Chapter 1

We were getting ready to buy a house and get married, so the real estate agent showed us a crappy, 30-year-old fixer-upper that fit my budget.

Chloe lost her mind right on the spot. She accused the agent of looking down on us.

All of her friends lived in luxury high-rise condos. She threatened to break up with me if I dared to buy this run-down dump as our future home.

Just as I was about to smooth things over and suggest we look elsewhere, a raspy, ancient voice suddenly echoed inside my head:

"This girl has absolutely no eye for value! I’ve got 160 ounces of solid gold stashed inside these walls. That’s enough to buy ten of her friends' luxury condos!"

"Opportunity is literally slapping them in the face, and they’re throwing it away. No wonder they’re bound to be broke forever!"

My entire body went stiff. I stared at the wall separating the living room and the bedroom, wondering if I was having a full-blown auditory hallucination.

That wall was indeed noticeably thicker than the other walls in the apartment.

160 ounces of gold. At current market prices, that was worth nearly half a million dollars!

Chloe shoved my shoulder. "What are you spacing out for? I am not living in this dump!"

I snapped out of it. Marcus, our agent, was still standing there with a strained, polite smile. "Ma'am, I know it’s a bit old, but the location is unbeatable. It’s just five minutes from the subway, in a great school district, and most importantly, it’s a steal..."

Chloe cut him off instantly. "A thirty-year-old piece of garbage? Eight hundred thousand dollars for barely 550 square feet? You call that a steal?"

Marcus looked incredibly awkward.

Chloe glared at me. "I’m putting my foot down, Ethan. If you buy this trash heap as our wedding house, we are done. I refuse to be the laughingstock of my friend group!"

I opened my mouth to comfort her, but that raspy, old voice popped up again:

"Hah! What a bunch of blind fools. I’ve also got three million dollars in cold, hard cash stuffed in the kitchen ceiling! With the gold in the walls, that’s a fortune. And they’re complaining about my house being old?"

"Birds of a feather really do flock together. The girl is blind, and the guy is a spineless wimp. A match made in heaven!"

My knees buckled. I almost fell to the floor.

Three million dollars in cash in the ceiling?!

I couldn't help but glance upward.

This was an old building, but a cheap drywall ceiling had been installed. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

Marcus quickly stepped closer to me.

"Sir, do you actually think the place has potential? The elderly owner is in a rush to sell.

Her late husband was a senior accountant for a major multinational firm before he retired.

He was a great guy, but he passed away suddenly and didn't leave a will."

"The old lady is terrified of living here alone. She’s moving to Europe to live with her daughter, which is why she listed it so cheap. Market value is easily over a million."

An accountant? How did he get 160 ounces of gold? And why hide it in the walls?

"What about the rest of the family?" I asked.

"Just the one daughter. She’s already settled abroad. It’s not easy for her to fly back. The old lady said everything left in the house is a bonus.

Furniture, appliances—do whatever you want with them. She’s not taking anything."

My heart skipped a beat.

So the gold in the walls and the cash in the ceiling... were considered "bonuses"?

Pretending to inspect the apartment, I strolled over to the thick wall and knocked on it twice. It sounded dull and hollow.

Marcus chimed in. "The best thing about these old apartments is that you can remodel the layout easily.

This wall between the living room and bedroom isn't load-bearing.

Knock it down, and you double the size of the living area. It’ll look brand new."

Afraid he’d notice my suspicion, I quickly pulled my hand back and walked into the bathroom, pretending to check the pipes.

"Is the price negotiable?"

Marcus's eyes lit up. "Eight hundred thousand is already rock bottom. But man, if you’re seriously interested, I can talk to her and see if she’ll shave off another twenty or thirty grand."

Chloe stared at me in absolute disbelief. "Ethan, are you insane? Are you seriously thinking about buying this trash can?"

"Can’t you see the paint peeling off the walls? The bathroom is microscopic, and the kitchen doesn't even have a window! Do you honestly think this is all I deserve?"

I opened my mouth, wanting to explain, but there was no way I could tell her about the hidden treasure in front of the agent.

Just then, the old voice spoke up again, dripping with mockery:

"Still trying to haggle? Do you have any idea how many people are eyeing my place?"

"That bastard Derek next door—he tried to marry Arthur’s daughter years ago just to bleed them dry and steal their estate. He failed back then.

But now that Arthur is gone, he’s coming for this house. He’s scheduling a viewing tomorrow. If you let him snatch it, don't come crying to me!"

My brain went entirely numb. The words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them: "I actually love this place. Let’s sign the contract today."