CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46

I slouched into the very back seat, the kind that rattled with every bump on the road, and stared out the darkened window. The city slid by in streaks of light and shadow. My mind wasn’t on the streets though—it went right back to that damned mastery point thing.

Resetting a stat, reclaiming points, raising the limit. It sounded simple on paper, but the idea of knocking my Charm back to one? Christ. That meant I’d be some awkward idiot again until I could grind the points back. But the reward... unlocking higher branches, maybe stronger skills. Manipulative Charm, Honeyed Words, Gaslighting... the possibilities stuck to me like glue.

The bus hissed, brakes squealing as the doors folded open.

And then—fuck me—her.

That woman stepped on like she owned the world. Sharp glasses perched on her nose, hair pinned neatly, her tits and ass practically announcing themselves before she even moved down the aisle. Same one I’d tried making small talk with before. Same one who iced me out when I asked what perfume she was wearing.

My stomach dropped, then clenched.

"Fucking hell," I muttered under my breath, ducking my head. "There she is again... ugh. God."

She didn’t glance back. Why would she? She was already moving toward the middle seats, ignoring the rest of us like we weren’t even there.

And that’s when it blinked into view—

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Quest Available

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Title: Work, work, work

Task: Learn her name

Reward: 15 EXP

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Accept Quest? [Yes] [No]

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I let out a low chuckle, shaking my head. "Of course, again," I whispered. "It wants me to go chase a goddamn ice queen."

But no way. Not now. Not when she’d shut me down so hard the first time I tried.

Still... fifteen EXP sat there, dangling like bait.

The bus rattled along, and I kept my eyes pinned to the window, pretending she didn’t exist. But fate—or whatever sick dev dev runs this system—had other plans.

Her heels clicked down the aisle, sharp and deliberate, until they stopped right by me.

I looked up, caught off guard.

Her face was as unreadable as the last time. Cold, sharp. But her voice, when she finally spoke, carried a clipped softness I hadn’t expected.

"I owe you an apology," she said flatly. "For the other day. I... snapped. Work stress."

I blinked. "Oh," I said, raising a brow. "No problem."

She nodded once, already turning to walk back to her seat, as if that was the end of it. But something in me buzzed—the damn UI still hovering at the edge of my vision.

"Wait," I said, stopping her.

She turned her head slightly, eyes narrowing.

"At least tell me your name," I asked. "You know, so I don’t keep calling you ’perfume lady’ in my head."

Her lips tightened into something between a grimace and a smirk. She exhaled through her nose like I was pulling teeth.

"Amelia," she said finally.

And then she was gone, striding down the aisle without a second glance.

I leaned back, half a grin tugging at me. "Well, that was awkward," I muttered. "But at least I got her name."

The UI chimed in.

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Quest Completed

Title: Work, work, work

Reward: 15 EXP

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"Nice..." I whispered under my breath.

Another panel unfolded immediately after.

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Name: Evan Marlowe

Age: 21

Height: 179 cm

Weight: 73 kg

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Level: 4

EXP: 16 / 311

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I tapped my knee, smirking at nothing. Sixteen out of three-eleven. Still a long climb, but a climb nonetheless.

—

"Please, please!"

"YOU FUCKED A CLIENT HERE!" Susan’s voice cracked like a whip. She sat on the edge of her desk, arms crossed, glaring down at me. "Get out."

"Look," I muttered, raising my hands. "I’m sorry, okay? It was just... she wanted it. I had her consent."

Susan exhaled hard and rubbed her forehead. Her arms dropped to her sides as she walked back to her chair. Dropping into it, she leaned back with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling as if I were the last thing she wanted to see.

I stood my ground, eyes fixed on her. I had to get her permission—or this quest, making Mendy forgive Richard, was going to be toast.

That’s when Kelin, her right hand, walked in with a ledger tucked under her arm. She froze when she spotted me, then set the book on the desk. Her eyes ran over me slowly, like she was trying to place a half-forgotten face.

"Are you... Evan?" she asked finally. "You look... good. Started a skincare routine or something?"

"Something like that," I lied smoothly.

"Why are you here? You were fired."

