Winston found Lily engrossed in a cartoon on the large TV he'd recently ordered, a purchase he'd made with his new money that felt both unreal and utterly necessary. A half-eaten bowl of sugary, multi-colored cereal sat on the coffee table in front of her. A glance at the surrounding wrappers—a half-eaten candy bar, a crumpled bag of chips—confirmed his fears. He realized with a jolt that he hadn't done any grocery shopping since they moved in. He had been so consumed by the surreal events of his new life that he'd completely neglected a fundamental task. Instead, Lily had been ordering from the hotel's room service menu, which was filled with tempting, unhealthy options. Winston wasn't a great cook himself, a fact he now saw as a major liability. He knew he couldn't have his sister eating junk food all the time, especially with the newfound ease of their lives. He needed to find a solution, and with the Rolls-Royce now his for free, he suddenly had an idea. The substantial sum he would have spent on the car was now free for other uses, and he could use some of it to hire a professional chef to prepare healthy meals for Lily.
A soft smile finally graced his lips as he pushed aside his anxiety, the solution feeling both simple and extravagantly alien. Her carefree happiness was a stark contrast to the turmoil churning within him after his unsettling meeting with Arthur Vance. He needed to share some of this incredible, bewildering reality with her, and what better way than with a surprise?
"Hey, Lily-bug," he said, his voice deliberately light. "Put on your shoes. I have something to show you."
Lily glanced up, her curiosity piqued. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise," Winston replied, a playful glint in his eyes. He helped her slip on her sneakers, his movements still feeling a little awkward in the unfamiliar spaciousness of their apartment.
Down in the lobby, a uniformed woman stood patiently near the entrance to the garage. The building management had chosen her, hoping Lily would feel more comfortable with a female chauffeur. She straightened as Winston and Lily approached.
"Good morning, Mr. Stone," she said with a polite nod. She then turned to Lily with a warm smile. "Good morning, young lady. My name is Sarah."
Lily, usually shy around strangers, just stared at Sarah with wide eyes. Winston took her hand. "This is Sarah, Lily. She's going to be driving us today."
Sarah led them to the magnificent black Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase. Its sheer size and imposing presence seemed to swallow the surrounding space. The polished chrome gleamed under the garage lights, and the Spirit of Ecstasy stood proudly on the hood.
Lily gasped, her previous curiosity replaced by utter astonishment. "Whoa," she breathed, her small hand instinctively reaching out to touch the cool metal of the car. "What is this?"
Winston knelt beside her, a grin he couldn't suppress spreading across his face. "This, Lily-bug, is our new car."
Her eyes widened impossibly. "Our car? Like... we own it?"
"We own it," Winston confirmed, relishing her disbelief. "No more yellow cabs for us."
Sarah smoothly opened one of the rear doors, revealing the opulent interior. The rich leather, the gleaming wood, and the plush carpets seemed to beckon them into another world. Lily stepped inside cautiously, as if afraid she might break something. She ran her hands over the soft leather seats, her expression a mixture of awe and pure joy.
"It's like a spaceship!" she exclaimed, sinking into the luxurious cushioning. She noticed the large screens embedded in the back of the front seats. "Look, there are TVs!"
Winston chuckled as he settled in beside her. The sense of unreality washed over him again, seeing his little sister so delighted by something he could never have dreamed of providing just days ago. He glanced at Sarah in the rearview mirror, who sat with an air of quiet professionalism, seemingly unfazed by the sheer extravagance of the vehicle.
As Sarah pulled smoothly out of the garage and onto the city streets, Lily peppered Winston with questions. "Is it really ours? How did we get such a fancy car? Does it have a name?"
Winston patiently explained that things had changed for them, that they didn't have to worry about money the way they used to. He carefully avoided mentioning the AI or Arthur Vance, not wanting to scare her with the strange complexities of their new situation. He simply emphasized that they were lucky and that he wanted to give her everything she deserved.
Their first stop was an Apple Store a few blocks away. Lily's excitement was palpable as they walked through the brightly lit aisles filled with sleek devices. Winston's eyes scanned the glowing products, feeling a strange mix of power and disconnection. Just a few weeks ago, he would have meticulously researched a single purchase, likely for a used, older model, and it would have still represented a significant financial strain. A new phone, let alone a laptop, was something he couldn't even allow himself to want, a luxury that would have hurt his life to afford.
Now, he simply pointed to the latest 2025 tablet and the newest phone models for both himself and his sister, then added two laptops to the pile. As the cashier rang up the total, a sum that would have once been catastrophic, Winston wasn't even phased. He felt a weird, almost unsettling numbness. The numbers on the screen seemed meaningless, a concept without weight or consequence.
Lily clutched the bags containing her new gadgets, her face beaming. "Thank you, Winston! This is the best day ever!"
Back in the Phantom, Lily eagerly unwrapped her new phone and tablet, her fingers flying across the screens. Sarah drove them around Central Park, the autumn leaves creating a vibrant tapestry of color. Lily took pictures with her new phone, her laughter filling the spacious cabin.
Winston watched her, his heart swelling with a mixture of happiness and a lingering unease. He had given her something truly special, something she had longed for. But the question Vance had posed echoed in his mind: Why are you so special? The AI's generosity, Vance's bizarre behavior, the sudden, overwhelming wealth – it all felt like pieces of a puzzle he couldn't quite assemble.
Despite the questions swirling in his head, Winston allowed himself a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, seeing his sister so happy. For now, that was enough. He had a Rolls-Royce, a chauffeur, and a delighted little sister beside him, embarking on a new and utterly surreal chapter of their lives.