Four

Scarlett stood in front of her full-length mirror, turning slightly from side to side.

She wore a rich emerald-green dress that hugged her waist before flaring softly at her knees. It was a dress she had bought months ago on a rare whim, only to shove it into the dark back corner of her closet, terrified her mother would accuse her of trying to steal attention. But today? Today she brushed her hair until it shone, smoothed down the fabric, and took a deep breath.

[Ooooh!] the System chimed happily, floating right beside her reflection. [Look at you! You look super pretty today!]

Scarlett adjusted her collar in the glass. "Thanks."

[Just 'thanks'? No 'wow, System, you look great too'?]

"You are literally a floating blue square," Scarlett said dryly, grabbing her purse off the bed. "How am I supposed to compliment your outfit?"

[Hey, my glow is very stylish!]

Scarlett shook her head, a quiet laugh escaping her lips as she stepped out of her room and headed down to her car.

When she walked through the double doors of her father’s corporate building, the atmosphere instantly shifted. Employees carrying stacks of folders froze mid-step. 

The front desk receptionist paused, her coffee cup halfway to her mouth. Usually, Scarlett slunk through the lobby wearing oversized sweaters, keeping her head down to avoid starting trouble. Today, she walked with her shoulders back, her heels clicking crisply against the marble floor.

It was terrifying, honestly. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, but she held her head high anyway.

She reached her department on the third floor, sat at her desk, and opened the first heavy filing drawer. As her fingers flipped through the paper folders, her mind began to race.

I need supplies, she thought. A lot of them.

"System," she murmured under her breath, pulling her phone out. "Give me a list of the absolute basics I am going to need when everything goes to hell."

[On it!] the System chirped. A neat checklist instantly materialized on her screen.

Non-perishable food (canned goods, rice, dried meat)

First aid kits & broad-spectrum antibiotics

Bottled water & purification tablets

Heavy-duty tactical gear & flashlights

Scarlett stared at the screen. "I should start buying all of this right now, right? I mean... you said I have unlimited storage?"

[Oh, yeah! Definitely!] the blue screen bounced up and down. [The spatial dimension is basically a giant black hole that freezes time! You can throw a hot pizza in there, and three months later, it will still be steaming hot!]

"Good." Scarlett opened her banking app. She checked her savings account balance,money she had saved from her small stipend over the years. It was a decent amount. She immediately transferred every single cent into her primary debit card account.

She tapped her chin with her pen, eyeing the company accounts ledger sitting on her desk. "You know... would it really be that bad if I took a little bit of extra cash from the department funds? Just a little?"

[Oooh,] the System giggled. [Are we committing corporate fraud now? Do you want to take money from your daddy?]

"What? I worked here for four years," Scarlett muttered, opening the digital transfer portal on her computer. "I never got a promotion because he wanted to keep me down. I deserve a severance package."

She carefully routed a small, untraceable amount into her personal account,just enough to give her shopping power without triggering an immediate audit from accounting.

Setting her pen down, Scarlett stood up from her desk. She remembered her goal for the day: finding that quiet girl in the filing department. But as Scarlett stepped into the hallway, she almost collided with someone carrying a heavy cardboard box overflowing with personal items.

The girl stumbled back, her eyes wide.

Scarlett blinked. It was her. The quiet girl who, in her past life, became a terrifying metal-and-nature power-user who ended up shooting her. And right now, she was heading straight for the exit doors.

Wait, she's quitting today?! Scarlett remembered now,in her past life, this girl had walked out the doors on this exact afternoon, and Scarlett had never seen her again until the apocalypse.

"Hey! Hi! Sorry," Scarlett said quickly, stepping into her path. "Uh... what's your name agIn?"

The girl scowled, adjusting her grip on the heavy box. "Are you Scarlett? The boss's daughter?"

"Yeah, but—"

"I'm Miranda," she cut in flatly. "And if you're here to tell me I can't leave until I finish the afternoon filing, forget it."

"Oh! It's so nice to meet you, Miranda!" Scarlett forced a bright, friendly smile.

Miranda stared at her like she had grown two heads. "Is it? Is it really nice? Well, I have to go." She tried to push past her.

"Don't go!" Scarlett grabbed the edge of the cardboard box. "Please, just... wait. What's going on?”

"What's going on," Miranda snapped, her voice rising in frustration, "is that I just quit my job! I can't work in this dump for another second! Everyone here is completely horrible to me!"

