Nathan's head throbbed like a war drum.
Last night felt like a bad fever dream: bar brawl, pavement nap, and a hallucinated "Harem Tycoon System."
He rubbed his temples, still lying on the cold apartment floor of his shoebox studio. Broken fan spinning. Fridge humming. Cockroach on the counter watching him like a landlord.
Then the blue screen blinked again.
[SYSTEM ONLINE.]
[First Target: Evelyn Moreau – CEO of Veritas Luxe Holdings]
[Status: Emotionally guarded. Divorced. Controlled. Dangerous.]
[Mission: Secure her as a strategic conquest. Access to luxury network, social credibility, and $60M in liquid assets.]
[System Reward: Confidence Boost I (Passive), Unlock: Skill Tree – Seduction & Negotiation Branch]
[Objective: Get her to sign your consulting proposal by any means necessary.]
Nathan squinted. "...Any means?"
The screen shimmered.
[Any.]
Nathan sat up. "Well. I always did have a thing for ice queens."
Downtown. That Afternoon.Veritas Luxe Holdings was the kind of place that smelled like imported leather, unpaid taxes, and generational wealth.
Nathan stood outside its towering glass building wearing yesterday's clothes and borrowed cologne.
He felt like a charity case in a ballroom.
But his eyes were steady.
He clutched the slim folder in his hand—his comeback pitch: a high-risk, high-reward logistics optimization plan tailor-made for Evelyn's chain of high-end hotels.
If she signed it, it would put him back on the radar.
If she laughed in his face…
Well, he'd be used to that.
He stepped in.
The receptionist looked up, scanned him like TSA. "Do you have an appointment?"
"Tell Evelyn Moreau that Nathan Cole is here," he said calmly.
Pause.
Her fingers hovered over the phone. "And she would know you from…?"
"Tell her I once made a hedge fund manager cry during a pitch meeting. She'll remember."
Executive Floor. 15 Minutes Later.Nathan was led into a private office that looked like a Bond villain's reading nook—marble, steel, minimalist, and cold.
Just like the woman sitting behind the glass desk.
Evelyn Moreau.
Chic black power suit. Crimson lipstick. Blonde hair in a sharp bob. Eyes that could freeze oceans and egos.
"Nathan," she said flatly. "I thought you were in rehab. Or prison."
He smiled. "You always had a way with compliments."
"You're wasting my time."
"Then let me make it worth something."
He placed the folder on her desk like it was loaded.
Evelyn glanced at it but didn't open it.
"I'm not hiring. Especially not bankrupt clowns chasing lost glory."
"This isn't about a job," Nathan replied. "It's about leverage. You're trying to cut costs on your supply chains. I can save you twelve percent on operational overhead in three quarters."
She raised an eyebrow. "And you expect me to believe you figured this out while drunk in a gutter?"
"I expect you to look at the numbers before deciding I'm still the man you once laughed into a cab."
That flicker in her eye—there. Vulnerability. Intrigue. Masked instantly, but it was real.
She opened the folder.
Ten seconds passed.
Thirty.
Finally, she leaned back, fingers steepled.
"Impressive. If these numbers are real."
"They're real."
"Even so… You're a risk. And I don't do risks without collateral."
Nathan tilted his head. "What kind of collateral?"
Her lips curled. "Charm me. Impress me. Do something that proves you're more than desperation in a suit."
[SYSTEM PROMPT: Persuasion Challenge Initiated]
[Seduction Skill Level 1: Passive Activated]
[Bonus Modifier: Past Relationship – Evelyn remembers your wit +5%]
Nathan stepped forward, slower than necessary. "I could tell you my plan's better than any consultant you've got on retainer. Or I could tell you something you already know…"
"Which is?"
He leaned in.
"That this city is full of men who want to fuck you, buy you, or beat you. But I'm the only one in the room who sees you as a power play."
Evelyn's breath caught for half a second. Just one. But it was enough.
"I don't want you, Evelyn," he added. "I want what you want. Control."
Silence.
And then—
She smiled.
Just a little.
"Sit down, Mr. Cole. Let's talk percentages."
System Update[Target's Interest: Sparked (+1)]
[Skill Unlocked: Silver Tongue Lv. 1]
[+250 Tycoon Points Earned]
As he walked out of Veritas an hour later—with a verbal commitment and a date for follow-up—Nathan felt it.
That switch flipping.
The gears turning.
Not just in the system.
But inside himself.
Tomorrow, he meets her again—this time at a private wine-tasting hosted in a penthouse suite.
But he's not the only man invited…
And not all battles are fought in boardrooms.