Mr. Vance's Secret Fortune

Arthur Pendelton looked at Caspian through the falling rain. He adjusted his grip on his gold-headed cane and opened the leather folder a bit wider, shielding the crisp white pages from the wet air.

"Your grandfather was a very wise man, Young Master," Arthur said, his voice calm and steady against the sound of the storm. "He knew that sudden wealth could ruin a young man's character. He also knew that the world is full of greedy people who would pretend to love you just for your bank account. That is why he created the Vance Testing Clause."

Caspian wiped a mix of rain and sweat from his forehead. His heart was still beating wildly. "Just tell me what I have to do. I have already lost everything today. I am not afraid of a challenge."

Arthur nodded, pleased with the spark of determination in the young man's eyes. "The condition has two main parts. First, you must enter into an arranged marriage with a specific young woman chosen by your grandfather. Her name is Sylvia Sterling, the sole heiress to the Sterling Luxury Fashion House."

Caspian frowned. "An arranged marriage? In this day and age? Why her?"

"The Sterling family was once very close to your grandfather, but their business is currently facing massive financial trouble," Arthur explained.

"They are on the verge of bankruptcy. By marrying her, the Vance estate will inject enough capital to save her family's legacy. It honors an old promise."

"And what is the second part of the condition?" Caspian asked, sensing there was more.

"The second part is the hardest," Arthur said, looking Caspian dead in the eye. "You must keep your true identity and your multi-billion-dollar net worth an absolute secret from the public, from the Sterling family, and especially from your new wife, for exactly six months. To the world, you must appear as a normal, low-income man who simply got lucky by marrying into a rich family."

Caspian let out a dry, bitter laugh. "So, you want me to act like a penniless loser who lives off his wealthy wife? I just got dumped by my girlfriend for being poor, and now I have to pretend to be a broke freeloading husband?"

"Exactly," Arthur replied without a hint of humor. "For the next six months, the world will look down on you. Your in-laws will treat you like garbage. Society will call you a leech. But if you can survive those six months without breaking the contract, the entire eighty-billion-dollar empire will be unlocked, and you will be crowned the absolute ruler of the Vance Global Estate."

Caspian turned his head, looking back at the towering glass office of Vanguard Architecture in the distance. He thought about his boss's fake smile. He thought about Preston stealing his hard work and laughing in his face. He thought about Gemma, who was probably at a VIP party right now, sipping expensive champagne and mocking his empty pockets.

If he refused this contract, he would return to his tiny, cold apartment. He would be evicted in two days. He would have to beg for a low-paying job just to buy noodles. He would always be the underdog, the guy everyone stepped on.

But if he accepted this contract, he would have to endure six months of humiliation. Six months of people laughing at him. The difference was, this time, he would know the truth. He would know that he held the power to destroy them all with a single breath. It would be a game, and he would be the one holding all the cards.

A slow, dark smile crept onto Caspian's face. The helplessness he had felt on the sidewalk vanished, replaced by a cold, burning hunger for power.

"Where do I sign?" Caspian asked, his voice completely dropping its hesitant tone.

Arthur smiled a small, satisfied smile. He pulled a heavy, silver fountain pen from his breast pocket and handed it to Caspian. Caspian didn't hesitate. He placed the leather folder against the side of the luxury limousine and firmly wrote his signature at the bottom of the legal document.

"Excellent," Arthur said, taking the pen and the papers back. He immediately handed Caspian a sleek, matte-black titanium card with no numbers or names printed on it. "This is your private allowance card for the next six months. Because of the secrecy rule, you cannot buy mansions or private jets yet. However, this card has a hidden monthly limit of five million dollars. It will bypass standard banking alerts so nobody can track your true wealth."

Caspian took the heavy black card, feeling its cool weight in his palm. Five million dollars a month was considered "poverty" compared to his actual inheritance, but to him, it was an unimaginable amount of money.

"A luxury apartment has already been purchased for you and Miss Sterling," Arthur continued, gesturing toward the open door of the main limousine. "Your clothes and basic belongings have been transferred there. Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, a car will pick you up to meet your new fiancée at the Grand Regency Restaurant. For now, let us get you out of the rain, Young Master."

Caspian stepped into the back of the limousine. The door shut with a heavy, solid thud, completely cutting off the sound of the pouring rain and the howling wind. The interior of the car was pure luxury. The seats were made of soft, heated leather that immediately warmed his freezing body. A small crystal glass of warm water was already waiting for him in the cup holder.

As the line of six black cars moved smoothly into the city traffic, Caspian looked out the tinted window. The city looked different now. The bright neon signs and the massive skyscrapers didn't feel intimidating anymore. They felt like things he would soon own.

Enjoy your time at the top, Preston, Caspian thought, his eyes flashing with a cold light. Enjoy my design. Enjoy Gemma. Because in six months, I am going to tear your entire world down, piece by piece.

