Marcus woke up at 5:23 AM to his phone buzzing.
Not an alarm – a notification. He grabbed it, squinting at the screen.
[RETURN PROCESSED]
[Previous Balance: $429.82]
[Return Amount: $862.50]
[New Balance: $1,292.32]
He stared at the number. Over a thousand dollars. In three days, he'd gone from $247 to over a grand. And tonight, Sophie was coming over.
Marcus sat up, running a hand through his hair. His apartment was a disaster – dishes in the sink, laundry on the chair, the general chaos of a man who'd stopped caring about his space around the same time his life fell apart.
[Morning mission available]
[Optional: Apartment preparation]
[Investment range: $150-200]
[Includes: Cleaning service, quality groceries, wine, ambiance materials]
[Projected return: 2.5x if evening successful]
Marcus stood and looked around his studio apartment with fresh eyes. The system was right – this place screamed "gave up on himself." He needed candles, better sheets, food that wasn't ramen or cereal. He needed to look like a man who had his shit together.
"Accept mission," he said.
[MISSION: PREPARATION]
[Time limit: 12 hours]
[Objective: Create environment conducive to seduction]
[Note: Quality matters. Invest in details.]
---
By noon, Marcus's apartment had been transformed.
The cleaning service had cost $120 – two efficient women who'd scrubbed his studio until it gleamed, even organizing his closet without being asked. They'd left behind the faint scent of lemon and lavender.
At Whole Foods, Marcus moved through the aisles with purpose. Salmon fillets, asparagus, fingerling potatoes, arugula for salad. A decent bottle of Chardonnay. Fresh flowers – nothing too romantic, just white tulips that looked elegant in the cheap vase he'd found under his sink.
[Current investment: $183.47]
He stopped at a boutique home store and bought actual cloth napkins, two wine glasses that didn't come from IKEA, and a set of unscented candles. The sales woman had given him an approving nod when he'd explained he was cooking dinner for someone special.
[Current investment: $247.89]
At the register, Marcus hesitated. This was real money – money he'd need if the system stopped working, if this all turned out to be temporary. But then he thought about Sophie in that black dress, the way she'd looked at him when he'd said he knew what he wanted now.
He paid.
---
By 6 PM, everything was ready.
The salmon was marinating in miso and ginger. The table – really just his small kitchen counter with two stools – was set with the new wine glasses and a single candle. The apartment smelled like citrus and possibility.
Marcus had showered, shaved, put on dark jeans and a fitted navy henley that Sophie had complimented once in passing during dinner. He looked at himself in the mirror and barely recognized the guy staring back.
Three days ago: broke, humiliated, invisible.
Tonight: $1,044.43 in the bank and a beautiful woman on her way over.
His phone buzzed.
Sophie: On my way. Should I bring anything?
Marcus: Just yourself. And an appetite.
Sophie: Both covered. Be there in 20.
[Target en route]
[Mission status: Active]
Marcus dimmed the lights slightly, lit the candle, and started heating the pan for the salmon. His hands were steady. His mind was clear.
The knock came at 7:04.
Sophie stood in his doorway wearing dark jeans, ankle boots, and an off-shoulder cream sweater that somehow looked both casual and devastating. Her hair was pulled back, showing off her neck. She held a bottle of red wine.
"I know you said not to bring anything," she said, "but I couldn't show up empty-handed."
"Come in." Marcus stepped aside, watching her take in the apartment.
"Wow," Sophie said, turning in a slow circle. "This is... really nice. Clean. Organized." She met his eyes with a teasing smile. "You didn't strike me as the type to have tulips."
"I'm full of surprises."
"Apparently." She handed him the wine and moved toward the kitchen area. "What are you making? It smells incredible."
"Miso-glazed salmon, roasted potatoes, asparagus. Nothing fancy."
"Nothing fancy," Sophie repeated, laughing. "Most guys would've ordered pizza and called it cooking."
"I'm not most guys."
"No," she said softly, meeting his eyes. "You're really not."
