The Heart System

Chapter 546: Chapter 546

She didn’t move. Didn’t even blink.

"You made me spend a good amount of my power, Evan," she said, her voice flat and controlled. "Getting you out of that realm wasn’t easy."

My jaw tightened.

"Silk," I said immediately. "Who is she?"

She ignored the question like I hadn’t even spoken.

"You’ve been penalized," she continued. "I came here to inform you. Nothing more."

"Penalized?" I repeated, frowning. "For what?"

"Goodbye, Henrik."

And just like that, she was gone. No flash, no sound. One second she was there, the next she wasn’t. I stared at the spot she had been standing in, my mind trying to catch up.

"What the fuck?"

Penalized? For what, exactly? Because I saw Silk? Because I got too close to something I wasn’t supposed to understand? The way both her and Dierella reacted back there... yeah, they were scared. Not annoyed, not irritated. Actually scared.

That alone told me enough.

Then the system flickered into view.

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Evan Marlowe [Level 21]

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EXP: 0 / 31500

[░░░░░░░░░]

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Current Credits: 0

Current SC: 225

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"Ah, you’ve got to be kidding me."

All my experience. Gone. Credits too.

I exhaled sharply and tapped into my stats, the translucent panel popping up in front of me.

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CURRENT STATS

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◆ Strength: 30

⤷ Crushing Presence (▩▩▩▩▩)

◆ Charm: 20

- Manipulative Charm

⤷ Honeyed Words (▩▩▩▩▩)

⤷ Gaslight (⏹☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Emotional Charisma (☐☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Seductive Allure (☐)

◆ Libido: 20

⤷ Endless Vigor (⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹)

◆ Pleasure: 40 (+50)

⤷ Sensory Overload (☐☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Erogenous Insight (⏹)

⤷ Bliss Multiplier (▣▣▣▣▣)

◆ Luck: 10

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◆ Passive Skill: On a Roll

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0 Unused Ability Points

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"All my points..." I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

She didn’t just slap my wrist. She went all in.

I let out a long breath and walked into the living room, dropping myself onto the couch. My legs stretched out, feet landing on the coffee table as I leaned back, staring up at the ceiling for a second.

All this... just because I got close to Silk.

"Great," I muttered under my breath.

Outside, the storm had completely cleared. The sky was dark but calm now, the kind of quiet that followed after chaos. This city never knew what it wanted. One moment it was tearing itself apart, the next it acted like nothing happened.

"Master."

I turned my head slightly as Minne stepped out of the hallway, a cloth still in her hand.

"I’m sorry," she said quickly. "I was cleaning the windows. I didn’t hear you come in."

"It’s fine," I replied, waving it off. "Come here. Sit with me."

"Of course, Master."

She walked over and sat beside me, careful at first, then relaxed as I draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer. She leaned into me almost immediately, resting her head against my chest. I could feel the warmth of her through my shirt, the slight tension in her body easing as I rubbed her shoulder.

I pressed a light kiss to the top of her head and exhaled, my gaze drifting toward the floor.

"How was your day, huh?" I asked.

"It was good, Master," she answered softly. "How was yours?"

"Eh... it was something," I said. "You mentioned cleaning the windows?"

She nodded against me. "Yes, Master."

"At this hour?" I raised an eyebrow.

She let out a small, embarrassed sigh. "It was Mik. Mrs. Tessa gave her wet food, and she stepped right into it, then ran into my room. There were paw prints everywhere."

I snorted quietly. "Little idiot."

Before Minne could respond, Tessa’s voice cut in from the hallway.

"Well, look who’s back," she said, leaning around the corner with a lazy grin. "Man of the house. What’s up, stud?"

"All good," I replied with a small shrug. "You didn’t sleep?"

She walked in, stretching as she moved toward the single couch before dropping onto it sideways, her legs dangling off the edge. "Nah. Had coffee like half an hour ago."

I blinked at her. "You drank coffee... before trying to sleep?"

"I didn’t plan to sleep," she shot back, grabbing the remote and turning the TV on. "I just wanted coffee. Now I can’t sleep. It happens."

I shook my head, a faint smile tugging at my lips despite everything.

"Hope there’s something decent on," she added, flipping through channels.

Minne shifted slightly against me, and for a moment, things felt... normal. Which was funny, considering everything that just went down.

We’d been flipping through channels for what felt like forever, bored out of our minds. A few minutes later, Jasmine and Kim emerged from the master bedroom, both wearing sheet masks that gave their faces a ghostly sheen. Their nails gleamed with fresh black polish. They barely glanced my way at first, chatting casually as they drifted toward the living room.

"I love this color," Kim murmured, admiring her hands.

"Right?" Jasmine agreed, tilting her head. "It’s black, but... kinda grayish too. Mysterious."

Kim paused mid-step, then continued with a small laugh. "Oh. Evan. Didn’t even notice you there."

"Hey," I muttered, offering a half-smile. "You two look good."

Jasmine dropped onto the double couch and stretched out along the armrest, curling her legs comfortably. Kim settled beside her, crossing her legs and pulling out her phone to scroll idly.

"Met up with Jack?" Jasmine asked, voice light.

"Hmm." I shrugged. "Turns out Jack has a boyfriend. And his parents are super religious."

"Best combo ever," Kim chuckled without looking up from her screen. "Wow."

"I gotta track down that boyfriend."

"Blackmailing the blackmailer," Tessa added from her spot, a sly edge in her tone. "An eye for an eye, right?"

"Exactly."

"God, I can’t sleep at all," Jasmine sighed, shifting restlessly. "Why did we even drink that coffee?"

"Hey, I offered," Tessa shot back, defensive but playful. "You said yes. I didn’t twist your arm."

Tessa exhaled sharply and clicked off the TV, nothing worth watching anyway. Then she turned to me, eyes darkening with that familiar, hungry look I knew all too well.

"We might as well burn off this energy," she purred, her voice dropping low. "What do you girls think?"

The others exchanged quick glances—even Minne perked up. Kim gave a slow nod. "Yeah. Otherwise we’ll be staring at the ceiling all night."

"So... what’s the plan?" Tessa asked, rising to her feet with deliberate grace. "Jog outside? Hit the hotel gym?"

"Or..." Jasmine’s gaze slid over to me, lingering. "We could work it out doing... something else entirely."

I couldn’t help grinning. "Wow."

Tessa bit her lower lip as she crossed the room toward me. "I’ve got an idea."

"Something naughty, I hope?" I teased.

"Oh, cowboy..." She stopped right in front of me, voice husky. "Way worse than naughty. Very, very, very worse."