Chapter 370 The Tour and The Dome

"What? Why?" April’s brows drew together slightly, a sudden spark of suspicion irking her. "Is this because of Philippe?"

"No! No, it’s not," Emily insisted quickly, shaking her head. She squeezed April’s hand tightly. "It’s actually because of us."

"Us?" April echoed, confused.

"Tomorrow... tomorrow is our birthday," Emily said softly, her eyes shining with quiet emotion. "I wanted us to spend the whole day out having fun."

April blinked, entirely caught off guard. Tomorrow?

Growing up, she had always thought her birthday was on April 7th—a date randomly guessed and assigned to her after she was taken away at birth. But Emily had lived with their mother from day one; she knew their actual birth date.

"So... you’re telling me tomorrow is my real birthday?" April asked out loud, the realization settling over her in a strange, bittersweet wave.

Up front, Samuel’s hands tightened almost imperceptibly on the steering wheel. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, catching April’s expression.

Miss April’s birthday... Samuel thought, a sharp, brilliant glint igniting in his dark eyes beneath his immaculate composure. I definitely need to prepare.

"It’s our very first birthday together," Emily whispered, her voice thick with affection. "So... will you let me spend it with you however I want?"

A wave of warmth flooded April’s chest, washing away any lingering doubts. Growing up, she had always felt a quiet envy watching others celebrate their birthdays with family, surrounded by love. Now, she finally had that.

"Of course," April said, pulling Emily into a tight, warm hug. "Let’s do it. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Let’s do everything."

"Thank you, sister," Emily melted into the embrace, burying her face in April’s shoulder. "I’ll make the list and handle all the preparations!"

As the SUV climbed the winding mountain road toward the hillside fortress, the dense forest gave way to a massive, reinforced barricade and high-security fence stretching as far as the eye could see through the trees.

The construction crew had worked with unbelievable speed, enclosing the entire perimeter just as she had instructed.

At the main steel gates, one of the head lead engineers was waiting patiently beside a sleek, industrial terminal.

"Miss April," the engineer greeted, stepping forward. "The automated perimeter barricade is fully installed. We just need to register the master security credentials."

April stepped out of the vehicle. The System-designed gate utilized multi-factor biometric and voice-automated protocols. She stepped up to the scanner, registering her voice, her fingerprints, and an eye scan. Once her access locked in, she pulled Emily forward to register her biometrics next.

Then, April turned toward her High Steward. "Samuel, you’re up."

Samuel paused, genuinely taken aback, his dark eyes widening slightly. "Miss April?"

"You’re my High Steward," April reminded him softly, a knowing smile touching her lips. "Of course you need full access to all security protocols."

A flicker of deep, quiet pride flashed across Samuel’s face. He gave a precise nod, stepping up to the console to register his own voice, fingerprints, and retinal scan into the fortress’s core directory.

With the barricade set, they climbed back into the SUV and continued up the long private driveway until the main compound came into view—and April’s breath caught in her throat.

Towering over the entire estate was a gargantuan, seamless dome. Though it looked like crystal-clear, polished glass, it was forged from advanced, ultra-dense composite materials capable of repelling missile strikes and extreme atmospheric fallout.

The entire fortress was a multi-billion-dollar masterpiece of modern engineering.

Eager to see the dome fully active, April went inside the main house and turned to Samuel. "Go with the engineer to activate the atmospheric display modes. Let’s see what this can do."

Standing beside Emily in front of the sweeping, floor-to-ceiling windows of the upper lounge, April watched as Samuel and the engineer initialized the system.

Suddenly, the vast expanse above them flared to life. The transparent shield shimmered, painting the artificial sky with soft, ethereal fairy lights, glowing constellations, and cascading ribbons of aurora-like light that illuminated the entire mountain peak.

"It’s so beautiful, sister," Emily whispered, her eyes wide with awe.

April chuckled softly, a sense of profound accomplishment warming her chest. "It is, isn’t it? It was all my idea. This is how we’re going to live through the end of the world, Emily. Do you like it?"

"I love it," Emily murmured, resting her head gently against April’s shoulder.

For the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening, the four of them toured the vast estate. April went room by room, customizing the interior layout. With simple mental commands, she absorbed any furniture she didn’t like into her spatial dimension, replacing it on the spot with luxurious, high-end pieces she had stored away.

She and Emily ran through the halls like two teenagers designing their very first dream apartment, laughing and bickering playfully over color schemes, curtains, and room arrangements.

Oliver followed closely behind them, his clinical demeanor softening into quiet amusement as he casually held April’s discarded shoes so she could run around bare-footed and rearrange things to her heart’s content, occasionally offering his own sharp design suggestions.

By the time the final room was set, the sun had long since dipped below the horizon, leaving the estate bathed in the soft, magical glow of the dome above.

"All that’s left is to actually move in," April said contentedly as they descended the grand staircase toward the foyer. She glanced back at Samuel, who was carrying her coat. "How do you like the room you picked?"

Samuel thought back to his choice. The bedroom directly next to April’s master suite had been vacant. Emily had chosen a room slightly further down the hall, claiming she was perfectly fine and wanted space, leaving the closest room open. Without hesitation, Samuel had claimed it.

"It is... more than adequate, Miss April," Samuel replied smoothly, though a quiet, intense pride burned in his chest. Knowing he would be the single closest person sleeping next to her when the apocalypse arrived brought him immense satisfaction.

They filed back into the sleek SUV for the long drive back to the estate, the glowing fortress fading into the dark mountain trees behind them as they set their sights on tomorrow’s special day.