They fell into an easy rhythm. Sophie insisted on helping, so Marcus gave her the salad prep while he focused on the salmon. They moved around each other in the small kitchen space, occasionally brushing shoulders, the physical proximity charged with awareness.
"So tell me something," Sophie said, tearing arugula. "Where did this guy come from? The one who cooks and sets tables and has his life together?"
She remembered him telling her how he wasn't very "Put together" at the moment.
Marcus flipped the salmon, considering his answer. "He was always here. Just... buried under a lot of trying to be what other people wanted."
"Emma?"
"Emma. My boss. Everyone, really." He plated the salmon, the glaze glistening. "I spent three years making myself smaller so other people could feel bigger. Turns out that's not sustainable."
Sophie set down the salad bowl and turned to face him fully. "What changed?"
"I hit bottom. And then I decided bottom wasn't where I was going to live."
"Just like that?"
Marcus brought the plates to the counter, gesturing for her to sit. "Just like that. Sometimes you get tired of your own bullshit, you know?"
Sophie sat, picking up her wine glass. "I do know. That's why I moved here. Fresh start, new rules." She took a bite of the salmon and closed her eyes. "Oh my god. Okay, this is actually amazing."
"Don't sound so surprised."
"I'm pleasantly surprised. There's a difference." She leaned forward, elbows on the counter. "Tell me about the revenge plan."
Marcus paused, fork halfway to his mouth. "What?"
"Come on. Yesterday you were unemployed and angry at your ex and your former boss. Today you're cooking me dinner and looking at me like... well." She smiled. "Like you're planning something. So what's the plan? How does Marcus Chen get his revenge?"
[WARNING: Maintain operational security]
[Do not reveal system existence]
Marcus set down his fork. "You really want to know?"
"I really want to know."
"Success. That's the revenge." He met her eyes. "Emma left me because I wasn't enough – not rich enough, not powerful enough, not important enough. So I become all of those things. I build something they can't ignore. And then when they realize what they gave up?" He shrugged. "That's when they lose."
Sophie was quiet for a moment, studying him. "That's... actually brilliant. And kind of hot."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Revenge through excellence." She raised her glass. "I can support that plan."
They toasted, and the conversation shifted – lighter now, trading stories about the city, about bad roommates and worse jobs. Sophie told him about the time she accidentally sent a client a mockup that said "THIS GUY SUCKS" in hidden text that wasn't actually hidden. Marcus told her about the time he'd caught his boss asleep at his desk with porn still playing on his computer.
"Wait, and this is the guy Emma left you for?" Sophie was laughing so hard she had to set down her wine.
"The very same."
"Oh my god, the irony."
They finished dinner and moved to the couch – Marcus's only other furniture besides his bed. Sophie kicked off her boots and tucked her feet under her, wine glass in hand.
"Can I ask you something personal?" she said.
"Shoot."
"Why me? I mean, yesterday in the park, you could've just walked past. You could've kept that coffee for yourself. But you didn't." She tilted her head. "Why?"
Marcus considered, he needed to say the right thing.
"Honestly? You looked like the kind of woman who doesn't settle. Who knows her worth." He shifted to face her better. "And I guess I wanted to see if someone like that would even give me the time of day."
"Someone like that," Sophie repeated. "You mean someone who intimidates you?"
"Terrifies me."
"Good." She set down her wine glass and moved closer. "I like when men are a little scared of me. Keeps them honest."
She was close enough now that Marcus could smell her perfume – something subtle, expensive. Her eyes dropped to his mouth, then back up.
"Marcus?"
"Yeah?"
"Stop being scared."
He kissed her.
Sophie tasted like wine and certainty. She responded immediately, one hand sliding into his hair, the other gripping his shoulder. The kiss deepened, and Marcus forgot about the system, about stats, about revenge. There was just this – her mouth on his, the small sound she made when he pulled her closer, the way she bit his bottom lip like a challenge.
When they broke apart, both breathing hard, Sophie's smile was wicked.
"Your bedroom better be as clean as the rest of this place."
Marcus stood, offering his hand. "See for yourself."