Chapter 4. Obsession with Easy Money

Recalling the possibility of betrayal before me, Max's face came vividly to mind. He looked at me with a certain malice in his eyes, which I could understand, considering the excessive retribution for his deed. Fortunately, the next words of the girl pulled me out of my stupor.

"Hi... Max, right?" she greeted, clarifying my name.

"Yes, and... who are you?" I asked in response.

"I'm your upstairs neighbor, Adelina," she said softly.

"Nice to meet you. How can I help?" I said, scrutinizing her.

"I wanted to ask if I could borrow a shirt and pants from you," she said, a little embarrassed.

"What?" I blurted out in astonishment. She needs my pants and shirt?

"Just my boyfriend's clothes got dirty now, and we need to go out urgently, so I thought I'd borrow some of your clothes until his dry," she said, embarrassed.

Honestly, these were not the words I expected from her. Although it's probably for the best, considering my current financial situation, I might have tried to court her, but now it's out of the question.

"Yes, of course. I'll bring them now," I said, then headed towards the closet. I always kept clean clothes in my travel bag, so I just picked it up and returned.

"Here, everything you need is here," I said, handing her the bag.

"But..." she started to say, but I interrupted her.

"Take it, let him choose what fits him best, return it later," I said, not giving her a chance to respond, and closed the door.

After a few seconds, footsteps were heard behind the door. Perhaps she, a little confused, decided to return to her apartment. In turn, I didn't dwell on her and decided to browse the internet to see which cars are currently popular. As it turned out, most of these cars are not so easy to get; more than half of them will have to wait for about 2 or 3 months, and I would like to drive a car now. So, I have to choose from what is available in stock.

I managed to browse almost half a dozen cars of different configurations and classes, but I still couldn't choose. Fortunately, browsing various car websites made the time waiting for the courier pass quickly. A knock on the door was heard in the apartment, and I leisurely went to meet the courier.

"Yes, I'll open it now," I shouted, opening the door.

Before me stood a guy about my age. He was dressed simply, even very, wearing a cheap T-shirt over which was a courier jacket. Behind him, you could see a large yellow box in which he brought my phone. He didn't look great, dark circles under his eyes, like mine, indicated a lack of sleep, his hair carelessly cut was wet with sweat. Looking at him now, I began to understand how people saw me, because working as a courier, my appearance was the same, if not worse, and I was a courier just yesterday. Perhaps, because of the overwhelming feelings that came over me, I decided today to thank him for delivering my phone with a tip.

"Here's your order. Can you check it in front of me, please?" he said, a little nervously.

"Yes, of course," I said and opened the package with careless movements, then quickly removed the film from the phone box.

It took only a few seconds for all this, it remained only to take out the phone and turn it on. The phone, as expected, turned on, and then demanded registration and setup. After making sure that the gadget was working correctly, the courier was already about to leave, but I stopped him.

"Thank you for the order, goodbye," he said.

"Wait, one minute," I quickly said in a slightly louder voice. Perhaps because of the raised voice, the courier stopped a little confused, he probably thought that something happened to the phone.

"Yes, is something wrong with the phone?" he said.

"No, everything's fine with it. Can you give me your number? I'll transfer you a tip," I replied friendly.

"Huh?" he said in confusion, clearly not expecting to receive a tip after my shout, which surprised him.

"I want to send you money for a cup of tea," I said again with an even more friendly voice.

"Yes, of course. Thank you!" he replied with a bright smile. Seeing it, I unexpectedly for myself filled with some feeling of happiness or inspiration.

After receiving his number, I entered it into the bank's application. At first, I was going to send him just over 100 thousand, maybe even 1 million, but now I decided that I should help him a little, let him relax with his family. So, I sent him 12 million from the remaining 82 million, which he could use to pay off loans if he had any, and take his family on vacation abroad. Pressing the send button, I involuntarily glanced at him, waiting for him to look at the message from the bank.

