Chapter 3

"Here's the list," I said.

Back at Edward's villa, halfway up the mountain and more castle than house, I wasted no time. I slammed a handwritten list onto the table right in front of him.

Simon Grant, Edward's assistant, with his gold-rimmed glasses, nearly had his eyes pop out when he saw what was written.

"M-Mrs. Sterling, what is this?" he stammered.

The list was jam-packed, and right from the first item, it screamed crazy—this was apocalypse-level shopping, not your usual grocery run.

[Four and every kind of grain—100 tons each.]

[Bottled water, mineral water—the more, the better. If you can, clean out a whole water factory's inventory.]

[Compressed biscuits, military canned food, dehydrated veggies, freeze-dried meat—buy every last bit you can find.]

[Common meds, antibiotics, surgical tools, iodine gauze... See the attached list and grab everything, no exceptions.]

[Gasoline, diesel—clean out every gas station nearby. Leave nothing behind.]

[Solar generators, backup batteries, portable power units...]

[Stab-proof vests, riot shields, compound bows, crossbow bolts...]

[All kinds of vegetable seeds, chicks, ducklings, and other poultry hatchlings...]

At the very end, I made it crystal clear. [Every single supply must be delivered to the villa within 68 hours. No exceptions.]

Simon's expression morphed from shock to pure panic. He shot Edward a look that practically screamed, "Mr. Sterling, did you just marry a total nutcase?"

Edward, though, was cool. He picked up the list, read through it carefully, adjusted his glasses, and asked, "So, how exactly do you plan on storing a hundred tons of grain?"

I knew he was still putting me to the test.

So, right in front of both of them, I picked up the giant fruit platter from the coffee table, waved my hand—and poof, it disappeared without a trace.

Simon's glasses slipped right off his nose and hit the floor with a sharp clack.

"My storage space is about the size of a football field, and time stands still inside," I explained calmly. "That's more than enough."

A flicker of realization crossed Edward's eyes, followed by a deeper intrigue.

He turned to Simon, who was still gaping, and ordered, "Do exactly as she says. Mobilize all resources from Sterling Holdings—spare no expense, no questions asked. In 68 hours, I want every single item on that list delivered here."

"Y-Yes, Mr. Sterling!" Simon stammered, nearly tripping over himself as he grabbed his glasses and dashed out to start making calls.

For the next two days, the whole city was buzzing thanks to Sterling Holdings' insane shopping spree.

Everyone was gossiping, wondering if the young billionaire had gone crazy.

And me? I was the evil temptress everyone claimed had bewitched the billionaire.

My phone was ringing off the hook, calls from my mom, my stepdad, and Chloe.

I ignored every single one and just shut it off.

While scrolling through my feed, I spotted Chloe and Jack's latest update.

They were at the beach, snapping the couple pics. Jack was shirtless, flaunting his ripped eight-pack, and the caption went. [If you're picking a guy, go for someone who actually makes you feel safe. Not like certain people who'll settle for some old, sickly dude just because he's loaded.]

All our mutual friends were piling on with likes and comments.

[Chloe's totally right! Who cares about money—what matters is having someone who can protect you when things get real!]

[Damn, Jack's body is unreal! So jealous, Chloe!]

I snorted and scrolled right past.

Make you feel safe? Hope those abs could keep a zombie from biting your head off.

I was so busy I barely had time to breathe.

Edward's ability to get things done was off the charts. He didn't just pull strings with global logistics—he straight-up bought out several factories.

On the very first day, the open space outside the villa was lined with container trucks of every kind.

I stood on the second-floor balcony, feeling like a general inspecting her troops.

"This truck's loaded with 120 tons of premium northeastern grain.

"This one's got 50 tons of imported beef.

"And this truck's full of meds—just like you asked, we cleaned out the warehouses of several pharmaceutical companies."

Simon was sweating bullets as he gave me the rundown.

With a flick of my hand, the entire truckload vanished in an instant, sucked straight into my storage space.

The bodyguards and workers were all dumbfounded, but Edward had already laid down the law. No one dared say a word, just stared in shock.

By the second day, even more supplies were rolling in. Besides food and water, we were getting a ton of survival gear.

I even had Edward pull some strings and score us a batch of military-grade bulletproof materials.

In the middle of all the crazy stockpiling, Edward tracked me down.

He handed me a tablet, displaying a blueprint for the villa's overhaul.

"I think your plan has a hole in it," he said, pointing at the screen. "Just loading up on supplies is playing defense. We need something that fights back, an active defense system."

I blinked at him, caught off guard.

The blueprint showed the villa's walls jacked up and reinforced, strung with high-voltage electric fences and infrared sensors. Every window was swapped out for top-tier bulletproof glass, and the basement was being turned into a mini ecosystem and a fortified safe room.

But what really blew my mind was the automatic turrets he'd designed for all the key defense points around the villa.

"Are you serious? Can we actually pull this off?" I asked, still in disbelief.

"With enough money and time, nothing's impossible," Edward replied coolly. "One of my subsidiaries specializes in security tech."

That was when it hit me. I'd totally underestimated him.

He wasn't just some money-obsessed businessman. He was a tech mogul with a mind like a steel trap and the kind of drive that could move mountains.

I glanced at his pale, focused profile, and for some reason, my heart skipped a beat.

"Alright," I nodded. "Let's do it your way."

Only 24 hours left on the countdown.

The final shipment arrived, and this one was the strangest, most extravagant batch yet.

No food. No weapons.

Just gold, diamonds, and a bunch of luxury gems I couldn't even begin to name.

Ten massive crates, overflowing with the stuff.

Simon was staring at me as I'd just pulled off a miracle.

Edward looked puzzled, too. "What are you planning with all this? In the apocalypse, this stuff is worth less than rocks."

"Oh, you'll see," I said with a mysterious smile, stashing all the treasure in a corner of my storage space. "Sometimes, these things are even more valuable than food."

Everything was ready.

I stood on the rooftop of the villa, gazing down at the city lights below, and took a deep breath.

The nightmare I'd lived through once was about to play out all over again.

But this time, I wasn't some helpless prey.

I was the player holding all the cards.