“You have to let me try again. I’m sure there was an error somewhere,” Matthias said confidently.
The officer replied, “You’ve tried to fool everyone enough. You are coming with me me, now!”
As the policeman attempted to pull him out of the office, Matthias shrugged off the grasp forcefully and ran towards the machine, realizing they wouldn’t willingly give him another chance.
He arrived at the machine and started typing in the PIN 1012 quickly…
The officer, enraged by Matthias’ stubborness, ran back towards the machine to grab him.
However, he froze in his tracks as the machine beeped and the screen turned green.
“Beep!”
“Access Granted!”
“User May Now Verify Fingerprint!” The machine announced.
Everyone was stunned to see that Matthias had entered the correct PIN.
There was a moment of silence as Matthias, panting from his quick dash to the machine, turned to face them.
Seeing the shock on their faces he knew they believed him now, so he turned back to the machine and prepared to input his fingerprint.
He had manually changed the fingerprint in the Grand Prime Bank’s app on his father’s computer, guided by his grandmother.
He also changed the account holder’s name to his, which would automatically reflect in the bank’s database.
Confident, he was about to place his thumb on the screen when the manager rushed forward and grabbed his hand, stopping him from verifying his fingerprint.
Matthias was shocked. “Why are you holding my hand?” he demanded.
The manager, still holding his hand, replied, “Knowing the PIN doesn’t prove anything. You could have stolen it. You’re a scammer after all.”
Turning to the police, he continued, “If this young man was smart enough to steal a card from one of our highly-esteemed customers, he could have stolen the PIN too. So what if he knows the PIN? It doesn’t change anything!”
He showed Matthias’ thumb to the police. “Look at his hands. They’re rough, like someone who’s done hard labor. No millionaire has hands like these.”
The police officer nodded. It made sense to everyone, and no one suggested giving Matthias a chance to verify his fingerprint.
Matthias insisted, “I need to verify my fingerprint and check my balance. Why don’t you wait until the verification fails before jumping into conclusion?”
His confidence made the manager grit his teeth. “We have no idea how he got the PIN, but our system won’t let you bypass the fingerprint.”
The police officer interjected, “If he wants to try, let him try.”
The manager, skeptical, responded, “He’s just wasting our time. Officer, please drag this pauper out and teach him a lesson. He is nothing but a big fool who is trying to waste our time and—”
Before the manager could finish his sentence, Matthias quickly pulled his hand from his grasp and placed his thumb on the screen, taking the manager unawares.
Suddenly, a beep signaled a positive response, and the rest of the manager’s words died in his mouth as everyone turned to the screen.
The screen displayed: [Fingerprint Verified. Access Granted!]
“Welcome Back, Matthias Kane, what would you like to do?” The machine declared.
“Option number 2, check my balance…” Matthias said.
[Please Be Patient While Your Balance Is Loading.]
Matthias straightened his shirt, smoothing the areas rumpled by the police officer.
His back was turned to all three of them as he was focused, staring at the screen displaying his account balance.
Behind him, the police officer covered his mouth in shock as the figures on the screen kept climbing. The manager felt numb, experiencing the greatest shock of his life.
Bethany, equally stunned, unconsciously left her desk and walked up to stand behind Matthias, who was waiting for the machine to stop counting his money and display the final balance.
The machine had reached the count of $100,000 and was still rolling.
The manager’s mouth hung open, wide enough to swallow an entire apple, as he watched the young man who looked like a pauper reveal thousands of dollars in his account.
When the machine hit $500,000, it briefly glitched, causing the manager to think it had stopped. But then it continued counting in the next second.
Five minutes later, the machine beeped, voicing the final balance.
[You Have $571,000,000 In Your Account.]
Bethany instinctively covered her mouth in shock. When Matthias turned around, he saw them frozen like statues, eyes wide.
“Can I withdraw my money now?” Matthias asked casually…
The manager, confused, ashamed, and scared, stammered, “I- I- I don’t know w-what to say. Clearly, this is your account, and you are in our database.”
He paused, staring at Matthias in shock. “I don’t deserve forgiveness for disrespecting a man of your caliber. I have no excuse, but I beg you, please don’t let anyone hear about this. I could lose my job for disrespecting a top-tier customer.”
Matthias sighed, putting his hands behind his back. “I’m not interested in getting anyone fired. Like I said, I’m only here to check my account balance and withdraw my money.”
The manager nodded repeatedly, physically shivering as he led the way. “Please, make your request, sir.”
Matthias stroked his chin, pondering how much he should withdraw.
As he spoke with the manager, Bethany and the police officer remained in shock, still frozen.
“Please, get this young man a seat!” the manager barked at Bethany, who hurriedly pulled out her own seat and gave it to Matthias. He sat down and crossed his legs.
“I’ll withdraw just $100,000 for now,” Matthias said.
The manager bowed slightly and hurried to another chamber within his office. He returned with a bag filled with cash and placed it gently on the table.
Matthias stood up, straightened his shirt, and examined the cash to ensure it was complete. Satisfied, he said, “Have a great day.”
Just before Matthias walked out, the manager called his name, “Sir!”
When Matthias turned, the manager said, “I am so sorry for our unprofessionalism and the way we treated you.” He bowed slightly again.
“I assure you that this mistake will not happen again. Pardon our behavior,” he added.
Matthias gave him an upward nod.
Before he left, he winked at Bethany who was still in shock and then crossed the door, focused on getting a cab.
Matthias walked out of the bank with the bag of cash in his hand. The manager had packed and sealed it well to avoid attracting any unwanted attention.
Matthias had never intended to withdraw that much cash, but having never held even $1,000 before, he wanted to experience the feeling of financial freedom.
As he exited the gate and waited for his cab to arrive, he felt a soft, delicate hand gently grasp his arm from behind.
He turned slowly, surprised, and found himself looking into a beautiful face. It was Miss Bethany.
When their eyes met, Bethany looked down at her feet, clearly embarrassed after what had transpired.
She remained silent until Matthias smiled at her and said, “It’s okay, you can speak.”
She raised her head and said, “I’m really sorry for the way I spoke to you in there.”
Matthias nodded casually. “It’s okay.”
Thinking that was the end of it and seeing his cab arrive, he turned to leave. But as he took a step, Bethany gently grabbed his hand again.
He turned back, and she handed him a piece of paper. Looking at it, he saw a series of digits—it was her phone number.
Glancing back at her, he noticed she was looking at him fleetingly, clearly shy.
“That’s my number,” she said softly. “Maybe you could talk to me when you have the time.”
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