Reincarnated To Divorce My Wife Before The Apocalypse

Chapter 8: Hector Rico

Felix woke with a soft grunt. It took him a few seconds to realize it wasn't a dream, he really had time travelled.

Heaving a sigh of relief, he checked last night's score.

Spain: 2:0 France

"Thank you, Spain. Y'all really saved me from the pain of taking a loan," he whispered with a grin.

His hands quickly swiped through the bank app. After a few seconds, the balance loaded.

$24,985,000.00

"Wait... wait, what? Wasn't thirty-two supposed to hit my account? Thirty-two million, eight hundred and seventy-five? Why is it twenty-four? Even with tax, it's supposed to be twenty-six I receive."

He scrolled down with disbelief, heart hammering. Seven deposits from different books, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, all chopped.

"W-2G... withholding... 24% Federal withholding..."

He did the math.

"Seven point eight million? Seven million, eight hundred and ninety thousand dollars just gone? Just like that?"

He threw the phone onto the bed.

"Those thieving bastards! You greedy American betting platforms! You just take it before I even see it!"

He grabbed the phone again and opened his CPA's email.

[Nice hit. Bad news: Federal top bracket is 37% on gambling winnings. They only withheld 24% at source. You still OWE roughly $4.27M by April 15th. Let's talk estimated payments.

- Ron]

"Four million? I still OWE four million? Hahaha!"

Throwing his head back, Felix laughed out in rage.

"Greedy government. Greedy, fat, useless government. You take seven million while I sleep and you still want four million more? For what? To build roads that will be under ice in six months?"

He stood up, pacing the small room, the cold morning light cutting through the blinds.

"Fuck it. Ron, file an extension. Six months. That's that."

He stopped by the window and looked out at the grey sky.

"By October, you won't have an office to collect it from anyway."

He sat down a moment, doubting the money would cover the renovation and other plans. Scrolling through construction companies online, he picked one with a lot of positive reviews and called.

"Yo what's good, you reached Big D Construction, papi, tell me what you need, we got you, how can we help?"

"I want to renovate a villa," Felix said.

"No problem. I will need to come see it and then we can talk of what to change and price."

"Oh, I forgot to say. It's not just a normal renovation. I want to turn it into a fortress like. It's a two floor villa. I want it sturdy enough that a car ramming into it wouldn't easily break in, and that glass upstairs changed to something more sturdy. Come see it, then tell me how long it will take and your price."

The Mexican on the line went silent. "Okay, I will come over today since I'm free."

Felix hung up, sent the address, then left the hotel and took a car to his inherited villa.

Reaching it, he didn't even spare a glance towards Harrison's house as he walked into the dilapidated frontage and sat down. Less than thirty minutes later, a tan Mexican dude approached the ruined gate.

Felix hurried to meet him, and after handshakes and introductions, he led the man, Hector Rico towards the building.

Hector had brought little but his measuring tape and a book to jot things down. His eyes moved across the cracked walls, broken windows and worn-out floors.

The villa was larger than he had expected: two floors covering roughly 720 square metres, several bedrooms, two parlours, a dining room, a kitchen, a gym, a wine room.

With the garden and driveway, the whole property came to around 1,300 square metres.

After walking the property, Hector returned, thoughtful.

"Well, the place is big, and from what you've told me, you don't just want a renovation, reinforced walls, stronger windows, a new gate, upgraded security, electrical, plumbing, a complete overhaul of the interior. With the fence and the other modifications, I'd estimate six to eight months to finish properly."

"Three months."

Hector blinked. "Sorry?"

"Three months, everything done. Bring more workers, organize shifts, when one team finishes, another takes over. I don't care if they work day and night, provided the quality doesn't suffer."

"Sir, I understand you're in a hurry, but this isn't a small project. Rushing construction can cause serious problems, especially with reinforced structures."

"I'll pay double your normal construction f*e."

Hector closed his notebook and looked at Felix again. "You mean that?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Hector studied him, then let out a breath.

"Okay. I'll bring in more experienced workers, arrange early deliveries, and run several teams on different sections at once. Three months will be difficult, but with enough money and proper planning, we can attempt it."

"Good. Now, let's talk about the price."

Felix began listing everything: the walls reinforced, upper floor windows replaced with impact-resistant glass, a front gate heavy enough to stop a ramming vehicle, a tall reinforced wall around the whole property with electric wiring along the top. That was only the beginning.

Then a full electrical upgrade, backup power, water storage, drainage, stronger doors, cameras, motion sensors, a redesigned interior, gym refurbished, kitchen upgraded, the wine room converted to secure storage, the roof inspected and reinforced wherever they found weaknesses.

His pen moved constantly as he took it down, occasionally asking about materials.

When Felix finally stopped, Hector stared at his notes.

"With the additional workers, overtime, materials and the reinforcement work, you're looking at approximately four million dollars, possibly more if we discover serious structural problems during construction."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Four million?"

"Yes. And that's before unexpected expenses. I can give you a more accurate breakdown after my engineers inspect the property."

Hector had expected the amount to frighten him. Instead, Felix simply nodded.

"Fine. Prepare the contract. I'll pay what is necessary, but I want the work to begin tomorrow. Get the materials ordered today and divide the project into sections so your workers can start immediately."

Hector looked at him as though he had just met the strangest wealthy man in America.

"One more thing," Felix added. "I don't want you cutting corners because of the deadline. If something needs better materials or more skilled workers, use them. I'd rather spend extra money than discover the house has problems when I need it most."

"You have my word." Hector straightened, his expression serious. "My father taught me this trade, and he always told me that a man's work carries his name long after he leaves the site. I won't dishonour him by delivering poor work, no matter how tight the deadline becomes."

Satisfied, Felix nodded. "Then we understand each other."

Hector pulled out his contract folder, but paused.

"I'll need to see your property documents first. The ownership certificate, identification, and whatever is required to confirm you're authorized to commission these changes."

Felix handed over the documents he had brought.

Hector examined the ownership certificate, checked it against Felix's identification, then returned everything and set down the contract.

They reviewed the terms, agreed on the payment schedule, and signed.

Hector packed his notebook and measuring tape, already planning which teams to contact first.

"I'll call my engineers and suppliers as soon as I leave. If all goes smoothly, the first workers can be here tomorrow morning."

"Good. I expect progress reports every day."

"You'll get them."

After shaking hands with Felix, Hector walked out of the dilapidated villa with a signed contract worth several million dollars and a deadline that would have made most contractors question their life choices.

Felix, meanwhile, looked around the neglected building and smiled.

Three months.