The Heart System

Chapter 656

I turned around and saw Mana leaned against the elevator wall, looking down at her nails with the same calm expression she always wore. She was dressed in a gray dress with a slit that exposed her right leg all the way down.

"Mana..." I muttered.

"You know why I’m the most powerful, my Evan?"

I didn’t answer. I had already learned there was no point pretending to understand her logic.

"Because I’m generous," she said, smiling faintly as she lifted her gaze to mine. "Keep doing what you’re doing. I’m sure we will win in the end."

"You killed them."

"Shh." She turned away from me and then glanced over her shoulder with a small, dismissive look. "I don’t want to hear that right now."

"Wait!"

I blinked, and she was gone. Just like that. The elevator doors finally opened properly a second later, and I stepped out into the corridor while looking around in disbelief. My chest was tight, my head still trying to process what the hell had just happened. Then I noticed the notification floating in front of me.

So that was what she meant by being generous.

A reward.

From a baby-killer.

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Evan Marlowe [Level 22]

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EXP: 0/ 41895

[░░░░░░░░░]

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Current Credits: 30000c

Current SC: 312

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I’d leveled up and gotten credits out of it. Great. That should have felt good, but instead it only reminded me that Mana was the kind of monster who could ruin someone’s life and then call it a favor. Dierella had been bad enough, but Mana was on another level. I had no doubt about that anymore.

"Fuck..."

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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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3 Unused Ability Points

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I wasn’t going to spend the points yet. For now, I just walked to the door, used my keycard, and let myself into the penthouse.

I took off my jacket and hung it on the coat rack before heading farther inside. The lights were off in most of the place, and when I peeked into the master bedroom, I saw Jasmine and Nala both asleep. The other girls looked like they had already knocked out as well. Mik was curled up near the far-right kitchen counter, asleep in her usual spot. Everything was quiet.

"Guess I’m late, huh?"

I moved into the living room and dropped onto the couch, letting my body sink into the cushions. A second later, my phone buzzed with a notification. I grabbed it, wondering what could possibly be going on this late.

It was an alarm I must have set a year ago. Since the clock had passed midnight and we were officially into the next day, it had just gone off. The description was nothing but a smiley face, which probably meant I had set it while drunk or half asleep. I turned it off without thinking twice.

"November, huh?" I muttered, glancing out through the window at the rain-dark city. "What should we do for New Year’s Eve, I wonder?"

I lay back on the couch and closed my eyes. The last few days had worn me out in every possible way. Everything had piled up at once, and I felt like I’d barely had time to breathe. Maybe I should go back to working again and keep my mind occupied. Since Nala and I had finally made up, I could probably start working at the company again.

Then again, being unemployed had its own advantages too.

"Evan?"

I opened my eyes and looked toward the hallway.

Kim was standing there holding her empty pink water bottle. I smiled and waved at her before sitting up properly.

"You’re late," she said as she walked toward the kitchen. "Anything exciting happen at the birthday party?"

I shook my head. "Nah. Though Kayla bought a new car."

"She showed me," Kim replied, pouring water into her bottle. "Honestly, living in a city like this and not owning a car would be a nightmare."

"For sure," I said.

I watched her for a moment while the apartment stayed quiet around us, the rain tapping softly against the windows outside. For once, there wasn’t anything immediately trying to kill my mood, and that alone felt like a rare luxury.

Kim set the water bottle down on the counter and screwed the cap back on before walking over to me. Without saying anything, she dropped onto the couch beside me and immediately snuggled up against my side. She rested her head on my shoulder and let out a content sigh while we both leaned back.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm gently before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"When did you all go to bed?" I asked.

"About half an hour ago," she replied. "Although I took a shower first. Then I started watching videos and completely lost track of time."

"Makes sense." I nodded. "How was work?"

"It was good. Oh, and you got replaced, by the way. A woman named... wait, what was it? Gel... Gar... something."

I put a hand over my chest. "Replaced? Ouch. Looks like I’ll be unemployed for a while."

Kim laughed. "Looks that way. No more being Mrs. Nolin’s secretary."

I wiped an imaginary tear from my eye. "What a tragedy. The boss was a nightmare, though."

"Oh, absolutely. A complete bi-yatch."

That earned a laugh from both of us.

Suddenly, Kim sat up a little and pointed at me with an excited grin.

"Oh! You won’t believe what happened today."

"Now I’m curious. What happened?"

"So, Minne, right?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"I went looking for her because I wanted to know where she’d put the new salt shakers I bought. I knocked on her door, but she didn’t answer. I could hear something on the other side, though, so I knocked again."

"And?"

"Still no answer. At that point I got worried, so I opened the door."

She paused dramatically, lifting a hand into the air.

"She was watching porn."

I blinked. "I mean... that’s not exactly shocking."

"Armpit porn, Evan."

I rubbed my forehead and groaned. "Oh my God. This girl..."

Kim shook her head. "Total weirdo."

"Coming from you, that’s saying something."

"Excuse me?"

"I’m just saying."

She smacked my arm, and I laughed before pulling out my phone to check the time.

"Jeez. We should probably get some sleep."

Kim glanced at the clock and nodded. "Yeah, you’re right."

We both got to our feet and started toward the hallway.

Before I could leave, Kim caught my sleeve.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"Sleep with me tonight."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You always sleep in the master bedroom with Nala and Jasmine. It’s kind of unfair, you know."

I folded my arms and tried not to smile. "Wow. I didn’t realize I was that popular around here."

Kim rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. Right now you’re probably the most popular guy in this entire penthouse."

"That’s impressive considering how much competition I have."