Chapter 1

In the swanky Brown family villa in Silverlight City, the Christmas tree was decked out to the nines.

"Mrs. Brown, Merry Christmas! I got you this cross blessed by the Catholic Church, worth a cool three hundred grand. May God bless you with good health."

"Mrs. Brown, Merry Christmas! Here's a bottle of Lafite wine I picked out for you."

Mia Wilson, Ryder Brown's wife and the matriarch of the Brown family, couldn't stop grinning at the pile of gifts in front of her.

Then, her grandson-in-law, James Smith, piped up, "Mrs. Brown, I heard you set up a foundation. Could you give me a special grant? The orphanage I grew up in got demolished, and the director had a stroke from the stress and is now in the hospital. I really need funds to relocate the kids and cover the director's medical bills!"

The festive mood in the room came to a screeching halt, and everyone turned to stare at James. His behavior was outrageous! Not only did he show up without a gift for Mia, but he also had the nerve to ask her for money to help someone else! On Christmas, of all days!

James had been brought into the family by Ryder two years ago before Ryder passed away. Despite everyone's objections, Ryder insisted that his eldest granddaughter, Sophia Brown, marry James. Back then, James was dirt poor, worse off than a beggar. But Ryder's word was law, so the two got hitched.

Less than a year after their wedding, Ryder passed away. Since then, the Brown family had been plotting to get rid of James.

But James was a gentle soul, and no matter how much they provoked or humiliated him, he stayed calm.

Today, though, he had no choice but to ask for help. The orphanage director, Haven, who had once saved his life, had a stroke, and the orphanage was demolished. Relocating the orphans would cost a fortune, and the medical bills were sky-high. James didn't have that kind of money.

So he turned to Mia's foundation, hoping that the Christmas spirit might make her more generous. But Mia's smile vanished, and her face darkened. She stood up abruptly and slammed her cane on the ground, "You shameless bastard, how dare you bring this up today!"

James's wife, Sophia, quickly stepped forward, "Grandma, James is just desperate. Please don't be mad at him!" She tried to pull James away.

Sophia's cousin, Ava Brown, sneered, "Sophia, look at your husband! John gave Grandma a cross worth three hundred thousand dollars, and James came empty-handed and still has the nerve to ask for a favor!"

"Yeah, James. We're all sons-in-law of the Brown family, and you're supposed to set an example. Even if you don't, you shouldn't be so disgraceful!" John Williams, Ava's fiancé and the son of the Williams family, chimed in. Though he was set to marry Ava the next year, he still had a soft spot for Sophia's pretty face. After all, Sophia was the beauty of the Brown family, much more stunning than Ava.

Sophia was considered the number one beauty in Emerald City, but now she was stuck with James, a guy who couldn't even hold his own, which made John pretty bitter.

"I'd have the grace to go now if I were this fool, James."

"How did he end up with the Brown family? He is such a disgrace!"

"I think he's just trying to ruin everyone's good mood and spoil our Christmas!"

Hearing the Brown family members tear into him, James clenched his fists. If it weren't for his benefactor, he wouldn't have asked for help, nor would he have stayed here!

He looked at Mia with a hint of desperation. "Mrs. Brown, you're a believer and donate money every year. Please, consider this an act of kindness."

Someone scoffed. "James, stop with the excuses! Your benefactor has nothing to do with Mrs. Brown. Instead of raising money yourself, you come here and try to guilt-trip her?"

It was Ava's brother, Mason Brown, who spoke. He and Ava had always had issues with Sophia, but since Sophia was practically perfect, they targeted James instead.

Sophia awkwardly chimed in, "Grandma, James lost his father when he was ten. If it weren't for Haven, he might not be alive today. He's just trying to repay a debt of gratitude. Why not help him this time?"

Mia's face darkened. "I didn't say I wouldn't help him. But if he wants my help, you must divorce James and marry Mr. Anderson! Do that, and I'll call the foundation right now and allocate five hundred thousand dollars!"

Mr. Anderson, Andrew Anderson, had been after Sophia since college. The Anderson family was one of the top families in Emerald City, way above the Browns. Mia had always wanted to connect with them, and now she saw her chance.

Just then, the butler rushed in, panting, and announced, "Mr. Anderson sent a rare red coral worth two million dollars to Mrs. Brown."

Mia's eyes lit up. "Bring it over, let me see!"

The butler brought in a beautifully preserved coral. It was a vibrant red, symbolizing good luck.

Seeing such an expensive gift, John, who had given the cross, felt a bit embarrassed. He hadn't expected Andrew, who had no ties to the Brown family, to send such a valuable Christmas gift.

Mia, delighted, circled the coral several times, beaming with joy. "Mr. Anderson's gift is truly wonderful. I only regret not having the luck to make him my grandson-in-law!"

She turned to James and continued, "How about accepting my condition? After all, if you miss this opportunity, there won't be another like it!"

Before James could respond, Sophia firmly said, "Grandma, I won't agree to divorce James and marry Andrew!"

Mia's face twisted with anger. "I'm trying to make your life better, and you're being so stubborn."

She suddenly shouted, "Security! Are you all just standing around? Get this eyesore out of here!"

James, deeply disappointed with the Brown family, no longer had any desire to stay. He turned to Sophia and said, "Sophia, I'll go to the hospital to check on Haven."

