The Heart System

Okay… I needed to get stronger, no matter how I did it. That meant buying the New Ability from the Shop. I had no idea what it would turn out to be, but I couldn't afford to hesitate anymore. Useful or useless, I was taking the risk.

The interface updated the moment I confirmed the purchase.

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SHOP [Page 2]

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• Hypnotic Perfume (40c)

• Time Stop (90c)

• 500 Dollars (50c)

• 1 Ability Point (150c)

• 1 Mastery Point (160c)

• Main Quest Unlock (Bought)

• Desire Aura (100c)

• New Ability (Bought)

==========================

Credits: 823c

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As soon as the transaction completed, my status screen slid into view. I frowned slightly as I read it.

Luck.

That was it. The mysterious ability turned out to be Luck.

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CURRENT STATS

==========================

◆ Strength: 10

◆ Charm: 12

- Manipulative Charm

⤷ Honeyed Words (⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹)

⤷ Gaslight (⏹☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Emotional Charisma (☐☐☐☐☐)

- Seductive Allure

◆ Libido: 10

◆ Pleasure: 25

⤷ Sensory Overload (☐☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Erogenous Insight (⏹)

⤷ Bliss Multiplier (⏹☐☐☐☐)

◆ Luck: 1

==========================

3 Unused Ability Points

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I slipped my jacket on and straightened, staring at the glowing UI. Luck at one. That was it. I let out a quiet breath and checked my reflection in the mirror, fixing my hair out of habit before turning toward the window.

Outside, the storm was still raging. Snow fell thick and relentless, the wind whipping between buildings like it was trying to tear the city apart. I never thought I'd be relieved to see weather this bad, but here I was. As long as the storm held, Carrie wasn't flying anywhere.

I pulled up the ability description.

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Luck

==========================

Chance to get better rewards from

Mysterious Chests. Chance to have

your partner climax instantly

during sex. Chance to Critical Success

when persuading a target.

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So… I'd had a one percent chance of persuading Mark. I didn't care about the other stuff that Luck would help—not right now. My entire focus was on that coward. The man who played the three monkeys after his wife was brutally murdered. A monster. Both of them were—Carrie and Mark.

"Mmh… Evan…"

Nala's voice drifted from the bed, sleepy and soft. I turned and walked back to her, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"I'm heading out," I whispered. "I'll be back in a few hours."

She stirred, eyes barely opening. "Let me… walk you to the door."

"No need," I said gently.

She wrapped her arms around my neck anyway, holding on tighter than necessary, then smiled and kissed me. I lifted her without thinking, one arm under her knees, the other at her waist, and carried her toward the penthouse door. When I set her down, she leaned against the frame, arms crossed, watching me lace my boots.

It felt… grounding. Someone there when you leave. Someone waiting.

"Goodbye," she said quietly, then smirked. "Go break his legs."

"Yes, ma'am."

As I finished tying my boots, Jasmine appeared behind her, half-asleep, resting her chin on Nala's shoulder.

"Goi—" She yawned hard. "Going outside?"

"Yeah," I said. "Storm's still bad. Carrie won't be taking her jet today."

"Want us to come?" Jasmine asked. "We can get ready in five minutes."

"No," I said firmly. "You both need sleep. And work."

Nala nodded, leaning her head against Jasmine's. "He's right."

I kissed Nala first, then Jasmine, gave them a small wave, and stepped into the elevator. As the doors slid shut, I rolled my shoulders and exhaled. It was time.

The elevator opened into the lobby, and the first thing I noticed was Tessa sitting on one of the couches, scrolling on her phone.

"Tessa?" I asked, walking over. "What are you doing here?"

She looked up, slid her phone into her pocket, and stood. "About damn time you showed up. Come on. We're going."

"I—"

"I'm coming with you," she cut in. "Didn't tell our CEO, though. Hope it doesn't come out of my paycheck."

"You probably should've told her," I said.

She shrugged. "I sucked her pussy Evan. And kissed her. And fingered her asshole. I think the boss–employee line's already blurred. Same goes for you."

I snorted. "Yeah. Fair point."

I walked toward the automatic doors but stopped just short of stepping outside. The storm was still raging, and I wasn't about to stand there freezing again like an idiot. I pulled my phone out and called the valet instead.

"Mr. Marlowe?"

