Vanessa smirked, casting the woman a belittling glance. "See? Money wins."

She turned to Sylvester. "Go ahead and pay, baby."

Sylvester pulled out his sleek bank card with pride and handed it to the seller.

The seller swiped the card, and it didn’t go through. The seller looked up at Sylvester, and his confidence faltered. "Try again," he insisted. This time, his voice was slightly strained.

The seller swiped the card again. Nothing. She glanced up at Sylvester and asked. "Are you sure you have funds in this account?"

"Of course I do," he replied quickly. "I have up to five million dollars. Enough to cover this purchase."

The seller...