Mia's POV
I stared at tomorrow's schedule projected on my tablet while Sharon stood across my desk, stylus poised like she was preparing for battle.
"Cancel everything from nine onward," I said calmly.
Sharon blinked. "Everything, Ma'am? Including the Ridgeview investors' presentation?"
"Yes. Reschedule. Tell them I'll personally handle the follow-up next week."
Her brows slightly furrowed, but she nodded. "Understood."
I leaned back in my chair, fingers tapping the armrest. Tomorrow wasn't just another site inspection. It wasn't another Alps Builders project evaluation.
It was the first step in rewriting our survival.
"I'll be out the entire day," I added. "No calls unless it's from my parents."
Or from Luis.
Sharon quickly reorganized my calendar, her efficiency one of the reasons I trusted her with almost everything. "Is this about the new coastal development proposal?"
"Something like that," I answered vaguely.
Not a lie.
Not the truth either.
By the time Sharon left, I buried myself in paperwork. If I wanted tomorrow free, today had to hurt. Contracts. Structural feasibility reports. Revised budget sheets. Emails from suppliers. I finished tasks three days ahead of deadline.
If the world ended early, at least my schedule wouldn't.
I didn't notice the time until my office door opened without a knock.
Kevin.
He leaned against the frame, hands in his pockets, wearing that familiar charming smile.
"Busy as always," he said lightly.
I forced a small smile. "You know me."
He walked in and sat across from me. "Breakfast tomorrow? I'll pick you up. We haven't had time alone lately."
My fingers tightened around my pen.
"Tomorrow? I can't. I have to leave early."
His smile faded a little. "Early where?"
"I'm checking an area. For a possible new project site."
"With who?"
"With Mr. Luis Ray."
I saw it.
The irritation.
"From Aetherion Land & Holdings?" Kevin asked.
"Yes."
He straightened. "There's a collaboration I don't know about?"
"It's exploratory."
"I'll come."
"No."
Too fast.
I softened my tone. "It's business. Besides, you have the Southpoint procurement review tomorrow, right?"
He studied me carefully. "You've been avoiding me."
"That's your imagination. I've always been this busy. You understood before."
His jaw clenched. "Did I do something?"
For a second, an image flashed in my mind,
Kevin pushing me away.
Kevin running.
Kevin leaving me.
The sound of zombies screaming.
The smell of blood and saltwater near the beach.
I forced the memory down.
"You're overthinking," I said smoothly. "You used to not even ask where I went."
He exhaled sharply, then smiled like he'd swallowed his pride. "I'm sorry."
Pretending calm.
"I just miss you."
Dinner date. After you come back."
"Okay," I said, feigning a slight pout.
He leaned forward and kissed me.
The moment he left, I wiped my lips hard with the back of my hand.
I hated that my body remembered the betrayal even if this timeline hadn't happened yet.
Not again.
Never again.
The rest of the afternoon blurred into controlled chaos. I finalized preliminary bunker layout drafts on my tablet between meetings. Triple-layer concrete reinforcement. Seismic-resistant foundation. Integrated air filtration systems.
If Luis thought I was just bringing ideas tomorrow,
He was wrong.
By the time I left the office, it was already past eight.
Inside the elevator, I stood quietly beside a few employees from structural engineering.
Their shoulders looked tired, but their faces were satisfied.
"Overtime again," one of them sighed, adjusting his backpack.
"Yeah, but at least the company pays every hour," another replied. "Worth it."
I felt a small sense of pride.
That was Dad's rule. No unpaid overtime. Ever.
One of them scrolled through his phone and suddenly let out a short laugh.
"Hey, there's news about another virus spreading overseas."
"Again?" someone muttered. "Where this time?"
"Japan," he answered. "But officials are saying it's mild. Nothing serious."
"People panic every time there's a new virus," another said. "It'll probably disappear in a few weeks like the others."
"Yeah. It's always like that."
The elevator continued descending.
My heartbeat didn't.
Japan.
In the first timeline, the outbreak started quietly abroad. Small reports. Mild symptoms. Contained situations.
Until it wasn't.
