The first condo unit the Broker agent showed Ren was a three-bedroom unit with a modern white and wood theme. White walls, wooden floors, wooden accents, and wooden furniture incorporating state-of-the-art technologies like voice features to open the door or even operate windows and some appliances.
It was a family unit, and Ren picked it instead of a bachelor's pad since he was going to take his parents to live with him. He even wrote his explanation to his family after surprising them with a new home.
Surely, they wouldn't say anything about him becoming a gamer if he showed them his income. Not only that, Ren would still continue to go to college for their peace of mind. His mother and father were old schools. As long as he had a backup plan which was his degree, then they wouldn't care about the rest.
They strongly believed that no matter what happened in the future, as long as he had that piece of paper, he wouldn't go hungry like them in the past.
Looking at the place, Ren liked the unit. The only problem was the interior of the bedroom. The master bedroom was reserved for his parents, of course.
Ren preferred his room in shades of grey, black, and steel. A modern strong masculine appeal that suit his taste. White walls felt a little . . . tame to him.
No matter. Ren could have one of the rooms decorated to his liking. He could hire an interior to renovate some of the things that he didn't like. The important thing was, the unit was large enough to house them.
The condo unit would serve as their temporary home until he could save and buy a property in Billionaire Hills. A house and lot was what he wanted the most. A property that he could claim his own and under his name.
Ren was getting excited at the prospect while Leonel inspected the sofas.
"This place is great." Leonel felt comfy, and his butt pretty much felt at home on the cushioned seats. "How much is this again?"
The Broker answered with all smiles, which made Leonel gape with wide eyes.
"T-that so many zeroes!"
The Broker only laughed a little. "It's because this property is close to the CBD and Fate Academy. In fact, this building, only has five units left. Many parents bought rooms here for their children."
While the Broker was explaining, Leonel whispered to Ren's ear, "Are you sure you're going to buy this place? It's hella' expensive."
"All properties are expensive nowadays, Leo. And if I will buy a home, I might as well buy one that I like."
"And besides, "Ren stared Leonel seriously in the eyes, "You should also start finding one. The mass construction of guilds will start soon, and by that time, our houses are the first to be demolish because the government will have no choice but to sell them to the rich because of the high demand for lands."
"Can they do that? Shouldn't they provide a new place for us, though?"
Ren smirked and sneered at the higher-ups. "Oh, they will, alright. And if you prefer to live on top of mountains, away from civilization with no electricity and water, then be my guess."
"I will buy a home next to yours," Leonel said immediately, "So we can be neighbors still."
The Broker clapped her hands in glee. "Perfect, there is a unit just in front of this that the owner wanted to sell."
"Whoa? Really?" Leonel said. Though, he was not thrilled. There was no way that he would have that kind of amount. Even though Ren repeatedly said he would become a millionaire after the updates, he was still sceptical about the whole thing.
On the side, Ren didn't have anything against the place, and if he had the money now, he would buy the unit then and there. But it was also a good thing to keep his options open.
After some more inspections and questions, everyone went out of the room while the Broker checked her watch and asked.
"Should we resume looking at another unit tomorrow, Mr. Ren, Mr. Leonel?"
"Sure." Leonel forced a smile. The price didn't sit well with him, but maybe the next unit was within his budget.
Ren only nodded before they parted ways.
When Ren and Leonel were in the lobby and were about to go home, they heard their names coming from a familiar voice.
Looking over, Ren and Leonel saw Saya in a pretty lace dress, dangling earrings, and a designer bag.
The very sight of her made Ren's mouth go sour. He honestly didn't expect to see her there.
Saya didn't know if she should smile or not at the sight of Ren and Leonel. She didn't even know why she called them in the first place.
When Leonel felt the sudden tension rising in the air, he was the first to break it. "Saya, what are you doing here?"
Saya blinked before she recovered. "Huh? I should be the one asking you two that."
And before she could explain, Mike went to her and glared at Ren and Leonel.
Ren didn't care, but Leonel had to admit that he was hurt at the hostility in Mike's voice when he spoke. It seemed like their friendship was indeed over from the looks of it.
"What are you two doing here?" Mike sneered.
Leonel scratched the back of his head. "Us? We're just looking at the units here."
Mike raised a brow before he stifled a condescending grin. "Why? Don't tell me that you two are going to work here. As what? Janitors?"
Every word from Mike's mouth was twisted with venom and spite, designed to cow and belittle. It was like their past was forgotten and they weren't once friends who shared laughter, joy, and stress throughout high school.
"Ah, no," Leonel said a bit awkward, "We're going to buy a unit."
". . ."
". . ."
Mike guffawed. "What? Are you two day dreaming? Don't you know how expensive this place is? Even a single room costs millions here. I know because I just bought a unit a few days ago."
Ren didn't know that Mike was staying in this place since they already lost communication at the start of the class. If he did, he would have cross out this place from his list. This was the first building he wanted to check because it was the nearest to his school. But he guessed he had to take a rain check.
While Saya hid her smile behind her handkerchief. What was Leo even saying in broad daylight? Was he pranking them?
Ren and Leonel must be fantasizing. How could they afford a unit in this place? Did they suddenly lose it, and had gone crazy?
But when Ren and Leonel's face didn't change, Mike and Saya gaped.
"You serious?" Saya asked with a forced smile, disbelief in her voice.
Leonel was about to open his mouth when Ren beat him to it.
"Yeah. We plan on buying a unit in this place. A three-bedroom unit. What of it?" said Ren with an edge to his tone.
Mike and Saya looked at each other before they were quiet for a moment. It didn't seem like Ren was playing jokes with them.
Mike couldn't believe his ears. "You guys. There's a fine line between delusion and reality. Did you two finally lost hold of that line and turned crazy? There's no way that you could afford a unit in here."
Ren smirked, and his head tilted over, looking down at Mike between the bridge of his nose. "Have you forgotten about the in-game currency that's bound to happen?"
Mike laughed when he realized what Ren was talking about. "You mean COVENANT? Ahahaha. Are you gambling your hopes on that? Are you an idiot? Who knows how little money you get in exchange for a thousand gil? It's never enough to buy a unit in here."
Ren only smiled, which sent shivers to Mike's spine. "Let's see when that time comes. For now, I think I'll have to cross out this place from my list. I can't say I like the neighbourhood."
Ren turned his back and left while Leonel said his goodbyes to the two before he went after Ren. Often times, Leonel took a peek at Saya and Mike before they exited the building.
Mike could only fist his hands at the side and glared at Leonel and Ren's back.
"T-they're . . . they're bluffing, right?" Saya said in a daze. In the first place, she chose Mike over Ren because the former could give her the life that she wanted. The life that her parents wanted.
But if, by a stroke of luck and miracle, Ren could suddenly afford a unit at this place . . . then she . . .
Saya bit her lips, and her eyes shook.
The subtle changes in her expression didn't escape Mike's notice, and his anger surged even more. He knew Saya to be materialistic, but he didn't have any problems with that since his past girlfriends were all like that.
In fact, girls who could be won by bags and jewelleries were what he preferred because they were easy to tame.
The only problem now, his allowance took a hit because his parents took a debt at the bank to develop a land into a subdivision. And because of the loan and this condo unit which they bought, he would only receive half of his allowance until who knows when.
Not only that, but he was also paying Roz as part of his contract to keep him in Black Lion. So the remaining was for his food and other expenses, and his expenses were no joke.
Not to mention Saya . . .
But even if Ren was bluffing, Mike couldn't take off his mind of what he said. And if ever Ren spoke the truth . . . Mike knew that Saya might have second thoughts about him.
