NOVEL NEXT Chapter 229: Harem Support System
Victoria leaned down and kissed him... soft and grateful, her lips warm against his... a silent thank you for offering even the possibility of forgiveness for her daughter.
Catherine smiled, watching them both, looking entirely too pleased with herself.
Like the complete breakdown of her own niece had nothing to do with her.
Like she hadn't orchestrated the entire devastating lesson.
She propped herself up on one elbow, looking down at Alex with an expression that was almost... hopeful.
Expectant.
Like a cat that had just presented its owner with a dead mouse and was waiting for praise.
"So," Catherine said, voice deceptively casual. "Did you like my arrangement?"
The question hung in the air.
Alex stared at her for a moment.
Then he couldn't help it.
He laughed.
And reached up to pat her head gently, affectionately.
"Yes," he said, still grinning. "I enjoyed it very much."
Catherine's smile widened, looking absurdly satisfied.
Victoria's head snapped up.
"You BITCH," she said, voice caught between outrage and disbelief. "She's your niece."
"And?" Catherine's expression remained innocently pleasant. "She's your daughter."
Victoria's mouth snapped shut.
"I didn't see you stopping," Catherine continued, voice still sweet. "In fact, you were riding Alex like a bitch in heat while she watched."
Victoria's face flushed.
"You yourself said she deserved it," Catherine pointed out reasonably.
"She needed the setback," She continued, tone becoming more serious. "To get some motivation. To actually work toward her goals instead of just expecting everything to fall into her lap because she's a Blackwood."
"By destroying her in the most humiliating way possible?"
"By showing her that actions have consequences," Catherine corrected. "That manipulation doesn't work on everyone. That the world doesn't revolve around her wants."
"You're absolutely shameless."
"I prefer 'efficiently ruthless,'" Catherine replied.
"Sociopath."
"Strategic thinker."
"Terrible aunt."
"Effective educator."
Alex watched them bicker, head turning back and forth like watching a tennis match.
There was real affection beneath the argument.
Friends who knew each other too well.
Who could be brutally honest because their bond was unshakeable.
[DING!!!]
The sound rang in Alex's ears.
Sharp.
Clear.
Audible only to him.
Both women kept talking, completely unaware.
But Alex's attention snapped to the translucent interface that materialized in his vision.
[QUEST COMPLETED]
[Seduce Catherine Blackwood and make her your woman]
[Status: Completed]
His breath caught.
There it was.
Finally done.
An SSS-ranked mission...
The rewards for something like this had to be extraordinary.
His pulse quickened with anticipation.
What would the system give him for completing something this significant?
The interface continued.
[Catherine Blackwood - Dependency level : 85%]
Alex blinked.
Eighty-five percent?
He'd expected... what, sixty? Maybe seventy after this afternoon?
But eighty-five meant genuine attachment.
Real emotional connection.
Not just seduction or physical attraction, but actual feeling.
Something warm settled in his chest.
[REWARDS CALCULATING...]
[Reward : 1 ]
[ 10,000 Conquest Points + 2500 Conquest points for dependency]
[Total Earned: 12,500 Conquest Points]
Alex's eyes widened slightly.
More than Twelve thousand points.
That was... substantial.
With that kind of currency, he could finally afford the high-tier items he'd been eyeing in the system shop... cultivation resources, enhancement pills, ability upgrades that had been frustratingly out of reach.
A grin tugged at his lips as anticipation built in his chest.
But if that was just the first reward...
What else did an SSS-rank mission give?
His eyes eagerly scanned down to the next line.
[Reward : 2]
[NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED]
[HAREM SUPPORT SYSTEM]
Alex's eyes locked onto the text.
Harem Support System?
What exactly did it do?
As if responding to his thoughts, the interface flickered and expanded.
[HAREM SUPPORT SYSTEM - DETAILS]
[Function: Purchase system resources for designated harem members at 10% of standard shop prices]
[Purpose: Strengthen harem members alongside host through discounted cultivation resources, enhancement items, and ability upgrades]
[Limitation: Discounted resources can only be applied to confirmed harem members]
Alex's breath stopped.
Ten percent.
Not fifty percent. Not even thirty percent.
Ten percent of the normal astronomical prices in the system shop.
The system was... encouraging him to strengthen the women around him.
To build power not just in himself, but in his partners.
He could buy cultivation resources, enhancement items, skills... all at tenth of the normal cost, and give them to Victoria, Catherine, and whoever else eventually joined.
Make them stronger.
Make them safer.
Build an actual power base, not just a collection of conquests.
The implications were staggering.
His fingers itched to open the shop interface immediately.
To see what was available.
To start planning how to use this windfall.
"You BITCH!"
Victoria's voice cut through his thoughts.
Sharp.
Playful.
Indignant.
Alex's attention snapped away from the system interface as Victoria suddenly sat up, pointing an accusing finger at Catherine.
"You were just screaming my husband's name like the shameless bitch you are!" Victoria's tone was mock-outrage, eyes glinting with mischief.
"Isn't that enough of a bribe for keeping James out of the picture?"
Catherine's smile turned absolutely wicked.
"Our husband," she corrected smoothly.
Victoria waved her hand dismissively, as if brushing away Catherine's words like an annoying fly.
"Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming," she said, but there was no real heat in it.
Just playful dismissal.
She turned away from Catherine entirely, propping herself up on one elbow to look down at Alex instead.
Her expression shifted... amusement dancing in her eyes, mixed with something deeper.
Affection, maybe.
Pride.
"How does it feel, Husband?" she asked, voice low and intimate.
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"How does what feel?"
Victoria's smile turned sharp.
"Fucking the next Blackwood head." Her fingers traced patterns on his chest. "Do you feel proud?"
For a moment, Alex just stared at her.
Then he laughed.
Genuine, unrestrained laughter that made his whole body shake.
He turned his head to look at Catherine on his other side... elegant, powerful Catherine Blackwood, still flushed and disheveled from their shared pleasure.
"Proud?" Alex repeated, still grinning.
He reached up, cupping Catherine's face gently, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
"I'm definitely proud," he said quietly. "Very, very proud."
His hand slid down to tangle with hers.
"And I'm not letting her go anywhere."
Catherine felt something warm bloom in her chest at his words.
At the genuine affection in his touch.
At the way he looked at her like she was precious, not just a conquest.
But she couldn't let it show too much.
Had to maintain some composure.
Some of her usual control.
She pulled her hand free and poked Victoria's shoulder.
"You bitch," Catherine said, trying for stern but unable to completely hide her smile. "So this was your plan all along."
Victoria's expression was pure innocence.
"Plan? What plan?"
"Don't play dumb." Catherine narrowed her eyes. "You think I didn't know? That I couldn't see exactly what you were doing?"
"Oh, you knew," Victoria agreed easily. "You absolutely knew."
She leaned across Alex to get closer to her sister, smile turning wicked.
"But you still fell for it, didn't you?"
Catherine opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Then huffed and looked away, cheeks flushing slightly.
"That's... beside the point."
"Is it?" Victoria's laugh was warm, delighted. "Because from where I'm sitting, my brilliant plan worked perfectly."
Catherine looked back at Alex, something softer in her expression now.
"She's not entirely wrong," Catherine admitted quietly. "Victoria might have orchestrated the situation. But you..."
She touched his face gently.
"You're the one who made me want to stay."
The moment hung between them.
Intimate.
Honest.
Real.
Then Victoria groaned dramatically.
"God, you two are going to be insufferable together, aren't you?"
Alex grinned.
"Absolutely."
Catherine's smile was small but genuine.