Alex rarely cooked; that was Amelia's domain. His attempts in the kitchen were barely passable—just enough to get by, but far from tasty.
After lunch, Alex washed the dishes and couldn't resist checking Bitcoin's price on his phone. To his dismay, it had dropped to just over $2,900. In less than an hour, he'd lost $40,000—half of his $79,000 investment.
That was the brutal reality of leverage trading.
Thankfully, he'd only used 5x leverage. If he had gone for 10x or even 100x, as some platforms allowed, he'd have been completely wiped out, even with his knowledge of the market trends.
By mid-afternoon, around 3 PM, Alex left the house. Along the way, he took a few phone calls—one from his mom, another from his boss, asking when he planned to return to work. The September heat was stifling, even at nearly 4 PM. His small studio apartment wasn't much better, with only a fan to keep it cool.
Alex texted Amelia to let her know he'd pick up Sophie from preschool. She replied quickly: "Okay, but make sure to start the rice at home. I'll cook when I get back."
On the way, Alex stopped at a grocery store to pick up some fruit and Sophie's favorite chocolate bars. Amelia didn't let Sophie eat chocolate often, worried about cavities, so Alex would buy it for her in secret and tell her not to let her mom know.
When Alex arrived at the preschool, he spotted Sophie near the slide, playing with a few friends. She looked so much smaller than he remembered from his previous life. A smile softened his face. Back then, he'd been too busy with work to spend much time with her, and even buying small treats felt like an unnecessary expense.
"Daddy!" Sophie spotted Alex at the gate, her face lighting up with joy as she ran toward him.
Alex stepped inside and scooped her up in his arms. "Sophie, were you a good girl at preschool today?" he asked, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"I was! The teacher even gave me a red star for being the best today!" Sophie said proudly, pointing to the sticker on her forehead.
"Sophie is amazing!" Alex said with a grin.
After signing her out, Alex carried Sophie out of the preschool. As they passed a convenience store, Sophie tugged at his shirt. "Daddy, I want ice cream," she whispered.
She had just seen another little girl happily eating one and couldn't resist.
"Sophie, ice cream is too cold—it's not good for you. But look! Daddy got you a chocolate bar!" Alex said quickly, handing her the treat.
Sophie's health had always been fragile. Born premature, she was prone to illnesses, and Amelia never let her have cold foods like ice cream. Sophie's eyes lit up as she took the chocolate bar. She knew her mom wouldn't have let her have it, so even though she didn't get ice cream, she was thrilled.
Skipping and nibbling on her chocolate, Sophie happily held Alex's hand as they walked home.
At home, Alex spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Sophie—drawing, reading, and watching cartoons. Around 6:10 PM, the front door opened, and Amelia walked in, dressed in her professional work attire, her face showing signs of exhaustion.
"Mommy!" Sophie ran to her immediately, wrapping her arms around her.
Alex looked at his wife, feeling a wave of emotion. She looked so much younger than she did in his memories of four years later. The years hadn't been kind to her in his previous life; without proper care, her skin had grown dull, and she seemed far more worn down. Seeing her now, vibrant and full of life, renewed his resolve to make her happy.
He walked over and wrapped his arms around her, catching Amelia off guard. "What's gotten into you today?" she asked, surprised but enjoying the rare display of affection.
"I just missed you. Can't I?" Alex replied with a smile.
Amelia rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging at her lips revealed how much she appreciated it.
After cooling off in front of the fan, Amelia headed into the kitchen to cook. Alex had already started the rice and prepped the ingredients, so dinner didn't take long. Within minutes, Amelia had whipped up three dishes, and the family of three sat down to eat.
Alex decided against telling Amelia about the money for now—he was still in the red. If she found out, she might insist he withdraw everything. Despite her gentle personality, Alex knew Amelia could be firm when she was upset, and he hated making her angry.
After checking the Bitcoin price again, Alex's face lit up with a smile. The price had climbed to over $3,500. He had made a profit of more than $20,000.
Finally, he was in the green.
Alex's mood improved significantly, but he still couldn't share the news with Amelia. It was too early. As long as he could keep the secret a bit longer, he'd be fine.
It was Saturday, and both Alex and Amelia were off work. Sophie didn't have preschool either. Alex had wanted to take Sophie to a big amusement park, but Amelia suggested the small playground near the grocery store instead. She thought the amusement park rides were too expensive.
Alex knew Amelia was trying to save money for the family. He silently vowed that she wouldn't have to stress over expenses like this for much longer. Soon, he'd make enough to ensure they could enjoy life without second-guessing every purchase.
Even at the small playground, Sophie had a blast. Watching her laugh and run around made Alex feel even more determined to make up for all the times he had missed in the past.
