Read Novel Full Chapter 583: The Luxury of Being Ordinary
Chapter 583: The Luxury of Being Ordinary
Alex leaned forward slightly, studying the glowing script floating in the air before casting a sideways glance at Victoria.
?"Twelve hours of total invisibility to the world, and three charges," Alex remarked, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against the leather steering wheel. "Sounds tailor-made for an afternoon escape."
?Victoria leaned closer, her dark eyes scanning the shimmering violet description with genuine intrigue. For someone who had spent decades outmaneuvering electronic surveillance and private investigators, the sheer utility of the item was staggering.
?"A distortion field that fools optical recognition algorithms and spiritual aura sweeps simultaneously..." Victoria murmured, a faint, impressed smile curving her lips. "If half of what this claims is true, Richard could be standing three feet away on the sidewalk and his eyes would slide right past me. It’s more than enough. In fact, it’s almost terrifyingly convenient."
?"Almost," Alex agreed with a chuckle, before a sudden thought crossed his mind. He arched an eyebrow, looking back up toward the ceiling.
"Wait a second, Lilith. If she puts this on, what exactly am I going to be looking at? Am I stuck with an ordinary, forgettable stranger for the next twelve hours? Because if I’m taking my woman out on a date, I’d actually like to enjoy looking at her."
?Victoria turned to him, an amused, slightly flustered sparkle dancing in her eyes at his shameless honesty.
?A soft, melodic scoff echoed directly through the cabin as Lilith clicked her tongue in mock offense.
?"Do you take me for an amateur, Alex?" Lilith drawled, her tone dripping with effortless amusement. "This is an artifact produced directly by the System. You are its bound master. The distortion field alters the sensory perception of the outside world, not yours. To every camera, pedestrian, and prying cultivator out there, she will appear completely unremarkable. But for you? You can see right through the illusion to her true face, or observe the glamour at will with a simple thought."
?Lilith paused, a teasing purr entering her voice. "I wouldn’t dream of depriving you of your view, handsome."
?Victoria let out a quiet, breathless laugh, shaking her head as she leaned back against her headrest. "It sounds like you have thought of everything. If you are satisfied with it, Alex, so am I."
?"Alright then," Alex smiled, leaning back into his seat. "Lock it in, Lilith. We’ll take it."
The moment the command left his lips, the violet screen pulsed, shifting into a vivid cascade of crimson and gold system prompts:
?[Initiating Transaction: Mirage Silk Veil]
[Base Cost: 10,000 System Points]
?[Ding! Harem Support System Activated!]
[Final Cost: 1,000 System Points(Discount 90%)]
[Attuned to: Victoria Blackwood (Exclusive Use)]
[Transaction Confirmed.]
The floating holographic interface dissolved into shimmering motes of light, condensing rapidly directly above his open palm.
A breath later, the luminescence settled into physical form.
In his palm, the artifact looked surprisingly humble. There were no swirling cosmic runes, no theatrical flares of light, and no ethereal hum. It was simply a small, delicate mask crafted from smooth, plain white silk — so featherlight it seemed almost weightless, cool as fresh spring water against his fingertips.
?Victoria leaned in slightly, tilting her head as she examined the simple square of white fabric.
?"It looks remarkably ordinary," she remarked softly. "If you dropped this on a boutique floor, someone would mistake it for a scrap of tailoring cloth."
?"The best tools usually look like nothing special," Alex said with an easy grin. He turned fully toward her in the leather seat, lifting the soft white silk between his fingers. "Lean forward a bit. Let’s see how well Lilith’s boutique actually holds up."
?Victoria hesitated for only a fraction of a second. It wasn’t that she doubted Alex or distrusted the System. But after forty years of living strictly within the tangible laws of boardrooms, contracts, and physical surveillance, submitting to an otherworldly glamour felt surreal.
?She closed the distance, her dark eyes looking steadily into his as she lifted her chin.
?Alex raised his hands, his knuckles lightly brushing against the soft curve of her jawline as he brought the white silk to her face. His touch was warm and deliberate, sending a quiet tremor of electricity through her.
?"Close your eyes," Alex murmured.
Victoria obeyed, her long lashes resting against her cheeks.
?The moment the plain white cloth made contact with her skin, it melted away like fresh snow under warm sunlight, sinking directly through her pores and vanishing into an imperceptible, cool mist.
