That night, Ren wasn't at the office, drowning under fluorescent lights. He was at The Velvet Lounge, a chic downtown bar that pulsed with music and the low thrum of a hundred conversations. He, who could barely afford a beer at a dive bar, now stood with an air of purpose, his cheap but clean clothes feeling less like a mark of shame and more like a disguise. An hour earlier, a System alert had pinged in his mind with the cool precision of a sniper's report: Adrian's girlfriend, Mia, was here with two friends. Adrian,predictably, was "crushing it at the office"—or more likely, having a beer with the other sharks.
Ren saw her in a plush, semi-circular booth. She was even more beautiful in person than in the photos Adrian showed off at work. But Ren's new, System-enhanced perception saw past the perfect makeup and designer dress. He saw the flicker of boredom in her eyes as she laughed at a friend's joke, the subtle way she checked her phone under the table. She was a trophy, and she was tired of sitting on the shelf. This was it. The first test.
He pushed off from the wall he'd been leaning against and walked towards her, his steps even and deliberate. He issued a silent, mental command.
[System: Activate Aphrodisiac Aura - Potency Level: 3/10]
He felt a subtle shift in the air around him, an invisible wave of energy emanating from his very being.
Mia, in the middle of a half-hearted laugh, suddenly shivered, though the bar was warm. The laughter died in her throat, and she felt a strange, unaccountable flutter in her chest. She looked up, and her eyes, as if guided by a magnetic force, locked with Ren's from across the crowded room. The chatter from her friends and the thumping bass of the music faded into a dull, distant hum. To her, it felt like a spotlight had just illuminated the most magnetic man she had ever seen.
He arrived at the table, his gaze fixed entirely on her. He leaned forward slightly, ignoring her friends completely, creating an instant, intimate bubble just for the two of them. His voice was a low murmur that cut through the bar's noise.
"You look like you're waiting for something more interesting to happen tonight."
Her breath hitched. Before her friends could voice their indignation, Ren held out his hand, palm up. "Come with me. Let's get a drink at the bar." It was a command, not a request, delivered with unshakable confidence. She looked at his hand, then at his eyes, and saw a promise of an escape from the mundane. She placed her own hand in his without hesitation. The moment their skin touched, a jolt, like a pleasant electric shock, rushed up her arm. He led her away, leaving her friends staring in stunned, open-mouthed silence.