Chapter 29: Just pay up appropriately
After bathing, April slid into her emerald-green sleepwear, throwing her sharp black blazer dress over her shoulders like a coat to keep up her poised appearance before heading downstairs.
When she reached the grand dining hall, she noticed the atmosphere in the mansion had completely shifted.
Xavier Reed had just arrived. He was standing near the long mahogany dining table, his coat already handed off to a servant.
The moment his sharp, dark eyes landed on April walking down the stairs, he froze. His intense, commanding posture seemed almost paralyzed, his expression a chaotic mix of profound shock, awe, and an unsettling gravity.
He didn’t even know what to say. He just stood there, staring at her as if she were an otherworldly entity.
April casually walked over, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Mr. Reed. Did dinner go well?"
Xavier let out a slow, heavy breath, his jaw tightening as he stepped closer to her. He didn’t bother with corporate masks tonight. He was completely shaken.
"There’s a reason why I wanted to make an excuse and skip dinner with her. Vivienne is one of the clingy types who always tries to promise me things just so she could become my wife." Xavier said, his deep baritone carrying a rare hint of raw vulnerability, and April inwardly cheered.
Storytime.
"But tonight, she didn’t fawn over me. She didn’t try to promise me forever or play the usual political courtship games. The moment I sat down... she thanked me for showing up. She told me she has an aggressive, terminal illness and that she doesn’t have long to live."
April suddenly wondered if dying to a terminal illness was mercy so she doesn’t have to experience the grueling apocalypse and the horrors that came with it.
Xavier paused, his fists clenching slightly at his sides as he recalled the dinner.
"She admitted she has loved me from afar for years. She knew I didn’t love her back, but her final wish was simply to see me one last time, face-to-face, before she became too weak to leave her bed. She told me she would have died completely heartbroken if I had canceled on her tonight."
April kept her expression steady, though inside, her heart gave a victorious thud. The system’s ’immediate threat indicator’ had been entirely accurate. Had Xavier canceled using a fake medical excuse, the political figure’s daughter would have passed away in despair, turning her powerful family against Reed Industries out of sheer grief and spite, causing an irreversible catastrophic fallout.
"And to thank me for respecting her last wishes," Xavier continued, his eyes burning with an intense, unyielding light as he looked at April, "her father stepped into the lounge afterward. He officially tied my logistics empire to a government-sanctioned trade deal worth billions. Billions, April. A contract my competitors have been bleeding for over the last decade."
He took one more step forward, completely abandoning his billionaire pride as he bowed his head slightly toward her.
"I wanted to thank you," Xavier whispered heavily. "You didn’t just save my money today. You saved my humanity, and you secured my family’s legacy for the next century. I don’t know who or what you are... but my resources are entirely yours."
April’s smirk widened into a brilliant, predatory smile. The leash was officially locked in her hands. He had a massive contract now, but he wouldn’t exactly be able to enjoy it since the world would be ending in two months; she let him be for now and played along.
"I told you, Mr. Reed," she purred softly, walking past him to take her seat at the head of the dining table. "The main course is always worth the price. No need to thank me, just pay up appropriately."
Xavier let out a low chuckle, the tension fully leaving his frame. "The transfer is already being processed. You won’t be disappointed."
The next morning came with a crisp, brilliant sunlight that flooded the massive living room of the Reed estate.
April had a good night’s sleep, but she couldn’t sleep so deeply and woke up early. That is, if waking up at 7 a.m. could ever count as early compared to her daily schedule in the Morgans’ estate.
She was curled up comfortably on the plush leather sofa, a steaming cup of tea resting on the table beside her, courtesy of the maids who were already up. Funny how she used to be in their shoes not too long ago.
No, it had actually been a long time since, but she could only recall working this hard as a maid ten years ago. After waking up two days ago, she didn’t work as hard as she used to in the estate. She just pointed around, waiting for her opportunity to steal the necklace and leave that wretched life for good.
But the maids working for Xavier had it easy. He wasn’t a temperamental sadist who would whip them if he felt like it or scold them if they looked too pretty under the sun’s rays, telling them to bask in the sun for the whole afternoon as a reward.
He didn’t even spare them a reasonable glance and let them work with no pressure.
Anyway, enough of that.
April had her new Titanium Pro phone in hand, but her attention was fully captured by the massive television screen on the wall as she casually scrolled through the morning news channels.
She wanted to see if her little free trial had borne fruit.
Sure enough, the breaking news banner flashed across the screen: "GREELS COMMERCE GROUP ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY SUCCESSION: ALEXANDER GREELS TAKES THE HELM. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY."
The broadcast cut to a live press conference. There he was. Alexander looked absolutely dashing, wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, his messy blonde hair from yesterday neatly styled back.
The rowdy, arrogant rich kid who had been throwing a tantrum over a luxury watch had completely vanished. In his place stood a serious, cold, and imposing young heir commanding the podium with absolute authority.
He had clearly survived the night unscathed, successfully executing his grandfather’s will to seize the head position of the commerce legend.
April chuckled, thoroughly amused by his transformation and amazed by her own self. Her bait had landed perfectly.
She was so absorbed in the broadcast that she didn’t hear the quiet footsteps approaching from behind.
April had completely relaxed into the secure environment of the mansion. She was still wearing her emerald-green silk nightwear from the night before, but this time, she hadn’t bothered to throw the black blazer dress over her shoulders.
The thin silk straps left her back entirely exposed—along with the net of ugly, pale scars that ran across her skin. They were the brutal remnants of her grueling years surviving the harsh punishments from her time at the Morgan estate.
Because the physical pain had long stopped aching, and because practically everyone in the ruins of the future carried horrific wounds, she had never formed a habit of hiding them.
So to her, they were just old marks that would easily clear up once she expanded her spatial dimension to Level 2 and unlocked the Revitalization Pool she had read about in the system before falling asleep.
Xavier stopped dead in his tracks a few paces behind the sofa. His sharp eyes immediately locked onto her exposed back, his gaze narrowing as he took in the severe, unmistakable lines of trauma carved into her skin.
A heavy, dark storm of questions flashed through his mind, but he quickly masked his expression as April instinctively sensed a presence and shifted.
"What are you watching?" Xavier asked, his deep baritone perfectly even as his eyes smoothly rolled toward the television screen, acting like he hadn’t just been staring at her.
April didn’t trace his gaze or try to cover herself. She simply leaned back, gesturing toward the broadcasting channel. "Oh, just checking up on one of my clients."
Xavier raised a single brow, stepping around the couch. "Greels? You’re acquainted with Alexander Greels?"
