The mansion's chandeliers still glittered, the party still pulsed with bass and alcohol, but Ethan had already left his mark.
Vanessa Hart couldn't look at him without her chest tightening, her composure crumbling. He'd whispered poison into her ear, wrapped truth in temptation, and now her thoughts burned with him.
Marcus paraded her around the room as if she were a prized possession, but Ethan saw it—the hesitation in her smile, the flicker of doubt when Marcus pulled her too close.
And the System saw it too.
[Conquest Mission: 80% Complete.] [Reward Locked: Charm Amplification Lv.1. Partial Evolution Pending.]
Ethan's smirk widened. Tonight, Marcus's queen would fall.
Later – Upstairs Hallway
The party's noise dulled as Ethan slipped away, his steps deliberate. He didn't need to search. His prey would come to him.
And she did.
Vanessa appeared minutes later, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. She glanced around, checking if anyone noticed, then froze when her gaze landed on him.
Ethan leaned casually against the wall, his crimson eyes burning in the dim light. "Looking for me?"
Vanessa's lips parted. "You shouldn't be here."
"Yet here I am," Ethan replied smoothly, stepping closer. "And so are you."
Her breath hitched as he closed the distance. The scent of her perfume mixed with the faint trace of wine, intoxicating.
"Marcus—" she began, but Ethan silenced her with a single touch. His finger trailed along her jawline, sending a shiver racing down her spine.
"Forget Marcus," Ethan whispered. "Right now, it's just you and me."
Vanessa's pulse hammered in her throat. Logic screamed at her to walk away, but her body betrayed her. She didn't move. She didn't resist.
And Ethan seized the moment.
His lips crushed against hers, hungry, commanding. Vanessa gasped, then melted into him, her hands pressing against his chest. The kiss deepened, igniting fire neither of them could deny.
When they finally broke apart, Vanessa's eyes were glazed, her voice trembling. "I… I shouldn't…"
Ethan smirked, his thumb brushing her lower lip. "But you want to."
Vanessa swallowed hard, unable to answer.
Moments Later – Guest Bedroom
The world blurred as Ethan guided her into one of the mansion's lavish guest rooms. The heavy door clicked shut, sealing them away from the party below.
Vanessa pressed her back against the wall, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Ethan's aura wrapped around her, thick and irresistible, every ounce of his Incubus blood demanding her surrender.
"Say it," he murmured, his voice like velvet. "Say you want me."
Vanessa shook her head weakly, but her trembling betrayed her. "I… I can't."
Ethan leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear. "Then let your body say it for you."
She gasped as his hands slid over her curves, his touch igniting sparks that Marcus never could. Every kiss, every caress unraveled her defenses until she was nothing but fire in his arms.
Her voice broke into a desperate whisper. "Ethan…"
That was all he needed.
Their bodies collided, and for the first time, Vanessa Hart wasn't Marcus's queen. She was Ethan's conquest.
System Notification
[Target Conquest: 100% Complete.] [Reward Unlocked: Charm Amplification Lv.1.] [Partial Evolution Complete: Incubus Physique Strengthened.]
Ethan shuddered as power surged through him, hotter and darker than before. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and his aura expanded, pulling Vanessa deeper into his thrall.
Selene's voice purred in his mind. "Perfect. You've stolen his jewel. Do you feel it, Ethan? The thrill of power? The taste of victory?"
Ethan smirked against Vanessa's skin. "I feel unstoppable."
Later – Vanessa's Confession
Vanessa lay sprawled across the silk sheets, her hair tangled, her lips swollen from his kisses. Her emerald eyes shimmered with guilt and desire all at once.
"I don't know what's happening to me," she whispered. "I shouldn't… but I can't stop thinking about you."
Ethan sat beside her, his crimson gaze burning into hers. "That's because you finally see the truth. Marcus doesn't deserve you. He never did."
Vanessa bit her lip. "And you do?"
Ethan leaned closer, his smirk dark. "I don't just deserve you, Vanessa. I own you now."
Her breath caught, and to his satisfaction, she didn't argue.
Downstairs – Marcus Gloats
Meanwhile, Marcus reveled in the crowd, unaware of the betrayal unfolding upstairs. He laughed with his friends, boasting about his empire, his car, his girlfriend.
"Vanessa's loyal," he bragged. "Unlike some of these other sluts, she knows her place."
Ethan descended the stairs minutes later, his shirt slightly ruffled, his smirk unreadable. When Marcus spotted him, his arrogance flared.
"Well, well, if it isn't the loser himself," Marcus sneered, clapping him on the back. "Glad you finally grew a spine and showed up."
Ethan's eyes flicked to Vanessa as she returned to the party, her gaze deliberately avoiding Marcus.
A thrill of satisfaction coursed through him. Marcus was still boasting, still arrogant, still blind.
And Ethan had already stolen the one thing he valued most.
System Notification
[New Mission Unlocked: Humiliate Marcus Blackwood.] [Condition: Publicly defeat your rival and expose his weakness.] [Reward: Incubus Evolution – Stage One Awakening.]
Ethan's lips curved into a cold smile.
The System wasn't done. And neither was he.