Free Web NovelChapter 26: Did you misplace your previous phone?
The luxury sedan glided smoothly off the mountain road, entering the brightly lit, bustling avenues of the city’s commercial center.
April casually leaned against the passenger window, her thumb tracing the embossed golden digits on her black card. Her gaze drifted from the passing streetlights to the back of Samuel’s head. Since he was going to be driving her around to various warehouses and real estate sites, his safety was directly tied to her convenience.
’System,’ she thought smoothly. ’Insight.’
[Would you like to read Samuel Rollins fortune?]
[Number of insights left today: 2 / 3]
’Yes,’
[Target: Samuel Rollins—Current Timeline]
Immediate Future: Target’s girlfriend will break up with him. Her reason: his absolute lack of presence and time due to his demanding career.
Hidden Truth: Samuel is deeply in love and has saved for months for a custom engagement ring, entirely oblivious to the fact that his twenty-four-hour availability to Xavier Reed has completely eroded his personal life. Before he can propose, his girlfriend will break up with him.
April blinked for a second. Out of all the futures, why did it show her this? Did this mean there would be no significant damage to him in everything else but this breakup?
Hm, this was a brutal but incredibly reasonable reason to end a relationship. Samuel was basically married to his tablet and Xavier’s schedule.
No matter how high his salary was or how expensive the gifts he bought her were, what woman would want a boyfriend who was essentially on call for another man every second of the day?
She relaxed into the seat. He was basically already married to his work at this point. But anyways, the fortune reading just means that they won’t get into any accidents today or tomorrow so that was fine. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
But... should she tell him about this? It was honestly none of her business, but she could make a small profit out of this if she played her cards right.
Then, breaking the heavy silence in the car, she asked, "Samuel, do you believe in fortune-telling?"
Samuel glanced through the rearview mirror, completely caught off guard. It was a rather out-of-nowhere question. He opened his mouth to give his standard, logical rejection, but he abruptly paused.
His mind flashed through the sheer chaos of the last twenty-four hours. His senior, Chen, had been caught red-handed trying to sell the master access codes. Then there was Xavier, a man notoriously rigid in his decisions, suddenly pulling a complete u-turn on a hundred-million-dollar investment and a political dinner right after speaking with this exact woman.
And finally, there was the minor detail of five hundred tons of bulk food vanishing into thin air while he stood outside a locked warehouse door the whole time.
Everything had been completely weird. But even so, his rational, university-educated mind resisted the absurd conclusion. There must be a logical explanation for everything, so...
"No, Miss April," Samuel answered calmly, keeping his eyes on the traffic ahead. "I believe hard work, strategy, and data dictate a person’s path. One’s fate cannot simply be read by a regular human."
April let out a soft, low chuckle and turned her gaze back to the window, watching the grand, illuminated glass structure of the Grand Galleria loom into view.
"Suit yourself," she murmured.
She wasn’t going to waste her energy convincing him or trying to fix his love life. If his girlfriend broke up with him tomorrow, it just meant he would have even more free time to focus entirely on her real estate sourcing and warehouse shopping without any pesky personal distractions.
That is, if he didn’t fall into depression and tried to kill himself. She would have to read his fortune again the next evening just to be sure.
The sedan pulled up to the private valet circle of the Grand Galleria. The department store was a sprawling, multi-level sanctuary of pure wealth, glowing with pristine white marble and massive digital displays of high-end brands.
Samuel stepped out swiftly, opening April’s door and handing the keys to the valet.
"We have about an hour and a half before closing, Miss April. I will accompany you to handle the transactions and carry your purchases."
"Alright. Let’s start with the electronics wing," April said, stepping into the cool, fragranced air of the mall. Her eyes swept the glittering directory. "I need a phone before anything else."
"Did you misplace your previous phone?" He asked and April darted her eyes away. She couldn’t say she never had one.
"Yes, something like that." She answered.
Samuel nodded understandingly, not pressing further. He walked a step behind her, acting as a flawless shield as they made their way across the polished floor toward the high-end electronics wing. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The boutique they entered looked less like a store and more like a minimalist art gallery. Sleek, titanium-framed smartphones rested under specialized spotlight glow atop concrete blocks.
A sales associate wrapped in a sharp uniform immediately glided toward them, recognizing Samuel’s corporate posture and April’s high-tier black card peeking loosely from her fingers.
"Welcome, Miss. Are we looking for a replacement device today? We just launched our signature Titanium Pro series with satellite connectivity and fully encrypted cloud backups."
"I’ll take that one," April said without hesitation, pointing directly to the top-tier flagship model.
She didn’t care about the camera quality or the social media capabilities, but satellite connectivity? That was a massive survival asset for when the world’s standard network infrastructure inevitably collapsed under the weight of the apocalypse.
"Get me the highest storage capacity available. And put a premium prepaid plan on it—unlimited everything."
"Right away, ma’am." The associate bowed, her eyes glinting gold as she scrambled to the back.
Samuel smoothly pulled out his executive tablet. "If you’d like, Miss April, I can sync your new device to the Reed Industries private secure network. It will give you a direct, unblockable line to Mr. Reed and myself, completely bypassed through our internal communication loop."
"Ah, that’s so convenient. Please do." April replied, handing over the card as the associate returned with the boxed device.
While Samuel handled the technical setup and registration with the clerk, April stood by the glass storefront, staring at the beauty of luxury. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be shopping here.
In fact, all she wanted while in the Morgan’s estate was to escape the net and start a real life somewhere. It might’ve been small, but it would’ve been hers.
But she never got that chance because the apocalypse swallowed it up.
"The device is ready, Miss April," Samuel said a few minutes later, presenting the sleek, activated smartphone to her. "Your emergency contact list is pre-loaded with my direct number and Mr. Reed’s private line."
April took the phone, feeling the weight of the cold metal in her palm. A direct tool of communication, paid for legally and connected to the wealthiest circle in the city.
"It’s excellent," she murmured, slipping it into her pocket. "Now, take me to the apparel floors. Let’s make it quick."
Samuel gestured toward the sweeping glass escalators. "Right this way, Miss April. The luxury lounge on the third floor can pull pieces directly to a private fitting suite for you to save time."
