I need some money

Once the office door closed, Jack picked up his phone and replied to Liam.

I have to go on a business trip in a couple of days. I probably won’t be back for about a week, so stay at the hotel for now.

After a while, Liam responded with just three words.

Oh, thanks.

Looking at the chat, Jack guessed that Liam was annoyed. However, given his current situation, he decided they could have a proper conversation when he returned.

Besides, they had only just reunited. It wouldn’t hurt to let the little brat sweat a bit, would it?

With that in mind, Jack used his authority to contact the hotel and asked the staff to keep a closer eye on Liam.

Once everything was arranged, he stood up and left the office. Kai had just messaged him to say he was waiting downstairs.

……

Jack had assumed Liam would behave himself and rest at the hotel, giving him time to relax so they could sort out their past and present problems after his business trip.

However, the following day at noon, while attending an online meeting at home, Jack received a message from the hotel.

Liam had checked out but left his luggage with the front desk for safekeeping, saying he would return to collect it that evening.

That little shit!

Jack clenched his jaw in frustration. As soon as the meeting ended, he called Liam, only for the brat to mumble something about contacting him once he had settled in before falling silent.

Seething, Jack slammed his fist against the desk.

They had agreed to wait until he returned from his trip. What was wrong with that little bastard?

“Jack, what’s wrong?”

The door opened, and Kai appeared at the entrance, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers. Tall and well-built, he wore gold-rimmed glasses that gave him a polished appearance. He played the role of a secretary and boyfriend so convincingly that anyone would have believed it.

“Nothing. Let’s go. We’ll finish the remaining work, and you can head back tomorrow.”

Suppressing his irritation, Jack put away his phone and left the study.

He would deal with Liam that afternoon, after finishing his work as quickly as possible.

“Actually, I was thinking of delaying my return by a few days.”

Kai smiled, his gaze full of suggestion.

Jack cut him off with a glance.

“You might not have much to do, but I’m busy. As long as you’re still here, my mission isn’t complete, and that will delay my plans.”

“Alright.”

Kai shrugged, accepting the decision.

There was always another opportunity. After reporting to headquarters in Canberra, he could return in a private capacity.

Still in a foul mood, Jack headed towards the underground car park with Kai.

However, the moment they stepped out of the lift, he spotted Liam getting out of a taxi with a middle-aged man.

The two were walking towards them, chatting as they went.

Jack was still wondering how to avoid them when Liam noticed him. Surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly recovered and smiled.

“Dearie Jack…, I mean, Jack!”

The change in how he addressed him was lightning-fast, and his expression was perfectly natural.

Unfortunately, Jack wasn't impressed.

When Kai heard Liam’s voice, he casually linked his arm through Jack’s and whispered,

“Someone you know, Jack?”

“Mm.”

Resisting the urge to pull his arm away, Jack nodded and forced himself to remain calm.

“No way! You live here too?”

The middle-aged man waited nearby while Liam walked over and greeted Kai naturally.

“Hello, I’m Liam Bennett, Jack’s childhood friend.”

Kai extended his hand.

“Hello, I’m Kai Hawthorne, Jack’s boyfriend.”

“Bloody hell, you really kept that quiet…”

Liam chuckled and patted Jack’s shoulder.

Jack was barely holding back his irritation. He forced himself to remain calm and asked,

“What are you doing here?”

Of all the places in Sydney, why did they have to run into each other here?

Liam pointed towards the man waiting behind him.

“I’m looking to rent an apartment here. If I’d known you lived in this area, I would have asked you about it first.”

Nice try. He hadn't mentioned a word about it earlier, and now he'd been caught red-handed!

This was the neighbourhood where Liam and Jack had lived together during their relationship. That was partly why Liam had chosen to look for an apartment here.

More importantly, it was an older residential area. Many of the original homeowners had moved to newer developments, leaving behind mostly elderly residents and plenty of vacant apartments.

Although the rent wasn't cheap, there weren't many tenants. The neighbourhood was quiet, with plenty of retired people living alone.

Take the building Liam had chosen, for example. It had only twenty-two floors, with two lifts serving three apartments on each level, yet nearly every floor had several vacant units.

The entire tenth floor was available for rent, while the other floors were mostly occupied by elderly residents living alone and migrant workers.

Even better, the landlord had agreed to let him renovate the apartment.

With few people around and the city centre nearby, it was an ideal place to turn into a shelter for the apocalypse.

Liam had never imagined that his successful ex-boyfriend would be living here too.

A ridiculous thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Could Jack and Kai actually be living in the same apartment Jack and I used to share? Is this some kind of twisted replacement fantasy?

But Kai didn't look anything like him…

While Liam's imagination was running wild with an entire soap opera, Jack merely responded with a flat,

“Oh.”

“Alright, you two carry on. I’ll go and look at the apartment. We can catch up another time.”

