April adjusted her grip on the heavy silver tray, the crystal flutes rattling faintly against the metal as she took a deep breath.

She smoothed down her stolen apron, slapped on the blank, unreadable face of a professional server, and began moving through the crowd toward the VIP tables.

​Xavier Reed sat entirely isolated in his own bubble. Even though he was surrounded by hundreds of wealthy socialites, nobody dared to casually approach him. He looked exactly like the media always described him—cold, untouchable, and completely unbothered by the dramatic family reunion playing out on the stage.

​As April neared his table, her heart did a familiar, fast thud against her ribs. This was it. Her last card for the day.

​She stood beside his chair, tilting the tray forward slightly to offer him a fresh glass of champagne.

"Champagne, sir?" she murmured, keeping her voice low and even.

​Xavier didn’t look up immediately. His fingers simply paused their lazy tapping against his wine glass. When he finally tilted his head, his sharp, dark eyes swept over her with a careless, indifferent glance—the kind of look a billionaire gives a background extra he expects to vanish in a second. He reached out to grab the stem of a flute with his long fingers.

​The moment his skin was about to touch the crystal, April locked her gaze onto his face.

​System, she commanded in her mind. Read his fortune.

​[Target locked: Xavier Reed. Would you like to read Xavier Reed’s fortune?]

[Number of insights left today: 1]

​’Yes.’

​The blue screen displayed into her field of vision, hovering inches from Xavier’s face. The text scrolled down so fast it was almost a blur before it locked into a crisp, neat format.

​[Eye of Destiny: Target — Xavier Reed]

​Hidden Truth: His personal assistant and right-hand man, Secretary Chen, has been secretly bribed by the rival corporate family, the Wrights. Chen has just finished uploading the master access codes for Reed Industries’ automated logistics mainframe to an offshore server five minutes ago.

​Immediate Future (Within 12 hours): Tonight at midnight, Xavier will board his private jet for a sudden business trip to the capital. The mainframe breach will cause a total system blackout mid-flight, disabling the ground communication links and causing his company’s stocks to plummet by 40% by tomorrow morning, effectively bankrupting his main shipping line.

​April’s eyes widened slightly behind her neutral expression. Tonight? In less than twelve hours?

​This wasn’t just a minor corporate leak; this was a fatal stab in the back that would completely cripple his empire right before the apocalypse. If his logistics lines collapsed now, he wouldn’t have the resources or the transport power she needed to hijack for her own fortress stocking.

​Xavier’s fingers closed around the champagne flute. He began to pull it back, his eyes already drifting away from her as if she had already ceased to exist.

​April didn’t back away. Instead, she leaned down slightly, as if adjusting the napkin on her tray, bringing her lips close to his ear.

​"If I were you, Mr. Reed," she whispered, her voice completely deadpan and devoid of any servant-like warmth, "I wouldn’t trust Secretary Chen with the mainframe access codes he uploaded to an offshore server ten minutes ago."

​Xavier froze.

​The glass of champagne was halfway to his chest, but his entire body went completely rigid. The lazy, bored expression on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a sharp, lethal intensity.

His head snapped toward her, his dark eyes narrowing as he stared directly into April’s face.

"What did you just say?" he demanded, but she was prepared to retreat and make him even more desperate.

"Enjoy your drink, sir," she said and was about to leave, but he instantly blocked her path.

Thankfully, they were in a corner, so this didn’t attract too much attention.

Xavier’s voice sounded dangerous, like a quiet thunder rumbling in the distance, but it was completely masked by the loud classical music.

He stepped closer, his imposing height looming over her. "Who are you? How do you know this?" He questioned. "Are you a spy?"

He was so close that April could smell his expensive cologne. Up close, he was remarkably handsome. Even with his face twisted in anger, his sharp jawline and piercing dark eyes were undeniably attractive.

This is why girls like rich men, April thought to herself, a brief, amused thought flashing through her mind. They carry themselves so well and have the best perks.

But she wasn’t some naive girl to be taken off guard. She had survived ten years in hell; a handsome face meant nothing if it couldn’t help her stockpile resources and buy a fortress.

She didn’t flinch. Instead, she leaned in slightly toward him, her expression entirely relaxed.

