Atlanta in 2010 was a city caught between the past and the future. It wasn't yet the booming tech hub it would later become, but it wasn't lagging behind either.
Ethan chose this city because rent was relatively cheap compared to other cities in the US, while also having ample opportunities for a young tech graduate like him.
He exited his apartment, this time wearing a black hoodie, pants and some sneakers.
It was time to hunt for a new laptop, after all his Dell Inspiron had given up on him and he wasn't about to try and revive it...again.
He stepped onto the sidewalk of South downtown Atlanta and was immediately hit by its humid air.
He hated how the humidity caused the t-shirt under his hoodie to cling to his skin, but that was just 35 year old him being picky.
After all, his body didn't seem to mind, clearly already used to it.
He walked on the sidewalk with a destination already in mind since he had already done his research on places he could get a new laptop.
As Ethan walked down the cracked sidewalk, his eyes absently scanned the streets around him.
South Downtown Atlanta wasn't the busiest part of the city, but it had its fair share of movement, commuters heading to work, street vendors setting up their carts, and a few joggers taking advantage of the morning air before the real heat set in.
'When was the last time I enjoyed a simple walk like this?' Ethan couldn't help but think back to his past... future (?) Life.
He had been so busy with trying to make the world a better place through tech that the simple joys of life became a luxury.
While heading towards his destination, Ethan passed by a small cafe. Just outside, a young boy, probably six or seven, was holding his father's hand, tugging impatiently as if trying to drag him inside.
Ethan barely spared them a glance at first, but as he stepped past, he caught the sound of their conversation.
"Dad, can I get one more chocolate korisant?"
His father chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. "It's pronounced croissant, and no, you already had two earlier."
Unknowingly, Ethan's steps slowed just slightly, just for a second, before he forced himself to keep moving.
He wasn't bitter. Not anymore.
There was a time when seeing something like that would've made him jealous—resentful, even. But at thirty-five, or rather, twenty again, those emotions had long since dulled.
Being an orphan never bothered him the way people assumed it should.
He had never known his parents, so there was no sense of loss, just absence. A blank space where others had memories.
That was just how it was.
Resuming his normal pace, Ethan soon arrived at his destination. What greeted him was a blue painted store with semi reflective glass doors.
The store's logo was a yellow shopping tag containing the words Best Buy within.
Ethan pulled open the door and stepped inside, immediately welcomed by the cool embrace of air conditioning.
The contrast from the humid streets was almost enough to make him sigh in relief. Almost.
Best Buy in 2010 wasn't all that different from what he remembered—rows of electronics, shelves lined with neatly stacked laptops, and a few employees in blue polos wandering around, ready to assist or upsell.
Since he already knew what he wanted, He made his way to the laptop section, where various models were displayed on a long counter.
Some of them, he recognized instantly, Dell, HP, Toshiba. Others were brands he knew wouldn't survive the next decade.
Ethan wasn't interested in wasting time. He needed something powerful enough to handle cybersecurity software development, but also portable.
A bulky workstation laptop? No. He'd be moving around too much.
A cheap budget laptop? Definitely not. He wasn't about to put himself through that kind of suffering again.
He needed something mid to high-end, preferably with a strong processor and decent RAM.
As he scanned the options, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Umm...D-do you need help?"
Ethan turned toward the voice, already expecting the usual Best Buy employee in a blue polo. What he wasn't expecting was her.
The girl standing before him looked to be in her early twenties, with long, silky black hair tucked behind her ears and wide, striking green eyes that darted nervously between him and the laptops.
She was breathtaking, in a quiet, understated way—an effortless beauty that didn't need makeup or flashy clothes to stand out.
More importantly, he knew exactly who she was.
Lillian Hayes.
Or rather, in the future, she would be known as "Midas", the woman who could turn any failing company into a gold mine.
At thirty, she would be the most sought-after business strategist in the world, running an empire of investments that stretched across industries.
Her mere involvement in a startup would send its valuation soaring overnight.
But right now?
She was just a shy, nervous Best Buy employee.
Ethan felt a slow smirk tug at the corner of his lips. Well, well. Look at that.
For a moment, he considered how to play this. He could pretend not to recognize her, just go through the motions of buying his laptop and leave.
But that wasn't why he was here.
This time around, he wasn't going to let talents like her slip through his fingers.
"Yeah," he finally responded, shifting his focus back to the laptops. "I need something that can handle software development and cybersecurity work without slowing down."
Lillian nodded quickly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "O-oh, um… I-I can help with that," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "You'd probably want something with a strong processor, like an Intel core i5… and at least 4GB of RAM. B-but if you're handling heavy loads, 8GB would be better."
Ethan watched her as she spoke. She was nervous, yes, but not clueless. The hesitation in her voice came from shyness, not incompetence.
And when she talked about specs, there was a certain glint in her eyes, a spark of intelligence that hinted at the powerhouse she would become.
He followed along as she led him to a specific model—a HP Elitebook, lightweight but powerful. A good choice, for this time anyway.
"Not bad,"Ethan said, testing the keyboard. "You know your stuff."
Lillian's cheeks turned slightly pink. "I-I try," she mumbled.
Ethan chuckled. He had to admit, seeing this side of her, the quiet, uncertain version of the woman who would one day command boardrooms with an iron will was....amusing.
And more than that, it was an opportunity.
"I'll take it," he said, closing the laptop lid with a decisive click.
Lillian blinked in surprise. "O-oh! Um, great! L-let me get everything sorted for you."
As she started handling the purchase, Ethan casually pulled out his phone. "By the way, Lillian, do you have a number?"
"…H-huh?" Her hands froze mid-typing.
"I might need help setting this up later," Ethan said smoothly. "And you clearly know your tech."
"I-I mean… there's a customer support line—" Lillian hesitated.
"I'd rather talk to someone who actually knows what they're doing." He flashed a small, disarming smile. "Just in case, you know?"
There was a moment of hesitation but with a deep breath, Lillian nodded. "O-okay…"
She quickly scribbled her number on the back of a receipt and handed it to him.
Ethan took it, tucking it into his pocket like it was just another mundane exchange. But inside, he was grinning.
In his past life, he had only ever heard of Lillian Hayes, the legendary business genius who seemed untouchable.
But this time?
This time she was going to be his.