My Domination Begins With A Divorce

The Verification

"One hundred billion dollars."

Ethan whispered the words to himself as he stared at the cracked screen of his phone. The notification sat there in plain text and defied every logical thought in his mind. He had lived with an empty bank account for three years. He knew the crushing weight of poverty better than anyone in the city.

"Look at him," Evelyn sneered from her seat at the head table. "The reality of his pathetic life finally broke his brain. Security, get him out of my sight."

Ethan did not wait for the guards to reach him. He scrambled to his feet and ignored the sharp pain radiating from his crushed fingers. He turned his back on the laughing elites and ran toward the ballroom exit.

"Run back to the slums!" Aiden shouted over the music. "Do not forget to pick out a cheap coffin for your sister!"

The cruel words bounced off Ethan as he pushed through the heavy wooden doors. He stumbled out of the luxury hotel and into the cold night air. His heart hammered against his ribs. He needed to know if the money was real before he dared to hope again.

A dingy convenience store sat across the street with a flickering neon sign in the window. Ethan sprinted across the asphalt and pushed the glass door open. The clerk behind the counter looked up from a magazine and frowned at Ethan and his bloodstained suit.

Ethan walked straight to the cooler and grabbed a plastic bottle of water. He marched to the register and placed the bottle on the counter. His hands shook as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his old banking card. The plastic edges were peeling and the magnetic strip was worn down to a dull gray.

"Ring it up," Ethan commanded.

The clerk rolled his eyes and scanned the barcode. "Two dollars. Card reader is on your left."

Ethan slid the peeling plastic through the terminal. He held his breath and waited for the inevitable red text declaring insufficient funds.

The machine beeped once. The screen flashed green and a small paper receipt began to print.

Ethan snatched the receipt. He bypassed the purchase price and looked directly at the account balance printed at the bottom of the slip. The string of zeros stretched across the paper and confirmed the impossible truth. The money was real. He had zero dollars ten minutes ago and now he possessed wealth beyond human comprehension.

The shock lasted only a second before a singular thought shattered his paralysis.

Ada.

Ethan dropped the water bottle on the counter and sprinted out of the store. He ran down the pavement and ignored the burning ache in his chest. The city hospital was only four blocks away and he did not have time to wait for a taxi.

He reached the hospital entrance ten minutes later. He shoved the glass doors open and marched into the bright reception area. The sterile smell of the lobby hit him like a physical blow.

Two women sat behind the main billing counter. Brenda typed on her keyboard while Chloe painted her fingernails a bright shade of red. They both looked up as Ethan approached the desk.

"Sir, you need to step back," Brenda said. She held up a hand and eyed the dirt and dried blood on his clothes. "We do not give free handouts to street fighters. The charity clinic is three miles down the road."

"I am not here for me," Ethan said. He leaned over the counter and tried to catch his breath. "My name is Ethan Sterling. I am here to pay the balance for Ada Sterling. Call the operating room and tell them to prepare for her surgery."

Chloe stopped painting her nails and let out a loud snort. She leaned over and looked Ethan up and down with clear disgust.

"You think we are stupid?" Chloe asked. "You look like you just got hit by a garbage truck. You just want us to admit you for those bruised ribs and write it off as charity."

"Look at the computer," Ethan demanded. His voice grew cold and steady. "Pull up her file and process the payment."

Brenda sighed and clicked her mouse a few times. She stared at the screen and then shook her head.

"Ada Sterling owes one million dollars in backdated medical debt," Brenda said. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Aiden Taylor called our administration an hour ago. He said he is no longer funding her care. You do not even have shoes that match your suit. You cannot pay this bill."

"I have the money right now," Ethan said.

"Stop lying," Chloe laughed. She picked up her nail polish again. "You are wasting our time. Security will be here in two minutes to drag you out. Just accept that your sister is out of options."

"What is going on out here?"

A man in a wrinkled white coat walked out from the hallway. Doctor Aris rubbed his tired eyes and held a metal clipboard against his chest. He was the attending physician in charge of Ada and the only person in the building who had ever shown her genuine kindness.

Doctor Aris stopped and looked at Ethan with deep sorrow. "Ethan, what happened to you? You are bleeding."

"I am fine, Doctor Aris," Ethan said. He stepped away from the counter and faced the physician. "Is Ada still in her room? I have the money for her surgery. We can do it tonight."

Doctor Aris let out a heavy sigh and looked down at his shoes.

"The administration locked the operating theater ten minutes ago," the doctor said softly. "They gave her surgical slot to a paying patient. I argued with the board but I have no authority over the finances. I tried to buy you more time."

"Tell them to unlock it," Ethan replied.

"I am sorry, Ethan," Doctor Aris said. His voice carried genuine pity. "If you can actually pay the bill, you need to do it right now. But we both know Aiden Taylor cut off your funding. I cannot save her without the administration approving the funds."

Chloe burst into another fit of laughter from behind the desk.

"He is delusional, Doctor," Chloe sneered. She pointed her wet fingernails at Ethan. "If this beggar has a million dollars on him, I will write my resignation letter tonight and walk out those doors barefoot."

"I accept those terms," Ethan said.

He walked back to the counter and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the battered bank card and tossed it onto the desk. The plastic clattered against the wood right next to Chloe.

"Run the card for one million dollars," Ethan ordered.

Chloe snickered and picked the card up with two fingers. She held it away from her body as if it carried a disease.

"I cannot wait to watch the cops arrest you for fraud," Chloe muttered.

She turned to her terminal and typed the massive number into the billing software. She swiped the peeling plastic through the card reader and slammed her finger down on the enter key.

Doctor Aris watched with a sad expression. Brenda shook her head and prepared to call the guards. Chloe smirked and waited for the machine to produce the loud rejection tone.

The terminal paused. The machine clicked.

A bright green box illuminated the screen and the receipt printer hummed to life.

Approved.