"Whether I’m a spy or not does not matter, Mr. Reed. I know things that you don’t. That secretary of yours will steal from you, and in the next hour, you’ll get a phone call prompting you to go overseas."

Xavier stared at her, his breath catching as she held his gaze without a single hint of fear.

"When that happens, come find me," April continued, her voice a low, teasing whisper. "Because the best part of the information I have is juicy. It holds the absolute fate of your company’s shipping lines."

With that, while he was still completely stunned and trying to process her words, April smoothly took a step sideways, blending into a group of passing servers. She slipped away before he could grab her back.

She didn’t need to say more. The events that were about to follow would do all the convincing for her. Once he realized she was legit, she would milk him for every dollar he was worth. But first, he had to swallow the bait.

Left standing by his table, Xavier was beyond speechless. He had doubts—major doubts. It sounded like an absurd joke, a crazy stunt pulled by a maid. But a man in his position couldn’t afford to ignore a leak about his master access codes. Whether true or not, there was no harm confirming it.

Silently pulling out his phone, he dialed his private investigator.

"Look into Secretary Chen. Right now. Check his recent network activity and bank accounts."

That was the right call. If nothing came up, he would dismiss whatever the maid said as nonsense rambling. But if something did align...

Exactly thirty minutes later, his phone buzzed. Xavier stepped into a quieter corridor near the ballroom to answer it.

"Sir, we have a massive problem," the investigator’s frantic voice came through the line. "Chen has been receiving huge, untraceable wire transfers from multiple shell companies linked to the Wright family. I just ran a diagnostic on the mainframe—he bypassed security forty minutes ago and uploaded the master access codes to an offshore server."

"What?!" Xavier’s blood ran cold, his face twisting into a mask of pure, livid rage. "Track him down. Block his passport. Block everything he owns. It hasn’t been long, so he hasn’t fled the city yet. Bring Chen to me." He hissed, his grip on his phone hardening.

"Yes, sir!"

As soon as the line went dead, a sudden vibration rattled his hand. A new call was incoming. It was his international operations director.

Xavier picked up, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"Mr. Reed, an emergency has just come up at the capital harbor," the director said urgently. "We need you on site immediately. Your private jet is being prepared for a midnight departure. Can you make it overseas before morning?"

Hearing the exact words leave the director’s mouth, Xavier’s breath hitched.

The maid was... right.

Everything she had said, down to the exact timeline, was happening right in front of his eyes. But how? Who on earth was she? Was she a friend trying to save him, or a foe playing an even deeper game?

A heavy weight settled in his stomach as he remembered her final warning. The fate of your company’s shipping lines.

"Check our shipping lines," Xavier ordered the investigator, redialing him immediately. "Look for any anomalies, any planned strikes, any sabotage."

"Sir, I’m looking at the logs now," the investigator replied after a tense moment. "Everything is completely green. No threats, no structural issues. There’s nothing here."

Xavier hung up, his mind spinning in complete chaos. He couldn’t understand it. The maid had been so completely confident, there was absolutely no way it was a lie. If the system logs showed nothing, then did she somehow know something that no one else on this planet did? How? Who was she, and why was she doing this?

He had so many questions. So many that could not be answered just by thinking deeply about it. The only way to get answers was to find her.

Xavier turned back toward the grand hall, his sharp eyes scanning the sea of uniforms. He didn’t care about the banquet or the Morgans anymore. He just needed to find that one girl.

Finally, he spotted the back of her head, her calm, unhurried posture as she walked toward the back kitchen doors.

He didn’t hesitate. He strode through the crowd, ignoring the guests trying to call his name, and pushed through the double doors into the dimly lit back hallway.

April was walking toward the staff lockers when a sudden shadow loomed over her. Before she could turn around, a strong hand gripped her shoulder, turning her swiftly and pinning her back firmly against the wall.

Xavier stood flush against her, his chest heaving, his dark eyes burning with an intense, chaotic mix of anger and desperation.

"Who are you?" he demanded, his grip tight on her shoulders as he stared down at her face.

Though taken aback by the force he used, April didn’t panic. Looking up at the furious, breathless billionaire, a slow, dangerous grin spread across her lips.

"Is it my identity you’re curious about, Mr. Reed," she asked, her voice completely calm, "or what will happen to your shipping lines by tomorrow morning?"