The Heart System

Chapter 422: Chapter 422

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- Sexual Activity Completed

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Partner: Minne

EXP Gained: +650

Star Rating: 4.3 ★★★★

Reason: -

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- Bliss Multiplier: 975c

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Well, I earned less EXP and credits from that session with Minne. But that didn’t mean it was a bad thing. I was finally out of the red zone—no more random penalties hanging over my head like a guillotine. Hey, I’d take the slower grind if it meant breathing easier.

I mentally pulled up the stats just to confirm.

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Evan Marlowe (Lvl 17)

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Age: 21

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 76 kg

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EXP: [████████░░] 8406/9922

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Damn, been a while since I last bothered to check the numbers. What was the last big jump—before fucking Carrie? I honestly couldn’t remember. Either way, I was climbing fast. With the Villain tag gone, progress would crawl now, but at least I wasn’t bleeding reputation every time I breathed wrong.

I flicked to the shop next.

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SHOP [Page 2]

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• 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)

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Credits: 5339c

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Nice. Over five thousand credits sitting there like loaded guns. I’d spend them eventually—probably on Reputation Points or a new ability—but not right now. I needed to get cleaned up. Today was going to be long: pull the hidden cam from Nala’s office without tripping any alarms, then figure out what the hell was really going on with Chase.

”That felt good, honey,” I said, leaning down to kiss Minne’s neck—soft, lingering—before slowly pulling out. A thick trickle of cum followed, sliding down her inner thigh.

She whimpered softly at the emptiness, pussy clenching on nothing.

”Now, come on. Take a shower and join us for breakfast, okay?”

”Y-yes, Master!” she chirped, voice still shaky from her orgasm. Then she turned toward me, cheeks pink. ”Um... may I take the shower here? I don’t want to be seen naked...”

I smiled and ruffled her damp red hair. ”Sure, honey. Just be quick about it, okay? We’ll wait for you.”

”Yes, Master. I will!”

She scampered off to the en-suite bathroom, small bare feet padding across the hardwood. The door clicked shut behind her; a second later the shower hissed on.

I just smiled—small, fond—then tugged my boxers back up, pulled on my t-shirt, and stepped into my pants. Belt half-buckled, hair still a mess, I left the room.

The kitchen smelled like fresh coffee, bacon grease, and something sweet—pancakes or French toast, probably. Jasmine was at the counter, stacking plates, hair up in a messy bun, wearing one of my old band tees that hit her mid-thigh like a dress.

She glanced up when I walked in, lips curving into a knowing smile.

”Morning, handsome. Got your morning fuck with Minne?”

”Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. ”For some unknown reason, I was extremely horny.”

”You monkey,” came Tessa’s voice from behind me.

I turned just in time for her to bump me with her hip—playful, hard enough to make me stagger a step. She sauntered past, carrying a bowl of cut fruit, and dropped into a chair at the dining table.

”You coming from outside?” I asked, grabbing a mug and pouring coffee.

”Yep.” She speared a strawberry with a fork. ”The girl downstairs, Eleanor, asked if we had something for breakfast. You were asleep then. I gave her some eggs and bacon.”

”Oh, right. Cool.”

Tessa shrugged, popping the strawberry into her mouth. ”She looked like she needed it. Girl’s been quiet lately. Probably still processing whatever the hell happened with her ex.”

I nodded, leaning against the counter, sipping black coffee. ”Yeah. I’ll check on her later.”

Jasmine set the last plate down and came over, slipping an arm around my waist from behind. ”Minne joining us?”

”Showering first. She’ll be down.”

Jasmine pressed a quick kiss to my shoulder blade. ”Good. Table’s almost ready. Eat something before you disappear into whatever chaos you’ve got planned today.”

Nala came up from the kitchen carrying a tall glass bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice, condensation already beading on the outside. She set it in the center of the dining table with a soft clink, wiping her hands on the dish towel slung over her shoulder.

”Nala,” I said, voice low but firm enough to cut through the morning chatter. ”We need to talk. It’s urgent.”

She froze mid-motion, towel still in her hands. Her eyes flicked to mine—sharp, instantly alert. ”What happened?”

Jasmine and Tessa both turned toward me at the same time. Jasmine set her coffee mug down; Tessa paused with a strawberry halfway to her mouth.

