The penthouse was a monument to silence. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the same city as his office, but from higher up, making the lights smaller, more distant. Alex stood in the middle of the vast living area, still in his suit jacket, tie loosened.
The failure with Ella sat in his gut. Not as emotion, but as data. Faulty data.
He replayed the interaction in his mind. Her anger. Her pride. The way she'd looked at him—not as a romantic lead, but as a corrupt CEO trying to leverage his power. She had framed it as a moral issue.
That was the critical error. He had approached a moral problem with a transactional solution. The languages didn't match.
"System," he said aloud. The blue interface appeared against the dark cityscape. "Analysis of Quest Failure: Primary Target Acquisition."
The system's reply was immediate. "Failure cause: Target refusal. Target willingness is a prerequisite. The framework does not compel. It incentivizes."
"So you offer no methodology for securing agreement. Only the reward for success."
"Correct. Methodology is user-dependent. Efficiency is user-dependent."
Alex nodded slowly. It was a pure meritocracy. The system provided the market. He had to be the salesman.
He needed a different product-market fit. He needed a customer who spoke the same language.
He walked to a sleek, minimalist desk and woke his personal laptop. He bypassed company files. He opened society blogs, entertainment news, business gossip columns. He combed through them not as a reader, but as a scout.
Eleanor Shaw, socialite, known for wanting "true love." Dismissed. Too romantic.
Clara Finch, philanthropist, morally rigid. Dismissed. Too much conscience.
Isabelle Roth, fashion heir, volatile, emotionally chaotic. Dismissed. Too unstable.
He needed ambition. Clarity. A person who saw relationships as part of a portfolio.
A name surfaced, aided by the novel's latent memories. Luna Veres. A face appeared on screen from a recent gallery opening. She was stunning, with sharp cheekbones and eyes that held the camera without smiling. The caption read: "Rising star Luna Veres continues her climb, seen here with tech investor Marcus Thorne. Sources say the pairing has boosted her brand visibility by thirty percent."
He read further. She was a model branching into acting. Not from money. Self-made in a ruthless industry. Every public relationship in her past was with a man who could open doors: a director, a producer, a venture capitalist.
The tabloids called her calculating. The business pages called her strategic.
Perfect.
"System," Alex said. "Run assessment. Target: Luna Veres."
The blue screen shimmered. Lines of text scrolled.
[TARGET ANALYSIS: LUNA VERES]
[Social Capital: HIGH]
[Public Visibility: HIGH]
[Career Trajectory: ASCENDING]
[Noted Behavioral Pattern: Strategic Affiliation.
[Primary Motivators: Career Advancement, Resource Acquisition, Brand Security.]
[Assessment: HIGHLY COMPATIBLE with Protocol 71 parameters.]
[Status: VALID TARGET.]
A prompt glowed softly.
[NEW QUEST GENERATED: ASSET ACQUISITION ALPHA]
[Target: Luna Veres.]
[Objective: Formalize Girlfriend Agreement #001.]
[Reward upon Signature: $500,000.00]
The same reward. A clean slate.
Alex leaned back. A cold, clean excitement threaded through him. This was no longer about navigating a strange world. This was a procurement challenge. He understood those.
He began to plan.
First, contact. A direct business proposition would work better than a social one. He had no prior history with her, no emotional baggage. It was a fresh slate.
Second, the pitch. It couldn't be the crude offer he'd made to Ella. It had to be framed as a partnership. A synergistic merger of assets. Her visibility, his stability and wealth. Their combined "brand" would be powerful. He would offer not just an allowance, but a detailed plan: introductions to certain directors, investment in a production studio she favored, a coordinated media strategy.
He would give her a growth chart, not a paycheck.
Third, the contract itself. It would be tighter, more professional. More like a corporate joint-venture agreement. He began drafting new clauses, his fingers tapping steadily on the keyboard. Performance bonuses tied to her career milestones. A clear exit strategy that left both parties stronger.
He worked for two hours. The quiet of the penthouse was broken only by the click of keys. The failure with Ella was forgotten, folded into the learning algorithm of his new mind.
Finally, he had it. A ten-page document. A business plan for a fake relationship.
He saved it. Agreement_001_Veres_Sterling_Synergy_Merger.
He looked out at the sleeping city. In a club or a loft somewhere down there, Luna Veres was likely being seen, networking, calculating her next move.
He would meet her not at a charity gala or a party. He would request a meeting at a neutral, professional space. A high-end restaurant at lunch. Business hours.
"System," he said. "Execute a search. Find the most exclusive, discreet restaurant frequented by talent agents and investors for power lunches. Somewhere Luna Veres would appreciate being seen."
A list appeared. He selected one. The Oak Room. Quiet. Power. No photographers allowed inside.
He drafted an email to the contact his novel-memories supplied for her agency. Short. Direct.
To: Luna Veres, via Atlas Talent
From: Alexander Sterling, Sterling Holdings
Subject: Strategic Partnership Opportunity
Ms. Veres,
Your work in brand development is impressive. I have a mutually beneficial proposal regarding aligned social and professional capital. Request a brief meeting at The Oak Room, Thursday at 1 PM, to discuss. My office will handle all logistics.
*-AS*
He hit send.
The quest glowed in his vision. The money waited.
Alex Sterling, the contractor, allowed himself a single, shallow breath of anticipation. The first pitch had failed.
The second pitch was about to begin.