Sophia quickly replied, "I'll go with you. Two heads are better than one!"

But before she could leave, Mia angrily shouted, "Sophia, if you dare leave the Brown family today, I'll disown you as my granddaughter! If you love this worthless man so much, then take your parents and leave the Brown family with him!"

Sophia stopped on her way out, biting her lip. She didn't expect her grandma to be so harsh.

James saw her hesitation and quickly said, "I can go by myself. It's Christmas, you should stay home."

Without giving Sophia a chance to respond, he strode towards the door.

As he was about to leave the mansion, he heard Mason's mocking voice behind him. "James, it's Christmas, and all the stores are closed. If you leave the Brown family, you probably won't even have a place to eat. I have a piece of bread here. As befits a tramp."

With that, Mason pulled out a crumpled piece of bread and threw it at James's feet, and the room erupted in laughter.

James didn't look back; he just gritted his teeth and walked out of the mansion, heading straight to the hospital.

Since he couldn't get the grant, he could only ask the hospital for more time.

But when he inquired with the nurse, he was told that Haven had been transferred to a more advanced hospital overnight.

James paused for a moment and asked, "Is it because her condition worsened? How much does it cost? Can I get a few more days?"

The nurse shook her head and said, "Here's the bill from the other hospital. You've already paid a deposit of three hundred thousand dollars, but you still need about a million dollars, which must be paid before the surgery."

Hearing this, James frowned slightly. "Where did the three hundred thousand dollar deposit come from?"

The nurse shook her head, looking puzzled.

James was also very puzzled. Just as he took out his phone to call Sophia, he saw a man in his early fifties, dressed in a black suit, standing behind him.

The next second, the man respectfully bowed ninety degrees and said, "Mr. Smith, how have you been all these years?"

Seeing him, James instantly put on a cold face and asked, "Eric Allen?"

The man was somewhat surprised, "My honor to have you remember my name, Mr. Smith!"

Hearing this, James's face turned ugly. He would never forget that name.

He spoke up, "Of course, I remember! I also remember that fifteen years ago, it was you, Eric, who forced my parents to leave Phoenix City with me. My parents died on the way, and I was taken in as an orphan!"

He gritted his teeth in anger and continued, "Are you here to kill me now because I'm still alive?"

Hearing this, Eric looked dejected, his eyes filled with pain. "Mr. Smith, when your father passed away, your grandfather, York Smith, fell ill. Now that he's finally awake, he's been searching for you. I've finally found you. Please come back with me to see Mr. York Smith!"

Hearing this, James sneered, "I will never see my enemy!"

Eric explained, "Mr. Smith, you don't see it all. Don't blame Mr. York Smith."

James's expression became even more disdainful. "I don't blame him; I just hate him!"

Seeing James's hateful expression, Eric shook his head helplessly. "Yes, just as what Mr. York Smith expected."

James coldly replied, "May his guilt eat him!"

Eric didn't continue the topic but solemnly took out a card with a golden dragon printed on it from his pocket. "This Black Card has no password. Please."

As he spoke, he respectfully presented the card to James. It was a card of only three in the country.

But James didn't even look at it as he coldly said, "I don't need anything from him!"

Facing James's refusal, Eric didn't insist but changed the topic. "Mr. Smith, I heard that it was Haven who took you in when you became an orphan. Now she needs a million dollars for surgery. If she doesn't get the surgery, she might not make it, and the children in the orphanage need to be relocated. Those children have no parents, and without the orphanage, they have nowhere to go."

Hearing this, James raised an eyebrow. He felt a bit strange that Haven was transferred to another hospital for no reason. Turned out to be their arrangement!

Thinking of this, he asked, "You arranged this to force me to go back?"

Eric quickly bowed his head, looking respectful. "We wouldn't dare scheme against you, Mr. Smith! We're just here to solve your problems."

Thinking of Haven's weathered face, James hesitated. "What's the limit on this card?"

Hearing this, Eric knew James was relenting and immediately said, "Mr. York Smith said this card has a monthly limit of ten billion dollars!"

A card with a monthly limit of ten billion dollars?

James was completely stunned. Although he knew that York was very wealthy since he was a child, he had no concept of money at that time. He only knew that the Smith family was one of the top families in Phoenix City and even in the country.

But he had no idea of the exact amount of their assets.

Now looking at the Black Card with a monthly limit of ten billion dollars, he understood. The Smith family's assets must be at least a hundred times this amount, conservatively estimated to exceed a trillion dollars!

Seeing James fall into silence, Eric thought he was still hesitating and quickly explained, "Mr. Smith, you are a member of the Smith family. This money originally belonged to your father and is now transferred to you as his heir! Mr. York Smith said if you are willing to return to the Smith family, you will inherit all the Smith family businesses. If not, this money will be your living expenses!"

With that, Eric added, "By the way, before I came, Mr. York Smith had already spent eight hundred billion dollars to fully acquire the top company in Emerald City, Apex Global Enterprises. The company is now under your name, and you can go to Apex Global Enterprises for the handover anytime!"

Hearing this, James was stunned again.

The Smith family truly knew how to spend extravagantly. A Black Card with a monthly limit of ten billion dollars and the top company in Emerald City, Apex Global Enterprises!