Chapter 2—A Second Chance and a Cold Resolution
Ruhi then remembered the jade pendant. Before she was taken away, she had seen it around Siya's neck. Siya had said something about a space.
Remembering the plots of novels she'd read, Ruhi looked at the jade pendant her grandmother had given her. Siya had cried until their mother forcefully took it and gave it to her.
If there really is a space, it makes sense. Even after six years in the apocalypse, the Gupta family always looked healthy and never hungry. They always sent me out for supplies while they stayed safe. Now I understand. I was the only one in the dark.
She remembered that tonight, at the old house, her nightmare had begun. Her grandfather had recently passed away and transferred all his inheritance to her. Her father would ask her to sign documents, claiming he wanted to donate things to charity, effectively transferring everything to his name.
Her phone rang again. It was her grandfather's lawyer. In her previous life, her boyfriend had told her not to answer any calls, a scheme to keep her in the dark. Not this time.
"Hello, Uncle Jain. It's Ruhi."
"That's good; you finally called! I need to talk about your grandfather's inheritance. He transferred all his properties and assets to you. This includes 25% shares of Gupta Industries, several properties, a apartment in the new HD building, a supermarket chain, and a few mines."
Ruhi's eyes widened. So much... and it was all swallowed by those people.
"Uncle Jain, I need your help."
"Sure, Miss Ruhi. Just tell me."
"Uncle, I want to sell all my properties except the supermarket and the apartment."
"Sell all of it? Miss, are you sure?" he asked, surprised.
"I'm sure. I want to focus on the supermarket. I can't handle all of this, and my dad will likely pressure me to hand it over. It's better to sell everything now, as soon as possible."
After a moment of thought, he agreed. "Okay, Miss. Leave it to me. I'll handle it."
Just as she hung up, she received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello, is this Miss Ruhi?" a mature female voice asked.
"Yes. Who is this?"
"I am the personal secretary to the CEO of Raj Group. Our CEO is interested in purchasing your shares of Gupta Industries."
Ruhi's mouth fell open. The CEO of Raj Group wants my shares?
"How much?" she asked hurriedly.
"According to the market price, we can offer you twenty billion dollars. Is that okay?"
Twenty billion dollars? Ruhi was stunned. She had never seen that much money.
When the secretary mistook her silence for hesitation, she nervously added, "If it's not enough, we can add another billion."
Ruhi snapped out of her daze. "Sure! I'm ready to sell!"
"Alright. I'm actually downstairs right now. If you don't mind, you could sign the documents immediately."
Downstairs? Ruhi exclaimed and rushed to the window. A black car was parked below. A mature woman got out and entered her building. Soon, the doorbell rang.
Ruhi opened the door. The woman pushed the documents into her hands. "You can read them. Everything is correct. Please sign, and I will transfer the money now."
Ruhi took the documents and signed decisively. No matter what tricks they play now, it will be useless in a few months.
Seeing her sign, the secretary nodded and transferred the money immediately before leaving.
Ruhi closed the door and looked at her bank account. She jumped for joy at the staggering sum.
She immediately called the lawyer back and instructed him to proceed with selling the other assets.
Then, she remembered the jade pendant. Tonight, at dinner, Siya would make a fuss about it, and her family would scold her and take it away.
Ruhi looked at the pendant. She pricked her finger with a pin and let a drop of blood fall onto the jade.
For a moment, nothing happened. Ruhi frowned. Why isn't it working?
Suddenly, the pendant grew hot and began to glow brightly. Ruhi closed her eyes.
When she opened them, her spirit was elsewhere. Her eyes widened. She pinched herself twice. In front of her was a wide area filled with black soil, mountains, and a lake. She walked and found a spring filled with mist.
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A spirit spring! she thought, remembering the novels. It was said to cleanse impurities and heal wounds.
Her eyes fell on a two-story villa. She walked inside.
It opened to a huge living room with a designer sofa set and a grand chandelier. The kitchen was fully equipped with modern appliances, all functioning. The master bedroom was fully furnished, and the bathroom had running water.
In a study, she found a diary on a table. It explained that the space was powerful and held many secrets.
The layout included a movie theater, a training room, and a medicine room with potions that didn't exist in her world. The black soil could grow crops rapidly.
There were two warehouses: one where time stopped and another where time flowed normally.
She returned to the spirit spring and drank from it. The water was sweet, and her whole body felt warm. Soon, a foul smell arose. She looked down; her body was covered in a black, sticky substance.
Thinking of going out, she was instantly back in her apartment. She rushed to the bathroom and scrubbed for an hour.
Coming out, her body felt lighter and brimming with strength. She decided to exercise daily before the apocalypse. The cut on her finger was completely healed.
She looked in the mirror and gasped. Her face was flawless, and she seemed taller. The spirit spring was amazing.
She experimented, sending her phone into space and calling it back with a thought. She tried to enter the space herself but couldn't. Her eyes fell on a spiritual clock in her mind, showing 00:00. Consulting the diary, she learned she could only enter for 20 minutes a day, and today's time had been used. The time would refresh daily and could stack.
She looked at the time. It was already time for dinner. She had to get ready.
She put on simple blue jeans and a purple top, took a taxi, and reached the old house in a few hours.
She knocked. The housemaid opened the door and walked away indifferently. Ruhi was used to it; even the servants treated her with disdain, but in her previous life, she'd been too focused on pleasing her family to notice.