Chapter 5

The next morning, I stood in front of my mirror longer than usual.

Not because I was worried about how I looked.

I wasn’t.

That version of me was gone.

Still, meeting Lucian Vale was different.

He wasn’t Ethan.

He wasn’t someone I had known for years.

He was a stranger.

A powerful one.

And I needed something from him.

That meant I couldn’t afford to walk into his office looking desperate.

I chose a simple black dress that fit my body comfortably.

I looked at myself one last time.

My hair fell over my shoulders.

My curves were obvious.

And for once, I didn’t try to hide them.

I didn’t need to.

I wasn’t going to his office to convince him that I was beautiful.

I was going there because I knew something he didn’t.

I picked up my handbag.

The system appeared.

[Reminder: Main Mission.]

[Establish a survival alliance with Lucian Vale.]

“I know.”

[Warning: Target possesses high suspicion levels.]

I frowned.

“Thanks for the encouragement.”

The system disappeared.

I arrived at Vale International shortly before noon.

The building was enormous.

Glass walls.

Security everywhere.

Employees moving through the lobby with the kind of confidence that came from working for a company powerful enough to influence entire industries.

I looked around.

In my previous life, this building had still been standing during the first months of the apocalypse.

Then the energy shortage destroyed half the city’s infrastructure.

Vale International was one of the few companies that had managed to keep operating.

Lucian had been one of the reasons.

I remembered hearing his name after the collapse.

People had called him ruthless.

Some said he had abandoned thousands of employees.

Others said he had saved thousands.

I never knew which version was true.

Now I was about to find out.

“Miss Hayes?”

I turned.

A tall man in a dark suit approached me.

“Mr. Vale is expecting you.”

I nodded.

“Thank you.”

He led me through the lobby and into an elevator.

The higher we went, the quieter the building became.

When the doors opened, I stepped into a private office floor.

A receptionist directed me toward a large set of double doors.

I took a breath.

Then knocked.

“Come in.”

The voice was calm.

I opened the door and saw him.

Lucian Vale stood beside the windows.

He was tall, shoulders,dark hair and a sharp jaw.

He wore a perfectly fitted suit, but there was nothing flashy about him.

He didn’t need it.

His presence alone filled the room.

He turned toward me.

His eyes moved over me briefly.

There was no judgment.

No disappointment.

Just observation.

Then his eyes met mine.

“Miss Hayes.”

“Mr. Vale.”

He gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.

“Sit.”

I sat.

He remained standing for a moment before taking his seat.

“I was told you have information regarding my energy project.”

“I do.”

“And that you’re prepared to make a significant investment.”

“Yes.”

“How did you become interested in it?”

I had expected the question.

“I’ve been researching energy infrastructure.”

“Why?”

“Because energy is going to become increasingly important.”

His expression barely changed.

“That’s obvious.”

“Not the way I mean.”

He leaned back.

“Then explain.”

I took a breath.

“In the next few months, energy demand is going to rise dramatically while supply becomes increasingly unstable.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Based on what?”

“Patterns.”

“What patterns?”

“Weather.”

He didn’t speak.

I continued.

“There’s going to be a series of extreme weather events. First, severe heat. Then flooding. Eventually, temperatures will drop to levels that will place enormous pressure on the power grid.”

His expression changed.

Only slightly.

But I noticed.

“You’re predicting a global crisis.”

“Yes.”

“And you expect me to believe you.”

“No.”

That seemed to surprise him.

I leaned forward.

“I don’t need you to believe me.”

His gaze remained fixed on mine.

“Then what do you need?”

“I need access.”

“To what?”

“Your energy infrastructure.”

He was silent.

I continued.

“I want to invest in your project, but I want part of the production capacity reserved for private use.”

His eyebrow lifted.

“Private use?”

“Yes.”

“For what?”

I hesitated.

I couldn’t exactly tell him that I was building an apocalypse shelter.

Not yet.

“A private emergency facility.”

His gaze sharpened.

“You’re preparing for something.”

“Yes.”

“What?”

I met his eyes.

“The end of normal life.”

For the first time, Lucian looked genuinely interested.

He leaned forward.

“You’re serious.”

“Very.”

“How do you know?”

I couldn’t tell him.

So I gave him the closest thing to the truth.

“I’ve seen what happens when people aren’t prepared.”

He studied me.

There was something uncomfortable about his stare.

It felt like he was trying to see through me.

“You’re married to Ethan Hayes.”

My fingers tightened around my handbag.

“Yes.”

“I know your husband.”

I wasn’t surprised.

“Business?”

“Yes.”

“And yet you’re sitting in my office asking me to help you build a private survival facility.”

“Yes.”

“Does he know?”

“No.”

“Why?”

I looked at him.

“Because I don’t trust him.”

The words came out more honestly than I intended.

Lucian studied me for several seconds.

Then he asked,

“Are you leaving him?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

I could have lied.

Instead, I simply said,

“Because I finally realized that staying with the wrong person is more dangerous than being alone.”

Something shifted in his expression.

He didn’t comment.

Instead, he reached for a document.

“You mentioned information about the energy crisis.”

I nodded.

“Give it to me.”

I pulled a file from my bag and placed it on his desk.

He opened it.

Inside were reports I had spent the previous night putting together.

Weather patterns.

Infrastructure risks.

Energy projections.

Potential supply disruptions.

None of them revealed what I really knew.

But they were enough to make him question what he thought he knew.

He read silently.

Page after page.

I watched him carefully.

Finally, he closed the file.

“Where did you get this?”

“Research.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one I have.”

He leaned back.

“You’re either extremely well informed or extremely reckless.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

It disappeared almost immediately.

“I’ll consider your investment proposal.”

I nodded.

“And the private energy supply?”

“I’ll need more information.”

“Of course.”

He picked up another document.

“You’ll have it.”

I stood.

He looked at me.

“Miss Hayes.”

I stopped.

“If your predictions are correct, I want to know everything you know.”

I turned toward him.

“I’ll tell you what I can.”

“And if they’re wrong?”

I smiled.

“Then you lose nothing by being prepared.”

I walked toward the door.

Behind me, his voice stopped me again.

“One more thing.”

I turned.

“Why are you really preparing?”

For a moment, I couldn’t answer.

Because I had died.

Because I had watched the world collapse.

Because the man I loved had abandoned me.

Because I had been given another chance.

Instead, I said quietly,

“Because I don’t want to die again.”

His expression changed.

Just slightly.

Then I left.

The moment the elevator doors closed, I released the breath I’d been holding.

My heart was beating faster than it should.

Not because I was attracted to him.

At least, that was what I told myself.

It was because Lucian Vale was dangerous.

He was observant.

Intelligent.

And far more difficult to manipulate than Ethan.

The system appeared.

[Main Mission Progress: 25%.]

I stared at the notification.

Then another message appeared.

[Warning.]

My smile disappeared.

[Host has attracted the attention of a high-level individual.]

I frowned.

“What does that mean?”

The system didn’t answer.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

A message from my lawyer.

Ethan has refused to sign the divorce papers.