Viktoria tries to pull herself back together.
She sits taller in her throne-like chair.
Her lips press into a thin, controlled line.
Her fingers fold neatly together.
But her heartbeat?
Zumi hears it even if she doesn't know it's audible.
Gia sits elegantly beside him.
One glance at Viktoria's pupils — the dilation, the softened tension in her jaw, the slight quickening of her breath — and Gia smirks knowingly.
She has seen this before.
Women who speak with iron.
Women who rule with elegance and frost.
And how they eventually melt under Zumi.
Gia (thinking):
She's gone already. Cute.
Zumi does not change expression.
He does not glow or shift.
But behind his calm gaze, a golden ripple passes through his vision:
Divine Eyes: Activated (Silent Mode)
Immediately, Viktoria's entire soul-network reveals itself.
Her aura appears as:
Crimson Intellect Flame
— sharp, spiraling, highly evolved
— capped by a ceiling she cannot break alone
At the core:
Ancestral Spirit Lineage: The Spirit of Intellect (High Grade)
Dormant.
Powerful.
Human-limited.
In his mind only —
not physically, not audibly —
a thought forms:
"She is built for greatness. I can elevate her to more."
But outwardly?
Zumi says nothing.
He simply watches her…
and respects her.
That alone makes her chest tighten.
She clears her throat lightly, trying to sound composed.
Viktoria:
"Your… projections show remarkable strategic insight. Far beyond what most CEOs bring into my office."
Her voice should be steady.
It isn't.
A small crack of admiration leaks through.
Zumi nods once, the gesture measured.
Zumi:
"Insight is only useful when paired with execution.
I intend for both."
Her breath catches again.
She tries to hide it, glancing down at the papers on her desk.
Viktoria:
"You speak with certainty.
No hesitation.
No second-guessing."
Zumi:
"Why would I hesitate?"
She looks up — and immediately regrets it.
His eyes…
they look ancient.
Alive.
Seeing far more than a human should.
She swallows.
Gia smirks again.
Viktoria straightens a document, trying to regain the upper hand.
Viktoria:
"Mr. Zumi, in business, certainty can be dangerous. Many men before you have entered this room believing they could manage me, my company, my world. They failed."
Zumi doesn't blink.
Zumi:
"I have no interest in managing you."
Her breath stutters.
Zumi continues, calmly:
Zumi:
"You lead your world well.
I respect that."
Respect.
The one word Viktoria never receives without manipulation behind it.
But from him…
it feels pure.
Genuine.
Her eyes soften — barely, but enough for Gia to smirk.
Respect gained.
Viktoria interlaces her fingers.
Her voice lowers, more personal.
Viktoria:
"If I were to consider an arrangement…
why should I trust you?
Your goals are unclear. Your methods—enigmatic."
Zumi keeps his posture relaxed.
Zumi:
"Trust isn't demanded.
It's earned."
His tone has absolute authority, but speaks to her, not at her.
He continues:
Zumi:
"You want global stability for your company.
I provide it.
You want expansion that does not compromise your values.
I guarantee it."
A pause.
He leans forward slightly — not seducing, not pressing.
Just unmistakably present.
Zumi:
"You want someone who understands you without needing to conquer you."
Her eyes widen just a fraction.
Her lips part — a tiny involuntary motion.
Viktoria:
"…yes."
She regrets answering aloud.
Gia's smirk widens.
Loyalty seed planted.
Viktoria forces her voice back into a professional tone.
Viktoria:
"What exactly… do you want from me, Zumi?
What role do you expect me to play under your vision?"
Zumi stands slowly.
Not aggressive.
Not dominant.
Just rising with the presence of someone whose existence changes the gravity of a room.
He walks to her desk — stops at a respectful distance.
She looks up at him.
He doesn't tower.
He descends upon the atmosphere.
His voice is quiet:
Zumi:
"I don't want you under my vision."
Her breath halts completely.
He finishes:
Zumi:
"I want you beside it."
Her pulse skyrockets.
Heat spreads across her throat.
Her posture loses its rigidity.
A tiny crack in her composure —
but a beautiful one.
Viktoria:
"…beside?"
Zumi:
"You built an empire from intellect.
I build empires from destiny."
He locks eyes with her.
Calm.
Steady.
Undeniable.
Zumi:
"The two together will reshape cities."
She is melting.
Completely.
Quietly.
Gia watches with amused respect.
Gia (internally):
Another future wife. She won't last a week before surrendering completely.
Viktoria whispers, barely audible:
Viktoria:
"Zumi…
who are you?"
He smiles gently — not revealing anything.
Zumi:
"A man who keeps his promises."
Then, he extends his hand across the desk.
Zumi:
"Let's build something greater than empires.
