Chapter 32: Trust Value Unlocked
April dropped the phone back onto the table, returning to her breakfast with an effortless appetite.
A few minutes later, the dining room doors pushed open and Xavier walked back in. His phone was tucked away, and he was staring at her with a look of profound, almost reverent awe.
"My financial team just picked up massive, unprecedented fluctuations in Aeris Corporation," Xavier said, his deep baritone laced with a heavy gravity. "Their board is in complete chaos. A massive fraud investigation is being launched against them as we speak. If my hundred million had been wired, it would have been frozen and completely lost by now."
Once again, he looked at her like she was his literal life saver. Xavier had spent his entire adult life navigating a ruthless business world filled with astronomical risks and gains.
The gains were wonderful and celebrated, but it was never pleasant when those risks actually manifested and cost him his hard-earned empire.
Even though he had paid her a hefty fifty-million-dollar fee, the deep, genuine gratitude vibrating in his chest was undeniable. Her warning had saved his business from a devastating blow.
As April met his grateful gaze, a familiar crisp chime echoed sharply inside her mind.
[System Notification: Alignment Update]
Target: Xavier Reed
Trust Value: 80% Achieved.
Feature Unlocked: Client Tab has been successfully created.
—Slot 1: Xavier Reed
—Slot 2: [Locked — Requires 80% Trust]
—Slot 3: [Locked — Requires 80% Trust]
[Client Tab Description]
Danger Foresight: Host will automatically receive a prior warning if any individual included in the Client Tab is exposed to life-threatening danger within the next 24 hours, including the exact cause of the danger.
Oh, that looks incredibly handy, April muttered to herself, her eyes gleaming as she read the floating blue text.
She looked back up at Xavier, who was quietly taking a seat across from her again. Right now, he was the only one who met the criteria to be included in the client tab.
This was an immense advantage—it meant she didn’t have to waste her precious, limited daily insights just to check if he was going to die or get ambushed in the next twenty-four hours.
The system would simply alert her. It was highly convenient and perfectly ensured she wouldn’t lose a premier, high-paying source of capital to an unexpected accident.
Before she could close the interface, another glowing notification sprung up directly underneath.
[Additional System Notification]
Trust Tier Unlock: Once a client reaches a 100% Trust Value on the host, the Lucky Foresight feature will be permanently activated for that individual.
Effect: Host will be able to see the positive events, windfall fortunes, and beneficial opportunities that will happen to the client within the next 24 hours.
April’s smile turned thoroughly predatory as she absorbed the new rules of her power. 100% trust would unlock the good fortunes. It was great. But getting to that 100%... Did this mean she had to make discounted prizes for her paying customers?
No, there had to be another way.
Time would tell. Though... time wasn’t really on their side.
She finished the last of her breakfast, entirely energized for the day ahead.
She was going to take a long luxury bath, wash her hair thoroughly, get dressed in her sharp new clothes, head to the bank to lock down her fifty million, and then go collect her next desperate client.
The world was so colorful all of a sudden. And she liked these colors.
Xavier watched her for a moment longer, noting the subtle shift in her expression before he picked up his coffee cup to take another sip.
"I have several high-level briefings to oversee this morning, but Samuel is entirely at your disposal. If you require anything else from the estate staff, you only need to ask."
"I’ll keep that in mind, Mr. Reed," April replied.
Xavier gave her a final, respectful nod before standing up and exiting the dining hall, his mind pulled back into the demanding currents of his global logistics empire.
Left to her own devices, April finished her breakfast and made her way back up the grand staircase to her suite.
The morning sun was fully filling the room now, casting warm, bright lines across the pristine floors. She stepped into the massive bathroom, turning on the gold fixtures to draw a deep, steaming bath.
She took her time, washing her hair thoroughly with the premium, fragranced products the estate staff had stocked for her. Submerging herself in the hot water, she closed her eyes, savoring the absolute peace.
"That’s the stuff," she whispered to herself, all the stress evaporating.
When she finally stepped out and dried off, she walked over to the private lounge area where her new shopping bags from the Grand Galleria were neatly arranged.
Sifting through the packages, she pulled out a delicate set of premium underwear. Slipping them on, she couldn’t help but let out a small, satisfied breath.
They were incredibly soft and comfortable—a stark, luxurious contrast to the coarse, worn-out fabrics she had been forced to wear for years under the Morgan household’s strict negligence.
She never got properly paid so she could hardly afford buying underwear whenever she wanted. The least she could afford was sanitary pads and tampons, and those were the most important.
For her main outfit, she selected a beautiful light dress featuring elegant bowtie details on the spaghetti straps.
It was breezy, sophisticated, and perfectly suited for a bright morning out in the city. However, as she stood in front of the full-length mirror to fasten the straps, her eyes caught the reflection of her back.
The pale, jagged scars stood out clearly on her back under the bright morning lights.
April stared at them indifferently. While she didn’t possess a deep-seated habit of hiding her marks—knowing that the upcoming doomsday would carve far worse onto everyone who survived—she was still operating in a civilized society for the next two months.
Walking into a high-end banking institution or a luxury cafe with severe trauma scars prominently displayed would inevitably draw unwanted stares, whispers, and assumptions that she was some sort of freak. It would disrupt her carefully cultivated aura of effortless, elite power.
So, while she could go around freely in the house, she couldn’t do so in public.
’Not today,’ she thought smoothly.
She reached back into her wardrobe and pulled out a blazer, slipping it over the dress to completely conceal the marks on her back.
She combed out her now dry hair, letting it fall in a sleek, elegant cascade over her shoulders, and checked her reflection one last time. Satisfied, she grabbed her purse and walked downstairs.
Samuel was already waiting patiently near the grand glass entryway, holding his executive tablet tightly against his chest. The moment he saw her descend the stairs, he straightened his posture, a bright, exceptionally refreshed smile breaking across his face.
"Good morning, Miss April," Samuel greeted warmly, bowing slightly. "I hope your night was restful and you slept well."
April stopped at the bottom of the stairs, her sharp eyes scanning his face.
There was that distinct, unmistakable ’glow’ about him today. His eyes were bright, his smile was entirely genuine, and he radiated the subtle, lighthearted energy of a man who believed he was about to achieve his greatest personal milestone.
He was completely oblivious to the cold, impending heartbreak waiting for him at the end of the day.
April kept her tone perfectly casual. "I slept excellently, Samuel. And how was your own night?"
"It was very peaceful, thank you, Miss," Samuel replied, his voice practically floating with an uncharacteristic lightness.
He turned and opened the grand entry door for her, gesturing toward the polished luxury sedan waiting on the driveway. "The trade sector portfolios are fully prepared and synchronized to your system contact loop. We can begin the tour whenever you are ready."
"Splendid," April murmured, stepping out into the crisp morning air. "But first, let us head to the bank."
"Understood, Miss."
