Of all the people to run into, it had to be Elise. I recognized her from a block away, that familiar, predatory sway in her hips. And there it was—the moment her eyes locked onto me, that brilliant, terrible smile spread across her face. It wasn't a smile of warmth or recognition, but the gleeful baring of teeth from someone who had just spotted her favorite chew toy. She was, I was sure, already excited by the prospect of torturing me with her words once again.
"Look who it is," she chirped, her voice dripping with a faux sweetness that made my skin crawl. She crossed her arms, leaning back slightly as if to admire her own wit. "Mr. Useless himself."
I said nothing, my jaw tightening. My silence only seemed to fuel her.
"What are you doing here, looking for a job?" she continued, her eyes scanning the upscale storefronts around us with mock curiosity. "Did you see an application for a janitor or something posted on the web?" She threw her head back and laughed, a sharp, hollow sound that echoed in the space between us. It was a performance, and she was the star. From the way her eyes glittered as they watched me, I could tell she was getting a genuine thrill from the idea of me struggling. Her words weren't just meant to anger me; no, she wanted me to confirm what she had already decided was true. It was a sick, twisted game only she knew the rules to.
"So, what? Are you just gonna stare at me and not say anything? Cat got your tongue?"
I remained quiet, but I made sure my face communicated what my voice would not. I let every ounce of my disgust and contempt show in my expression. Elise was a cunning snake, and conversations like these were her forte. I knew from bitter experience that a heated argument was exactly what she wanted. She would expertly gaslight me, twist my words, and use my own emotions as a weapon against me. I couldn't give her that satisfaction.
I tried to sidestep her, to simply walk away from the poison, but her hand shot out and grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong. She pulled me back and invaded my space, her face so close to mine I could smell the sharp, floral notes of her perfume.
"Did I say you could leave, Leo?" she hissed. "Humph! I see you've really grown wings now, eh?" Her eyes dropped to my hands. "You're even clenching your fists. What? Are you going to hit me? Try that and you'll be locked up for years, Leo. Years."
And there it was. She had finally succeeded in provoking a response.
"Why can't you just leave me alone, Elise?" The words tumbled out, strained and tight. "Haven't you done enough? You used me for years and then kicked me out onto the street. But noooo, that wasn't enough for you. You even tore up my job contract. It's as if you want to destroy my life. Now you're here attacking me for no reason. Just leave me be."
She scoffed, a dry, dismissive sound. Just as I feared, she immediately began twisting my words, reshaping the narrative until I barely recognized my own reality in it.
"That's rich, coming from you, Leo. Really," she said, her voice laced with condescending amusement. "If I remember correctly, just three days ago you would have wiped the floor clean if I asked you to. Are you sure you want me to leave you alone? You're just bluffing, putting on a show and hoping it'll get you my attention. But no matter what you do, just remember it's useless. I would never downgrade and come back to your level."
Her tone then underwent a terrifying shift, softening into something intimate and cruel. She walked even closer, her presence suffocating. She reached out and traced a single, cold finger down my shoulder, over my chest, towards my abdomen. It was a violation, a reminder of a past intimacy she now weaponized.
"I know you're struggling out there," she whispered, her voice a venomous caress. "Even the women you used to flirt with don't want you now. Even that girl at the coffee shop. I bet they can all sense how much you want to be loved. You poor thing. I'm sure if I snapped my fingers, you'd come running back to me. Sadly for you, we will never get back together."
Having delivered her final, soul-crushing blow, she was done. She pivoted sharply on her heels and strode away, her hips swaying in a triumphant rhythm. I only stood there, shaking my head, the ghost of her touch still burning on my skin. I couldn't, even now, fully understand how I had ever fallen in love with such a person.
The confrontation was a stark reminder of the man I had been—powerless, desperate for validation, an easy target for someone like Elise. But that man was gone. Quietly, methodically, I had been building a new one. The financial windfall from a recent inheritance hadn't just bought me security; it had bought me transformation.
I had invested in two specific things: a premium negotiation skill fromthe system, a tool that would be indispensable as the new head of the sales department, and a subtle, high-end facial sculpting the system called Facial Symmetry. The negotiator skill was for securing difficult deals, for commanding a room. The facial asymmetry correction was simpler in its goal: to boost my appearance. The system didn't change my features, it simply refined them—aligning my eyes, straightening my nose, defining my jawline. It was still me, but a version of me where every element was in perfect, measured harmony. I would look like I had just stepped out of a leading man's trailer on a movie set, tomorrow morning that is.
The whole scenario was perfect. A new face for a new status. I had concrete plans to buy a house and move to a better part of town, to leave this entire chapter behind. But one thing kept me here: Maya.
There was a progress bar over her head, a visualization only I could see, and it was currently at forty something percent. It was a measure of her affection, her trust, her investment in "us". I couldn't leave, not yet. I had to see it through, to guide that bar to one hundred percent. Only then, when her devotion was absolute and undeniable, would I make my move and ask her to be my girlfriend. With the bar maxed out, I knew, with absolute certainty, that she would say yes.