The doors opened.
They walked out still casually chatting, unconcerned.
I remained frozen for half a second longer before stepping out.
They thought it was just another headline.
I knew better.
I walked toward the underground parking lot, heart pounding harder than it should.
Too early.
It feels too early.
Inside my car, I immediately called Luis.
He picked up on the second ring.
"What time tomorrow?" I asked.
"I'll pick you up at six."
"At my house?"
"Yes."
I hesitated.
Sharing a car meant more time to talk. More time to plan. And less attention than two separate vehicles heading to the same remote location.
"Okay," I said finally. "I'll bring snacks. It's a two-hour drive."
"Good idea."
There was a brief silence.
"We need to move fast," he said quietly.
"I know."
We said goodnight.
The drive home was long enough for ghosts.
The mansion in the city…
The night we fled.
In the first timeline, after the initial chaos, we left our city mansion when supplies started running low. We move to our beach house near the small coastal town, safer, less crowded.
Chelsea was with me.
Kevin too.
We ran out of gas halfway through the highway. The roads were clogged with abandoned luxury cars, SUVs, sedans, sports vehicles worth millions, useless metal shells.
That's when we found the van.
Rusty. Old. Smelled like fish.
But it had fuel.
We left my imported car behind.
Left luxury for survival.
We transferred supplies in the middle of a silent road, hearts racing every time we heard distant groans.
The van saved us.
Until it didn't.
Until Kevin ran.
Until I was left behind.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Not this time.
When I arrived home, the lights in the living room were still on.
Mom and Dad were watching a series together.
"Join us!" Mom called.
"Have you eaten?" she added.
"Not yet. I'll change first."
After a quick shower, letting the warm water wash away the tension of the day, I changed into comfortable clothes and went downstairs.
Mom handed me a tray, tomato soup and grilled cheese.
"Thank you," I said softly.
The smell made me realize how hungry I was.
I sat on the floor rug while they occupied the couch, finishing the episode together.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Too normal.
When the series ended, I cleared my throat.
"Dad. I found a potential area."
He muted the TV immediately.
"With who?"
"Luis Ray. From Aetherion."
Dad nodded thoughtfully. He and Luis' father had been long-time business associates.
"It's good to work with old allies," he said. "Less risk."
"It's remote. Elevated land. Accessible but not public."
Dad's eyes sharpened, the businessman in him fully awake.
"You're thinking long-term."
"Yes."
He studied me for a moment, then nodded.
"Tell me what you need. I'll assign trusted workers. Men I've known for years. Not random contractors."
Relief flooded me.
"Thank you, Dad."
I hugged him tightly.
Mom smiled softly. "We're here for you. Always."
If only they knew how literal that promise was going to be.
Back in my room, I didn't sleep.
Instead, I opened my architectural software and refined the bunker design.
Primary structure: underground, reinforced concrete with steel mesh core.
Triple security entry system:
Outer reinforced steel blast door disguised within a natural rock formation. Biometric access and manual override.
Secondary decontamination chamber — airtight, negative pressure system, UV sterilization and chemical wash option. No infection passes through.
Inner vault door — titanium composite with mechanical lock backup in case of power failure.
No one enters without clearance.
I added,
Food storage room with temperature control and humidity regulation.
Seed vault.
Water filtration and rain collection system.
Solar panel energy grid with underground battery bank.
Separate armory room with locked steel cabinets.
Tactical supply storage.
Weapons weren't for zombies.
They were for people.
In the first timeline, humans were worse.
I redesigned sleeping quarters to be modular, expandable if needed.
Emergency tunnel exit leading to a concealed forest clearing.
Surveillance room with external cameras disguised as natural terrain elements.
Luis might think I was preparing.
He didn't know I was remembering.
By midnight, my eyes burned but my heart raced with something else.
Excitement.
Tomorrow, I would see the land.
The place that could change everything.
when I died,
when I woke up,
From every choice I made to reach this point.
This wasn't just business.
This wasn't just collaboration between Alps Builders and Aetherion Land & Holdings.
This was war preparation.
And this time,
I wouldn't be the girl left behind.