Chapter 85: A date (ii)

Ten minutes later, they reached Nexus Tower. Xavier parked in the residential lot and led Reva to the elevator. She looked around at the people walking by, the neon-gray lighting of the lower levels, the faded floor markings, the occasional static-laced intercom message overhead. It wasn’t fancy—but it was grounded.

The lower section had the worst facilities, yet it was manageable.

They rode up to the tenth floor and walked into the small but lively restaurant.

Behind the counter, Seraphina glanced up. Her usual cool expression shifted the moment she saw Xavier—and froze completely when she saw Reva behind him.

She squinted. “…Another one?”

Xavier didn’t hear it, but Reva did. Her pointy ears twitching slightly as she held back a smirk.

They sat down, and Xavier gave a small nod. “Hey Seraphina. Two plates of whatever’s on the menu.”

Seraphina didn’t say anything. She just walked off, still sneaking glances at Reva.

The food arrived a few minutes later—still hot, still fresh. Real rice, thick gravy, seared tofu and spiced greens. No printed paste, no lab-grown gel. Just food.

Reva took one bite, her expression blank—then closed her eyes as she chewed.

“This…” she opened her eyes, smiling softly, “is amazing.”

“I told you.”

That was nothing new for Xavier. He had eaten clean and soil grown food, and natural meat in the village too. And he was eating the same in the city.

But for Reva, it was something luxurious.

It wasn’t as though handmade and natural food was rare or expensive, but people preferred AI chefs and synthetic foods for hygiene and health reasons, where synthetic food was genetically modified to their needs.

They ate in a comfortable silence after that. Xavier had never been the talkative type during meals, and Reva didn’t seem to mind. She finished everything on her plate. Clean.

As they got up to leave, Reva brushed her hands on her thighs and leaned closer to Xavier.

“So,” she asked casually, “which apartment do you live in?”

Xavier blinked. “Uh…” Xavier knew where this was going.

He scratched the back of his neck. “You want to go somewhere else? Or I can drop you at the nearest shuttle pod—”

“I was hoping,” Reva interrupted, her voice low and teasing, “you’d take me to your apartment.”

He turned to her with a serious expression. “I don’t live alone. There’s someone already there. So it’s… not a good idea.”

Reva tilted her head like she was about to say something else—when someone called out from behind.

“Xavier.”

As soon as Xavier heard his name being called, he stiffened. He turned, and there was Waller—walking toward him, waving like they were best friends from kindergarten.

Xavier’s expression darkened. He subtly tried to signal Waller to shut his mouth. A little shake of the head. A glance at Reva. An awkward half-smile that clearly screamed “Not now.”

But Waller? Oblivious. The guy was practically bouncing with excitement.

“My man!” Waller called out. “Your new apartment—done and dusted, boss!”

Xavier closed his eyes for a moment and accepted his defeat.

Waller reached into his coat and pulled out a shiny black keycard, held it up like it was some sacred artifact. “Got your access ready. Full setup on the fifty-fifth floor. PP block. Room number Sixty-nine, baby!”

Reva blinked and slowly turned toward Xavier. “New apartment?”

Xavier clenched his jaw. “…Yeah. Just finalized it.”

Waller stepped closer, completely missing the tension. “Dude, you really saved my ass, y’know? After closing your deal, my uncle bumped me as the rent collector of the middle section. Gave me the 500k as bonus too. I swear, I owe you big time. Real big. If anyone ever troubles you in this tower, ring me up!”

And a pause later, he added, “Only in the middle or lower section, of course. My cousin is the rent collector of the upper section. You know… the one who stole my girl from me.”

Xavier looked at him. “Waller.”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

That got through. The look in Xavier’s eyes told more than his mouth could.

Waller blinked, paused mid-bounce, and finally noticed Reva standing there. “Oh. Uh. Right.”

He handed the card to Xavier and gave him a sheepish nod. “Anyway. It’s ready.”

Reva turned to Xavier, a spark of curiosity—and something else—in her eyes. “So… we going or what?”

Xavier hesitated.

Reva took a step closer. “Come on. Earlier you said someone else shares the apartment with you, but now you are alone.”

Xavier already knew what was going on. She wasn’t subtle. The moment she asked which apartment he lived in back at the restaurant, he could tell. Her smile, her voice, her tone—this wasn’t just about curiosity.

He wasn’t dense. He knew what she wanted.

And honestly? He was prepared.

He exhaled slowly. “Alright.”

They made their way to the ground floor, cutting through the dimly-lit corridors of the lower section.

Xavier noticed that the elevator they had taken earlier when they went to the 54th floor was different. It was only reserved for officials like Wallers and others.

The second elevator bay was different—sleek black doors with chrome borders, a retina scanner, and a fingerprint pad. A synth-voiced security drone hovered nearby, verifying access.

Once inside, the lift had an entirely different interface. Transparent walls turned to a real-time panoramic view as they rose through the floors. Each level they passed glowed with different hues of neon: green for lower, blue for mid, gold for upper.

Even though it was Xavier’s second time there, he felt like he was entering a different world.

As the elevator glided to a soft halt on the 55th floor, the doors slid open with a smooth hiss.

They stepped out into a silent, glass-encased hallway that looked more like a gallery than an apartment block. The walls had built-in dynamic panels that displayed ambient artwork—slow-moving cityscapes, calming forests, even floating geometric sculptures.

Waller was already there, leaning against the wall near the apartment entrance with a smug grin plastered on his face and a keycard in hand. He stood up straight when he saw Xavier and Reva approaching.

“Yo, Xavier!” he called out. “You’re just in time. PP-69, baby. Your new kingdom awaits.”

’Just shut your mouth. Seriously. Why are you more excited than me?’

Xavier let out a silent sigh.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep