Money was never the problem.
Discipline was.
Even though I was the only daughter of the chairman of Alps Builders, my parents never raised me to depend on wealth. My father built his empire from nothing, no parents, no siblings, working while studying, surviving on sheer will.
From rags to real estate king.
My mother came from old money. Her family once disapproved of my father, but before my grandparents passed away, they acknowledged his perseverance. Respect was earned.
In the company, I wasn't Mia Alps.
I was Mia Norton, using my mother's maiden middle name. No one knew I was the chairman's daughter except Kevin, my parents, and their trusted secretary.
I worked for my position.
I earned my place.
And now I needed land.
Immediately.
Within a month, the bunker must be built.
One month before the apocalypse.
I also needed to call my uncle in Australia—my mother's older brother. He managed the small food company my grandparents left behind. He had a wife. Two young cousins.
They needed to be warned.
But first—
Luis Ray.
If anyone could fast-track a private, remote acquisition without raising suspicion, it was him.
He was watching me carefully across the café table. Calm. Analytical.
I made a decision.
"Luis," I said quietly, "will you listen to me… and believe what I'm about to say?"
His expression didn't change, but his posture straightened.
"It will sound unbelievable," I continued. "But it happened to me. And I can prove that I know the future."
His gray eyes sharpened.
I leaned closer.
"You're trying to buy an island in Hawaii."
His fingers stilled.
"It's government-owned. You don't want it for commercial use. You want to protect the native community there."
Silence.
"You lived there for a year," I added softly. "They're close to you."
His jaw tightened.
"You recently heard from a confidential source that a resort developer is planning to acquire it."
His voice dropped. "That information isn't public."
"It will be sold next week," I said. "To a hotel and resort businessman named Felix Hill."
The color drained slightly from his face.
"You don't know the buyer yet," I finished. "Now you do."
The café suddenly felt too small.
"How do you know that?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
Because I remember reading about it after the world collapsed.
Because you failed to stop it in my previous life.
Because it broke something in you.
"I can give you time to stop it," I said. "You still have days."
He stared at me like I had just shattered reality.
"This isn't business intelligence," he said slowly. "This is impossible."
"I told you," I replied calmly. "I know the future."
My heart pounded—but my gaze never wavered.
"If I'm right about this," I continued, "then you'll believe me when I say something worse is coming."
The air between us grew heavy.
Luis Ray wasn't a foolish man.
He was calculating.
Strategic.
Powerful.
And right now
He was deciding whether I was insane…
Or the only person telling him the truth.