For the next two days, Alex focused on spending time with Sophie. They played together, and Alex showered her with attention. Meanwhile, Amelia was busy working from home, catching up on a tight project deadline.
On Monday, September 18, Bitcoin's price hadn't moved much. It hovered around $3,500, and Alex was still up by $20,000. Without knowing the specific price trends, he decided to hold his position and wait.
After dropping Sophie off at preschool, Alex took the subway to his office. He worked at a small civil engineering firm with about 50 employees. Before his rebirth, Alex had been diligent and hardworking, believing this job held promise. Now, he knew better. The job had no future, and if he weren't waiting on his Bitcoin profits, he would have already quit.
"Alex, here's the report I've been working on. Could you take a look?" asked Susan, one of the two people on his team, as she handed him a stack of papers.
Alex was a team lead, overseeing Susan and another coworker, Mike.
In his previous life, Mike had introduced Alex to Bitcoin. Back then, Mike had made a small fortune trading Bitcoin and eventually quit his job. Inspired, Alex had followed suit, only to lose everything. In the end, Mike hadn't fared much better.
Alex glanced through the report and nodded. "Looks good. Just make a small adjustment here," he said, pointing to a section.
"Got it," Susan replied, heading back to her desk.
At lunchtime, Alex grabbed his food and sat down at an empty table in the cafeteria. Susan and Mike soon joined him.
"Damn it, Bitcoin's up again. It's driving me nuts," Mike grumbled, staring at his phone while eating.
"Still trading Bitcoin?" Susan teased with a smile.
"I've always held some, but the volatility is insane. Earlier this year, I lost a lot, so I sold everything. Now it's doubled in the past two months, and I'm too scared to jump back in," Mike admitted, looking frustrated.
"How do you even buy it?" Susan asked curiously.
"You're better off not bothering," Mike said, shaking his head. "It's stressful, and you'll just end up regretting it."
"He's right," Alex chimed in, smiling. "If you're not ready to lose, it's better to stay away."
Mike looked at Alex with surprise. "Wait, Alex, you know about Bitcoin?"
"A little," Alex replied casually.
"Really? So, do you think it'll keep going up?" Mike asked eagerly.
"The chances are good," Alex said with a grin. "But the real question is whether you can hold on when it drops. The price is already high."
Alex didn't elaborate. He knew Mike's impulsive personality all too well. Even if Mike made money this time, he'd end up losing it all again in the future. Alex had no intention of giving him specific advice.
For Alex, his strategy was simple. He'd only trade Bitcoin during two major surges: the current rally in 2017 and the one in 2021. Those two waves alone would be enough to secure his financial freedom.
At 5:30 PM, Alex clocked out from work. He received a text from Amelia saying she'd pick up Sophie.
On the subway ride home, the rush hour crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder. Luckily, Alex managed to snag a seat. Pulling out his phone, he casually opened the Coinbase app to check Bitcoin's price.
$3,829.
A wide grin spread across Alex's face. He had made over $50,000 in profits. The urge to share his excitement with Amelia was strong, but he held back. There was no rush. The longer he could keep this a secret, the better.
Half an hour later, Alex got off the subway and transferred to a bus. The daily grind of commuting by bus and subway was exhausting. But Alex reminded himself that these days wouldn't last much longer. "Just a few more months," he thought, silently cheering himself on.
By the time Alex got home, it was 6:28 PM. Amelia and Sophie weren't back yet, which meant they'd probably stopped by the grocery store. After cooking the rice, Alex made himself a large glass of iced tea and placed it in front of the fan.
"Man, it's way too hot. We really need to get an air conditioner," Alex muttered to himself, wiping sweat from his brow. But he knew Amelia wouldn't agree to such an expense right now. "Fine, we'll talk about it later," he thought, shaking his head.
The sound of the door opening broke his train of thought. Amelia walked in holding Sophie's hand, a large plastic grocery bag in her other hand.
Alex walked over to take the bag from her. He unpacked and sorted everything, putting the refrigerated items in the fridge and the rest into storage containers. Among their groceries, Amelia had bought a box of pre-cut watermelon. The three of them sat down and ate it together, enjoying the refreshing treat.
Afterward, Amelia went into the kitchen to start dinner while Alex sat with Sophie, reading her a fairy tale. The little girl listened intently, occasionally interrupting with questions.
Life was simple and ordinary, but Alex felt a sense of peace he hadn't experienced in his past life. Back then, though he had been happy, their tight finances and demanding work schedules had kept him constantly on edge. Now, with a clearer vision of the future, Alex had started to truly enjoy these quiet moments.
Author's Note: 🚀✨ Hey legends, your support makes all the difference! 💪 The more Power Stones, the more epic chapters drop! 📚🔥 Let's reach for greatness together! 🥳💖