Chapter 3

Every eye in the lobby instantly snapped onto me. The crowd of fanatical middle-aged and elderly marks stared at me as if I were some kind of degenerate alien.

"Kids these days are so ungrateful."

"Her parents literally paved a golden path for her, and she's still clutching her wallet over a measly deposit."

...

Evelyn seized the opportunity to fan the flames. "Sandra, that settlement money is just sitting in the bank collecting dust anyway. If you use it for the equity subscription, you'll make it all back in a single month. How can you be so blind to math?"

Simone joined in, whining loudly, "Hurry up and pay the money! I'm still waiting to ride in my brand-new Porsche!"

The sight of their greedy, twisted faces made my stomach churn.

The life insurance and compensation payout from my mother's fatal car accident totaled 600,000 dollars.

For years, Rick had tried every underhanded trick in the book to swindle it away from me, but I had guarded that bankbook fiercely, never touching a cent. It was my safety net.

"I'll say it one more time. This is a scam," I declared, raising my voice so it carried across the entire lobby.

Turning to the so-called assistant, I pressed, "Your seals are carved out of cheap plastic, and your AI screenshots are poorly photoshopped. If you're truly the world's number one financial conglomerate, do you dare to show us your business license?"

Tony's jaw tightened. His eyes darted away nervously. "W-What does a girl like you know? We are a multinational corporation protected by international law!"

"Exactly!" Rick shouted furiously, pointing a shaking finger at my nose. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about! The AI system already calculated the trajectory: the return rate on this investment is 10,000%!"

He quickly turned back to Tony with a sycophantic smile. "Please don't mind her, sir. My daughter is just ignorant. The money is in her account right now, and I'll make sure she transfers it this instant."

Before I could react, he whipped my phone out of his pocket, grabbed me by the wrist, and aggressively forced the screen in front of my face, trying to bypass the lock with facial recognition.

"Let go of me!" I struggled desperately. "This is literal robbery!"

Evelyn stepped forward, using her weight to pin my shoulders down. "Sandra, stop making a scene! There are so many eyes on us. You might not care about your reputation, but your dad still has his pride."

Simone threw himself into the fray, viciously prying at my fingers to keep me from blocking the camera. In broad daylight, under the watchful gaze of dozens of onlookers, my own family restrained me like a pack of back-alley criminals.

The phone successfully unlocked. Rick let out a gasp of manic joy as he instantly tapped into the banking app.

"The password! What's the payment password?" he demanded, his fingers wrapping tightly around my neck. "Tell me now, or I'll teach you a proper lesson."

Right then, the lobby doors were pushed open. A large, boisterous group of our extended relatives rushed into the room.

"We heard the news! Is it true that Sandra was appointed as a corporate president?"

"My goodness, this is a monumental honor for the entire Gould lineage!"

...

My aunt, Susan Gould, squeezed her way to the front of the crowd, aggressively snatching my hand. "Sweetheart, I've always doted on you. Now that you've made it big, you can't forget about us.

"Your cousin is getting married next month, and we're still short $300,000 for the wedding expenses. You'll help cover it, right?"

My uncle, Reed Gould, stepped forward as well. "And don't forget about your other cousin's mortgage..."

Facing the suffocating pack of bloodsuckers, I let out a sharp, frigid laugh. "Help with the money? Sure, why not? My dad is about to pay a $500,000 equity subscription.

"The moment he pays it, the global dividends start rolling in. You all want a piece of the pie, right? So, why don't you chip in $100,000 each to help him cover the cost? Once the dividends clear, he can pay you back ten times over."

The entire flock of relatives went dead silent.

Susan let out a strained cough, slowly loosening her grip on my hand. "Well... you see, we don't really have that kind of liquidity lying around."

Reed quickly stepped back. "Yes, Rick... since Sandra is the one with the massive payout from her mother, it's only right she uses her own money."

Rick's face twisted with rage. "A bunch of worthless cheapskates! When you need to borrow money, you're the first to crawl out of the woodwork, but the moment a real investment opportunity drops, you all play dead!"

He whipped his head back toward me, his glare dripping with pure malice. "Last chance! What is the password?"

"I'm not telling you," I gritted out, staring him dead in the eyes.

"Fine!" Rick roared, throwing himself out of the chair and turning toward the stage. "Sir, this brat is insubordinate. I am officially requesting a replacement! I want to transfer the South American Presidency to my son!"

The entire lobby erupted into loud murmurs of shock.

Evelyn almost jumped in the air with unbridled ecstasy. "Rick, are you serious? Simone can be the president?"

Tony's shifty eyes scanned the room, instantly sensing a golden opportunity to milk them for more.

"Of course!" he said smoothly. "As long as the equity subscription is paid in full, the headquarters doesn't care whose name is on the executive credentials."

Turning back to me, Rich commanded, "Go back to the house right now and bring me that bankbook! If you don't hand it over today, I will disown you right here!"