“You’re Nothing Without His Money.” – The Cruel Whisper That Exposed a Fiancée’s True Nature and Sparked Julian’s Awakening
Chapter 1: The Velvet Curtain
New York City glittered below like a fallen galaxy. From the height of the 90th floor, the car horns and the chaos of Manhattan were nothing more than silent specks of light.
I, Julian Vance, 34, CEO of Vance Technologies, adjusted my bow tie in front of the mirror. Tonight was my engagement party with Seraphina.
Seraphina. The name sounded like an angel, and she looked exactly like one. Her golden hair, her innocent blue eyes, and a smile that could melt even the Arctic ice. She was an art curator, uninterested in technology, uninterested in my billions of dollars. She loved me for who I was—Julian, a lonely man who loved jazz and collecting antique watches.
At least, that’s what I believed.
“Honey, are you ready?” Seraphina’s voice echoed from the living room. “The guests are all here. Carter just arrived too.”
Carter is my biggest business rival – the CEO of Apex Corp. But he’s also Seraphina’s old schoolmate. He’s here to “offer his blessings.” A fake, chivalrous gesture that the upper class often plays out with each other.
“I’ll be right out,” I replied, picking up my glass of Scotch.
I stepped out onto the balcony to breathe in some fresh air before having to put on my happy mask. The penthouse balcony stretched around the building.
As I rounded the corner, shielded by large potted plants, I heard whispering. The wind was whistling at this height, but not enough to drown out the sharp sounds of the conversation.
It was Carter’s voice. And Seraphina’s.
I froze. A chill ran down my spine, not from the wind.
“Are you sure he’s signed?” Carter asked, his voice no longer polite and formal, but filled with impatience.
“He’ll sign it tomorrow morning, before we fly to Paris,” Seraphina replied. Her voice… was strange. It was cold, calculating, completely different from her usual coquettish tone. “I convinced him that the prenuptial agreement was an insult to our love. He tore up the first draft.”
“Good,” Carter sneered. The Zippo lighter clicked. “But you have to be careful. Julian isn’t stupid. He’s a technological genius.”
“He’s a fool when it comes to love, Carter,” Seraphina laughed, her laughter sharp as a razor. “He trusts me completely. He thinks I’m his muse. Just a few tears from me, and he’ll give me the whole world.”
I stood frozen in the darkness. The glass of wine in my hand trembled.
“Don’t be so complacent, Seraphina,” Carter took a drag on his cigarette, then blew the smoke in my fiancée’s face. He leaned close to her ear and whispered a cruel remark, a remark that changed everything:
“You’re nothing without his money.”
Seraphina was silent for a second. I expected her to slap him. But she didn’t.
“I know,” she replied, her voice chillingly calm. “That’s why I need your help to swallow up Vance Technologies after I become Mrs. Vance. I don’t want his money. I want his position. I’m tired of being a display doll. I want power.”
“The deal is 50-50 after the merger,” Carter reminded me. “Don’t forget who put you in this position. I created a fake resume for you, Seraphina. You are my work of art.”
Chapter 2: The Awakening
I recoiled, as silently as a ghost. I went back into the dressing room and closed the door.
I looked in the mirror. The man in the mirror looked the same, but inside, something had shattered. And from those fragments, another person emerged.
The lovesick Julian was dead on the balcony. The man standing here was Julian Vance – the shark who had devoured dozens of startups to build his empire.
They thought I was a puppet? They thought I was blinded by love?
Yes, I was blind. But Carter’s bitter whisper – “You’re nothing without his money” – had become the most potent antidote.
He was right. Seraphina was nothing. She was a fake profile. A sophisticated industrial spy.
I looked at the clock. 8 p.m. The party was about to begin.
I pulled out my phone and called my Chief Cybersecurity Officer.
“Hello, Mark? Activate the Trojan Protocol. Immediately.”
“But boss, we haven’t finished testing yet…”
“Do it now. And send me the real file of ‘Seraphina Rostova’ that you suspected last month. I want it displayed on the main screen of the party in 30 minutes.”
I hung up, draining my glass of Scotch. The bitter taste, but it helped me stay awake.
I walked out into the ballroom.
Seraphina ran up to me, grabbing my arm. “My love! Everyone’s waiting for you. What’s wrong? Your hands are so cold.”
I looked down at her beautiful face looking up at me. Now, I only saw a silicone mask and deceit.
“I’m just a little nervous,” I smiled. A perfect smile. “Come on, my queen.”
I led her to Carter. He was standing raising a glass with a group of investors.