"Miranda—"

"No, listen!" Miranda huffed, her face flushing red as months of anger spilled out. "I do three times the work of anyone on this floor! I get passed over for every promotion! I get yelled at if a stapler goes missing! But hey, you should know better than anyone, right? You're the boss's daughter. I'm sure you enjoy watching us suffer."

"Believe it or not," Scarlett said, her voice dropping into total sincerity, "I don't enjoy anything around here. I hate it here. Even as the boss's daughter, my life is trash."

Miranda squinted at her, completely caught off guard by the blunt response. "...What?"

"Look," Scarlett pressed on, leaning in closer. 

"You seem like you work really hard. Okay? How about... how about I buy you lunch and we talk?"

"I am not having lunch with the boss's daughter and I don't know what angle this is," Miranda said instantly, taking a step back.

"Please?"

"No! We aren't even friends!"

Scarlett panicked. She couldn't let her walk out that door. "I'll hire you!"

Miranda stopped dead in her tracks. "You'll what?"

"I'll hire you," Scarlett repeated, her mind racing to construct a semi-believable lie on the spot. "I need... a personal assistant. For my new private business."

Miranda tilted her head, her gaze skeptical. "Your private business? What business?"

"It's a…uh…a legitimate…logistics and distribution firm," Scarlett lied smoothly, though her hands were sweating inside her pockets. "I'm branching out on my own. Leaving my parents' company."

"Right." Miranda looked her up and down. "And I'm supposed to believe that? You're setting up a secret company?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Scarlett insisted. "I need someone who knows how to organize things and doesn't ask too many questions!"

[You are terrible at lying,] the System giggled in her ear. [She totally doesn't believe you!]

Shut up, Scarlett thought fiercely.

Miranda crossed her arms over her box. "How much were you planning to pay this 'personal assistant'?"

"Well," Scarlett cleared her throat. "How much were you making here?"

"Four thousand a month."

"I'll pay you six thousand," Scarlett offered instantly.

Miranda didn't even flinch. "I'm not taking six thousand. If I have to deal with whatever weird secret project you're running, I want seven thousand."

Scarlett gasped. "Seven thousand a month?! I don't have money growing on my head!"

"Well, then I'm leaving," Miranda said, turning on her heel toward the glass doors.

"Fine! Six thousand five hundred!" Scarlett yelled after her.

Miranda stopped, turning her head slightly. "Six thousand eight hundred."

Scarlett gritted her teeth. "Deal."

Miranda turned around fully, a faint, victorious smirk touching her lips. "Fine. When do I start?"

"Meet me at my apartment tomorrow morning at nine," Scarlett said quickly. "We have a lot of purchasing to organize."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You actually have an apartment, I thought you lived at your parents big palace of a house"

"Pfft, of course not! ! Of course I do totally have my own place!" Scarlett lied, puffing out her chest. "Just... text me when you're on your way!"

Miranda wrote her number down on a sticky note, handed it over, and walked out the glass doors without another word.

Scarlett stood alone in the hallway, staring at the little yellow piece of paper in her hand.

Then her eyes went wide.

"Oh, shit," Scarlett whispered. "I don't have an apartment."

[Hahaha!] the System burst into hysterical laughter inside her mind. [You just hired an assistant for seven grand and you don't even have a place to put her!]

"It was six thousand eight hundred!" Scarlett hissed, rushing out to the elevator and hurrying down to her car.

She slammed the car door shut, threw her purse onto the passenger seat, and gripped the steering wheel in total panic. "System! New priority list right now!"

[On it, Boss!] the blue screen flared to life, text typing out rapidly.

 * Rent a high-security apartment IMMEDIATELY.

 * Move out of parents' house today.

 * Start buying apocalypse supplies in bulk.

Scarlett leaned her head against the wheel, letting out a long, stressed sigh. "I can't live with my parents for another day anyway. If I try to bring anyone there, my mom will just throw them out."

[Hey, think of the bright side!] the System chimed warmly. 

[You secured your first teammate! And once her powers awaken during the outbreak, her plant and nature control will be super useful for growing food!]

Scarlett sat up, blinking in surprise. "Wait... nature control? I thought she crafted metal weapons or something useful y'know?!

[Nope!] the System bounced cheerfully. [She creates vine armor and manipulates plants! Did you get her powers mixed up with someone else's?]

Scarlett stared at the floating blue square in utter disbelief, her jaw dropping open as she groaned. "You have got to be kidding me…”