Second Chance: I Can See the Future

Chapter 4

After getting his boss's message, Rocky let Anthony and Ashley go reluctantly.

As they were leaving, he sneered at Anthony, "You're not off the hook that easily. I'll make sure you pay for this, and your woman won't get away scot-free."

As Rocky and his group drove away, Anthony got up from the ground and helped Ashley to her feet.

Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her makeup was smudged. She looked at Anthony with a mix of emotions, but couldn't seem to find the words to express herself.

She wiped away her tears and hailed a taxi on the street.

Anthony followed her and called out, "Ashley, I'm sorry."

Ashley opened the car door, glanced back at Anthony, and said simply, "Take care."

Then she closed the door and drove away.

Anthony watched the taxi disappear into the distance, feeling a pang of regret. He whispered to himself, "Ashley, I promise this won't happen again. Trust me."

***

Later that evening, Anthony sat alone on the steps of the square, lost in thought.

He and Ashley had never owned a house or a car; they had spent all their savings because of his old bad habits. They had been living in a rental with their child, but now that they were divorced, Anthony knew he couldn't go back.

He couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt and regret. Just then, his phone rang. It was Ashley calling.

He picked up the phone quickly, and his daughter's sweet voice filled his ears. "Daddy, where are you?"

Anthony's eyes welled up with tears as he struggled to speak. "Emily..."

"Daddy, do you have a place to stay tonight?" Emily asked again, her concern evident in her voice.

Anthony's heart swelled with emotion. This little girl, whom he had hurt so many times, was still worried about him.

He knew that Emily's call was because of Ashley, and that thought made him feel even more guilty.

"Don't worry, Emily. Daddy's okay. You just listen to Mommy at home, okay?" Anthony said, trying to reassure her. "Once I get back on my feet, I'll buy you all the toys and snacks you want, and we'll get a beautiful big house..." Anthony murmured, feeling a pang of longing. He wished he could hold his little girl in his arms. But for now, that was a luxury he couldn't afford.

"I believe in you, Daddy!" Emily said, and the call ended.

Anthony took a deep breath, gazing out at the crowded streets, and couldn't help but smile wryly. It looked like he'd be spending the night on the streets after all. But tomorrow, everything would start to turn around.

As the night wore on, Anthony pored over the notebook, studying its ability to predict the future.

He discovered that the notebook could reveal any information he wanted to know.

He even followed a stray dog to test the accuracy of the prediction and was amazed to find that the dog's movements matched the notebook's predictions exactly.

Anthony's excitement grew as he realized the notebook had no limits. He could predict industry trends, urban planning, international developments—anything he wanted to know.

But when he tried to predict the future of the people he cared about most—Ashley, Emily, and his parents—the notebook remained stubbornly silent.

That splitting headache made Anthony almost faint, and he had tried several times with the same result. In the end, he had to admit defeat.

Finally, he had to give up. For those he had treated badly, he decided to rewrite their futures.

The city's nightlife was still bustling, but as dawn approached, Anthony sat alone and desolate on the stairs for the entire night.

People around Anthony started to immerse themselves in their own lives. For the first time, he felt the vibrancy of life buzzing around him. In the past, he had been lost in a haze of alcohol and gambling, indifferent to everything else.

By the end of the night, Anthony had mapped out his plans for the next six months.

He decided to leave the rest up to time.

Suddenly, the sharp ringtone of his phone shattered the stillness. Anthony glanced at the screen and saw only nine percent battery left; his charger was still at his rental.

It was a call from Kevin. As he saw "Anderson Finance," a confident smile spread across his face. "Mr. Anderson, have you not slept at all?"

"I just woke up, but from your tone, it sounds like you're the one pulling an all-nighter," Kevin replied.

Anthony shook his head, amused. "Why are you treating me politely?"

"Seriously, where did you learn all this? Have you been secretly looking into Wavelink Networks? Or digging into Vance?" Kevin was unfazed by Anthony's teasing; he was eager to uncover how Anthony had managed to get the inside scoop.

Before Anthony could answer, Kevin continued, "Around nine last night, Wavelink Networks was hit with multiple scandals, including illegal fund misappropriation and even ties to state secrets!"

When Anthony heard this, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief; his predictions had been accurate.

Kevin continued, "Early this morning, the National Taxation Bureau and the National Security Bureau, along with others, moved to seal off Wavelink Networks. I don't know the details yet, but it looks like Vance is finished. If I had lent him money yesterday, I'd be in serious trouble too."

It was clear that Kevin felt lucky as he spoke. The prospect of earning a million dollars in interest in just three months had tempted him. Without Anthony's warning, he would have easily lent Vance the money.

After all, no one could have predicted that Wavelink Networks, which appeared to be thriving, could collapse overnight.

If Vance had taken the loan, Kevin wouldn't just lose that money; it could have also dragged Anderson Finance into the mess.

Anderson Finance wasn't solely Kevin's operation; he only owned a quarter of the assets. Lending out five million dollars would have made it impossible for him to get through it.

"Anthony..." Kevin took a deep breath. "I really need to thank you for this. I thought I could handle things better on my own. Without your warning, I would have been left with nowhere to turn."

"I just made a suggestion, Mr. Anderson. The final call was always yours," Anthony replied with a smile, trying to calm his excitement.

"Stop calling me 'Mr. Anderson.' I owe you a favor. From now on, we're friends!" Kevin said, a sense of gratitude in his voice. He still felt a cold sweat trickling down his back. The moment his assistant told him about Wavelink Networks, he was so shocked that he nearly fell out of bed.

"Friend? But I still owe you some money, and still, Rocky is upset with me because of what happened yesterday." Anthony probed.