“Julian! Congratulations!” Carter patted me on the shoulder. “You’re the luckiest man tonight.”
“Thank you, Carter,” I shook his hand, squeezing it tighter.
“It’s necessary.” “And thank you for… introducing Seraphina to the art world. Without you, I wouldn’t have met her.”
Carter’s eyes flickered briefly, but he concealed it quickly. “It’s fate.”
Chapter 3: The Engagement Gift
The sound of glasses clinking echoed. The lights in the room dimmed. Spotlight shone on me and Seraphina.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I said into the microphone. “Tonight is a special night. I wish to present my fiancée with a surprise gift.”
Seraphina looked at me, her eyes gleaming with cleverly concealed greed. She thought it was the key to a yacht or a private island.
“Seraphina always says she doesn’t care about technology,” I continued. “But I know she’s a smart woman. So, my engagement gift is… Lifetime Root Access to Vance Technologies’ core data system.”
The room gasped. Investors exchanged astonished glances. Giving core access to his fiancée? That was insane.
Carter’s eyes lit up. He and Seraphina exchanged a fleeting glance. This was what they wanted. Even easier than waiting for an inheritance or a divorce.
I handed Seraphina a gold-plated USB drive.
“This contains the source code for Project A.I. 2.0 – the secret project my company is developing. I hope you’ll keep it safe.”
“Oh, Julian,” Seraphina kissed me, a Giuda kiss. “I’ll keep it with my life.”
As soon as the ceremony ended, I saw Seraphina secretly hand the USB drive to Carter. He quickly left the party, claiming he had an urgent meeting.
I stood on the balcony, watching Carter’s car speed away into the night.
“Goodbye, Apex Corp,” I whispered.
Chapter 4: The Predator’s Twist
The next morning.
I was sitting drinking coffee and reading the newspaper on my iPad when Seraphina came out, wearing a silk robe, her face beaming. She thought Carter had deciphered the USB last night and they were about to take control of the market.
“Good morning, fiancé,” she kissed my cheek.
“Good morning, Natalia,” I said, without looking up.
Seraphina froze. Her smile vanished. “What… what did you call me?”
“Natalia Volkov. That’s my real name. Born in Odessa, I was jailed for financial fraud in 2015. I was later bailed out by Carter and underwent plastic surgery to become Seraphina, an art curator.”
She recoiled, her face drained of color. “Julian… what kind of joke is this?”
“I’m not joking,” I put down the iPad and turned the screen toward her.
On the screen was a live CNBC news broadcast.
“BREAKING NEWS: APEX CORP HAS BEEN CYBERATED. ALL DATA ERASED. STOCK PRICES POUR 90% BEFORE OPENING.”
“W-what?” Seraphina stammered.
“The USB drive from yesterday,” I calmly explained. “It didn’t contain AI source code. It contained a custom-designed worm. The moment Carter plugged it into Apex’s server to copy data, the worm activated. It not only wiped his data, but also automatically sent evidence of his economic espionage and insider trading to the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).”
I stood up and walked over to her.
“Carter was arrested this morning at the airport. He’s confessing everything to get a reduced sentence. And guess who he’s confessing to?”
Seraphina trembled, collapsing to the floor. “Julian… I was forced… he threatened me…”
“Stop acting, Natalia,” I looked at her coldly. “I heard everything from the balcony. ‘You’re nothing without his money.’ Carter was right.”
I threw a stack of documents down in front of her.
“This isn’t a marriage certificate. This is an eviction order and a restraining order. You have 10 minutes to pack your things and get out of my house before the police arrive. I’ve given you a way out; use it to escape. Because if you stay here, you’ll be in jail with Carter.”
“Why?” She cried, this time real tears of fear. “Why are you letting me go?”
“Because you’re not worth my time in court,” I said, turning my back. “And because I want you to live the rest of your life in poverty, remembering today, remembering how close you were to ‘it all,’ only to lose it all because of greed.”
Chapter End: Nothingness
Natalia grabbed her clothes and fled the penthouse like a rat.
I stood by the window, looking down at the city.
My phone vibrated. A message from Mark, the Director of Security.
“Boss, she’s gone. Should we report her location to the FBI?”
I texted back: “No need. Let her go. The feeling of being hunted and penniless will be a more cruel punishment than prison.”
I stared into space. I had lost a fiancée, but I had saved my career and my self-respect.
Carter’s words still echoed in my head. She was nothing without his money.
That’s true. But more importantly, I realized something about myself: I was still everything, even without her.
I took a sip of coffee, savoring the bittersweet taste of freedom. The game was over.
I am the only one still standing.