Liam was feeling rather uncomfortable himself and had no desire to keep pretending. He used the apartment inspection as an excuse to end the conversation.

Only after watching Liam and the middle-aged man enter the lift did Jack finally tear his gaze away and get into the car.

Although he tried to hide his reaction, Kai noticed that something was wrong. He wisely chose not to ask.

……

Renting the apartment went smoothly.

It was a three-bedroom unit measuring nearly 150 square metres. It was spotless but strangely empty. Apart from a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom, there was only a bed in the main bedroom and built-in wardrobes.

Everything else would have to be purchased separately.

Most people might have disliked such an empty apartment, but it was perfect for Liam. With hardly any furniture, renovating the place and stockpiling supplies would be much easier.

When the apocalypse arrived, the situation would become even worse as brutal cold swept across the country.

The first few months would be chaotic. Countless people would become infected or die, left to rely on themselves and whatever basic assistance the authorities could provide, assuming any rescue efforts were organised in time.

Areas where emergency services responded quickly would fare somewhat better. In places where the response was slow, people would die in the early stages, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves.

Only after enduring the initial chaos and surviving the extreme cold would rescue teams from the post-apocalyptic bases begin sending out crews to search for survivors who had managed to send distress signals.

From then on, humanity would enter a long period of wandering and struggling to survive.

By acting persistent and playing up his image as a broke university student, Liam managed to convince the landlord to accept one month's rent upfront, with subsequent payments made monthly.

But the rental agreement hardly mattered. In two weeks, money would be practically worthless, and the landlord might not even survive long enough to collect another payment.

After the landlord handed over the keys and left, Liam immediately contacted the building management office to arrange professional cleaning.

Once the cleaners had thoroughly cleaned the apartment, it would be much easier for him to handle the remaining preparations himself.

At the same time, he booked a team specialising in window and door renovations. He deliberately chose a company from well outside the neighbourhood so that, once the apocalypse began, the workers wouldn't be able to reach him easily.

All the windows would be reinforced, and an extra-thick stainless-steel security door would be installed in the hallway outside the apartment's main entrance.

The door would be designed to withstand break-ins and significant impacts.

Because Liam paid well and knew how to speak politely, the workers agreed to complete the job within three days, even though his requests sounded rather unusual. They were willing to work overtime to meet the deadline.

Unfortunately, paying the rent and half the renovation deposit had already wiped out most of Liam's savings.

Once he paid the remaining balance for the doors and windows, he would have almost nothing left to buy supplies.

After the cleaning was finished, the cleaner left. The worker who had come to measure the windows and doors also packed up and departed.

Standing alone in the empty apartment that would soon become his doomsday shelter, Liam finally worked up the courage to call Jack.

It was already six in the evening, yet the sun was still blazing outside.

He wondered whether Jack had finished work. Perhaps they could talk about borrowing some money.

The call connected quickly, and before Liam could speak, Jack asked,

“Where are you?”

“At the apartment I’m renting. I’m about to head back to the hotel to collect my things.”

Liam answered honestly before hesitating.

“So, um… Jack, could you lend me some money?”

Jack gritted his teeth.

“Using my full name like that? Why don’t you just ask me to kneel down while you’re at it?”

Liam quickly corrected himself.

“Dearie Jack, my mistake, mate! Sorry, sorry. I got carried away!”

When they were dating, Dearie Jack had been Liam’s affectionate nickname for him. It was intimate and sweet.

Liam had assumed their relationship was completely over, so he had tried to change how he addressed him. But Jack seemed accustomed to the old nickname.

Tch. Men.

Only then did Jack ask,

“How much do you need? And what for?”

Liam paused before answering.

“Anything is fine. Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or even more! The more, the better! I promise I’ll pay you back. You won’t lose anything, and I’m definitely not trying to scam you…”

“How exactly are you planning to pay me back?”

Jack was amused by Liam’s sales pitch, which sounded more like something a dodgy salesman would say.

A bitter feeling rose in Liam’s chest, but he deliberately adopted a casual, cheeky tone.

“Giving myself to you is out of the question. I’m afraid your boyfriend would kick my arse. But I’ll repay you in other ways. Just wait and see. You’ll get far more than you bargained for.”

Nobody normally borrowed money like this, but Liam genuinely had no idea how else to ask.

So he made up for it with sheer shamelessness.

After a brief pause, Jack replied,

“I have the money, but we’ll discuss it in person. I’ll wait for you at the hotel later. Same room as before.”

This shameless little punk had run off to do whatever he pleased, and now he was borrowing money without the slightest concern for the old debts or the new ones.

What a heartless bastard!

“Got it! Thanks, Jack!”

Liam nodded enthusiastically.

Knowing Jack as well as he did, he was confident he could at least get his hands on a decent amount of money.