Lifestyle System: I Got Rich by Just Living
Chapter 29: Not meant to be

Chapter 29: Not meant to be

"No, no... sir, please wait. I’ll take the 70% offer at $50,000," she said, desperately, her voice cracking.

An ugly grin etched onto the fat man’s face. "Good choice, Katherine... dear," he said, his voice oozing arrogance. "I’ll make you rich in no time with this idea."

He gave a smug, knowing smirk—like he’d just checkmated a child in a game he invented.

Augustus narrowed his eyes, voice calm but steady. He didn’t even glance at the man.

"You sure about this? My offer still stands," he said gently, looking at Katherine. He wanted to complete the task, yes—but not by pressuring her. That wasn’t how he operated.

Does she think I’m just a kid? That I can’t invest real money?

"I can pay you now," Augustus added, soft but clear. "You don’t have to rush into this." He hinted, briefly glancing toward the fat man.

But Katherine didn’t meet his gaze. Her fingers trembled slightly around her cup—half-drunk, cooling fast. She fidgeted, glancing sideways, caught in a dilemma she didn’t know how to escape.

Karter didn’t waste the moment. He knew just when to push.

With a theatrical flourish, he slid a sleek black briefcase onto the table and flicked open the latches. The metal clicks echoed in the quiet café space like gunshots. Heads turned.

Inside—rows of neatly stacked bills. $50,000, pristine, rigid, and gleaming coldly under the hanging pendant light.

The café smelled faintly of roasted beans and polish; sunlight caught on the chrome surface of the espresso machine behind the counter, where a bored barista pretended not to stare.

Karter leaned back, smug and gleeful—like someone who’d rehearsed this moment just to show off.

Katherine’s reaction didn’t disappoint him. Her eyebrows lifted, her lips parted slightly, and she gulped audibly. Her eyes stayed glued to the money like a moth to a flame.

But it wasn’t just the cash.

"I... I really appreciate you stepping in," she said to Augustus, her voice soft. "But Mr. Karter has... experience and connections." She glanced at him with visible regret. "I’ve failed too many times already. I can’t afford to gamble."

And then, the words that sealed it: "I have to go with him."

Augustus sighed inwardly. "No worries, I hope it works out for you." He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

And with that, he turned and began walking toward the exit, shoes tapping quietly against the polished tile. It’s true I don’t have much experience or connections... but at least I wouldn’t take advantage of her, he told himself.

Ding... Task Failed. Penalty Enforced.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Task #20:

[×] – Help the woman and invest in her business

| Penalty Enforced: $100,000 donated to charity — (Please choose a Charity center in 3 days.)

Opportunities don’t knock twice. Every regret is a lesson disguised as pain. Carry it forward. Make it count.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Analyzing failure parameters...

Dissecting: [Task #20] → Penalty | Reward | Reason for failure.

Ding...

❖ Reason Identified: Lack of experience and meaningful connections.

System Insight: You don’t lose for failing, you lose for failing to Learn.

[Initiating Corrective Growth Tasks...]

Ding...

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Task #21:

[×] – Invest $10,000 wisely and generate a return of $500 within 7 days.

| Penalty: $500,000 donated to charity.

Failure is tuition. Learn, grow—or pay again.

| Reward: Passive +$500 income unlocked + Insight and Experience.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Ding...

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Task #22:

[×] – Attend an Investor–Founder Meetup and build one genuine connection.

| Penalty: $500,000 donated to charity.

Money compounds. So do people. Choose both wisely.

| Reward: Network growth + Connections.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

One after another, system tasks chimed in. Augustus slowly read through the glowing panels.

Reminded of how he failed the task. A soft ache bloomed in his chest. Not because of the loss, but the familiar reminder: even when you show up, not everyone will choose you.

Still, he didn’t regret stepping in. I guess some things just aren’t meant to be, he thought, and exhaled.

Just as he was about to step through the café doors, a familiar voice called from behind.

"Augustus!"

He turned and blinked. Ambrosia was walking toward him, arms folded, a proud smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"I saw what you did back there," she said, tone light but amused. "Good job."

[Public Perception: 69 (+1) ↑]

"Haha, I tried," Augustus mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

His gaze flicked toward Karter, now smugly signing some papers like he was closing a billion-dollar deal.

Then his eyes drifted to the empty chair Ambrosia had just vacated.

We’re already at a café... should I just ask her for coffee? he wondered, glancing at the faint glowing system panel.

[×] — Ask Ambrosia to go on a coffee/dinner date.

"By the way, Ambrosia... h-how about a coffee? I, uh... feel like drinking one," he said, voice awkward, eyes dodging hers.

Ambrosia narrowed her eyes, a knowing smirk rising.

"You’re already late for the gym," she said flatly and added, "No more excuses."

But before Augustus could even try to convince her, she was already walking off—ponytail bouncing, stride firm.

Augustus sighed and followed.

His eyes caught Katherine one last time—she looked down, then toward Augustus. For a moment—just a flicker—it looked like she might change her mind.

But then... she looked back at the money. nodding anxiously as Karter gestured like he was directing an orchestra.

He shook his head and stepped out of the cafe. As he looked at Ambrosia’s back, he formed yet another plan to ask her on a coffee date.

What if I take her to the donation center and, after donating the money, we just so happen to go and have a nice coffee? He thought, forming a plan while looking at the system panel.

However, this time, it wasn’t a task but a penalty.

| Penalty Enforced: $100,000 donated to charity — (Please choose a Charity center) in 3 days.

And yes, planning all this was much easier for him than actually going and asking her out directly.

[System, what else are you going to make me do, if I fail these tasks?] he questioned, with raised brows.

[If you fail even these tasks, I’ll assign you to the Kindergarten Investment Club.]

His mouth twitched, "...You’re joking, right?"

[Try me.]

He couldn’t tell if the system was joking or not, because honestly, it would totally do something like that just to teach him something new.

"Sigh..." he sighed again, shook his head, and caught up to her.

They started walking side by side toward the gym, sneakers tapping lightly against the stone-paved sidewalk.

Ambrosia threw him a teasing yet motivating glance...

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