He Gave Her the Black Card, I Bankrupted Him

Bound by a ruthless love for money, I was deaf to anything else. In any gathering I attended, the conversation invariably revolved around finance, never sentiment. On my eighteenth birthday, my family arranged a business marriage for me with a man worth billions. This fianc, however, had a childhood confidante, a "best friend" by his side since forever.

At a party, she held a wine glass, seemingly casually, and flaunted to me, "Vivian, John has an unlimited black card. The secondary card is always in my wallet." A friend immediately yelped, "John, aren't you being a bit too bold? Aren't you afraid your official queen will get angry?"

John scoffed, his gaze sweeping over me with disdain. "Her? She's only after my money, isn't she? Who she spends it on makes no difference."

At his words, the entire room erupted in laughter. I slammed my wine glass down, stood up, and walked over to him, my eyes cold. "You're right. Who she spends it on makes no difference." I pulled the primary card directly from his pocket. "I'm going to buy an entire building right now and see if it's truly unlimited."

I clutched the thin black card and turned to leave. Behind me, a deathly silence fell, followed by John's exasperated roar. "Vivian Baranski, you stop right there!"

I didn't look back. My steps even quickened. The so-called friends in the grand hall, who had just been laughing, were now struck dumb. Especially Alice, I could see her pale face out of the corner of my eye. She probably expected me to cry, make a scene, or swallow my pride. Unfortunately, in my dictionary, there were never words like "injustice," especially when money was involved. No one could tell me otherwise.

I walked straight out of the brightly lit club. I pulled out my phone and called my father. "Dad, send our lawyer, Mr. King, to the Skyward Tower sales office."

My dad paused on the other end. "What trouble have you gotten into now?"

"No trouble," I said, my voice light. "Just buying a house."

I hung up, hailed a cab, and headed straight for the most expensive residential building in the city. "Skyward Tower," two hundred thousand per square meter, was designed for anything but ordinary living.

I walked into the opulent sales lobby, and a salesperson immediately approached me. "Miss, are you here to view a property?" Her scrutinizing glance flashed over me; she probably thought I was too young and not dressed like a wealthy woman. I didn't bother with pleasantries, cutting straight to the chase: "Which is your most expensive unit?"

The salesperson was taken aback but maintained her professional smile. "That would be the penthouse sky villa on the top floor, with 360-degree panoramic views and an infinity pool."

"What's the discount?" I interrupted her.

"We can offer you the maximum 5% discount, plus three parking spaces and a full smart home system."

I did some quick mental math. The total price for this unit would be around 120 million, and the discount would save me a few million. Not bad.

"Card." I slapped the black card on the table. "Charge it, full payment."

The entire sales lobby instantly fell silent. All the salespeople and customers looked over. The salesperson's eyes widened, and she stammered, "M-Miss, are you sure?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" I raised an eyebrow.

Just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance. John and Alice had arrived, chasing after me. His face was livid as he rushed over, trying to snatch the card from my hand. "Vivian, are you insane?!"

I deftly sidestepped, avoiding his grasp. "Don't be so hasty, Mr. Grenier," I said, waving the black card in front of him. "Didn't you say it makes no difference who spends it? I'm just helping you verify the truth of that statement, aren't I?"

"You!" He was too angry to speak.

Alice quickly stepped in, playing the peacemaker, tugging at his arm and speaking softly. "John, don't be angry. Vivian is just joking with you." She then turned to me, her eyes red-rimmed, looking on the verge of tears. "Vivian, please, I beg you. It's all my fault. I was thoughtless and made an inappropriate joke. John has already been scolded terribly by his parents because of this." As she spoke, she made to bow in apology to me. I leaned back, avoiding her. "Don't," I held up my hand. "I can't accept that. If you bow to me, I might think you're lighting incense for me ahead of time."

Alice's face was indescribably ugly.

I took out my phone and played an audio file. "Vivian, John has an unlimited black card. The secondary card is always in my wallet." Alice's clear, boastful voice echoed in the living room. This was followed by the surrounding people's surprised yelps and John's dismissive "She's only after my money, isn't she?" Finally, the laughter of the entire room. I turned off the recording and looked at the two of them. "A joke, that led to everyone in the room humiliating me?" I stood up and walked towards them. "I'm a straightforward person. You say I'm a gold-digger? Fine, I'll be a gold-digger for you to see."