Together."
Viktoria stares at his hand.
Her fingernails dig lightly into her palm.
Her resistance fights — and loses.
She reaches out.
Their hands touch.
Soft.
Warm.
Electric.
Her emotional walls —
the ones forged from power, betrayal, and solitude —
shatter silently.
She is his.
Not as a possession.
As a destiny already unfolding.
The moment Viktoria's fingers touched Zumi's—
A soft chime only Zumi could hear echoed in his mind.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION – PRIVATE]
Viktoria Sergeyevna Volkov
Status:Unlocked
Designation:System Character (Tier II)
*Emotional Loyalty: 86 → 100%
Restriction: Cannot betray the Host under any circumstances.
Bond Status:Deep Emotional Link Established
Zumi does not react outwardly.
But inside?
He feels her.
Her soul-thread, her emotional alignment, her stability—
all shifting toward him with a natural, almost effortless acceptance.
Viktoria inhales sharply without knowing why.
A strange warmth blooms in her chest.
Not magic she recognizes.
Not fear.
Something far deeper:
Closeness.
Belonging.
Attachment.
She doesn't fight it.
She doesn't want to fight it.
Her shoulders relax, her gaze softens, and her voice quiets without losing its power.
Viktoria (softly):
"…Zumi… whatever deal you want… you have it."
Zumi releases her hand gently.
She straightens slightly, regaining a fragment of composure.
Viktoria:
"You don't need to buy the company.
I'll hand it over.
If it's you, I—"
Zumi lifts a hand, stopping her with a calm gesture.
Zumi:
"No."
Her eyes widen.
No one tells Viktoria Volkov "no."
Not even world leaders.
But she doesn't feel offended.
She feels… corrected.
Zumi:
"If I accept it freely, the political world will question you.
They will accuse you of being influenced.
It would weaken your standing."
She swallows.
He's protecting her image.
Her power.
Zumi (calm authority):
"I'll buy it.
Officially."
He leans back in the chair, posture relaxed yet immovable.
Zumi:
"And the money will come right back into the company anyway."
Her eyes widen—
He truly doesn't care about the money.
Zumi:
"Because you're staying.
Running things as you always have."
Her breath catches.
He continues:
Zumi:
"You will operate as Co-CEO."
Those words land deeper than any confession of love ever could.
Her throne.
Her empire.
Her purpose—
He isn't taking them.
He's elevating them.
And elevating her.
Viktoria's voice is almost a whisper.
Viktoria:
"…yes.
I'll stay.
Beside you."
Gia smirks.
She can practically see the spiritual collar forming around Viktoria's loyalty.
Zumi gestures toward Gia with a subtle, respectful motion.
Zumi:
"Run all major decisions by me.
Or by her."
Viktoria turns toward Gia—
…and shockingly—
she does not question it.
At all.
Not even a flicker of resistance crosses her face.
Viktoria:
"Of course.
Whatever she says, I'll treat as if it's your direct order."
Gia nearly laughs.
This woman is head-over-heels.
This is going to be fun.
Viktoria's entire body language—
from the tilt of her neck to the loosened tension in her posture—
silently says:
"This man can take me if he wants.
Whenever he wants.
I won't refuse."
Zumi sits back down.
His expression remains steady, almost serene.
Then—
He snaps his fingers.
A soft ripple spreads across the room, invisible to human eyes but palpable to the senses.
A Soundless Seal drops around them like a dome of silence.
Only Zumi senses it fully.
Gia recognizes it instantly—
She straightens, eyes sharpening.
Viktoria gasps quietly, not hearing the magic but feeling the atmosphere change.
The temperature shifts.
The air thickens with clarity, intimacy, isolation.
Her heartbeat becomes the loudest thing she can perceive.
Viktoria:
"…what… did you just do?"
Zumi meets her eyes—
calm, unreadable, but undeniably powerful.
Zumi:
"I want the next thing I say to remain private.
Completely."
The air feels holy.
Heavy.
Secretive.
Gia crosses one leg over the other, elegantly amused.
Gia (thinking):
He's about to change her entire worldview… and she has no idea.
Viktoria's pulse races.
Her breathing grows shallow.
She leans forward unconsciously, captivated.
Her voice comes out soft, submissive, almost pleading:
Viktoria:
"…Zumi…
tell me."
Her emotional walls?
Gone.
Her loyalty?
Sealed.
Her heart?
Already his.
And now—
he will speak the words meant only for her.
The sound barrier hums softly, unseen and unheard by anyone except Zumi.
The world outside feels distant, muted, irrelevant.
It is just the three of them now—
Zumi.
Gia.
Viktoria.
And Viktoria feels it.
A shift.
A gravity.
A sense that reality itself is about to change in front of her.
