Chapter 378: Food Court Stampede
15 minutes ago… AMC Mall
Dante picked a shirt from the rack and turned around. “Uncle Roberto, try this one. White suits you.”
Roberto gave an awkward smile. “You already bought me four pairs of clothes today… and a fancy watch. Don’t overspend. Youngsters your age should save for the future.”
Dante grinned and replied nonchalantly, “Don’t worry about the money, Uncle. I’ve got more than enough now, thanks to Olivia and Jay. What they gave me is enough for us to shop every day for a year, and I’d still have plenty left.”
Roberto raised an eyebrow in surprise. After a short pause, he said, “Dante… for them to give you that much, there must be strings attached. You shouldn’t accept such gifts in case they use it as leverage.”
Dante waved it off. “You’re overthinking, Uncle. Olivia gave the same or even more to the other Alpha Chosen who joined her Commerce Guild. It’s part of the recruitment benefits. And the money from Jay? That came from exchanging my own Reward Points.”
He pointed at his charcoal grey outfit. “Besides, compared to the armor Jay gifted me, this stuff is nothing.”
Roberto wasn’t surprised. He had already seen Dante morph the armor into any outfit he wanted, from a simple T-shirt to even a tuxedo.
Curiosity got the better of him. “Oh… how precious is it?”
Dante placed a hand on his chin, thinking for a moment.
“Well… rather than putting it in terms of Universe Points, which are hard to compare, I’ll put it this way. The Universal Currency that can be exchanged for this armor is enough to buy ownership rights to hundreds of desolate planets or dozens of life planets.”
Roberto was left speechless at the scale. Millions or billions of dollars he could understand, but money that could buy planets was hard to digest.
Dante understood the look on his uncle’s face. He had felt the same when MJ first explained it to him.
It took Roberto nearly a minute to recover. By then, Dante had already picked matching pants for the shirt and had them billed.
Carrying several bags in one hand, he swung them over his shoulder. With his other hand rubbing his stomach, he said, “Let’s go grab some food, Uncle. I’m starving.”
Roberto finally shook his head, deciding not to dwell on the earlier topic. Together, he and Dante made their way down to the lower ground floor, to the food court.
They placed their order first and then searched around until they found an empty spot among the crowded tables.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Roberto looked around and sighed. “We should have come tomorrow. Weekend evenings are peak hours in malls.”
Dante nodded. “I know, Uncle. But it’s been a week since I came back from the Trial World. I’d feel bad if I didn’t spend some proper time with you and treat you to delicacies. Speaking of which, I wonder how this ‘Biriyani Sizzler’ will taste. I’ve had them both separately, but never together.”
Roberto nodded and waited eagerly for the order. As a chef, he enjoyed trying new flavors, and Indian cuisine had opened up tastes he hadn’t explored before. He had especially taken a liking to biriyani.
While they chatted, they overheard a conversation from the table beside them.
A young man in a sharp suit sat across from a woman, his face lined with frustration. “All I’m asking is for a 5% share in their stocks, and I’m even offering double the market value. If this deal works out, I can apply for a higher seat on the company board. But what pisses me off is that the CEO’s son, Kay, rejected the offer before even listening to it fully. Just because Nav Yuga Enterprise is on the rise, he thinks he’s some big shot.”
The woman across from him, elegant and well-dressed, blinked in surprise. “Kay? Nav Yuga?”
The young man looked at her with interest. “You know him?”
She looked like she had slipped up. “We were in the same class back in high school.”
The man’s eyes lit up. “Well, that’s perfect! Then can you do me a favor? Put in a good word for me and connect me with him. This deal is important to my company.”
Her face showed hesitation, but after a pause, she replied, “We weren’t close. And honestly, my recommendation wouldn’t make a difference. It’s better not to get involved.”
The man’s expression darkened, but then he smirked. “Do this for me, and if the deal with Nav Yuga works out, I’ll put forward a marriage proposal. Think about it, tying up with our company will benefit your family business.”
The woman’s expression soured as she realized the blind date arranged by her family had turned into a business favor.
Before she could retort, the man’s phone rang. Seeing his brother’s name on the screen, he clicked his tongue. “Tch… I need to take this.”
He stayed on the phone, arguing heatedly as if she weren’t even there.
Dante and Roberto looked at each other, both realizing they had just come across an arrogant rich second-generation youth, and that too someone trying to buy shares in Nav Yuga.
Dante glanced at the woman with a frustrated look, wondering if he should tell her that he knew Kay and might be able to help. In the end, he decided against it.
Just then, their order arrived. Both of them eagerly tried the dish, only to awkwardly meet each other’s eyes.
“Nope… definitely not a good combination. Should’ve gone for plain biriyani.”
Roberto chuckled and nodded in agreement.
That was when the floor began to tremble. At first, it was light, but soon the entire mall shook violently. Cracks spread across the ceiling and walls. Water dripped from burst pipes, and sparks flashed from exposed wires. Then chunks of concrete broke loose, crashing to the ground with growing intensity.
The food court broke into a stampede. Chairs scraped. Trays hit tile. People screamed and surged toward the exits.
🌟 Join the Free tier to view exclusive artwork for public chapters! 🌟
╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮
Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' : Newest update provided by Nove1Fire.net
╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