He didn't rush to look at his phone, perhaps feeling embarrassed about it, but as he looked back while descending, I noticed that he couldn't resist taking a peek. His bag, shaped like a box, suddenly fell as his hands couldn't bear the weight upon seeing the sum. They accidentally let it go, and then he sharply turned his head back, looking at me in disbelief. His hands that had just held the bag were trembling, his gaze darted around the hallway in search of me; it was as if he couldn't see me because of the overwhelming emotions. I, on the other hand, just watched him without moving, perhaps even enjoying this moment.

"I... are you sure you sent it correctly? It seems like you made a mistake. Uh... um..." he muttered something softly and indistinctly, his voice trembling.

"Everything's correct, it's for you. Though it's not much, it'll help you for a while," I said softly, like a teacher instructing a student for the last time.

"But, how can I take so much? Maybe I should return some to you; a few thousand would be enough for such a delivery. Really," he continued to tremble.

"I don't need it, I have plenty of money now," I said, then added, "For me, this amount is now small, but for you, it looks huge, so use it wisely, pay off debts if you have any, and take your family somewhere to relax. And now it's time for me to go, come on, you need to run," I finished speaking abruptly, closing the door, as continuing this dialogue in the hallway felt somehow inappropriate, and if I hadn't ended it like this, he would have continued standing here.

Though I closed the door, I still watched him through the peephole. He stood still for a while, and then, nodding vigorously, he ran downstairs, grabbing his bag on the way. So ended my encounter with him, the first person I helped. I hope there will be many more moments like this because even though it's just a little, I can partially redeem my actions, which I intend to do in the future.

After receiving the new phone, I had to spend almost half an hour on the complete registration of the phone and its setup. After all, it's not my forte; the only thing I excel at is using it in my spare time to watch videos or play small idle games. Finally done with it, I took one last look around the apartment. I had lived here for just over 3 or 4 months, coming home exhausted and drained. The only pleasant memory of it was the fleeting encounters with the neighbor who, as it turned out, already had a boyfriend. Well, it's time to leave. I left the key under the doormat at the entrance and sent a message to the landlady with a photo of the key, also sending her a bonus rent for the year ahead as payment for the time spent in this apartment.

Finally saying goodbye to everything, I left the house. The only things left with me were the phone and the old bicycle. Perhaps I should have left it somewhere; maybe someone else would need it, but right now, I needed to somehow get to the nearest car dealership. I decided that I would just buy a car there that I liked, and if the available funds weren't enough, I would make an exchange because, no matter what, I wanted to live, and money is just a nice bonus to saving my life.

Another important thing I had been thinking about all this time was the table. It had been in front of my eyes all this time, although practically transparent, but I kept being distracted by it, mechanically studying it again. An hour after gaining the ability, I internally screamed.

"When will it disappear, damn it..." I muttered, noticing that the transparent table disappeared from my vision, after which I received a message on my phone.

"You're so slow. Over 40 people before you managed to remove it, and you only did it now. Luckily for you, I'm not punishing you for this because you punished yourself with your foolishness. Well, good luck to you, my little friend."

After reading the message, I felt like my vein on my forehead was about to burst from tension, and then I slowly stopped to calm down. It would take about 5 more minutes to get to the dealership by bike, but I decided to walk them, not rushing to calm down. The more I communicated with this guy through texts, the more I felt like an idiot. It seemed that I was like a little animal for him, with which he played in his patient manner.

Finally, I found myself at the car dealership. It took me about an hour to get there, as instead of a 5-minute ride, I walked for about 20 minutes, slowly digesting what was happening. Just yesterday, I couldn't even dream of buying a car, and today I'm going to buy a new one without restricting myself in means. If you forget about how the money was obtained, you could say that now I can live as I wanted when I was a child, not needing anything and not worrying about problems.

Approaching the dealership, I left the bike near the entrance, which by the way, aroused interest from the surrounding people wandering around the store. One of such onlookers was an employee of this dealership. When I noticed her, she quickly turned away and ran somewhere. I had no choice but to go and look for someone from the staff myself. The dealership was quite large, rows of new cars of different configurations and colors stood there. As I walked through it, I met a large number of employees, but almost all of them were busy with other customers or talking on the phone, apparently with departed customers or waiting for them.