Her breath trembles.
Her fingers grip the velvet edge of her desk.
Her voice is barely audible:
Viktoria:
"…Zumi… who are you really?"
Zumi does not lean closer.
He does not deepen his tone.
He simply speaks.
And the truth itself bends the room.
Zumi:
"My real name… is Sun Wukong."
Her heart stops.
His voice carries no arrogance, only deep certainty.
Zumi:
"King of the Monkeys.
Heaven's Rebel.
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
Her eyes widen painfully.
Her breath catches.
She opens her mouth—no words come out.
Zumi continues, calm, precise, unshakeable:
Zumi:
"I am the Monkey King reborn.
Awakened with memories spanning eons.
I walk between mortal and divine."
The porcelain tiles beneath Viktoria's feet feel too cold, too real, too small for the magnitude of what she's hearing.
She swallows—hard.
Viktoria:
"…I… I knew you weren't normal but… that… that is…"
Zumi:
"Truth."
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
She sits back, stunned silent, staring at a man whose presence already overwhelmed her—
Now knowing he is something
legendary
holy
dangerous
and eternal.
Her admiration shifts into awe.
Her awe shifts into devotion.
Her devotion shifts into surrender.
Zumi continues, voice steady:
Zumi:
"I am building an empire here in New York.
Not just in business.
Not just in corporations."
His eyes narrow with calm authority.
Zumi:
"But in the underworld."
Viktoria's pulse spikes.
Zumi keeps speaking:
Zumi:
"The ten strongest mafia families stand at the top of the criminal world.
I already have two under me."
Her lips part in disbelief.
Not fear.
Respect.
Admiration.
Pride.
Viktoria:
"…Two… already?"
Zumi:
"One openly.
One secretly."
He folds his hands.
Zumi:
"And I will take the other eight."
Something hot runs through her veins.
Not ambition.
Not greed.
Loyalty.
She whispers:
Viktoria:
"…Of course you will."
She believes him instantly.
Completely.
As if his words are prophecy.
Her gaze drifts to his hands, then his eyes, then the quiet strength in his voice.
She knows power.
She knows kings.
She knows masters of industry.
But she has never in her life met a man who speaks with the weight of inevitability.
Viktoria:
"…if I hadn't already fallen for you before…
then right now… I would have lost myself entirely."
Gia smirks in the corner, arms crossed.
Gia (thinking):
And there it is. Another goddess in the making.
Zumi's eyes soften slightly.
He looks at Viktoria—
not as a CEO,
not as a business partner,
not as a lover.
But as someone he sees potential in.
Zumi:
"There is something you should know… Viktoria Volkov."
She breathes slowly, waiting.
Zumi:
"You carry a spiritual lineage inside you.
A rare one."
Her brows knit.
Viktoria:
"…lineage?"
Zumi nods.
Zumi:
"The Spirit of Intellect.
A powerful ancestral force.
Your mind is not human-level genius.
It is spirit-born."
She stares at him with disbelief and quiet awe.
Viktoria:
"…that explains… so much…"
The way she sees patterns no one else sees.
The way strategy comes naturally.
The way numbers and logic dance for her.
It finally makes sense.
Zumi's voice deepens.
Zumi:
"But human existence has capped it.
Your intellect cannot evolve further… not as a mortal."
Viktoria's pulse spikes again.
Zumi leans back, no seduction—
just destiny speaking through him.
Zumi:
"I can unlock it."
A breath shatters in her throat.
Zumi:
"I can elevate you past human limits.
Make your Spirit of Intellect divine."
Her lips tremble.
Viktoria:
"…divine…?"
Zumi:
"You can become a Greater Goddess of Intellect under my Pantheon."
Viktoria freezes completely.
Everything stops—
her thoughts, her breath, her doubts.
Just silence.
Then—
Her voice, faint, reverent:
Viktoria:
"…Zumi…
tell me what I have to do.
Anything.
I'll do anything."
Gia smirks again—
approval, amusement, and pride.
Gia:
"She means that literally."
Zumi's gaze stays steady.
Warm.
Powerful.
Undeniable.
Zumi:
"First…
I must have your complete respect.
Your loyalty.
And eventually… your intimacy."
Viktoria's breath breaks.
Her heart races.
Her voice becomes a vow:
Viktoria:
"You already have my respect.
My loyalty.
And if you want something deeper…"
She stands slowly, walking around the desk toward him—
Every step quiet.
Every breath trembling.
Viktoria:
"…you can take it whenever you wish."
Her eyes meet his—
no walls, no fear, only devotion.
Viktoria:
"I am yours, Zumi.
In business.
In loyalty.
In anything."
And the way she looks at him now?
She is already ready to kneel before him.