The next morning, the storm had passed, leaving the city air crisp and clear. Caspian stood in front of the bathroom mirror in his new apartment. The place was large and modern, located in a decent part of town, but it wasn't a mega-mansion, fitting his temporary status as an average guy.

He dressed in a clean but simple white button-down shirt and standard dark trousers. He deliberately avoided wearing anything that looked too expensive. To anyone passing by, he looked like a regular office worker on his way to an interview.

At exactly nine-forty, a modest silver sedan pulled up to the building. It wasn't the fleet of armored limousines from the night before, which would have ruined his cover. It was a simple, unmarked corporate car. The driver, a quiet man in a plain suit, opened the door for him without a word.

Ten minutes later, Caspian walked into the Grand Regency Restaurant. It was a five-star establishment where the city's elite gathered for business lunches. The floors were polished marble, and massive crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings. Classical piano music played softly in the background.

The hostess looked at Caspian's simple clothes with a slight air of disapproval, but when he gave his name, her expression instantly changed to surprise. "Ah, yes. Mr. Vance. Right this way, please. The Sterling family is waiting for you in the private dining room."

Caspian followed her through the main dining area, feeling the curious stares of the wealthy patrons. He didn't care. He kept his shoulders back and his chin up.

The hostess opened a large, frosted-glass door at the back of the restaurant. Inside, sitting at a round table covered in a white linen tablecloth, were three people.

An older man with thinning hair and a stressed expression sat on the left-this was Richard Sterling, the head of the family. Next to him was his wife, a sharp-featured woman covered in heavy gold jewelry, looking around the room with an arrogant pout.

But Caspian's eyes immediately locked onto the third person.

Sylvia Sterling was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman Caspian had ever seen. She had long, silky dark hair that fell perfectly past her shoulders, pale skin, and striking, icy-blue eyes that looked like sharp glass. She wore a tailored emerald-green dress that showed off her elegant posture. However, her face was completely frozen in a cold, angry expression. She looked like a queen who had been forced to sit with commoners.

As Caspian walked into the room, Richard Sterling immediately stood up, trying to force a polite smile. "Ah, you must be Caspian. Come in, come in. Please, have a seat."

Caspian walked over and took the empty chair directly across from Sylvia. The moment he sat down, Sylvia's mother, Eleanor, openly scoffed, looking at Caspian's cheap watch and plain shoes.

"So, this is the grand heir old Lord Vance insisted upon?" Eleanor whispered loudly to her husband, not care if Caspian heard her. "He looks like a delivery boy. Richard, are you sure this is the only way to save our company? Putting our beautiful daughter with a nobody?"

"Eleanor, watch your mouth!" Richard hissed, sweating slightly as he glanced toward the door, checking if Arthur Pendelton was nearby. "A deal is a deal. The Vance estate will wire the funding the moment the marriage certificate is signed."

Sylvia didn't say a word. She just stared at Caspian, her blue eyes drilling into him with pure coldness. She tapped her manicured fingernails against her water glass, the sound sharp and rhythmic in the tense room.

"Let's not waste time with small talk," Sylvia said suddenly. Her voice was smooth, clear, and as cold as ice. She reached into her designer handbag, pulled out a document, and slid it across the table, stopping it right in front of Caspian's plate.

Caspian looked down. Written in bold letters at the top was: MARRIAGE CONTRACT AND COHABITATION AGREEMENT.

"I don't know what kind of luck you used to get Lord Vance to pick you for this," Sylvia said, leaning back and crossing her arms. "But let's be entirely clear, Caspian. This marriage is nothing but a business transaction to save my family's firm. You and I are from two entirely different worlds."

Caspian picked up the document, flipping through the pages calmly. "I'm listening."

"The rules are simple," Sylvia stated firmly. "We will live in the same apartment to satisfy the legal requirements, but we will sleep in separate bedrooms. You will not touch me. You will not interfere in my personal life or my business. And most importantly, you will tell everyone that you are just an average office clerk. I will not have my friends knowing I married a man with no status."

Caspian looked up from the paper, his expression completely unreadable. He could see the hidden pain and stress behind her cold eyes-she was a proud woman who felt like she was being sold to save her family. He didn't blame her for being angry, but he also wasn't going to let anyone look down on him ever again.

"One year," Sylvia added, her voice sharp. "We stay married for one year to secure the funding. After that, we get a quiet divorce, you take a small cash settlement for your time, and we go our separate ways. Do we have an understanding, or do you want to walk back out to whatever hole you crawled out of?"

Caspian didn't get angry. He simply reached into his pocket, pulled out a plain black pen, and signed his name on her contract, sliding it back to her.

"One year," Caspian said softly, looking directly into her icy blue eyes. "I can handle that."