Do-Over Crossroad

I nailed the interview and landed an offer at the Fortune 500 company.

For someone with my background, that was already the peak of my achievements.

The office was far from my parents' place, so after talking it over with them, I decided to buy an apartment near the company.

At the sales center, the agent had just shown me a few units when a loud, gratingly familiar voice came from the entrance.

"Hey! Show me your best apartments. Right now!"

I turned my head.

There was Patrick, swaggering in with Emily clinging to his arm.

The moment they spotted me, they strutted over, sneers plastered on their faces.

"Oliver, why the hell are you still pretending? You think you can afford a place here? I've already checked. You'd have to sell both of your run-down old apartments just to scrape together a down payment."

At his words, the sales agent, who had just been all smiles with me, suddenly cooled.

I shot back, saying, "And you think you can afford it?"

Patrick tilted his chin proudly. "Of course. I won 50 million dollars. I could buy several units in cash."

The sales agent's demeanor flipped instantly, practically rushing to his side.

"Sir, how can I help you?"

Patrick pointed lazily at one of the displays.

"That one looks nice."

The agent's eyes lit up, immediately launching into her pitch.

"Excellent choice, sir. That's the best apartment in the whole complex: prime location, best view. For you, it's practically nothing. It's only 20 million."

"Twenty...million!?"

Both Patrick and Emily froze, jaws dropping.

They clearly had not expected a 100-square-meter place in the city center to be that outrageously expensive.

The agent quickly said, "Of course, if the price feels a little high, you can always finance it with a mortgage."

Patrick stiffened, his pride pricked. "A mortgage? I just won 50 million! Why would I need a mortgage? I'll pay cash."

The agent beamed at that, her tone warming again.

"In that case, sir, you can put down a one-million deposit first. Even if your lottery winnings haven't cleared yet, you can arrange a bank loan in the meantime."

Patrick and Emily exchanged a nervous glance, suddenly wavering.

That was when I frowned and snapped impatiently, saying, "I'm starting to wonder if you really did win 50 million. Or are you just here wasting everyone's time? If you can't afford it, get out."

Emily's eyes blazed red with fury. "Don't you dare spout nonsense! Patrick definitely won the lottery. He just hasn't received the payout yet."

I waved her off. "Then step aside. I'm buying this unit."

My words made the two of them panic.

Grinding his teeth, Patrick barked, "No! I'll take this one. I'll get the bank loan and pay the deposit right now!"