"Yeah," I said when they picked up. "I need my car out front."

"Yes, sir," the valet replied smoothly. "We'll bring it around."

I hung up and slid the phone back into my pocket. Tessa crossed her arms and shook her head, clearly still pissed.

"That woman is a straight-up whore," she muttered. "Making you strip outside like that? If I were there, I would've clawed her eyes out."

I let out a short breath through my nose. "Yeah. I'm lucky I didn't get sick."

"You shouldn't be lucky," she said. "You shouldn't have gone through that at all."

We waited in silence for a few seconds, the sound of wind howling faintly even through the glass. Then I spotted my car pulling up in front of the hotel, headlights cutting through the snow.

"Mark Menlin," I muttered under my breath. "Time for us to meet face to face."

❤︎❤︎❤︎

By the time we got there, it was already seven. It had taken a full hour just to cross the city because of the weather and all the closed roads. I killed the engine and checked the weather app again before getting out. Good. This bad weather was going to last today as well… if this thing was right.

The thrift shop sat on a quiet street, wedged between a bakery and a shuttered convenience store. Snow had piled up along the sidewalks, dirty and slushy from foot traffic. A few people passed by, collars pulled high, heads down, clearly just trying to get where they were going without freezing.

Tessa wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, shivering. Without thinking, I slipped one hand into my jacket pocket and she leaned closer, sliding her own hand in with mine to share the warmth. We walked like that toward the shop, breath fogging in front of us.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." Tessa muttered. "I hate snow."

"Yeah." I agreed. "I'm starting to hate the snow, too."

The bell above the door chimed when we stepped inside.

The thrift shop was small and cramped, with narrow aisles packed with mismatched clothes, old jackets, and shelves full of secondhand junk. The air smelled faintly of dust and detergent. A heater hummed somewhere in the back, barely doing its job.

I didn't know what Mark looked like, so I scanned the room slowly. Then I saw the counter. And behind it, a man with a long, untrimmed beard and thick glasses, shoulders slumped like the weight of the world had settled there permanently. He looked tired in a way sleep didn't fix.

His name tag caught my eye.

MENLIN.

I walked up to the counter and rested my hand on it.

"Mark Menlin," I said calmly. "I believe we talked yesterday."

He froze for half a second, then looked up at me properly.

"Mm?" He scoffed and shook his head. "Oh. You two again. What do you want?"

"I just want to talk," I said. "That's it."

He leaned back slightly, eyes hard behind the lenses. "Talk to my ass, dickhead. I told you already, we have nothing to talk about."

I kept my hand on the counter and didn't raise my voice. I didn't lean in aggressively either. Mark looked like the kind of man who shut down the second he felt cornered, so I stayed calm and steady, like this was just another boring conversation he couldn't escape.

"I'm not here to threaten you," I said. "I'm here because whatever deal you think you made is already cracking."

He let out a dry laugh and turned his attention to a pile of folded sweaters beside him. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know Carrie Beldenwary," I replied. "And I know she doesn't let things stay buried unless they're useful later."

That got him. His hand paused mid-fold. He didn't look at me, but his shoulders stiffened.

Tessa stayed quiet beside me, arms crossed, eyes locked on him. She didn't interrupt. She didn't need to.

I exhaled slowly and let the UI surface.

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Persuasion Attempt: Mark Menlin

=========================

☐☐☐☐☐

==========================

Remaining Chances: 0/3

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Three chances. Five markers. I could feel the Luck stat sitting there like a loaded coin flip. I didn't rush.

I chose my first words carefully.

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Attempting Persuasion

"She already came to warn you.

That means she's nervous."

==========================

Base Chance: 30%

Honeyed Words: +50%

==========================

Final Chance: 80%

Upon Succeeding: ☑

▶ Proceed with Persuasion? [Y/N]

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"Yes," I said evenly. "She already came to want you. That means she's nervous. Carrie doesn't warn people unless she thinks they might break."

Mark's jaw clenched. He finally looked up at me, eyes bloodshot behind the glasses.

"She didn't warn me," he snapped. "She reminded me."

"That's worse," I replied. "Reminders mean leverage."

He swallowed.

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Persuasion Attempt: Mark Menlin

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☑☐☐☐☐

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Remaining Chances: 1/3

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One box checked. Nice.