PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

CHAPTER 4: PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

Leaving Vivienne’s room, Dorian was forced to make the pack staff prepare breakfast for Celeste and the elders. It was obvious to him that Vivienne was up to no good this morning.

By the time the breakfast was over, Dorian sat at the head of the long polished oak table, flanked by his Beta, Donovan, and several high-ranking pack elders. Celeste sat gracefully at his right hand, sipping her herbal tea with a quiet, satisfied smile.

In her past life, Vivienne would have been hovering nearby, nervously refilling coffee cups, and making sure everyone was comfortable while taking silent glares from Celeste.

Not anymore.

Vivienne walked down the grand staircase, holding five-year-old Mina securely by the hand. Mina wore a neat little yellow dress, clutching her worn stuffed rabbit in her free arm and blinking sleepily against the morning light. Vivienne was dressed in a sharply tailored navy blazer and black trousers, holding a sleek digital tablet. Her stride was light, deliberate, and entirely self-assured.

"Vivienne," Dorian called out as soon as she entered the room. "You've finally come to your senses.”

Vivienne stood there, not responding to his statement.

Then Dorian's eyes narrowed as he took in her outfit “Why are you just standing there? Where are you going? The council meeting is about to start, and I need you to handle the documentation for the quarterly pack budget."

Vivienne didn't spare him a glance. She walked right past his chair, heading toward the exit door. "I have errands in the city, Dorian. Handle your meetings yourself, or let Celeste do it. Since she's so invested in high-level pack affairs, surely a simple budget audit is within her skill set."

Celeste’s tea mug clinked sharply against her saucer. She offered a fragile, sweet smile to the elders, though her eyes flashed with venom. "Vivienne, really! Is that any way to speak to your Alpha in front of the elders? You know my stomach has been acting up and I'm easily fatigued."

Elder Gregory frowned heavily. "Alpha, is your mate refusing her pack duties? An Omega's role for generations has been to serve the pack."

In her past life, Elder Gregory’s disapproval would have sent Vivienne into a spiral of guilt. She would have dropped her bag, bowed her head, and spent three hours filing paperwork to keep the peace.

Vivienne stopped near the doorway, gently patting Mina’s head before turning back with a cool, sharp smile. "Elder Gregory, if the Silverbrook Pack relies on an Omega to remain functional, perhaps the leadership has bigger problems than my presence. Have a productive meeting, gentlemen."

Before Dorian could slam his fist on the table, Vivienne turned on her heel and glided through the heavy oak double doors with Mina walking closely beside her, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

After dropping Mina off at a secure private daycare in the city with strict instructions and generous payment, Vivienne headed off to the office of the wealth manager. Within minutes, she was seated in the private, glass-walled office of Julian Vance, a high-end offshore wealth manager who had served her late mother’s family for decades.

"Mrs. Hale—or should I say, Luna Silverbrook?" Julian asked, setting down two crystal glasses of sparkling water. "Your call sounded urgent. What can I do for you?"

"Drop the Silverbrook title, Julian," Vivienne said, leaning back in the plush leather chair and opening her tablet. "I’m here strictly as the sole heir of the Vance bloodline."

Julian’s eyes brightened with professional interest. "Ah. The Vance ancestral holdings. Your mother placed those assets into an irrevocable trust with strict contingencies. If I remember correctly, you’ve never touched a single cent of it."

"I haven't," Vivienne confirmed. Luckily for her, Dorian didn't even know those assets existed. He assumed her mother died penniless because she lived quietly on the edge of the packlands.

Vivienne had left the Vance trust untouched, intending to hand it over to Mina on her eighteenth birthday. Dorian had never cared to look into her mother's background, assuming Omegas came from nothing. His arrogance was about to cost him dearly.

"I want the entire trust liquidated," Vivienne said flatly. "Every stock, every commercial real estate property in London and New York, every gold bullion reserve in Zurich. Convert it into liquid currency and transfer it to my private offshore account within forty-eight hours."

Julian gasped, his pen slipping from his fingers. "Vivienne, that trust is valued at approximately 2.4 billion dollars! Liquidating everything immediately will incur heavy tax penalties and market slippage. Are you certain?"

"I am 100 percent certain," Vivienne replied without a flicker of hesitation. "I am restructuring my entire financial portfolio to secure maximum liquidity today. Handle it immediately."

Julian stared at her for a long moment, searching her face for any sign of uncertainty. Finding none, he slowly nodded and began tapping away at his terminal. "Consider it done. Where shall we route the funds?"

"Route 800 million to my primary account," Vivienne instructed. "The remaining 1.6 billion will be split into shell accounts to execute immediate bulk purchasing contracts."

A subtle blue prompt flickered in the corner of her vision, invisible to Julian:

[SYSTEM UPDATE: FINANCIAL LIQUIDATION DETECTED]

[Dimensional Storage Ready for Bulk Inflow]

[Temporal Stasis Active]

A cold satisfaction bloomed in her chest. Let Dorian hoard his silver coins in his little vault. I'm buying the future.

By mid-afternoon, Vivienne was standing inside a massive, climate-controlled warehouse near the city’s industrial shipping docks. Beside her stood Marcus Kane, an ex-military contractor specializing in high-grade survival gear and tactical hardware.

"Miss Vance, your order requests are extensive," Kane said, scanning the multi-page digital requisition form. "Ten thousand sets of lightweight titanium tactical armor, fifty thousand rounds of specialized ammunition, industrial generators, water purification systems, and massive medical supplies. May I ask what project this is for?"

"You don't need to know my project details, Mr. Kane," Vivienne said smoothly, holding up a black encrypted payment card. "All you need to know is that price is not an issue. I will pay a 30 percent premium for rush delivery directly to this warehouse space within two weeks."

Kane looked at the card, then at Vivienne's cold, composed eyes. He swallowed hard, asking no further questions. "For a 30 percent premium, my crew will have the first shipment arriving by midnight tomorrow. MREs, grain silos, fuel bladders, high-caliber weaponry—everything."

"Good," Vivienne said. "Ensure the deliveries arrive in staggered shifts. Once a shipment is unloaded into this facility, my team will handle the internal transfer. You and your drivers leave immediately after dropping off the crates."

"Understood," Kane said, taking the card to process the retainer.

As soon as Kane walked out to speak with his crew, Vivienne stepped deeper into the dimly lit warehouse where the first trial batch of supplies had already been placed—boxes of emergency rations, medical kits, and barrels of diesel fuel.

She raised her left hand. A faint, dark shimmer of Void energy rippled across her palm.

She touched the edge of a stack of wooden crates containing five hundred combat rifles. In the blink of an eye, the entire stack vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

[STORAGE SPACE UPDATED]

- Tactical Firearms: 500 units added.

- Current Storage Capacity Used: 0.001%

Vivienne smiled softly to herself. Infinite capacity. Zero decay. When the storm hits, my daughter and I will be living like royalty in our fortress.