Down to the garage, sports-car keys spinning around her finger.
She got in, started the engine, and paid for parking. A drive around the neighborhood. She'd barely gone anywhere before. School and the villa. This was the only mall she'd visited.
Girls in her class had mentioned Eastgate Mall. She'd find it now, come back tomorrow afternoon to shop.
Eastgate brought up four or five results. She tapped the mall, followed the route until she was nearby, then searched for other shopping centers.
Two hundred million people in E City, not even counting workers from out of town. Buying in such quantities wasn't going to make her stand out.
The fish should be at her door by now. She turned around and drove home.
Ziyuan ranked among E City's best villa communities. Security to match.
Four guards at the entrance. She greeted them and drove through.
Ten cooked fish waited outside the villa, with a flat-bottomed pan to keep them hot. She carried it all inside and into her space.
Nine o'clock. Shower, face mask. Finally, a little breathing room after days of running around and nights without enough sleep. In bed, she searched for fitness equipment near B City.
Home delivery for all kinds of exercise equipment. She also contacted the best renovation contractor near Crown Heights.
Once she got to B City in three days and bought the apartment, the doors and windows would need work. Good thing she'd called ahead. Their schedule was packed. She'd just caught a slot three days from now.
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No need to rush yet. Otherwise, buying her way to the front of the line would have cost her.
Two security doors, plus soundproof, blast-resistant glass. She exchanged contact details with the supplier and placed the order. At last, bed. Even after all the running around, she'd hardly stopped at night.
A normal bedtime, for once. She was asleep before she knew what story her phone played next. The screen glowed. Its AI voice kept reading. A minute and a half later, the screen went dark.
No alarm set. The phone rang her awake instead. One pale arm escaped the down comforter and fumbled beside the pillow. She hit decline by mistake.
Silence. Her sleepy mind ran through the day's plans. A little more sleep wouldn't hurt.
Less than two minutes. Ringing again. Awake now, she pushed herself up and looked at the screen. "Uncle David."
She answered. "Emma, where are you? You're not at school, are you?" Stern already.
Speaker on. She dressed, washed her face, brushed her teeth.
She'd forgotten Taylor was at her school. Taylor Bennett, David's second child. Always watching, always reporting back, whether anything had happened or not.
She let him talk. Bad company? Dating when she should be studying? A girl had to protect her reputation. On and on.
"You're young. Focus on school. Make something of yourself and you can have your pick of boys. Think about what I told you last time. Bennett Technologies is growing steadily.
"Let me handle your shares. Building the company—that's what your parents wanted, isn't it?"
Unbelievable. Hypocrite.
Taylor must have been talking about her again. Fine. Let them survive until the end. She wanted to take care of them herself.
"Done? Then I'm hanging up."
"What is that attitude, Emma? I'm your uncle. One of the only two relatives you have left! Is that how you talk to your elders?" David's careful mask almost split under his anger.
"Honey, what happened?" His wife leaned against him, trying to hear what had upset him so much.
Too late. Emma hung up. The woman caught only the disconnected tone. David looked grim. His kite had snapped its string. All that time holding it so tightly, and now it had flown away.
He should have broken its wings back then. Even flying, it would still have been under his control.
Emma rinsed her face. Blue Star's president was taking his time. Quietly working his way into Bennett Technologies, piece by piece?
Doorbell. Breakfast. Dozens of portions into her space, a sausage biscuit in her mouth, down to the garage. A G-Class today. More room in the back.
Window halfway down. Trees and flowers scented the air. David's foul start to her morning began to fade.