In the end, I wandered around the center, inspecting the cars from the outside. Of course, I wanted to inspect the cars inside as well, but I felt somehow scared to touch them without the supervision of one of the staff. But my nervousness and excitement from the moment didn't let me stop, and I continued to examine the cars, albeit from a distance. This lasted until a girl who ran away at the sight of me at the entrance to the dealership came up to me. In her company was a slightly younger girl, whom she can be said to have pushed towards me; the young employee didn't lose her composure and addressed me.

"Hello, my name is Madina. Are you considering purchasing a car?" she inquired, a smile gracing her face.

"Yes, I've been browsing cars for about half an hour now, but I decided not to make any decisions without the assistance of a consultant. Would you help me choose a car?" I responded, returning her smile.

"Of course, I'd be happy to assist you. What kind of car are you looking for?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, I've just decided that I want to get a car that I'll like," I said, and behind me, I heard laughter. Turning around, I noticed the same girl who had nudged Madina towards me. Seeing this, Madina addressed me.

"Pay no mind to her, she's laughing at me. You're my first client," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"I'm glad to be your first client, and since this is your first sale, please show me the best cars your center has," I said, feeling inspired. At this point, I not only wanted to buy a car but also to impress that girl.

"And what's her name?" I asked Madina.

"She's Vladа. One of the managers," she replied.

"Understood. Alright, let's quickly have a look at the cars you'd someday like to own," I said with a smile.

In the end, I spent about another hour at the dealership, thoroughly inspecting the cars. While I was occupied with this, I couldn't help but notice the glances directed at me. A few more girls of different ages joined Vladа, observing me and exchanging sharp remarks among themselves. Although I could barely hear them, the feeling of being laughed at was overwhelming. Fortunately, I finally managed to make my purchase decision.

I chose a Japanese car brand with the letters "LS" on it. Additionally, I purchased another car from the same brand that Madina had shown me, choosing it as a gift for her. The total price came out to just over 68 million, and since there was a discount for full payment, it amounted to 63 million. I'm not sure if I'll be happy when she finds out about my gift to her, but I'm sure I'll laugh heartily at Vladа's and her friends' surprised faces.

"I've chosen the cars. I'll take this one and the one you showed me from the same company," I said.

"Yes, of course. Do you want to pay in installments or by credit?" she asked, sounding a bit unsure.

"I want to pay upfront. There's a discount, right?" I asked.

"Of course, there is. I'll process your purchase now. Can you please provide your ID?" she said, extending her hand.

I took out my ID and said, "Madina, register the second car under your name. It's my gift to you," observing her reaction with a smile.

"What?!" she exclaimed, bewildered.

"Of course you can. It's a gift from your first client. Please accept it," I said with a broad smile.

"Well... if you liked me, then..." she started, still sounding uncertain.

"It's a gift from the heart. And even if I liked you, I would have asked you out on a date, not given you a car," I said awkwardly, chuckling.

"Um, okay then," she said, but it seemed to me like she was a bit disappointed.

"Oh, and take this card. You can pay for it yourself. The PIN is four eights," I added.

Vladа and her entourage observed this scene. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and saw her initially bewildered expression, followed by a decision as she went after Madina. Reluctantly, I decided to follow her.

"Do you believe him? Where did he get the money from? He came on a rusty bike and decided to buy these cars? He wouldn't have earned that much in his whole life, trust me. You shouldn't try to register them under his name; you'll only disturb the accounting for no reason. Let me go instead; worst case, I'll just apologize for the mistake. I won't get fired for that, but you might," she said in a pleasant tone.

"No, I'll do it myself. If he deceived me, I'll just get scolded, not fired," she said firmly.

"I'll help them fire you if you don't listen to me," she said in a strict manner, pressing her.

"Then so be it," she said, and went to process the purchase.

Oh, the face Vladа made after such a refusal. Well, at least she didn't come to me asking to buy something from her. Alright, all that's left is to wait for the cars, and I'll be able to leave here in one of them, though I'll need to arrange a ride back. The process took just over 20 minutes, and after getting temporary plates and putting my bike in the trunk, I left. Later, I noticed Madina's number among the documents in the glove compartment of the car.