System Rebirth: Lucas thrives in the Endless Winter

5. Houston Villa

Lucas woke up the next day, feeling refreshed—no Vales screaming in his head to clean the house or make them breakfast. Just peace.

After a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, Lucas took a taxi to the state lottery headquarters with his ticket. Oliver lent him some cash before leaving for college.

Under normal circumstances, Lucas should have gone with him to college, but the quests were more important. College wouldn't matter in a few days.

The journey to the headquarters took about an hour. The receptionist welcomed him warmly when he arrived and took him to the office.

His ticket was verified, and the prize was confirmed. Lottery winnings weren't taxed in their country, so the total sum of man million dollars was sent to his bank account.

Lucas frowned when he didn't see the other man that won the jackpot in his previous life. Didn't he win this time? Lucas was excited nonetheless. He didn't have to share the jackpot with anyone else.

As he left, different financial managers bombarded him, taking him by surprise. Of course, they would be there to approach whoever won the jackpot about a business deal or investment.

As much as Lucas would have loved to invest the money, it was strictly for the apocalypse preparation.

He rejected all their offers and left the headquarters. Then he took another taxi to Queens Avenue, where he wanted to buy a house.

Why Queens Avenue? This was the street his family lived on.

Queens Avenue was one of the best streets in the city. It had a lot of malls, stores, warehouses, and other buildings. Getting supplies would be easier if he stayed here.

What more? When the apocalypse began, his family would see him thriving while they suffered. He wanted to see how long they would last without his help.

Lucas stopped at the real estate agency and met with one of the agents.

“Good day. How may I help you?” asked the female agent.

Lucas went straight to the point. “I want to buy Houston Villa. I'll pay the full price today, and I'll also need the keys today.”

The agent blinked at the young man before her. Judging from his appearance, she could tell she was by far older than him. Did young people have so much money nowadays? His casual dressing didn't speak volumes about his wealth. Although her experience had taught her not to judge a book by its cover, she still doubted his capabilities.

“I’ll call the owner then. You can sit over there and wait for him.”

She pointed at the seats in the corner as she picked her phone. Lucas sat and waited patiently.

“Lucas?” said a familiar voice.

He looked up. His expression turned sour as Brian and a blond-haired guy walked toward him.

“What are you doing here?” asked Brian. His outfit screamed extravagance. His luxury black leather jacket complemented his blue jeans and white sneakers. Brian loved flaunting the Vales’ wealth.

“I could ask the same thing,” replied Lucas smugly.

“He probably found out we’ll be coming here today, so he came here to try and get back into the family,” said the blond-haired guy. He was Gale, Brian's best friend with a nasty and proud attitude.

Gale was also dressed extravagantly, but not on the same level as Brian's. Of course, he got the clothes from Brian. Gale's monthly allowance could never cover this kind of luxury.

Brian grinned. “Oh, I thought you cut ties with the Vales. Was that all a facade?”

“Of course, it was. How would he ever survive if he cut ties with you all?”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “You think too highly of yourselves. Who said I was here to beg you?”

“What are you doing here then? Buying a house?” Gale laughed.

“Exactly.”

Gale and Brian paused and shared a glance for two seconds. Then they burst into laughter. The nearby agents glanced at them, wondering what was so funny.

“Nice joke, Lucas. You and I know you can't even afford the cheapest house here,” said Gale as he wiped a teardrop with his index finger.

Brian placed a hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “You don't have to act so tough. Just beg me and I can coax Dad into bringing you back. I know things have been hard for you ever since you left.”

“Take your hand off if you don't want it broken.” Lucas glared at him.

The look in his eyes reminded Brian of Lucas's expression the previous day. His face paled, and he stepped back, taking his hand off.

Realizing he was scared, his face hardened. Since when did he start being scared of Lucas?

As he opened his mouth, a man dressed in a well-tailored three-piece suit walked into the agency, and approached the agent Lucas spoke with.

“I have business to attend to. But you'll regret ever threatening me. Good luck getting back into the family.” Brian scoffed, then approached the man. Gale threw Lucas a nasty look before following.

Lucas just scoffed. What were they even doing here? He tried to remember if Brian bought any house in his past life before the apocalypse. The closest thing he remembered was his parents talking to Brian about acquiring a house. Was that today?

“Good day, Mr. William,” Brian said to the man with a smile.

The man, William, glanced at him and then asked the agent. “Is he the one?”

She shook her head and pointed at Lucas, who was approaching them. “That’s him.”

William faced Lucas when he reached them. He extended his hand for a handshake. “William Houston. I'm the owner of the Houston Villa.”

“Lucas Vale.” Lucas shook his hand. “Let's do this quickly. I don't have much time.”

Brian frowned. “Wait, hold up. What is going on here?”

“Any problem, young man? I have a business to attend to, as you can see,” said William.

Brian stuttered, taken aback by the harsh tone. “I…I'm Brian Vale. I'm here to buy your villa."

“You're too late. He already asked for it.”

Brian's and Gale's eyes widened.

Lucas chuckled at their reaction. So they were here for Houston Villa also. Good thing he got here before them.

“Him? Impossible," Gale said. “Lucas, what trick are you playing here? Houston Villa costs twelve million. Where on earth are you ever going to get that amount of money?”

“Is there a problem?” asked William.

Brian smiled. “My apologies. Don't waste your time with him. He's my brother who ran away from home just yesterday. He's doing this just to get our attention.”

William frowned and stared at Lucas. He didn't say anything, but his face was obviously asking for an explanation.

In response, Lucas just took out his bank card and handed it to him. “I’ll pay half of the price now. Swipe it.”

Brian chuckled. “You are not fooling anyone, Lucas.”

William didn't say anything. He took the card and handed it to the agent.

“That would be six million dollars, sir,” the agent said.

“Go ahead," Lucas replied.

Brian and Gale looked at each other, having the same thought. There was no way Lucas owned that amount of money.

The agent inserted the card into the terminal and authorized the payment. It beeped.

“Payment successful,” the agent said, giving Brian and Gale the shock of their lives.

“What?” Gale’s jaw dropped.

Lucas smiled at William, taking his card back. The look on Brian's face gave him pure satisfaction. “Let's process all the documents. I'm moving in today.”

“Wait, where did you get that amount of money?” demanded Brian.

“How is that any of your business?” Lucas raised his left brow.

“Mr. William, don't trust him. He must have stolen it. There's no way you had that amount of money all this time,” Brian said.

“Can we get started with this, sir?” Lucas asked, facing William. He didn't want to waste any time.

“Of course, come with me.”

“Stop right there,” Brian said.

“Who do you think you are?” snapped William, already growing a distaste for Brian. “Samantha, take care of this, please.”

“If you are not here to buy a property, then I'll have to ask you two to leave,” the agent said to Brian and Gale in a stern voice. She wouldn't allow these people to jeopardize her commission.

Brian clenched his fist, watching Lucas walk into an office with William. His rage intensified when Lucas gave him a slight wave before entering.

He grunted and stormed out of the building. Gale followed shortly.

“How is this possible?” muttered Gale. “Where did he get so much money—”

“Shut up. Let's go,” Brian snapped.