The next morning was a masterclass in avoidance.
Aiden came downstairs to find a plate of toast and a glass of juice on the table, but the kitchen was empty.
He could hear Elena moving around upstairs, the soft creak of floorboards, the click of a door shutting. She was actively hiding from him.
He couldn't blame her.
He felt a strange hollowness in his chest. It wasn't just guilt. It was the chilling realization that he was capable of… that. Of using someone's kindness, their hidden feelings, just to save himself.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, my vessel," Liora's voice chirped in his thoughts. She sounded annoyingly cheerful. "You both wanted it. I just gave you a little push. Besides, her affection was delicious. Like fine wine."
"She's my stepmother," Aiden thought back, his anger a cold, hard knot in his stomach.
A delicate sigh. "Details, details. Love is energy. It doesn't care about silly little titles."
He checked his phone. His energy was already at 72%. Just thinking and breathing seemed to cost him points. This was a nightmare. He had to keep feeding this… this thing.
A new chime echoed in his mind.
[New Quest Issued]
[Quest: Generate 100 AP from a non-family member.]
[Time Limit: 8 hours.]
[Failure Penalty: Severe Migraine & 50% Energy Depletion.]
Aiden groaned silently. At least it wasn't cardiac collapse this time. Small mercies.
A non-family member. That meant he had to do this out in the real world. At work.
His mind immediately went to Mira Chen.
Mira was the opposite of him in every conceivable way. She was loud, colorful, and wore her emotions on her sleeve. Her desk was a chaotic explosion of sticky notes, half-empty bubble tea cups, and cute little figurines.
She was, in a word, exhausting.
But she was also relentlessly friendly. Maybe her affection would be easy to get.
He arrived at the office, his usual calm mask firmly in place.
Mira was already there, humming a pop song and typing furiously.
"Morning, stranger," she said without looking up from her screen. "You look like you wrestled a ghost and lost. Everything okay?"
"Just tired," Aiden said, his voice clipped.
She finally looked at him, her brown eyes crinkling at the corners. "You're way too composed, Aiden. Blink twice if you're secretly a robot."
He gave her a blank stare. "I am a robot. Beep boop."
Mira laughed, a bright, genuine sound that seemed to warm up their little corner of the office.
Okay, target acquired. Now what? How do people flirt? He'd seen it in movies. You compliment them. You make them laugh.
He could do that. Probably.
"Tell her the curve of her neck is like a swan's, begging to be kissed," Liora suggested, her voice dripping with syrupy romance.
Aiden internally recoiled. Absolutely not.
He decided to start simple.
"That's a… nice color," he said, gesturing vaguely at her bright yellow sweater.
Mira looked down at it. "Oh, thanks! It's supposed to make you feel cheerful. Clearly, it's not working on you."
She winked.
Okay, that didn't generate any points. The number on his phone remained stubbornly at 72%. He needed a new approach.
He spent the next hour trying and failing spectacularly.
He tried to make a joke. It came out so dry and sarcastic that Mira just looked confused.
He tried to offer her a coffee. She already had one.
He tried to compliment her work on the latest project. She just waved it off, saying, "Oh, that old thing? It was a team effort."
"You are terrible at this," Liora giggled. "It's painful to watch. And I've watched glaciers move."
His time was ticking away. The pressure was building. A dull throb started behind his eyes the promised migraine making a preemptive strike.
He had four hours left.
Desperation was becoming a familiar friend.
He remembered the kiss with Elena. The spike in points had come from a sudden, intense physical action. Words weren't working with Mira. Maybe he needed to try something else.
He looked at Mira, who was now deeply focused on her work, chewing on the end of her pen.
"You could just grab her and kiss her," Liora offered helpfully. "It worked so well last time."
That would get him fired. And possibly arrested.
He needed an excuse. A reason to get close to her without setting off all the HR alarm bells.
Then, a terrible, brilliant, and deeply embarrassing idea formed in his mind.
It was cheap. It was manipulative. It was perfect.
He stood up from his desk, took two steps, and then let his knees buckle. He swayed dramatically, one hand flying to his forehead.
"Whoa," he said, his voice intentionally weak. "Dizzy spell."
It worked.
Instantly, Mira was out of her chair and at his side, her expression a mask of concern.
"Aiden! Are you okay? Sit down, sit down."
She grabbed his arm to steady him. Her touch was warm. He felt a tiny trickle of energy, maybe one point. Not enough.
He needed more.
He let himself lean on her, his body going limp. He was tall and lean, but it was enough to make her stagger under his weight.
"Sorry," he mumbled, letting his head rest against her shoulder for a just a second too long. "Just… really light-headed."
"Don't apologize, you idiot," she said, her voice full of genuine worry. She wrapped her arm around his waist to support him, guiding him back toward his chair. "You need to eat something. Your blood sugar is probably low."
This was it. His chance.
As she helped him lower into his chair, he didn't let go. Instead, he used the momentum to pull her down with him slightly, turning the supportive gesture into a full-body hug.
He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder. Her hair smelled like peaches. She was soft and warm, and for a split second, the embrace felt… nice. Safe.
Then he remembered why he was doing it.
Mira froze, clearly not expecting the sudden, intimate contact. He could feel her tense up in surprise.
"Uh, Aiden?" she said, her voice a little breathless and very close to his ear. "You can… let go now. I think."
He held on for one more second, feeling the awkwardness radiate from her in waves.
Ding.
[+20 AP]
[+30 AP]
[+40 AP]
A huge surge of points flowed into him. It wasn't as potent as Elena's, but it was more than enough.
[Quest Complete!]
[Energy: 95%]
The throbbing in his head vanished instantly.
He pulled away abruptly, trying to look dazed and confused, as if he didn't realize what he'd just done.
"Sorry," he said again, running a hand through his dark hair. "I don't know what came over me."
Mira stared at him. Her cheeks were flushed a pretty shade of pink. She looked utterly bewildered, like she was trying to solve a complicated math problem in her head.
The "cold, emotionless pretty boy" of the office had just clung to her like a drowning man.
"See? That wasn't so hard," Liora said smugly. "Her affection tastes different. Sweeter. Like… cheap sugar. But it will do in a pinch."
"I… I'm going to get you some water," Mira stammered, before practically fleeing toward the break room.
Aiden watched her go, a strange mix of relief and self-loathing washing over him.
He had the points. He was safe, for now.
But he had a sinking feeling that he had just made his life at the office infinitely more complicated. Mira Chen was confused, but her file in his brain, previously labeled 'Loud Colleague,' was now flashing with a new, much more dangerous tag: 'Intrigued.'