I exhaled through my nose. ”Security found a hidden camera in your office.”

Nala put a hand over her eyes, fingers pressing hard against her temples. She exhaled—a long, slow breath that carried the weight of every bad headline she’d ever had to weather.

”I didn’t want to break the bad news first thing in the morning,” I said quietly, ”but this can’t wait. We have to move now, or whatever that cam recorded is going to leak.”

She lowered her hand. Her face was calm—too calm—but I knew her well enough to see the storm behind it. ”Where’s the camera now?”

”The security guy who found it has it. He’s waiting at your office. I told him to keep his mouth shut—no one else knows yet.”

”Good.” She nodded once, decisive. ”Are you sure, though? Did he tell anyone else about this? Other than you?”

”No. I made it clear.”

Nala exhaled again—shorter this time, almost a huff. ”I gotta go. I won’t be having breakfast.”

”I’ll come with you,” I said immediately. ”Let’s take my car. I’ll text the valet to bring it around front.”

”Okay.”

She moved fast—grabbed her jacket from the back of a chair, slipped it on over her blouse. I zipped mine up, not bothering with anything else. T-shirt, pants, boots—definitely not office attire, but I didn’t have time to change. I pulled my phone out and fired off a quick text to the valet: ’Bring the Jeep to the front. Now.’

We headed for the door. Minne was still upstairs showering; Tessa and Jasmine exchanged a quick look but didn’t ask questions. They knew the tone.

The hallway to the elevator was quiet except for our footsteps. I hit the call button. The doors slid open almost immediately—empty car, mirrored walls reflecting us both looking tense and under-caffeinated.

We stepped in. Doors closed. The slow descent began.

Nala leaned against the wall, arms crossed, staring at the floor numbers ticking down. ”How could this happen?” she asked quietly. ”We sweep that office every month. Every fucking month.”

”I don’t know,” I admitted. ”But we’re going to find out. Probably planted during one of the cleaning cycles or maintenance visits. We’ll pull access logs, camera footage from the hallways, everything.”

She nodded, jaw tight. ”Hope we’re not late, Evan.”

The elevator dinged softly. Doors opened onto the lobby.

We walked through—past the front desk, past a couple of early-morning guests checking out. The automatic doors hissed open; cool morning air hit us as we descended the short exterior stairs. My black Jeep was already idling at the curb, valet standing beside it with the keys.

I tipped him with a quick nod and a ”Thanks,” took the fob, and slid into the driver’s seat. Nala climbed in beside me, buckling up without a word.

I turned the key. The engine rumbled to life.

”How could this happen?” Nala asked again, quieter this time, staring straight ahead through the windshield. ”We’ve been careful. We’ve been so careful.”

”I was going to tell you yesterday,” I said, pulling away from the curb and merging into traffic. ”But it was late. Didn’t want to wake you up and ruin your night. Figured we’d handle it first thing this morning.”

She gave a small, humorless laugh. ”Yeah. First thing. Perfect.”

I glanced at her—profile sharp against the morning light, jaw still clenched. ”We’ll contain it. We always do.”

She didn’t answer right away. Just watched the city slide past—coffee shops opening, people jogging, normal life moving on while ours tilted sideways again.

”Hope we’re not late, Evan,” she repeated softly.

I pressed the accelerator a little harder.

The Jeep surged forward.

Nala stared straight ahead through the windshield as I merged onto the main boulevard. The city was waking up slowly around us—streetlights still glowing pale orange against the gray dawn, a few early commuters hunched against the cold on the sidewalks. Snow fell in lazy, fat flakes, drifting down like someone up there had forgotten to turn off the machine. It wasn’t a blizzard, just that soft, persistent kind that accumulates without drama and turns everything quiet and soft-edged.

She finally spoke, voice low, almost swallowed by the hum of the heater.

”We should’ve been more careful.”

I kept my eyes on the road, hands steady at ten and two. ”We were careful. Monthly sweeps, restricted access, encrypted drives. Whoever planted it knew exactly when and how to slip through the cracks.”

She shook her head once—sharp, frustrated. ”That’s not enough. Careful isn’t enough when someone wants in bad enough. We got complacent. I got complacent.” Her fingers tightened around the strap of her purse until the leather creaked. ”I thought after the last leak we’d plugged every hole. Clearly we didn’t.”