the owner raised an eyebrow, no longer fussing over Nolan's initially perceived attempt to use counterfeit money.
After purchasing his breakfast, Nolan planned to head home. But just then, a strikingly beautiful woman stepped out of an Audi parked not far away.
Dressed in office attire, her captivating, watery eyes and pointed, peach-like face radiated charm.
Her curvaceous figure, highlighted by her uniform and the perfectly shaped legs wrapped in suit pants, raised the temperature around the previously quiet neighborhood entrance by several degrees.
Passersby's gazes lingered on her with intense, greedy interest.
And Nolan, too, was momentarily captivated by her presence.
As a gym instructor, he had seen many women with perfect figures, but someone as stunning as her was rare, enough to surprise him...
But what surprised him more was yet to come.
The woman approached Nolan directly and spoke softly, "Excuse me, sir, my name is Ashley Garcia. I'm sorry to bother you, but may I take two minutes of your time?"
Her demeanor was nervous, and she spoke with her head down, daring only to sneak a peek at Nolan after speaking, her gaze shy and restrained...
It seemed she was somewhat bashful...
- Writer