On the other end of the line, Kevin thought for a while, then grasped what Anthony meant. He gathered his thoughts and asked, "Where are you right now?"

"Central Park," Anthony replied, giving his location.

A van pulled up a little while later, and Rocky stepped out. Anthony immediately noticed the red palm print on his face.

"Hey, Mr. Anderson asked you to the company with me," Rocky said, clearly annoyed.

"What's this about? Didn't Mr. Anderson say I could have more time?" Anthony replied, pulling out his phone. "I'll ask him what's going on right now. Is this up to you guys at Anderson Finance?"

Seeing Anthony's reaction, Rocky quickly changed his approach, a pleading expression on his face. "Anthony, I mean, Mr. Walker, I was wrong. Mr. Anderson wants to see you because he has something important to discuss with you." It seemed Rocky recalled how he had ended up with that red mark on his face and quickly bowed in apology.

Only then did Anthony get into the car with him.

***

Not long after, they arrived in Kevin's office.

"Mr. Anderson, can I have a little more time to pay back the eight hundred and twenty thousand I owe?" Anthony asked earnestly.

Kevin could tell Anthony was trying to distance himself from him. He had sent Rocky to collect the debt yesterday, not expecting things to unfold this way.

He realized that Anthony's predictions from yesterday weren't just lucky guesses. If he could build a good relationship with Anthony, any business dealings would feel like having extra protection.

Kevin forced a smile and said, "Hey, I'm talking about our friendship, and you're all about money, huh?"

"I still owe you money. What else should I focus on?" Anthony replied seriously and stressed the word "money".

"Fine, but let's forget about that debt for now. I won't push you for it anymore. And forget about interest; you practically saved my life this time!" Kevin laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"But what if Rocky comes after me later? Who calls the shots at Anderson Finance?" Anthony shot a glance at Rocky, who was standing behind Kevin.

Kevin realized that if he didn't address what happened yesterday, Anthony would never want to work with him again. One was just a subordinate, while the other was a valuable asset. Kevin made up his mind almost instantly.

"Anthony, the whole incident yesterday was Rocky's idea. I just sent him to collect the debt; I never expected him to handle it like this and make such a mess. This wasn't my plan," Kevin explained, glancing at Rocky.

"Mr. Anderson, I—" Rocky, a muscular thug, now looked like a child before Kevin, feeling wronged.

"What's that face? Apologize to Anthony right now!" Kevin said, his frustration clear.

Under Kevin's glare, Rocky reluctantly walked up to Anthony and bowed. "Mr. Anderson, I'm sorry."

"Get out of here!" Kevin shouted at Rocky.

As Rocky left the office, Kevin turned to Anthony. "Anthony, I'll make sure he leaves Blue Island right away. You won't have to worry about seeing him again."

"And you must be low on cash right now, right? I'll transfer a hundred thousand to you immediately," Kevin added.

"Mr. Anderson, I already owe you so much money. I don't want to take on more debt," Anthony shook his head.

"Anthony, this is a personal gift from me to you, a thank you for saving my life yesterday." Kevin watched Anthony closely, worried he might refuse.

At that moment, Anthony felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He had genuinely feared that Kevin might back out on his debts and resort to threats. But now, it was clear that Kevin was trying to build a good relationship with him. At least, in this regard, he wasn't a bad person at all.

Moreover, if Anthony wanted to make progress in the future, someone like Kevin could be a valuable ally.

After a moment of thought, Anthony finally nodded. "Well, then thank you, Kevin."

Seeing Anthony accept the money and change how he addressed him, Kevin felt relieved.

Then, with a smile, Anthony said, "Kevin, do you want to make some money?"

"Oh?" Kevin looked at him in confusion. "Anthony, is there still business to discuss?"

Before coming, Anthony had already seen new information about the future in his notebook.

He stood up and said to Kevin, "In two days, bring some money and come with me to the Pioneer Stadium."

Soren Drayton, the top singer would be hosting a signing event there with SuaveEdge, the trendy brand, selling their limited-edition collaborative sneakers. Only twenty thousand pairs would be available worldwide, marking Soren's first collaboration with a trendy brand since debuting.

To build hype, the organizers had not opened online pre-sales and only accepted on-site purchases. Tonight, they were only accepting deposits for pre-sale qualifications. Only those who paid the deposit could attend the on-site signing event at 10 a.m. tomorrow, where Soren was expected to perform live.

No one doubted Soren's popularity, but what they never expected was that in five minutes, a shocking scandal involving Soren and SuaveEdge would be exposed by a top-tier paparazzi team.

In Anthony's prediction about the future, the scandal caused Soren's image to collapse rapidly. It also damaged the brand's reputation. Consequently, very few people were willing to pay to reserve the product.

No one knew if Soren's signing event would proceed as planned, and the organizers hadn't given a clear answer. They only conducted an emergency PR effort.

Making money wasn't easy for anyone, and what if the signing event got canceled after paying? Even if it didn't get canceled, with the brand exposed for having quality issues, people wouldn't dare buy the products. Thus, even Soren's big fans were hesitant to pay for reservations.

The pre-sale deposit plummeted within just an hour. By 10 a.m. today, when the pre-sale officially started, the deposit had dropped from the original 1,000 dollars to 100 dollars.

Paying the deposit granted an entry ticket, which served as both admission to the event and a thousand-dollar credit on the day of the event. With the price dropping to 100 dollars, the brand was essentially losing 900 dollars per pair of shoes.

This kind of situation seldom existed in the entertainment industry; it was clear that someone was targeting Soren and the brand. In fact, that was exactly the case—by tomorrow morning, there would be a major twist in this story.

And this was why Anthony went to the stadium. He was aiming to earn his first bucket of gold with this chance!