My Apocalypse Godhood Begins With A Gift

Severance Pay

Rex stepped toward the foyer to end the conversation, but Lucy quickly moved to block his path. She planted her feet firmly on the marble floor and crossed her arms over her chest. The arrogant smirk on her face mirrored the exact expression she wore in his apocalyptic nightmare.

"You are not walking out of here on your terms," Lucy said, her voice dropping into a cold sneer. "Mom underestimated the total. We did not just pay for your food and clothes. We wasted three years of our social standing covering up your pathetic background. The debt is exactly one million dollars."

She tilted her head and stared at him with focused malice. She knew he did not have a fraction of that amount.

"If you cannot produce a million dollars right now," Lucy continued, "I will contest the divorce in every court in the city. I will drag the proceedings out for a decade. I will not sign a single document until you pay us back for the misery of dealing with you."

Chase laughed from the sofa, the sound echoing loudly across the quiet living room. The wealthy heir picked up his teacup and shook his head in amusement.

"He does not want a divorce to leave you, Lucy," Chase said smoothly. "He is trying to build a case for alimony. He knows he cannot survive a week in the real world without a steady paycheck, so he wants the courts to force your family to support his lazy lifestyle."

Rex did not argue with the accusation. He did not waste his breath defending his pride against people who would be freezing to death in exactly thirty days. He reached past his wife and pulled the front door open.

Director Shaw stood on the front porch. The prominent banking executive breathed heavily, having clearly sprinted up the driveway. Two large security guards in dark suits flanked him on either side.

Mary gasped loudly from the center of the living room. Her eyes widened as she recognized the famous financial director. She looked at Shaw, then at the guards, and finally at Rex. Her mind instantly formulated the worst possible scenario.

"I knew it," Mary shouted, pointing a manicured finger at Rex. "You stole something valuable from the neighborhood."

Lucy turned around and saw the executive standing in her doorway. A smug smile spread across her face. She assumed the authorities had finally caught up with her useless husband.

"Director Shaw," Lucy said, stepping forward to greet the man. "We take no responsibility for his actions. He has been acting erratic all morning. Please audit his accounts and freeze whatever stolen cash he is trying to hide."

Director Shaw did not acknowledge her greeting. The executive's face flushed bright red with sudden anger. He glared at the two women standing in the foyer, appalled by the immense disrespect they were showing to the bank's newest and most powerful client.

"Shut your mouths," Shaw barked, his voice echoing with heavy authority.

Mary and Lucy recoiled as if they had been physically struck. They stared at the director in stunned silence.

Chase stood up from the sofa. He buttoned his suit jacket and walked toward the entryway with long, confident strides. He recognized Shaw from several high level corporate galas and decided to step in to protect the women. He extended his right hand toward the executive.

"Director Shaw, there is no need to raise your voice," Chase said, using his practiced corporate tone. "I am Chase Perry of the Perry Corporation. Let us handle this domestic issue quietly before it becomes a public scandal."

Shaw slapped Chase's hand away with a violent swat.

"Mr. Perry, I strongly advise you to mind your words. Mr. Lawson is now one of Central Reserve's highest-tier clients. Any further disrespect toward him will seriously affect any future cooperation between your family and our institution. Do you understand me?"

Chase froze. The color drained from his face. A single call from Shaw could bankrupt his entire family empire in a matter of hours. The wealthy heir swallowed hard and took a slow step backward, raising his hands in a gesture of total surrender.

With the room finally silent, Shaw turned his back on the three stunned cheaters. The executive bowed deeply to Rex, keeping his eyes fixed respectfully on the floorboards.

"I apologize for the disturbance, Mr. Lawson," Shaw said, his voice instantly softening into a tone of deep reverence. "My team worked quickly. Your new primary account is prepared."

Shaw reached inside his tailored jacket and produced a sleek leather folder. He handed the documents to Rex along with a silver pen.

"All we require is your signature on the final page," Shaw explained. "Once you sign, we can process your initial deposit, and you will receive your unrestricted black card by this evening."

Rex took the folder. He flipped to the last page and signed his name quickly. He handed the folder back to the director.

Rex focused his mind on the system interface hovering in his peripheral vision. He navigated to the withdrawal menu and selected the direct banking option. He authorized the transfer of his massive digital balance.

A second later, Rex's phone chimed loudly in his pocket. He pulled the device out and unlocked the screen. A verified notification from the Central Reserve application illuminated the display. The deposit confirmation showed an available balance of exactly one billion dollars. The sheer scale of the number resting in a legitimate banking account sent a brief jolt of shock through his system, but he kept his facial expression flat and neutral.

Chase peeked over Lucy's shoulder. He saw the notification on the screen and let out a forced, nervous laugh. He desperately needed the situation to be a prank to protect his own fragile ego.

"That is a very nice fake app," Chase mocked, though his voice trembled slightly. "You must have spent all morning coding that little trick just to impress us."

Lucy nodded quickly, clinging to the only logical explanation she could comprehend. "He is bluffing. He is just trying to scare us."

Rex ignored their desperate denial. He put his phone back into his pocket and looked directly at the banking executive.

"Director Shaw," Rex said calmly. "Transfer one million dollars from my reserve account into my wife's personal checking account right now."

Shaw did not hesitate. He pulled a secure tablet from his briefcase and began typing rapidly.

"Make sure you tag the transaction memo," Rex added, looking straight into Lucy's eyes. "Label it as Severance Pay."

Shaw tapped the screen one final time. "The transfer is complete, Mr. Lawson. The funds have cleared."

A heavy, suffocating silence filled the foyer. Nobody moved. Chase stared at the tablet in Shaw's hands, his corporate instincts screaming that the executive was not playing a game.

Ping.

A sharp notification tone broke the silence. The sound came from Lucy's designer handbag resting on the side table.

Lucy walked over to the table with slow, robotic steps. Her hands shook violently as she reached into the bag and pulled out her phone. She unlocked the screen and opened her official banking application. She stared at the digital ledger.

Her face went ash white. Her breathing stopped. The screen displayed a cleared, nonrefundable deposit of one million dollars from a verified Central Reserve VIP account. The memo line read "Severance Pay" in stark black text. It was not a fake app. It was not a trick. Her husband, the man she just called a useless parasite, had casually discarded a million dollars just to shut her up.

Rex watched the reality shatter her arrogance. He saw the genuine terror creeping into her eyes as she realized the massive mistake she had just made.

"See you in court," Rex said.

He walked out the front door and left them standing in the silent house.