Chapter 45: Free advice
Samuel looked utterly devastated. The harsh, biting words Mei had hurled at him seemed to have drained the very life from his body.
He looked horrified, completely unable to accept the reality of what had just happened.
April could practically see the torturous conflict freezing his joints; he desperately wanted to run after her, to beg, to plead, but his legs wouldn’t move. It was as if his expensive leather shoes were rooted directly into the floor.
Deep down, a suffocating sense of guilt was crushing him and he muttered, "No matter what, I should have put her first," he thought out bitterly. "Should I just quit my job? If I walk away from Reed Industries... Will she accept me then?"
April’s eyes widened slightly as she caught the stray drift of his mutter. No way in hell, she thought, her inner mercenary immediately kicking into high gear.
Samuel was far too competent to end up jobless and wandering the streets over a toxic break-up. She had plans for Xavier Reed—his wallet—and by extension, she needed his flawless, robotic chief assistant operating at peak efficiency.
She absolutely could not let a brainless fool like Mei ruin such a valuable, high-tier asset before the apocalypse even began.
"Stay right here," April commanded, casting a sharp look back at Alexander.
"Wait, what? Weren’t we supposed to be in hiding?" Alexander asked, his brow furrowing as he watched her boldly step out of the shadows.
April ignored him, adopting a perfectly crafted expression of mild, pleasant curiosity as she strolled toward the tragic scene.
"Samuel? Is that you?" April called out, her voice a flawless blend of surprise and casual warmth.
Samuel flinched, his head snapping up. He hastily tried to blink away the raw, vulnerable tears in his eyes, his professional instincts screaming at him to pull his mask back on. "M-Miss April? What are you doing here?"
"Oh my, I just decided to come check this romantic little place out, and there you are," April lied smoothly, her eyes sweeping over the scattered violin, the awkwardly rolled-up banner, and the abandoned velvet box on the floor. She tilted her head, acting entirely oblivious. "Were you expecting someone? Am I interrupting something?"
Samuel quickly lowered his head again, staring at his shoes as his shoulders trembled slightly. He shook his head, unable to find his voice.
"Hm, you seem like you’re having a rough time right now," April murmured, her tone softening into something comforting, yet grounding. "Your important business... It looks like it was ruined. Would you... like to talk about it?" She asked. "And don’t worry, I won’t charge you."
Samuel tightened his fists, a bitter, hollow ache throbbing in his chest. He wanted to tell her he was fine. He wanted to act like the untouchable right-hand man of Xavier Reed. But the weight of the rejection was pressing down on his chest so hard he could barely breathe.
April stepped a bit closer, offering him a soft, polite smile, one he has never seen on her before. She always looked so mysterious, so thorough, as if the corporate world was her playground. But right now, she seemed so down to Earth that he almost didn’t recognize her.
"I can hear you out, Samuel. I can see futures, yes, but I can also give exceptionally quality advice. You never know—having a neutral person to speak to might be just what you need right now."
Samuel closed his eyes, considering it for a painful second. He knew there was probably no point to it. Mei was gone, her words had been entirely final, and she would never come back to him. But looking at April’s calm, reassuring presence, the sheer isolation of his grief felt too heavy to carry alone.
Slowly, helplessly, the brilliant assistant nodded his head.
April gestured toward the velvet-cushioned chairs at his ruined proposal table. "Sit down, Samuel. Let’s get out of the walkway."
Samuel moved mechanically, sinking into the chair like a puppet with its strings cut. He didn’t cry. His jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles in his face jumped, and his eyes stared blankly at the polished mahogany table.
He looked less like a man grieving and more like a man trying to calculate a math problem that simply refused to balance.
"I don’t understand," he whispered, his voice dangerously hollow. "Where did I go wrong, Miss April? I structured everything. Every hour, every investment, every late night... it was all accounted for."
He finally looked up at her, fear flashing through his usually unshakeable eyes.
"I grew up in the slums," Samuel said, the words spilling out of him like blood from a freshly opened wound. "I watched my parents love each other desperately, Miss April. They adored each other. But love doesn’t pay the rent. It doesn’t buy medicine. I watched poverty erode their dignity, their health, and eventually, their marriage. I saw what a lack of money does to people. It turns saints into animals. It ruins the deepest, most beautiful relationships. I vowed, from the moment I could work, that the woman I loved would never know that desperation. I wanted to build a future for us. I wanted to make a family with her where she never, ever had to look at a price tag or worry about what to eat when tomorrow comes."
He let out a short, breathy laugh that held absolutely zero humor.
"But it’s as if making money isn’t enough," he murmured, looking down at his hands—hands that could move billions with a single keystroke but couldn’t hold onto one woman. "If building a secure future makes me a villain... if working to provide makes me an inconsiderate cheat... just how am I supposed to keep living like this?"
April sat across from him, leaning her chin on her hand. Her expression was calm, entirely devoid of the mocking malice she had felt toward Mei just moments prior.
When it came to her clients or those directly tied to them, she was a professional. And right now, she needed to reset this man’s shattered worldview before he did something stupid like resigning.
"Samuel," April began, her voice cool and steady, cutting through his spiral. "Let me give you a piece of absolute, undeniable truth. Your only mistake was building a multi-million-dollar fortress for a woman who has the mental capacity of a stray goldfish."
Samuel blinked, momentarily stunned out of his despair by her bluntness. "What...?"
