System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: A Man’s Dignity

The dishes kept coming out like pieces of art: perfectly seared steaks, fresh seafood, salads with ingredients Ethan couldn’t even pronounce. He tasted everything with a wide grin.

”This is the life...” he muttered, raising his wine glass.

[Aha, aha. Enjoy it, because when the bill comes I’ll watch you cry like when you failed math.]

Ethan ignored the system and dug his fork into a juicy steak, devouring the food without elegance, feeling like he was on top of the world. Until a sharp scream tore through the refined atmosphere.

”No, please! Leave me alone!”

A girl came running between the tables, stumbling into waiters. In her panic, she crashed right into Ethan’s table, knocking an entire plate of pasta and sauce all over his brand-new suit.

”Hey!” Ethan shouted, getting to his feet. But before he could react, the girl lost her balance and fell... straight on top of him.

Both ended up on the floor, her lying across his chest, while sauce slid down his jacket and spilled wine surrounded them like a gourmet disaster scene.

[HAHAHA. Congratulations, Romeo. You just scored your first free date, Italian-tragedy edition.]

”Get your hands off my fiancée!”

Ethan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ”Why me...?”

A young man rushed from a nearby table and pulled the woman up, separating her from Ethan. His eyes were full of outrage, but as Ethan got a better look at him, his anger flared even hotter.

The one who had shouted wasn’t a stranger. He was the son of his father’s old business partner—the man Ethan had always suspected had something to do with his father’s death.

What Ethan hadn’t told Sara was that before everything went to hell, his dad had landed an excellent job in this very city. Within a year he’d risen to assistant manager, and life looked brighter than ever. But then a strange accident had taken both his parents away. Even after their deaths, everything they owned was seized, leaving Ethan completely on the streets.

The reason given was an alleged embezzlement at the company, a cruel fabrication that had destroyed their lives. Two years later, by chance, Ethan had run into an old friend of his father who revealed the truth: the biggest beneficiary of that mess had been Vincent Halbert.

And now, standing right in front of him, was that bastard’s son... Lucas Halbert. Ethan had seen him around a few times before, but now every painful memory, every injustice, mixed with the rage burning in his chest.

[System: Rage level detected: 99%. Recommendation: don’t wreck the restaurant... yet.]

Ethan clenched his fists under the table, glaring at the young man before him.

”Are you okay, Isabella?” Lucas asked softly, helping her to her feet and brushing her dress in a protective gesture.

”Y-yeah... I just tripped...” she murmured, still nervous and blushing.

Lucas then turned to Ethan, his jaw tight and eyes full of contempt.

”How dare you put your hands on my woman?”

Ethan glared back coldly, holding back the fury burning inside.

”I didn’t do anything. She was the one who—”

But Lucas cut him off with a dry, mocking laugh.

”Wait... wait a second...” He pointed at him with a mocking finger, squinting. ”Is that you? Well, if it isn’t little street rat Ethan Blake! What a surprise. Tell me, how long did you have to save up to afford a meal here? Or are you just following in your daddy’s footsteps... and stealing?”

Ethan’s face hardened instantly, his body moving before his mind. He stepped forward with his fist clenched, ready to smash it into Lucas’s smug face.

But a massive man in a suit stepped between them. Lucas’s bodyguard grabbed Ethan’s arm and twisted it so hard he let out a grunt.

”System, dump all my Lux points into Strength right now..!”

A red warning flashed before his eyes.

[WARNING: Physical stat upgrades locked. 28 days remaining until restriction lifts.]

Ethan struggled, furious and powerless.

”Let me go, you damn gorilla!”

The bodyguard pinned him with insulting ease. Lucas smirked arrogantly and wrapped an arm around Isabella’s waist, who looked visibly uncomfortable.

”You see, darling? Some people are born trash. Just like his father.”

Ethan’s blood boiled. A knot of rage and grief choked him, every one of Lucas’s words pouring salt on an open wound.

Right then, the hotel security rushed in, alerted by the commotion. They quickly separated the men, but their bias was clear: two of them stood protectively near Lucas, while another glared at Ethan like he was nothing but a nuisance.

Moments later, the manager arrived, moving quickly with a worried look... though not for Ethan.

”Mr. Halbert, I deeply apologize for this incident. Are you alright?”

Lucas grinned, clearly enjoying himself.

”All good, manager. Though... your restaurant really should be more careful about who you let in. You know, not everyone is on this level.”

The manager nodded instantly, like a loyal dog. Then he turned to Ethan with a stern frown.

”Young man, I’ll have to ask you to calm down and leave. You’re disturbing our important clients.”

[System: Translation to Ethan language: ”You’re not important, get the hell out.” Want me to put it in bold?]

Ethan breathed heavily, fists clenched at his sides. The manager’s eyes stayed cold as two hotel guards closed in to escort him out.

Lucas, smug as ever, stroked Isabella’s shoulder and raised his voice for everyone to hear.

”Listen up, beggar. People like you never rise from the dirt. Be grateful I don’t have you arrested for touching what’s mine.”

Ethan’s glare could have burned holes through him, his whole body trembling with rage.

”This... isn’t over, Lucas.”

For a moment, the restaurant went silent, the tension thick in the air. Lucas blinked, briefly taken aback by the conviction in Ethan’s voice—but then he burst out laughing.

”Oh, please! You’re threatening me now? Don’t make me laugh.”

The two hotel guards grabbed Ethan by the arms and dragged him toward the exit, ignoring his resistance. As they pulled him through the grand doors, Lucas’s laughter echoed behind him, like the sound of mockery carved into Ethan’s memory.

[New Mission: A Man’s Dignity]

[Objective: Destroy the Halbert family]

[Restrictions: None]

[Time limit: 180 days]