The Heart System

Chapter 780: Chapter 780

Her arms were crossed, her dress looked immaculate, and she smiled at me with a warmth that felt completely fake.

"I wanted to give you a reward," she said, as if appearing out of thin air in my bedroom were the most normal thing in the world. "You saved Mel. Congratulations."

"Yeah... thanks, I guess."

"And my dear subject, you earned something from me."

"Earned what?"

She snapped her fingers and let out a soft giggle. "I wanted to give it to you personally. You’ve been such a good boy for me."

"Mana, you’re..."

I blinked. She was gone. I stared at the empty spot for a second and rubbed my face. Such a good boy, huh? Crazy bastard, she was toying with me. And I had no means of stopping her. And that... that annoyed me more than anything else.

"What the hell was that about?"

A system window appeared in front of me.

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Evan Marlowe [Level 23]

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EXP: 19140 / 42490

[█░░░░░░░░]

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Current Credits: 9935c

Current SC: 832

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The reward from saving Mel had finally registered. Forty-five thousand EXP, and I’d leveled up.

Then another screen appeared.

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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

⤷ Sensory Overload (☐☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Erogenous Insight (⏹)

⤷ Bliss Multiplier (▣▣▣▣▣)

◆ Luck: 10

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◆ Passive Skill: On a Roll

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10 Unused Ability Points

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Ten unused ability points.

"Nice," I muttered.

I could increase a skill cap or invest in something new, but this was definitely not the time to sit around planning a build. I had a collapsing business project in the living room, a meeting with Carrie to arrange, and the Cora and Esme disaster still hanging over my head.

I sighed and opened the wardrobe.

"First Carrie," I said while pulling out a clean shirt. "Then Cora. I can handle one catastrophe at a time."

I changed quickly and closed the bedroom door behind me.

Story of my life.

I changed as quickly as I could, pulling on a fresh T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and my sneakers before running a hand through my hair. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make me look like I hadn’t just walked out of a disaster.

After grabbing my wallet and checking that everything was in my pockets, I stepped out of the master bedroom. The girls were still exactly where I’d left them. Nala was on another phone call, Jasmine and Kim were typing away at their laptops, and nobody even looked up as I grabbed my keycard from the small table by the entrance.

"I’ll be back," I called out.

Nala raised a thumb without taking the phone away from her ear. I opened the front door, stepped into the corridor, and pressed the elevator button. The doors opened almost immediately since it was already on our floor.

I stepped inside, pressed the button for the ground floor, and leaned against the wall while pulling my phone from my pocket. As the elevator began descending, I searched for Carrie’s name and tapped the call button. She answered after only two rings.

"Evan?" she said. "Hey."

"Let’s meet."

"S-same hotel?"

"Let’s make it a coffee shop this time," I said. "You pick one and text me the location. I’ll be there in ten minutes."

There was a brief pause. "Okay," she replied. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Just be there in ten."

I ended the call just as the elevator slowed to a stop.

The doors slid open onto the ground floor.

Alright. If everything went the way I hoped, I could actually save this project. All I needed now was for Carrie to agree to help me.

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

I took a sip of my cold brew and leaned back in my chair. The coffee shop Carrie had picked was inside the mall on the second floor. I’d chosen a table tucked away in the corner where I had a clear view of the glass entrance. It was still early in the morning, so the place was nearly empty. There were only a handful of customers scattered around, and the slow jazz playing through the speakers almost made me want to close my eyes and call it a day.

A few minutes later, the glass doors slid open and Carrie walked inside.

She was wearing a wide straw hat and a pair of sunglasses that hid most of her face. Even though New Year’s Eve was only a few weeks away, the weather was surprisingly warm. It wasn’t swimming weather anymore, but it was comfortable enough that nobody needed a jacket.

She spotted me immediately and walked over before taking the seat across from mine. Between the hat and the glasses, nobody seemed to recognize her, which was probably for the best. The last thing either of us needed was a crowd of fans or paparazzi gathering around our table.

"Hey," she said with a smile. "You sounded nervous on the phone, Evan."

"I was," I admitted. "I need your help with TechForge, and I figured you’d be the right person to ask."

"Project Phoenix?" she asked. "Anotta pulled out, didn’t she? Now you’re looking for another investor."

I blinked. "I... wow."

She smiled. "I’m smarter than I look, Evan. Trust me."

"So?" I asked. "What do you think?"

Carrie didn’t answer immediately. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and quietly thought it over. Her eyes drifted to the bottle of cold brew sitting in front of me, lingering there for several seconds before returning to mine.

"I’ll consider it," she said. "But first I want to know exactly what Project Phoenix is."

"Nala can explain everything she’s allowed to," I replied. "Anotta backed out because she wanted complete control of the project. If that’s what you’re after too, we shouldn’t waste each other’s time."

Carrie shook her head.

"I’m not Anotta. She built a successful clothing brand, but that’s her world. Mine is different. I have connections in a lot more places."

"I’ve heard."

Oh, yeah. I’d definitely heard.