My Investment God System

The Upgrade

“Why am I even here?”

It was a cool Monday morning, and for once, Maximus wasn’t thinking about food trucks or renovations. He stood in front of a sleek clothing store downtown, his arms crossed, staring at the polished glass doors.

He muttered under his breathe as he glanced down his plain, worn out sneakers and the faded jeans he had been rotating for days.

The truth was staring at him in the face: his wardrobe game was practically nonexistent. He had been so caught up in building his businesses that he hadn't spared a thought for himself.

Maximus stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed. “You’ve got half a million dollars sitting in your account, Maximus.” he said to himself. “its time to stop looking like you crawled out of a dumpster.”

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open to reveal the interior of the store.

It screamed luxury.

Mannequins dressed in smart suits and trendy casual clothes, the faint scent of expensive cologne hung around in the air.

Shelves displayed clothes that looked so expensive Maximus wondered if they had ever been touched before.

He felt out of place almost immediately. His sneakers squeaked against the polished floor at almost every movement he made.

A customer service attendant approached him.

“Good morning sir,” the attendant said with a polite tone. His eyes flicked over Maximus’s outfit, and Maximus didn’t miss the slight lift of his eyebrow.

“morning,” Maximus replied curtly, feeling the attendants judgment radiating towards him.

“May I assist you with something specific today?” the associate asked, clearly skeptical that Maximus belonged here.

“Yeah, I'm looking to update my wardrobe. Shirts, pants, shoes… anything that works inbetween.”

The attendant nodded, though his skepticism didn’t fade. “Of course. Follow my lead please.”

Maximus was led to a section of neatly folded shirts, each one was more expensive than anything he had ever bought for himself before.

The attendant began showing him options, explaining fabrics and cuts in a tone that made it clear he didn’t expect Maximus to buy anything.

“This one is an italian cotton,” the attendant said, holding up a crisp white shirt. “Very popular and expensive among our clients… I don’t know if you can afford it…”

Maximus nodded, barely listening. Instead, he ran his hand over the fabrics smooth, soft body. “I’ll take it…” he said.

The attendant blinked. “Oh… excellent choice,” he said, trying his best to recover quickly.

They progressed to trousers. Maximus chose a few pairs of trousers and dark jeans.

Then came shoes. Leather loafers and sleek sneakers that felt like walking on clouds.

With each selection, the attendant’s attitude shifted and by the time Maximus had piled up a mix of casual and formal wears, the attendant was practically tripping over himself to compliment Maximus’s taste.

“You've got an eye for quality sir…” he siad, his tone now warmer and almost friendly.

Maximus smirked to himself. Amazing how quickly things changed when money entered the picture.

When Maximus finally reached the checkout counter, the total flashed on the screen, and even he had to blink.

$12,000.

“Would you like to split the payment sir?” the cashier asked.

“No need,” Maximus said, pulling out his card and swiped it without hesitation, though he felt a small pang. It was a lot of money for clothes, but he reminded himself this wasn’t just about appearances. This was an investment in himself.

As the cahsier handed him his receipt, Maximus caught the attendant glancing at him with something like admiration. Maximus almost laughed as he walked out of the clothing store feeling lighter despite the wieght of the bags in his hands.

His wardrobe was finally upgraded. Yet, there was one more thing he intended to upgrade— his devices: phone, laptop and pads.

Standing on the street, he glanced at the nearby stores.

His gaze landed on a sleek sign of a gadget shop just down the block.

“Might as well make it a full upgrade day,” he muttered, adjusting the grip on his shopping bags before heading over.

»»»«««

On entering the gadget store, he made his way to the counter, where a petite girl with a blonde haired bun tied into a loose ponytail stood.

She was young, probably a college student with delicate features and large, almond shaped eyes that darted nervously between the screen in front of her and a customer she was attending to.

Her name tag read "Lily" and her hesitant smile suggested she wasn't very confident in her job yet.

Maximus stood back as he watched her fumble slightly with the card reader and the customer in front of her handed over their payment. She apologized for every slip up and her cheeks reddening when the reader beeped in approval.

When it was finally his turn, she looked up with a shy smile.

"Hi... Welcome, how can I help you?"

Maximus eyes widened, her voice was soft and he noticed the faintest shake of her fingers as she adjusted the tablet on the counter.

"Hi, I would love to get a new phone," he said as he set his shopping bags down by the side of the counter.

"And a new laptop too. Something fast and reliable, you know, something that wouldn't make me smash it against the wall out of frustration..."

Lily chuckled softly, though she quickly covered her mouth with her hand in a attempt of professionalism.

"Um, okay. We have the latest laptops here, I can show you ..."

"Lead the way," Maximus said with an easy smile.

She guided him to one of the display tables, where the newly released phones were displayed in its glory.

Lily explained each features to him, but her word came out a bit rushed, as though she was afraid of messing up. Maximus listened, nodding occasionally, but he couldn't help noticing the way her hands moved, shaking fidgety as she spoke.

"You're doing a good job, you know," Maximus said suddenly, cutting her off right in the middle of her sentence.

"What?"

"You don't have to be so nervous," he said leaning against the counter. "You clearly know your stuff, relax a little bit..."

She laughed awkwardly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just not used to this yet, I started working here a week ago and its very overwhelming... "

"Well, you're doing fine." Maximus said.

They moved on to the laptops, and Lily showed him one that fits his needs. Surprising to her, he made his choice without much hesitation.

As she rang up the total, Maximus handed over his card. While waiting for the receipt, he noticed the slight wear on her shoes and faint bags under her eyes.

He'd seen that look before, it was the look of someone working hard to prevent herself from sinking.