Meanwhile, Alex was chatting with glee with Riya. Theirs was a smooth and vibrant conversation. They had even made arrangements to attend the comic convention together the day after tomorrow.
After conversing for some time, Alex discovered that Riya was a huge cosplayer and told him that she would be cosplaying at the event.
But she did not reveal to him what she would be dressed as, just that it would be a surprise.
"It is a surprise for you," Riya teased in a mischievous tone.
Alex could not help but smile.
"Interesting. Now I am really curious..." His mind kept guessing who she might dress up as, but Riya refused to spill anything.
They talked and laughed until late at night. After wishing each other good night, Alex washed up and went to bed in a good mood.
The following morning, Alex woke up early, dressed up in his security guard uniform, and walked to his post.
He understood the drill now. Wearing this suit and doing his duty effectively meant accumulating enough energy for his subsequent time travel. Eight hours of working meant eight hours of travel duration. The more often he wore the suit, the faster the energy would accumulate, and eventually, it would unlock new things over time.
So Alex spent the day "busy" in his booth, gaming on his phone, watching videos, and attending to the occasional vehicle passage until he had worked a flawless eight-hour shift.
Just as he was about to leave and head home, a brand-new-looking Porsche costing more than a million pulled up at the gate, honking impatiently. The driver obviously wanted Alex to raise the barrier at once.
Alex approached slowly.
"Sir, according to the rules, any unknown car must be registered here prior to entering the park."
The driver rolled down his window, scowling.
"What rubbish is this? My father's firm is within. Do I need to register? Do not joke with me!"
And then he leaned forward, his eyes opening up, pretending to be surprised when he actually recognized Alex.
"Hello! Alex? What a surprise! I did not imagine that I would meet you here!"
It was Raju, the same individual who had taken his father's car into the industrial complex a few days earlier without even greeting Alex at the time. But now, observing Alex wearing his uniform, Raju was being all cheerful and friendly, as if he and Alex had known each other for ages.
Alex raised an eyebrow but did not change the expression on his face. He looked at the girl in the passenger seat. She was neat and pretty, the kind of college beauty that everyone always noticed. Apparently, Raju was attempting to impress her.
Alex just muttered,
"Small world."
Raju released a strained laugh and turned to the girl next to him.
"Priya, see, this is Alex. In college, he was everyone's idol, the cream of our batch!"
Priya's eyes went wide with incredulity as she stared at Alex in his security guard uniform.
"Seriously? This is Alex? Working as a security guard?"
Alex felt a tiny sigh well up in his throat but stifled it.
What is the big deal? It is honest work. Not like I robbed your house, he muttered to himself.
He finished registering quickly, pretending not to notice Raju's smug looks.
On his way off, Raju threw Alex a pseudo-friendly wave.
"Alex! By the way, there is a class reunion on the day after tomorrow. You have to come, okay? Do not miss it!"
Alex offered him a courteous smile.
"Sure. I will be there."
He knew precisely what Raju was doing, attempting to demonstrate to Priya how "big" he had gotten in comparison to his former college rival, now "just a guard." But Alex did not give a care.
A true man knows his own value, and Alex had ambitions much larger than Raju could even dream.
-------------
Within the Porsche, Priya's eyes were wide with incredulity and thinly veiled contempt.
"No way, Alex is really working as a security guard? He has really fallen that far?" Priya shook her head, emitting a cold laugh.
In college, she had secretly had a crush on Alex. He was handsome, popular, and talented. But looking at him now, standing at the gate wearing that simple uniform, the small flame she had kept burning in secret instantly died.
A guard? How much would a guard even earn a month? He would never be able to provide for her the kind of lifestyle she desired.
Priya had been the school beauty once, but a few years in the real world had shaped her priorities. She knew precisely what sort of life she needed, and Alex quite obviously could not provide it now.
Raju, sitting behind the wheel, caught her expression and felt a burst of smug satisfaction. Running into Priya today had been sheer luck. The moment he had spotted her, he had offered her a ride in his shiny new Porsche, and Priya had not hesitated to hop in.
"You will see for yourself at the reunion," Raju said, flashing a self-satisfied grin as he shifted gears smoothly.
He could already picture it: cruising up in his Porsche with Priya riding beside him, all eyes on them, and Alex standing in the corner quietly like the forgotten star that he had since become.
The more he thought about it, the more Raju anticipated that class reunion.