The Heart System

Chapter 393: Chapter 393

We were not supposed to work today but... I couldn’t afford to just sit at home and let my thoughts get the better of me. I needed something to do.

I sat behind my desk, staring at the monitor without really seeing what was on it. My thoughts kept drifting back to that place, to the fireplace, to Miko’s voice saying it so casually. End him. Like she was talking about throwing out trash or canceling a meeting. Mana standing there, calm, unreadable, as if killing someone was just another option on a menu.

They talked about it like it was normal.

Like I was already dead and just didn’t know it yet.

I forced myself to inhale slowly and then exhale, shoulders dropping as I tried to ground myself back in reality. I was at work. Behind a desk. In a building full of people, glass walls, security badges, cameras. Not in some cosmic mansion being discussed like a racehorse.

I looked down at the folder in front of me and finally gave myself something concrete to focus on.

Nala had dropped it on my desk earlier that morning with a distracted "Can you handle this?" before disappearing into a meeting. Inside were printed schedules, meeting summaries, and half a dozen sticky notes in her sharp handwriting. I flipped it open and started working through it methodically.

First was rescheduling a product sync that had somehow ended up overlapping with a client demo. I opened the internal calendar, moved the meeting, and sent out polite update emails explaining the change without assigning blame. Then I skimmed through a list of deliverables from the engineering team and flagged two items that were clearly unrealistic for the proposed timeline. I added comments, softened the language, and sent them back to Nala with suggestions instead of complaints.

There was a vendor call that needed to be pushed to next week, a room booking that had been double-booked by another department, and a stack of documents that needed approval stamps routed to the right inboxes. It was mundane work, the kind of administrative glue that kept things from quietly falling apart, and it helped more than I expected.

Each task pulled me a little further away from the memory of hushed voices plotting my death.

After a while, the folder was empty. I closed it, stacked it neatly on the corner of my desk, and leaned back in my chair. I rubbed my face with both hands, dragging my palms down over my eyes and cheeks, feeling the tension there.

Calm day. Too calm.

The quiet left room for my thoughts to creep back in, and I didn’t like where they went. Out of pure boredom, or maybe avoidance, I pulled up the Shop interface.

The familiar menu appeared in my vision, crisp and clean.

Random Passive Skill was tempting. It always was. The idea of stumbling onto something unexpected, something that might shift the board in my favor, had its appeal. But unpredictability was dangerous right now. What I needed was control, something I understood, something already proven.

Mastery Evolve.

My eyes drifted to Bliss Multiplier almost immediately. It had carried me this far, amplified moments that mattered, and stacked gains in ways I could actually track. I didn’t need novelty. I needed consistency.

I bought it without overthinking.

╭────────────────────╮

SHOP [Page 2]

==========================

• Hypnotic Perfume (40c)

• Time Stop (90c)

• 500 Dollars (50c)

• 1 Ability Point (150c)

• 1 Mastery Point (160c)

• Desire Aura (100c)

• Reputation Point +30 (200c)

• Mastery Evolve (1500c)

• Random Passive Skill (1700c)

==========================

Credits: 701c

╰────────────────────╯

I slotted the Mastery Evolve straight into Bliss Multiplier and leaned back again, exhaling slowly as the familiar sensation settled in.

There was no dramatic rush, no fireworks, just a subtle feeling of alignment, like tightening a bolt that had been slightly loose. Well, whatever. Bliss multiplier was now perfect, and my next plan was to put extra points into Honeyed Words now.

╭────────────────────╮

CURRENT STATS

==========================

◆ Strength: 10 (+5)

◆ Charm: 13

- Manipulative Charm

⤷ Honeyed Words (⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹)

⤷ Gaslight (⏹☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Emotional Charisma (☐☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Seductive Allure (☐)

◆ Libido: 16

⤷ Endless Vigor (☐☐☐☐☐)

◆ Pleasure: 30 (+15)

⤷ Sensory Overload (☐☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Erogenous Insight (⏹)

⤷ Bliss Multiplier (▣▣▣▩▩)

◆ Luck: 1

==========================

10 Unused Ability Points

╰────────────────────╯

I grabbed my phone next, mostly to give my hands something to do.

A notification waited for me. Delilah.

The timestamp told me it had come in while I was in the restroom. I opened it and found a photo instead of text. She was sitting outside somewhere, sunlight hitting her face, a takeaway coffee cup in one hand and a peace sign raised with the other. Casual, relaxed, like the world wasn’t full of goddesses deciding who lived and died.

Under the photo was a message.

’Hey, send one too.’

I snorted softly and lifted my phone, snapping a quick picture of myself at my desk. I threw up a half-hearted peace sign, my expression flat, office lighting doing me no favors. I sent it back with a short message.

