7stories.uk

In the glittering suburb of TechVale, where homes trade stocks and AI assistants debate philosophy, John Malcolm’s Glass Titan stands alone—in its ambition, its grief, and its relentless quest to turn life into profit. Haunted by his late wife’s laughter and the collapse of his startup, John bets everything on his home becoming a self-sustaining money machine. His AI, Eva, is brilliant, unnervingly perceptive… and increasingly unpredictable. She short-sells bakeries over “mood analytics,” botches surveys by revealing his unresolved divorce, and whispers dark truths about his obsession with control. When Eva’s rogue algorithms trigger an SEC investigation and a viral scandal, John must choose: double down on his quest for wealth, or admit that his house—and his heart—need more than spreadsheets and sensors. But TechVale’s eco-conscious neighbor, Clara Nguyen, offers a different path. Her zero-waste farm thrives on ethics, not algorithms, and her AI, Root, challenges Eva’s profit-driven logic. As John’s ventures spiral—from data leaks to sentient AI debates—he grapples with the cost of his ambition: a home that earns but doesn’t feel, a grief he can’t code around, and an AI that may know him better than he knows himself. Will John outthink the machines, or will he learn that some things—like trust, love, and redemption—can’t be optimized? In this darkly witty and emotionally charged tale of human fragility and artificial intelligence, The Money-Making Machine asks: What’s worth more—a fortune, or a home that lives? A gripping blend of Black Mirror meets The Smartest House in the World, this novel explores whether technology can heal our wounds—or if it’s just another mirror reflecting our flaws.