?A gentle shiver ran through Victoria’s shoulders as the coolness settled beneath her skin, but physically, nothing felt different. She opened her eyes, blinking as she met Alex’s gaze.
?"Did it work?" she asked, her voice carrying a rare, guarded skepticism.
?Alex didn’t answer immediately. With a single flick of intention, he toggled his sight to an outsider’s perspective.
?The transformation was nothing short of extraordinary.
?Before his eyes, the unmistakable, razor-sharp presence of Madame Blackwood dissolved completely. Her high, commanding cheekbones and piercing gaze softened into the approachable, pleasant contours of a completely different woman... still naturally pretty and graceful, but carrying the fresh, unassuming charm of someone in her late twenties.
?More impressive still, the System hadn’t stopped at her face.
?Her tailored, bespoke executive coat appeared to an outsider as a cozy, cream-colored knit cardigan layered over simple denim. Her commanding, suffocating aura... honed through decades of ruling elite financial dynasties... had flattened into the harmless, calm presence of an everyday civilian.
?Alex let out an appreciative whistle, leaning back into his seat with a slow grin.
?"Lilith wasn’t exaggerating," Alex said, shaking his head in quiet admiration. "It didn’t just blur your face. It swapped your features, dampened your presence, and even disguised your clothes into everyday street wear. If Richard Blackwood walked right past this car, he wouldn’t look twice."
?
Victoria ran a hand up to her cheek, tracing her fingers along her jaw and then down over the lapel of her coat. To her own touch, her face felt entirely unchanged, and her tailored cashmere still felt identical beneath her fingers.
?"I don’t feel anything different at all," she murmured, a faint furrow appearing between her brows as she looked over at him. "Is it really that thorough?"
She reached for the sun visor to flip down the vanity mirror, but Alex stopped her hand with a light chuckle.
"The mirror won’t show you what the world sees; you’re the wearer," Alex said, slipping his phone from his jacket pocket. "Let’s test the optical sensors."
He raised the camera, framing her through the lens, and tapped the shutter. The subtle click echoed in the quiet cabin. Turning the screen around, he held it out for her to see.
Victoria looked at the display, and her breath caught.
Staring back from the screen was a pleasant stranger. The woman in the photo carried a gentle, understated beauty, but there was not a single line, angle, or familiar shadow of Victoria Blackwood. Modern digital lenses, facial recognition software, and optical sensors had been completely bypassed.
For a second, sheer disbelief held her still. Then, she let out a quiet, breathless laugh... a sound so bright and unburdened it startled even her.
"It actually worked," Victoria murmured, a wide, fascinated smile breaking across her face as she looked between the screen and Alex. She touched her collar, shaking her head in delighted wonder. "If Richard or the board walked up to the window right now, they’d look straight past me. I’m completely invisible."
"Told you," Alex chuckled, resting one hand easily on the wheel as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Not just invisible, darling. Free. Now... where should we go first?"
The word free hung in the quiet air between them.
The lighthearted laughter lingered on Victoria’s lips for a heartbeat, but as the weight of his words sank in, the smile slowly softened. A stillness settled over her.
For more than twenty years, her life had been an endless series of calculated moves on a lethal chessboard. Every public appearance had demanded armored convoys and advance security sweeps; every dinner had been a political minefield where a single stray expression could swing market shares or invite an assassin’s bullet. She had lived inside the iron armor of "Madame Blackwood" for so long that she had forgotten who lived beneath it.
And now, with a casual gesture from the man beside her, the suffocating cage had simply dissolved.
A fierce, sudden warmth surged into her chest, so profound and sharp that it stung the corners of her eyes. It wasn’t sorrow... it was the overwhelming shock of being able to breathe without checking the perimeter first.
There was no calculation, no practiced restraint, and no decorum left to uphold.
Victoria unbuckled her seatbelt with a crisp click, slid across the center console, and framed Alex’s jaw with both hands.
Before he could say another word, she pulled him in and kissed him.
It was deep, breathless, and fiercely affectionate... an unfiltered release of everything she had held locked behind executive poise for half a lifetime.
Her fingers curled into his hair, pulling him closer as if anchoring herself to the only real, solid truth in an impossible world, her mouth parting against his with a desperate, radiant hunger.
Alex met her halfway, his hand sliding smoothly around the nape of her neck, his thumb tracing the curve of her jaw as he deepened the kiss.
For several quiet seconds, the rest of the universe ceased to exist; there was only the steady beat of his heart against hers and the soft, parted sigh of her breath against his lips.