Chapter 54
That dinner was, without exaggeration, deeply strange.
Suzy felt a pressure she had never experienced before.
She had eaten with Adam and Leonard countless times without discomfort. But the moment Ronan appeared, something in the atmosphere shifted—subtle, invisible, yet unbearable.
She finished eating quickly and set down her chopsticks.
"I’m going to the restroom," she excused herself.
By the time she returned, the three men had nearly finished as well.
"I’ve already paid. Let’s go," Leonard called, waving her over.
Ronan hadn’t driven. He got into Adam’s car.
With a light smile, he pulled open the passenger door and slid into the seat, fastening his seatbelt before turning to his cousin.
"Hey, bro," he said casually, "do you like Suzy?"
Adam’s temple twitched almost imperceptibly. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
Now that no one else was around—and given how close they were—Ronan spoke without restraint.
He ignored the denial, buckling in comfortably.
"But your attitude toward her is different," he said lazily. "I’ve never seen you care about someone like that."
"...Don’t talk nonsense."
"Nonsense?" Ronan laughed. "You were staring at her the whole time during dinner. I saw it."
Adam’s lips pressed into a thin line. Ronan pushed on mercilessly.
"You were attentive too—pouring her soup, picking food for her, remembering her preferences. Since when did you become so considerate?"
The engine started. Smooth jazz filled the car, low and unhurried.
Adam didn’t answer immediately.
After a moment, he said evenly, "I used to take care of her when we were younger. It’s a habit."
Ronan blinked. "Ohhh. So she’s the one you mentioned before."
Adam gave a small nod.
That explanation made sense—why Adam knew her tastes, why he was familiar with her habits.
And yet...
Ronan still felt something was off.
"Enough," Adam said quietly. "Drop it."
"Fine, fine," Malcolm leaned back.
He hummed along with the music for a few seconds, then added casually, "I think Suzy’s pretty cute. What do you think if I ask her out?"
Adam’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, almost imperceptibly. His tone, however, remained level. "You can try. If you’re not afraid of Leonard breaking your legs."
Ronan snorted. "Why would he? I’m outstanding. Leonard would definitely approve of me as his future nephew-in-law."
A faint, almost mocking smile curved at the corner of Adam’s lips.
"Heh."
Ronan caught it immediately and bristled. "You don’t believe me?"
"Don’t mess around," Adam warned.
Ronan muttered something under his breath, then, unwilling to give up, asked again, "So you really don’t have any improper thoughts about Suzy?"
Adam’s gaze sharpened. "Don’t make me repeat myself."
Ronan made a zipper motion across his lips.
"Alright, alright. I’ll shut up... But can you at least send me her contact? I’d like to get to know her."
Adam stepped on the brakes. The car came to a smooth stop.
"Get out."
***
Meanwhile, Suzy and Leonard had wrapped up everything in C City and boarded a flight to A City.
Two hours later, the plane landed.
They planned to head straight to Starlight Towers to check on the progress of the safe house renovation.
The moment they stepped out of the airport exit, a sleek black sports car caught Suzy’s eye.
Leaning against it stood a young man—striking enough to draw attention even in a crowded space.
Suzy glanced once and immediately froze.
She stopped walking. Leonard followed her gaze, puzzled.
When he realized she was staring at a young man, he teased lightly, "Like that car?"
Suzy’s mouth twitched. "No."
The reason Suzy had stopped wasn’t because of the car. It was because of the man beside it.
Richard Stone.
The same Richard Stone who, like her, possessed a spatial ability. The same Richard who knew fragments of the future.
The last time she had seen him felt like a lifetime ago.
What was he doing here?
Before Suzy could dwell on the question, the answer presented itself.
A woman in a tight spaghetti-strap dress, her figure striking and confident, walked up to him with a carry-on bag in hand. She looked as though she had just stepped off a flight.
Richard reached out naturally, took her bag, and opened the passenger door for her.
The two got into the sports car together.
Moments later, the engine roared softly, and the car disappeared into traffic.
Suzy lifted a brow.
So Richard had a girlfriend.
"Looks like he’s taken," Leonard teased, patting her shoulder in mock consolation. "It’s fine. Your uncle can introduce you to someone better."
"Uncle, it’s not what you think," Suzy said, though she didn’t bother explaining further.
They got into their car and drove toward Starlight Towers.
Suzy went straight to the building where she had rented an apartment.
Standing beneath Tower Three, she glanced instinctively toward the top floor.
Richard’s place.
From the outside, it appeared fully renovated.
She withdrew her gaze and entered her own unit.
The original door had been replaced with a heavy-duty explosion-proof security door. Solid. Reassuring.
More than enough to withstand the coming extreme heat disaster.
At least for now, society still had order. People still retained reason. Laws still meant something.
She entered the passcode and stepped inside.
The first thing she checked was the windows. All of them had been reinforced with anti-theft steel frames and additional protective layers.
"Uncle, we’ll stay here for now," she said.
They each chose a bedroom.
The apartment was still bare—no daily necessities, no signs of real living. Suzy didn’t want to expose her spatial ability prematurely, so she would have to buy basic supplies the normal way.
But before that, she needed to check on the progress of the safe house.
She left the rental unit and headed upstairs.
After swiping her access card, the elevator took her directly to the top floor.
Construction debris littered the hallway.
Before coming up, she had already confirmed from the outside that all the glass panels had been replaced—multiple reinforced layers installed discreetly, indistinguishable from neighboring units.
She stepped carefully over piles of discarded materials until she reached the custom explosion-proof security door.
She nodded in satisfaction. It was exactly what she had ordered.
At this hour, the workers were out for lunch, so the place was empty.
She did a quick walkthrough.
Eighty-five percent complete. Very soon, it would be finished.
Satisfied, she left.
Downstairs, she contacted Leonard. Together, they drove to the largest shopping complex nearby.
They needed daily necessities.
The apartment was empty. Even if she wanted to take things out of her space, it would look suspicious.
Leonard had already arranged for a water delivery company to send large quantities of drinking water to the apartment later.
He had also prepared a list of essentials.
Today’s trip was for household goods. Afterward, they would head to the wholesale market for bulk purchases.
Leonard had just parked the car when someone in the distance caught his attention.
The silhouette looked familiar.
When the person turned fully, recognition dawned.
"Suzy," Leonard said slowly, "isn’t that Wendy?"
Suzy followed his gaze.
It was.
Wendy stood not far away, her posture upright, her expression radiant with confidence.