The holographic display pulsed a deep, warning crimson. The number solidified, vibrating with the sheer weight of its value:
[100,000,000,000.]
A heavy silence fell over the third floor of the Gilded Star, broken only by the sharp, hysterical bark of Carlton's laughter.
"Hahahaha!! One hundred billion!! Bro, that is beyond my annual income!! How the hell can a nobody like you afford such a thing?" Carlton asked with a smirk. He looked around at the onlookers, feeding off their shocked expressions, before pointing his finger at his feet.
"I will forgive you if you get here and kneel at my feet, and admit defeat! At least, I won't kill you or torture you," he said, his voice dripping with the casual cruelty of a man who believed he had already won.
