She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with promise and possibility.

"I'm here to make sure you win."

Victoria's dark eyes held Alex's, fierce and warm and utterly certain. Her hand still rested on his chest, feeling his heartbeat... steady despite the intensity of everything that had just transpired.

For a moment, Alex simply stared at her, processing the magnitude of what she'd just offered.

Not acceptance. Not tolerance. But active, enthusiastic partnership in something most people would find impossible to understand.

"You're incredible," he said quietly, his Enhanced voice carrying weight that made Victoria's breath catch slightly. "You know that?"

Victoria's smile turned soft, genuine. "I'm practical. And selfish." Her fingers traced idle patterns on his chest.

"If you're going to build an empire through this system, I want to be standing beside you when you do."

She pulled back slightly, her expression shifting into something more thoughtful... that CEO mind clearly already working through possibilities.

"So," Victoria said, her tone taking on a businesslike edge even as warmth remained beneath it.

"Do you have any concrete plans? For moving forward? Building this... network of yours?"

The question caught Alex slightly off-guard.

He opened his mouth, then closed it, realizing he didn't actually have a clear answer.

"I..." Alex started, then stopped. "Honestly? I've been so focused on reaching Enhanced Realm, on surviving the immediate challenges, that I haven't really..."

"You haven't planned your next moves," Victoria finished for him, not unkindly. Her fingers stilled on his chest.

"You've been reactive, not proactive. Responding to opportunities as they arise rather than creating them deliberately."

It wasn't criticism... just observation.

The kind of clear-eyed assessment she'd probably give to any business venture that needed strategic direction.

"You're right," Alex admitted. "I don't have a concrete plan. The system provides missions, and I..." he gestured vaguely, "I complete them. But beyond that?"

Victoria nodded slowly, her analytical mind clearly cataloging this information.

"That needs to change," she said firmly. "You can't just wait for opportunities to present themselves. Not if you're serious about building real power."

Lilith, who'd been observing their exchange with obvious amusement, finally materialized more fully.

Her translucent form shimmered into complete visibility, wine-dark eyes gleaming with something that looked like approval.

"She's absolutely right, darling," Lilith purred, moving closer with that liquid grace. "Reactive progression will only take you so far. If you want to truly advance... to build something meaningful... you need to be strategic. Deliberate."

She circled them slowly, her presence filling the room with that subtle pressure of supernatural power.

"The system provides opportunities, yes. But the most successful Masters don't wait for the system to assign missions. They identify valuable targets themselves. They create their own opportunities."

Victoria's expression sharpened with interest, clearly appreciating Lilith's strategic thinking.

"Exactly," Victoria said. "So the question becomes: who should be your next target? What connection would provide the most strategic value right now?"

Alex felt slightly overwhelmed by the sudden shift from emotional revelation to tactical planning. But he also recognized the wisdom in it.

Victoria was right... he'd been drifting, reacting, surviving rather than deliberately building.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

Victoria's smile sharpened, the kind she wore in boardrooms right before dropping a game-changing proposal.

"Well then," she said, her voice smooth and deliberate, "I have a suggestion."

Her eyes gleamed... not mischievous, but calculating in a way that made Alex's pulse skip.

Both Alex and Lilith turned to look at her.

She let the moment hang, clearly enjoying the anticipation, before speaking with deliberate casualness:

"How about Catherine?"

The name landed like a stone dropped into still water.

Alex felt his breath catch.

He absorbed this, trying to reconcile the description with the one memory he did have of Catherine...

not from dinners, not from conversations, but from that single, terrifying moment months ago.

When she'd almost caught him and Victoria together in the bathroom.

He hadn't seen her face clearly, just a silhouette in the doorway, the cool, composed voice asking if Victoria was inside.

But he remembered the feeling...

the jolt of panic,

the breathless freeze,

the sense that one wrong sound would end everything.

That was Catherine Blackwood to him:

a presence powerful enough to terrify him without even seeing him.

"Catherine… as in your Catherine Blackwood?" he asked, needing to be certain.

"Yes," Victoria answered without hesitation. "Exactly her."

Victoria stepped closer, her posture sharpening with purpose, every inch of her radiating quiet, calculated intent.

"Alex," she said softly, but there was nothing gentle about the intent behind her voice. It was the voice she used when closing billion-dollar partnerships… or preparing to dismantle an opponent.

"Think about who Catherine Blackwood truly is."

She didn't raise her tone. She didn't need to.

