Soon, the car was on the road to Micro Center as Aileen and David continued to chat with Dante about his current situation and where he got the money from. Dante had nothing to hide so he told them about his luck at the casino and even showed his father his Bentley.
Aileen laughed. "My darling Dante, you won 2.1 million and your first thought was to buy a car for your mom? You're the best!"
David turned to Dante. "Did you take a portion out for taxes?"
Dante nodded. "I calculated and filed it already. It took away 37% of the whole thing, but it was technically free money anyway."
"Mm, not necessarily son. Gambling is something that involves risk and is the third most popular business among sapient species. When you lose money, that money is not free, so why is it that when you win, it must be free?" Aileen disagreed with dissatisfaction.
Dante pondered and felt his mom made sense. He was also glad his parents didn't berate him about gambling, but then again, his parents knew him well. He had never gone to any gambling facility in his life until he got the ability to make sure he would 100% win.
Even then, Dante only went to the casino today on a whim. If it wasn't for the Unique Batch classes being so free, he would not even be here. Everything he was doing now was just to fulfill his own selfish wishes and wasn't actually what he planned to do.
But then again, that was just human nature.
Soon, they arrived at Micro Center and found a nice spot to park. David called and led the group to meet up with his older brother and Dante's uncle, Peter.
Peter was a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a bald head and a well-kept body. He had a small stubble and wore a pair of square-rimmed glasses on his face. He wore a casual t-shirt and a pair of jeans, which was his most frequent attire.
David and Peter nodded to each other when they met. There was nothing wrong between them, and in fact, they were very close. It was just that, like David, Peter was also a typical stoic man and did not show emotions strongly.
It had to do with how Dante's grandfather raised them. Apparently, his grandma died young, so his grandfather had to raise them on his own, and he was an immigrant to America back then from Africa.
Peter hugged Aileen who greeted him enthusiastically, but he did not seem too fond of it. However, he was clearly used to Dante's mother's liveliness, so it was just a breeze for him.
Peter then focused on Dante and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes. "Hello Dante, how's the dream coming along?"
Dante shook his Uncle's hand firmly and smiled. "It's coming along well. Today, I am here to sponsor both you and Dad in getting what I know the two of you love the most."
"Oh?" Peter's eyes glinted as there was a flash of surprise. He glanced at his younger brother who smiled and nodded, and he felt amazed.
Peter was a bachelor who had been engaged but did not complete the marriage as his fiance then ran off with another richer man. It had been a serious blow to the him back then who was young and he never remarried.
As such, Dante, being his only nephew in the US of A, was very well received by him. He had often taken Dante out when he was young and taught him many things about life. Half of Dante's common sense about life and his will to succeed came from hearing his Uncle's story and wise words.
It was also why Dante opted for an arrangement with Valeria rather than date and have a girlfriend. Investing in love when you are 'weak' will only lead to disaster.
It didn't really matter if the partner in question was loyal or fickle. Simply do not give the world a chance to test their bottom line and never try to test human nature.
It was better to have the 'strength' to prevent such things rather than hope and pray that everyone you met was a 'good person'.
"Well, then let's not stand around. Let's go in and see what they have in stock!" Aileen prompted as he dragged the men into the large store.
It seemed like a joyous day for Dante and his family as they ventured into the electronics wonderland of Micro Center. David and Peter were like kids in a candy store, exploring the latest gadgets and technology with enthusiasm.
After all, Dante's grandfather was too busy working his ass off to build a foundation for the two men when they were young, so they could not afford many of these things when they were younger.
Even Aileen was no exception to the enthusiasm as she was just as excited to join the adventure, though she was mostly pleased to see her husband and his taciturn brother open up like this.
As they strolled through the aisles, Dante's eyes fell on various high-end gaming laptops and accessories. He had always been a tech enthusiast, and while he already had some top-notch devices, he couldn't resist the temptation to explore what Micro Center had to offer.
However, when he thought about his quantum computer at home and the stuff he had in the Eternal Universe, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
One question one might ask was why didn't he tell his parents about his experience and also get them things from the other side which would be far better than what was here?
To that, all Dante had to say was that one should REALLY not test human nature. He loved and trusted his parents, but he was not going to put them through the devil's temptation and ruin what he had.
When he could cart people to and fro, he would certainly take them along. However, right now, there were too many uncertainties in his future to push things too far.
Suddenly winning a million bucks at the casino? A stretch, but believable, especially since he showed them evidence.
Being able to teleport between universes, having superior human genetics, weapons with nuclear-level payload, and equipment that many him nigh invincible on earth? That was a different category altogether.
Soon, the family reached the important section, which was the audio equipment. In truth, David and Peter were both audiophiles and were very critical of the music they listened to. They needed a specific tuning from a specific set of headphones to enjoy certain music.
Not to mention that David especially fancied himself a DJ. That was how he and Aileen even met, as David offered to DJ for a campus party when they were in college and Aileen was the hottest girl on the dancefloor at the time.
In the audio equipment section, Dante's father and uncle's eyes lit up with excitement. This was their domain, where they could find the perfect headphones to satisfy their discerning ears. They began to browse through the different brands and models, looking for the ones that would provide the best audio experience.
ραndαsnοvεl.cοm Dante only watched by the side and did not participate. He was here to pay the bills and make sure that everyone was happy.
Looking at David and Peter who were red-faced and arguing with different headphone models in hand, along with Aileen who was trying to mediate, and the store clerk who felt that he wasn't paid enough for this, Dante felt satisfied.
On the way out, David and Peter were holding their new purchases with glowing faces, looking like they were ten years younger. They thanked Dante bashfully, but Dante knew that even saying such a thing was no different from kneeling and sobbing at his feet for such tough men.
He reassured them that this was only the start and there was more to come. Dante went home with his parents and then spend the night at his house, enduring his mother's zealous joy and love but eating all her cooking until he felt like he was riddled with fat.
Dante only managed to escape the next day after a lot of nagging from his mom and let her drop him at his apartment. When she saw his Bentley, she clicked her tongue and had to admit that her son had good taste.
Dante waved her off and then stood outside his apartment. The other houses also had fancy cars like Porches, Land Cruisers, Jaguars, and even Mercedes, so he didn't stand out too much. Rather, when his lot had been, empty was when he actually stood out more.
Dante's eyes glinted. He was done with his personal journey to settle his family and make them feel good.
Now, it was time to get down to the things he had planned to deal with when he first came back to earth!
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