"Yes," I replied. "I’m just trying to convince your boss to rent me a room. Twenty minutes, that’s all."

"You can book a—"

"I’m not going to be the client," I cut in. "I’ll be the one giving the massage. To a... special client. And I want to do it here, because this is the best high-end massage parlor in the city."

"Is that right?" Kelin arched a brow. "Mm. What do you think, Susan?"

"I think it’s a big fat no," Susan snapped. "Get this man out of my sight."

"Wait," Kelin said, holding up a hand. "Anotta is coming in tomorrow, right?"

"Ms. Anotov, you mean?" Susan corrected sharply. "The damn CEO of Nuppia."

"And," Kelin continued, pointing at me with a faint smile, "we know he’s one hell of a masseur. A pervert, sure. But one hell of a masseur."

"Wow, thanks," I muttered.

Susan narrowed her eyes. "You’re suggesting we let him massage her? What if he tries something perverted? Then Ms. Anotov blasts us all over social media, and—"

"No perverted stuff," Kelin interrupted, giving me a pointed look. "Right?"

"Definitely. Absolutely. No perverted stuff," I said quickly, hands raised. "I swear. Now, please—rent me a damn room."

Susan sat there for a long moment, drumming her fingers on the desk. Finally, she exhaled. "I’ll think on it. You’ll get my decision later today. For now? Get out of my office."

"That’s fine." I nodded. "Thank you. Both of you."

With that done and gone, I had a promise to keep. Jasmine and Tessa were waiting for me, and apparently, they had a little surprise lined up. Our "date" was set to start in two hours. Plenty of time for me to head home, take a long bath, breathe a little, and show up not looking like I’d just crawled out of hell.

"That woman you... had an intimate moment with," Kelin said as I was about to leave. "She asked for you again. She looked pretty sad when we told her we fired you."

I smirked. "I mean, I can always come back and work here. Just—"

"No," Susan cut me off flatly. "Get out of here."

"Fine. Tried my chance," I muttered.

I gave them a nod and shut the door behind me. My phone buzzed just as I reached the elevator—Richard’s name flashing across the screen.

"Hey," I answered.

"Evan," he said immediately, tension in his voice. "Please tell me you’re done with that bitch."

"Still working on it," I replied, stepping inside the elevator. "Don’t worry, it’ll be done. I promise."

"I hope, man. I told Mendy the video was fake and all, but... she’s not buying it."

"She needs to hear it from Kayla," I said. "I’ll handle that."

"Fingers crossed," he sighed. "Finger fucking crossed."

—

I stood at Jasmine’s door and knocked, running a hand through my wet hair.

"One minute!" she called out from inside, playful. "Coming right up!"

I leaned on the frame, smirking, trying to picture what kind of "surprise" these two had in mind.

The lock clicked. The door opened.

And my jaw damn near hit the floor.

Jasmine stood there dressed in a maid outfit straight out of the dirtiest daydream. Black and white lace clung to her curves, a frilled skirt barely covering her thighs, stockings held up by delicate garters. A little choker hugged her throat, and her chest spilled against the low cut of the corset every time she breathed.

Beside her, Tessa was no less dangerous—done up in a glossy black bunny outfit that hugged her body tightly. Fishnets wrapped her legs, a fluffy white tail perched at her lower back, and tall ears twitched above her head. The outfit barely contained her chest, pushing it up in a way that made it impossible to look anywhere else.

"Ho-ly... shit," I muttered, eyes darting between the maid and the bunny. "Damn."

"Yeah," Tessa muttered, tugging at the glossy strap of the bunny outfit like it was an itchy leash. She didn’t quite meet my eye. "When you were in the bath... Jasmine kinda checked your phone. Internet history."

I froze. "...You what?"

Jasmine smirked, absolutely unapologetic as she tugged at the frilly hem of her maid skirt. "Don’t give me that look. We were curious. And let’s just say... you’ve got a type."

"Lots of porn," Tessa added, cheeks a little red. "Outfits. Maid, bunny, secretary, nurse... you like women dressing up, huh?"

I coughed, heat rushing into my face. "Guilty."