CHAPTER THREE

While the industrial trucks unloaded their first batches of vacuum sealed rations, medicines, air filtration systems into private commercial storage facilities, Madison easily managed to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of essential pharmaceuticals, surgical kits, purification tablets and heavy-duty toolkits directly into her System Storage Space, monitoring the log with a hint of satisfaction.

But when she tried to evaluate the expenses, the grim reality slapped her in the face.

Given the industrial amount of food and medicines, fuel drums, generation arrays, the large retainers paid out for faster commercial permissions, Madison was already running low on the funds accumulated during many years of joint living and diligent nursing salary.

There was less than thirty percent of her cash left in the bank accounts, yet millions were still needed to buy or build a clinic, acquire specialized bio-hazard equipment, and build out the physical security infrastructure of her fortress.

More money was non-negotiable and the quickest and most rewarding way to get it was to bleed Carter dry before he even realized his financial safety net dissolved.

To test the waters and start planting seeds within the neighborhood, Madison picked up her phone and entered the infamous Elite Estate Residents W******p Group Chat.

The group reflected the shallow nature of the local elites; wealthy corporate executives, trophy wives and socialites boasting about their yacht tours and charity events.

Madison sent a casual and probing message to the group:

Good afternoon, neighbors! Quick question, has anyone heard of any commercial properties, small wellness offices or distressed medical spaces for sale or long-term lease right here within the estate perimeter? Looking to expand a private health project.

Almost instantly, the notifications flooded her phone. The local elites didn't miss a chance to either gossip or show off.

Brenda White (Wife of a tech CEO): A medical office inside the estate, Maddy? Aren't public hospital shifts keeping you busy enough? Leave the real estate investing to the professionals.

Reed Parker (Carter's sycophantic best friend): Haha, what's this, Maddy? Trying to play corporate tycoon? Better stick to band-aids and night shifts. Leave the commercial market to Carter, he deals with the real money in your household!

Ann Fletcher: Oh, Reed! It's cute that Madison wants a little project. Though maybe focus on taking care of the home first, sweetie? Carter was just telling me how much takeout you guys have been ordering lately.

Madison looked at the last message and a cold, humorless smile appeared on her lips. Ann had already started spreading the seeds of doubt about her abilities in front of everyone, trying to cozy up to Carter's circle.

In the past, Madison would have ignored it or felt humiliated. Now, she simply screenshotted the messages, archiving every toxic interaction as fuel for the fire.

She responded with a polite sticker and locked her phone, putting it into the passenger seat as she was entering her driveway in her SUV.

Let them laugh.

Let them ridicule her ambitions while they still could.

A few hours later, her phone buzzed, signaling a message on direct notification. The message, however, was not coming from Brenda or Reed; it was coming from Mary Smith, one of the genuinely warm, grounded women in the estate. Mary was married to a local doctor, and they had been fighting hard for months to keep their private clinic open amidst increasing costs and declining customer base from the estate residents.

Mary Smith: Hey Maddy! Just saw your message in the group chat about looking for a medical space. To be honest... David and I have been quietly looking to offload our family clinic right on the edge of the estate. It’s drowning in debt, and we just can’t keep up with the expenses. If you’re genuinely interested, let’s talk privately before I put it on the open market.

Madison stared at the screen, a brilliant flash of realization and triumph cutting through her thoughts.

While everyone else was busy using the W******p group as a place to exchange insults, Mary, who was also a nurse along with her husband David had just given her a golden opportunity to prove them wrong. She had a fully operational and zoned medical clinic that could be easily bought in the estate.

Madison typed her response with precision and determination:

Mary, I am very interested. Let’s meet for coffee tomorrow morning. And don’t worry, we’ll make sure it’s a deal that benefits your family immensely.

She locked her phone, a quiet, satisfied smile touching her lips. The first major puzzle piece of her quarantine empire was falling perfectly into place.

By evening, when the house calmed down and her four-year-old daughter Belle was soundly sleeping in bed, Madison returned to her study. In the silent atmosphere of the night, she opened her secure digital notepad and began to draw the master plan.

Ninety days left till the New Year 2027.

All the variables should be locked down.

She typed out her comprehensive strategic roadmap:

1. Distressed Clinic Acquisition: use my remaining liquid cash to acquire the clinic, bargain on the best price and even offer them a job!

2. Carter Financial Extraction & Divorce: Gather the evidence of the corporate embezzlement, secret offshore accounts, and his affair with Ann. Corner him with ironclad legal leverage to force a rapid, private out-of-court settlement, seized equity, cash payouts, and the deed to the estate house, all signed before he can blink.

3. Core Team Vetted Recruitment: Find and recruit eight more loyal medical and operational staff members, including two reliable cleaners, five skilled nurses, and a good doctor.

4. Estate & Haven Fortification: Upgrade the residential and medical property under the pretext of smart-home security and luxury estate disaster-resilience retrofits, install the ballistic glass, solar micro-grids and underground water cisterns.

She stopped and studied the master plan again, thinking of what more to add to it.

The suspense was humming inside her, Carter was still thinking she was an unassuming wife, Ann Fletcher was still playing the devoted best friend, exchanging pleasant messages while plotting against her in secrecy, the neighbors of the luxury estate were unaware about the approaching danger of the famine and Ash Rot.

This was only the beginning of her revenge.

When the sun set below the horizon, signaling the near end of the day, the front door opened with a click. Heavy footsteps echoed in the foyer followed by the arrogant murmur of Carter Will who threw his briefcase onto the hallway table.

Madison stepped out of her study and walked toward the entrance.

Carter stood in the foyer, untying his silk tie with exhaustion in his gestures, looking like the successful corporate executive he was. But the minute her gaze met his, the violent torrent of the memories of what happened on New Year’s eve up until Easter in April washed over her.