My Past Life Was My Greatest Fortune

"It turns out my predictions were right. At least my photographic memory from my past life didn’t go to waste.”

Maverick stood outside the lottery redemption center, staring at his old phone.

[Your account has received a deposit of $30,000,000.]

He checked the notification three times before a relieved smile finally appeared. His eyes grew slightly moist.

“Mom… Dad…” He lowered the phone. “This time, you won’t have to struggle anymore.”

Seven days ago, Maverick had woken up ten years in the past.

In his previous life he worked a regular job by day and took delivery runs at night whenever money got tight. That was eventually how he died.

On the night of the accident, Emily had told him to get $3,500. She said Preston urgently needed it to buy a limited-edition pair of sneakers and some other hyped accessories that were selling out fast.

Completely useless things that would lose half their value the moment he walked out of the store.

Maverick was already exhausted, but he still took one more delivery in the rain just to please his ex-wife, who is his current girlfriend.

A car hit him at an empty intersection and drove off. He hit the road, blood running down from a gash on his head.

Rain kept pouring and no one else was around. With blood in his eyes, he still managed to call Emily three times. She didn’t pick up. Then the message came:

[Emily: Don’t bother coming back tonight. Just make sure you have the money ready tomorrow.]

He died there. Even now, after waking up ten years earlier, he could still feel the cold rain on his skin and the dull ache in his head when he thought about that night.

What a fool he had been. When he opened his eyes again, the date on his phone told him everything....August 18, 2016.

Ten years earlier his parents were still healthy and housing prices in the city were only a fraction of what they would become.

A decent three-bedroom apartment in a good area still costs under $100,000. And the companies that would later dominate the world were still in very different stages.

Most importantly, Maverick remembered the future. His photographic memory had preserved countless details from his previous life, including the lottery numbers.

That could account for the ticket that made him hit a jackpot.

Maverick stared at the $30,000,000 balance.

‘First, get Mom and Dad out of that leaking house. After that, put this money into the stocks I still remember. Turning it into real wealth shouldn’t be hard.’

Then Emily’s face surfaced in his mind. The smile faded as his fingers tightened around the phone.

‘I already wasted one life on those people. This time I’m not running from them. I will make sure I’m the one using them.’

Just then his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw Emily’s name.

A faint smile returned. In his previous life, she had called at almost the exact same moment. Everything was happening right on schedule.

He answered. “Maverick, where are you? My brother just came back from his trip. We’re at the Royal Garden Restaurant. Come over and pay the bill. Hurry up.”

Maverick stayed quiet for two seconds, then smiled. “What’s the rush? I’m almost there.”

“Then hurry.” She hung up. Maverick put the phone away. Last time he would have rushed over without thinking. This time he was going for a different reason.

*****

The Royal Garden was one of the more expensive restaurants in the city. Even in 2016, a private room and a full table of dishes could easily cost more than what an average worker earned in a month.

When Maverick arrived, the place was crowded. In the private room, Emily and Preston sat laughing over a table covered with expensive seafood and wine.

Emily spotted him and frowned. “You’re finally here. Go pay the bill.”

The waiter put the bill on the table. “Your total is $2,000,” the waiter said.

Maverick stared at the number.

‘Two thousand dollars…is enough to buy a few shares of meganovel, Apple, Tesla, or Nvidia. If I put this money into those instead… in ten years it could grow to six, eight, maybe twelve million dollars. I would be a fool to pay a bill of two thousand dollars for ingrates.’

He looked up at the two of them. “I’m not paying.”

Emily blinked. “What? It’s only two thousand. My brother just got back. We haven’t seen each other in a long time. What’s wrong with a proper meal?”

“A proper meal you ordered without asking me, then expected me to cover,” Maverick said evenly.

“I’ve already paid Ethan’s tuition, his rent, his living expenses, and the spending money he went through every month. I even got him that job he quit because it was inconvenient. He’s graduated. He’s been traveling. And the moment he’s back, the first thing you do is call me to settle a two-thousand-dollar bill. How long is this supposed to go on?”

Emily’s face tightened. “We’re getting married. He’s going to be your brother-in-law. Family helps family.”

“He’s your brother,” Maverick replied. “If you want to spoil him, use your own money. Don’t use the engagement as a reason to keep handing me the check.”

Preston leaned back with a smug look. “Dude..it’s just two thousand. Don’t make it sound like you’re doing us a favor. Just handle it like usual.”

Maverick looked at him. “Then pay it. You’ve said that before. Usually it just means you wait until I give in. Not this time.”

Preston froze, the smile slipping.

Emily’s voice rose. “Maverick, what’s wrong with you today? You’ve never been like this. You’re embarrassing us.”

“No. I used to keep quiet and pay. That’s the only difference.” Maverick’s tone stayed level. “You two got used to me never saying no. The moment I do, I’m the one with the problem.”

He glanced at the bill again, then at Preston and Emily.

“Emily...I will make it simple. Either you get down, lick my shoe in front of everyone here, and call me Daddy… or this bill isn’t getting sorted out. Your choice.”