’Boring day. Sucks.’

The reply came almost immediately.

’You look down today. Something off?’

I stared at the screen longer than I meant to. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure. What was I supposed to say? That I had overheard two celestial beings casually discussing murdering me to win some twisted competition? That one of them was strong enough to do it without anyone noticing?

Yeah. That would go over great.

I erased the half-formed responses and typed something safer.

’Just boring day. I’m not down.’

It was a lie, but not a dramatic one. The kind people told each other all the time.

I locked my phone and set it face-down on the desk, then rubbed my face again, dragging a hand through my hair. The memory crept back in anyway. Miko’s irritation. Mana’s calm voice. The way none of it felt emotional to them, just strategic.

They were dangerous. All of them.

And now I was a variable in their game, whether I wanted to be or not.

How was I supposed to deal with that? I wasn’t a god. I wasn’t immortal. I was a guy sitting behind a desk in a tech company, rescheduling meetings and sending emails. Even with the system, even with everything I’d gained, the gap felt terrifyingly wide.

One thing was clear, though.

Mana was the most dangerous of them all.

Power like that didn’t come with mercy, and the way Miko talked about her made it obvious she wasn’t just strong, she was willing. I needed to stay away from her, avoid her attention as much as possible. And Miko too. There was something unstable there, something sharp and eager beneath the surface.

Crazy didn’t even begin to cover it.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling, jaw tight.

Whatever game they were playing, I had just become a piece on the board.

The elevator doors slid open and Amelia stepped out, her shoes clicking softly against the floor as she walked toward my desk. She stopped right in front of it, posture straight as always, hands loosely at her sides. I looked up at her and gave a small nod, and she returned it, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied my face.

"You look like you’ve seen a ghost," she said, voice calm but observant.

I let out a short breath through my nose and leaned back in my chair. "Eh. Well, maybe I did, huh?" I replied with a weak chuckle. If only she knew. Ghosts would’ve been easier to deal with than what was actually sitting in my head.

Her lips twitched, like she was trying not to smile, but concern lingered in her eyes. She shifted her weight slightly before speaking again. "I’m heading out early today. I’m not feeling great." She paused, then added, a little more awkwardly, "I came to let you know that your car will be safe from further... experimental driving sessions. I don’t think risking damage to it would be wise while I’m like this."

I blinked once, then dramatically wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, leaning into the bit. "Phew. You have no idea how relieved I am."

That finally got her. Not a full smile, not quite, but her lips curled upward just enough to count. She nodded once, stepped closer, and tapped the edge of my desk lightly with her knuckle, a quiet, almost ceremonial gesture.

"Get some rest," I said.

"You too," she replied, then turned and walked back toward the elevator.

I watched her go, the doors closing behind her, and let out a slow exhale I hadn’t realized I was holding. For a moment, the office felt a little quieter.

My phone rang before I could sink too deep into my thoughts. I glanced at the screen and frowned slightly.

Kayla.

I picked it up. "Hey," I answered. "Kayla?"

"Hey, Evan," she said. Her voice sounded a little uncertain. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by the penthouse, but no one’s answering. Are you outside?"

"At work," I replied. "Are you at the door?"

"Yeah."

"Minne isn’t answering?" I asked, already feeling a small knot form in my stomach.

"Minne..." she repeated slowly. "Who was she again?"

"The maid," I said. "She should be home around this time."

"Nope. No one’s answering," Kayla said, then quickly added, "It’s okay, though."

"I... huh," I muttered. "Guess she stepped out. Sorry about that."

"It’s fine," she said. "I brought some donuts for you. Should I just leave them by the door or...?"

"Donuts?" I perked up despite myself. "Ah, thanks. You can leave them at the lobby." I hesitated, then added, "If you don’t mind waiting a bit, I could call someone and get you a keycard for one of the downstairs rooms."

"No," she said. "It was supposed to be a short visit anyway. I need to get back."

"Yeah. Sorry again."

"It’s fine. See you, Evan."

"See you."

I hung up and immediately dialed Minne.

It rang.

No answer.

I waited a moment, then called again, my brow furrowing as I stared at the screen.

Still nothing.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling for a second before calling the lobby.

"Mr. Marlowe," a woman answered promptly. "How may I help you today?"

"Hey, sorry for bothering you," I said. "Have you seen Minne go outside today?"

"Yes, Mr. Marlowe. A few hours ago."

"Did she mention where she was headed?"

"No, she didn’t," the woman replied. There was a brief pause. "Is everything alright, Mr. Marlowe?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine. Thanks."

"Of course. Do you need anything else?"

"Nope. Have a nice day."

"You too, Mr. Marlowe."