John's pupils contracted sharply. He probably hadn't expected me to record it. Now, they couldn't even use the excuse of "just joking." His face turned utterly grim. "Vivian, don't push your luck. You know what the marriage alliance between our two families means. Behave yourself. It's better for everyone."

I smiled. "The alliance is for money, yes. And I'm currently very seriously pursuing money." I looked at him and chuckled. "Or, we could be straightforward and simply cancel the engagement. I have no objections at all."

John's expression froze. I, of course, knew he couldn't cancel. The Grenier family had a major project recently, and they were waiting for our Baranski family's investment to launch it. Canceling the engagement would immediately break their capital chain. He glared at me. Finally, he said nothing, dragged the still-stunned Alice, turned, and slammed the door shut as they left.

I looked at the closed door, the smile on my lips deepening. This was just the beginning. As someone who transmigrated into this book, destined to be the stepping stone for their love, the villainess, I had no intention of following the plot. You're the protagonists, aren't you? Then let me see what you have left without the plot armor and the author's bias.

Things unfolded exactly as I expected. The Grenier family remained silent, implicitly accepting the fact that I had bought the building. John was probably given a harsh dressing-down by his father. As for me, I began to prepare for my next move.

I had been in this book for some time now and knew the main plot inside and out. John Grenier and Alice White were the melodramatic protagonists of this story. He, domineering and deeply affectionate; she, kind and resilient. And I, I was the shallow and malicious fiance destined to hinder their emotional development. According to the original plot, I would, out of jealousy, spill red wine on Alice at the engagement party, then be publicly humiliated by John, eventually abandoned by my family, and meet a miserable end. Alice, on the other hand, would not only use John's money to save her family's already bankrupt company but also leverage the charity foundation John established to earn herself a reputation as "beautiful and kind."

Ha, a charity foundation? That was nothing more than a tool they used to transfer assets, avoid taxes, and even launder money.

I hired the most reputable private investigator in the industry. But I didn't ask him to investigate John and Alice. Instead, I had him look into Alice's father's company and that so-called "Grenier-White Charity Foundation." At the same time, I instructed him to anonymously "feed" all the information I found to a few sharp financial reporters.

Having done all this, I calmly awaited the engagement party between our two families. That would be the stage to ignite everything.

The engagement party was grand, a gathering of business elites. I wore a custom-made gown. John stood opposite me, his expression stiff, but he still managed a forced smile. Alice was also there. Today, she wore a white gown with light makeup, looking every bit the cunning ingnue. She sat at the main table as "John's best friend," her position even more prominent than some of the Grenier family's relatives. She saw me and offered a "friendly" smile. I returned an even brighter one.

The banquet proceeded as planned. During the media Q&A session, everything was still under control. Until a reporter wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood up. He was one of my people. "Mr. Grenier, hello. As is widely known, you are passionately involved in philanthropy at a young age, having established the Grenier-White Charity Foundation. Could you share your insights with us?" The question was positive and safe. John was clearly pleased. He took the microphone and began to speak eloquently. He talked about the foundation's philosophy and his understanding of social responsibility. On the giant LED screen behind him, a promotional video for the foundation was playing.

Just then, the screen suddenly "fizzed" and flickered. The promotional video disappeared. In its place were several clear screenshots of bank transfer records. Large sums of money, transaction after transaction, were transferred from the "Grenier-White Charity Foundation's" account into a company account named "White Industries." The total amount was in the hundreds of millions.

The entire hall instantly erupted in an uproar. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the screen, then collectively turned to the main table. White Industries, wasn't that Alice's family company? Using charity foundation money to fill your own company's holes? This wasn't just simple embezzlement; this was fraud! John's speech abruptly stopped. He turned back stiffly, staring at the transfer records on the screen. And beside him, Alice's "kind and innocent" face was now completely distorted.

I raised my champagne flute and took a delicate sip. The show had only just begun.