Her words carried weight all on their own.

"She's not just another Blackwood, Alex" Victoria continued. "She's one of the most powerful women inside the House."

Her hand lifted, fingertips tracing a slow line across Alex's sternum... not teasing, but anchoring his attention, forcing him to focus.

"Catherine is brilliant," Victoria said, her eyes burning with conviction. "Brilliant in a way most people can't even fathom. She doesn't flaunt it. She doesn't show off. She builds. Quietly. Strategically. Efficiently."

She angled her head slightly, studying him.

"She's the one who built half of Blackwood Industries' international influence. She's the one securing our foreign alliances. She's the one who keeps the family's global power networks stable."

A beat.

"And she does all of that from the shadows… without ever needing the spotlight."

Victoria's lips curled slightly... not mocking, not amused, but appreciative.

"That kind of competence? That kind of discipline? That's rare."

Alex swallowed. "So she's really that important."

"Yes," Victoria said simply. "And more."

She moved around him, circling slowly, her presence impossibly controlled.

Lilith watched with quiet delight, saying nothing... because Victoria was doing her work flawlessly.

"Catherine is respected," Victoria continued, voice steady. "Truly respected. Even the hardliners in the family listen when she speaks. Even the Family Head consults her on decisions that impact foreign territories, high-value alliances, and defense contracts."

Her expression sharpened.

"And when James steps down from the next head race… or is removed…"

Her fingers snapped... not aggressively, but decisively.

"…she will be the strongest candidate to lead House Blackwood."

Alex froze.

The words hit him harder than anything else.

Victoria stepped back in front of him, her gaze unwavering.

"Yes, Alex," she said quietly. "Catherine Blackwood is a potential future head of one of the Seven Sacred Houses."

She let that settle, then added:

"And you? You are an Enhanced Realm individual with exponential growth potential… a system backing you… and now a billionaire with the ability to move influence like pieces on a chessboard."

She leaned in slightly, her voice dipping into something lower… not seductive, but persuasive in the most dangerous way.

"Imagine the two of you forming a genuine connection."

Her words dropped like molten gold:

"Influence. Access. Protection. Information. Leverage. Opportunities. Power."

Victoria's gaze softened just a fraction... not in affection, but in something sharper: respect for the scale of what he could become.

"You want to challenge the existing power structure?" she asked quietly. "You want to build something real? Something that isn't just money or missions or random opportunities tossed at you by the system?"

She held his chin lightly, lifting his face to hers.

"Then you need people who can stand at the highest levels with you. People whose presence alone shifts politics. Catherine is one of those people."

Alex's pulse quickened.

Victoria saw it, and pressed forward.

Alex exhaled slowly, tension threading through his voice.

"But… reaching her. Getting close to someone like Catherine... how would I even..."

Victoria cut him off with a quiet, confident smile.

"Alex," she said, stepping closer, her hand sliding back up to his chest, steady and sure,

"don't worry about reaching her."

She tilted her head, eyes gleaming with that dangerous, strategic certainty only she possessed.

"Aren't we going to meet her anyway?"

Alex blinked.

Victoria's smile widened, sharp in the way only a Blackwood woman's smile could be.

She tapped a finger lightly against his chest.

"And who," she asked softly, "could possibly be a better person than me to bring you into her orbit?"

Lilith let out a soft, delighted hum in the background, enjoying every second.

Victoria continued, voice low and utterly sure:

"I know her routines. Her moods. Her professional rhythms. I know exactly when she's open, when she's guarded, and when she's most willing to entertain something new."

Her thumb brushed the edge of his collarbone.

"So trust me," she said. "Getting close to Catherine won't be the hard part."

A pause.

Her eyes locked onto his, burning with calm certainty.

"Presenting you in the right light… that will be the art."

She smiled... slow, confident, certain of the victory she was already planning.

"And fortunately for you, Alex…"

she leaned in just a fraction,

"…there's no one more qualified than me to do exactly that."

***

Author's Note:

Alright, readers — I need your power and your creativity for the next stage of Alex's journey.

As you've seen, the Dominion System isn't just about missions… it's about skills that shape Alex into something far beyond human.

Now that Alex is stepping into real political territory — House Blackwood, Catherine, hidden-world power structures — his growth needs to match the scale of the story.

So tell me:

What skills should the Dominion System unlock next?

Skills that aren't just cool — but strategic.

Skills that fit Alex's rise toward influence, manipulation, seduction, diplomacy, or even supernatural dominance.