Part 3The Day I Was Diagnosed With Cancer, Someone Sent Me $500 Million And Said To Spend It In Three Months For A Cure

Near the trash cans by Oakwood Apartments, I found a stray dog, its fur matted and filthy.

Something tugged at my heart.

I took off my coat, wrapped the little dog in it, and rushed it to the Brooklyn Veterinary Clinic. Thankfully, I brought it in just in time, and they managed to save its life.

As I was carrying the little dog back home, I noticed someone following me. Another mugger?

I spun around.

It was an older man, his hair streaked with gray, and he looked tired and worn out.

His eyes were locked on the little puppy in my arms, filled with a strange mix of pain, sorrow, and... relief?

Something about him felt off.

“Miss, can I have my grandson back?”

I clutched the puppy tighter. “And how do you plan to prove it?”

His throat made a strange, guttural noise, almost inhuman, sending a shiver down my spine.

Then, the puppy, which had been barely moving, perked up. It opened its eyes and started wriggling in his direction, its little paws reaching out.

The man took the dog and stroked its head gently.

“Thank you for saving him, miss. Let me offer you a reward for your trouble.”

I shook my head. “No need. I’m dying soon anyway, so money’s not much use to me.”

The man’s eyes shifted color—his once dark pupils turned a glowing green, scanning me up and down as if he could see straight through me. My skin crawled.

“Good deeds don't go unrewarded. You saved my grandson, and for that, my family is forever grateful.”

“If you can spend this money within three months, your illness will be cured.”

I blinked in confusion. “What?”

My phone buzzed, and when I looked at the screen, a new account had appeared, linked to a Chase Platinum Card.

I did a quick count. $5 billion.

I glanced back at the man and the dog, but they were already gone. My coat pocket felt heavier than before. I reached in and pulled out a sleek black credit card.

Was this some kind of joke?

Curious, I decided to test it. I emptied my Amazon cart, hitting checkout, expecting it to fail—but the transaction went through.

That man wasn’t lying!

I flagged down an Uber and headed straight for the city center.

If I was going to die, I might as well go out in style.

I arrived at the Galleria on Fifth Avenue, looking as pale as a ghost, with my clothes still covered in dirt from the dog. Even the little dog had gotten my coat all dirty.

The sales associate who approached me looked barely older than twenty, nervous and shy. Probably new on the job, otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent her to deal with me.

She seemed nice enough, though. She even offered me a cup of hot water when she noticed I didn’t have a jacket.

I pointed to two coats and asked her to ring them up.

“Don’t you want to try them on first, miss?” she asked hesitantly.

I shook my head. “No need. Just bill me.”

After the transaction, I pulled out my phone to check the balance. Sure enough, the card had worked, and a tiny progress bar had appeared on my phone screen.

It read: 99.98%.

I called out to another sales associate who had been watching me from the moment I stepped in, her nose high in the air. She barely hid her disdain as she sauntered over.

“Excuse me, could I—”

She cut me off with a sneer, rolling her eyes. “We don’t accept returns or exchanges on purchases here.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t asking for that.”

“You’re blocking my view.”

Turning to the first girl, who seemed much kinder, I waved her over.

“Miss, can you help me out?”

“Of course! What would you like?”

I pointed to several bags on display. “You see those three rows of bags? Grab the second one on the first row, the first one on the second row, and the fourth one on the third row.”

The girl hurried off to retrieve them. “Would you like them gift-wrapped?”

“No, thanks.”

The snooty sales associate looked like she was about to say something again, but before she could open her mouth, I continued.

“I’ll take everything else in those three rows. Pack them up, and put them all on her sale.” I pointed to the kind associate.