The Heart System

Chapter 779: Chapter 779

I knocked on the door and rubbed the back of my head, finally feeling the weight of the day catching up with me. My shoulders were sore, and that dungeon was still fresh in my mind. I had nearly been killed by that weird monster, the Wall-rider. Even if dying there only meant respawning at the entrance, it still didn’t feel right. The pain was real, and knowing I’d come back to life didn’t make the experience any less terrifying.

The door opened, and Esme greeted me with a small smile. She was wearing one of Nala’s oversized T-shirts, which reached almost to her thighs because of how short she was. As she opened the door wider, I spotted Kim and Nala sitting together on the couch.

”H-hey,” she said shyly. ”Welcome.”

”Hey.” I smiled as I stepped inside. ”The girls are already here, huh?”

”Yo.” Kim waved. ”Nala and I figured she needed something clean to wear.”

”Good thinking.”

Esme quietly closed the door behind me. ”Thank you,” she murmured. ”Um... for everything.”

”You should be thanking those two,” I said with a smile. ”They’re the ones who came over.”

”Yeah,” Kim said with a laugh. ”She barely says a word.”

”I’m not really... a social person,” Esme admitted, lowering her eyes. ”I’m sorry if I offended you, Nala.”

Nala blinked before pointing at herself. ”I’m Nala. She is Kim.”

Esme’s cheeks immediately turned red. ”Oh... okay. Sorry.”

”Did you meet Jasmine and the others?” I asked.

She nodded.

”So, what did you want me to come over for?”

”I just... didn’t want to be alone.” She shrugged awkwardly. ”And I wanted to ask about the yoga thing.”

”Oh, right.” I rubbed the back of my head. ”I completely forgot. You two do it online, right?”

”Mostly, yeah.”

”I’ll arrange it tomorrow then. I’ll ask Vessa to come over and do a session with you. Would that work?”

I walked over and sat down between Kim and Nala, leaning comfortably against the couch.

”Vessa?” Kim tilted her head. ”Wait, Kayla told me about her. She used to take lessons from her every few weeks.”

”Oh, nice.” I nodded. ”So she’s a good instructor?”

”Yep,” Nala replied. ”Her husband also works at TechForge. Small world.”

”Yeah, apparently.”

I looked over at Esme. She was still standing where she’d greeted me, clearly unsure whether she should sit down or stay where she was. Her hands kept moving from her sides to clasping together in front of her before separating again. She looked completely lost.

Seeing her like that made me feel a little guilty. Maybe if I’d been more involved earlier and taken her out once in a while, things would’ve been different. A trip to the mall, a movie, anything. Maybe if I’d helped Cora and Esme spend more time together instead of letting things build up, they wouldn’t have ended up in this mess.

”Alright,” I said, clapping my hands once. ”We’re playing ’Who Am I?’”

”Oh, I love that game,” Kim said immediately.

”Here’s an easy one,” I said. ”Am I devilishly handsome, incredibly fit, and basically perfect? If the answer is yes, then it’s Evan Marlowe.”

”Henrik!” Kim blurted out.

I frowned.

”My middle name?”

”Yeah!” she said with a grin. ”I only found out a few weeks ago and forgot to bring it up. Why do you hide it?”

”My grandfather’s name was Henrik.” I shrugged. ”He used to beat my grandmother, and I loved her more than anyone. I never liked sharing his name.”

Esme looked up. ”Is it Henrick with a C-K?”

I shook my head. ”H-E-N-R-I-K. Just Henrik.”

”What a strange name,” Nala said with a shrug. ”Anyway, I’ll download the game on my phone.”

Kim looked over at Esme and patted the empty spot beside her. ”Come on. Sit with us, Esme.”

She smiled, then shyly sat at the single couch.

Well, if this was going to help her get distracted from all of this mess... sure. I could play Who am I?

’Who am I’ to say no to that?

Ugh...

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

This was terrible.

Anotta had finally pulled out of the project. She was no longer backing it, and the entire penthouse had turned into a war room. Nala paced through the living room with her phone pressed to her ear, making call after call. Jasmine and Kim sat at the dining table with their laptops open, spreadsheets and documents scattered in front of them while they took notes and checked numbers.

It was a complete disaster.

”Ah, damn it,” Nala muttered while waiting for someone to answer. ”Damn it, damn it... Oh, hello, Mr. Kerlow. Nala Nolin speaking.”

I carried my tea to the balcony and stared through the glass at the city below. I was trying my best to look calm, but judging by the way everyone else was panicking, I was probably failing miserably. Even I could tell this was bad, and I had spent most of my life working as a gas station clerk.

Nala ended the call with a frustrated sigh. ”Nothing. We need to find someone else.”

”How bad are we talking?” I asked without turning around.

Nala pinched the bridge of her nose. ”Anotta demanded her investment back immediately, and the board approved the withdrawal to avoid legal complications. The project is effectively frozen until we secure a new financial backer. Contractors are already calling for payment guarantees, suppliers are delaying shipments, and if word gets out that we lost our primary investor, the media will start circling within hours.”

I finally looked at her. ”So the project is stalled.”

”Stalled is the polite version. Right now we have a half-funded development, contractual obligations, and a very expensive problem sitting on our hands.”

”Oof.” I took a sip of tea. ”We’re boned, huh?”

”Yes,” she replied flatly. ”Boned to the teeth. We are officially fucked.”

I kept sipping my tea while she resumed pacing. A second later my phone buzzed. A text from Carrie.

’Are you available today?’

I stared at the message, and my eyes widened.

”Shit,” I muttered, setting the mug on the coffee table. ”This could actually work. Carrie...”

”Mm?” Kim looked up from her laptop. ”What did you say?”

”Nothing,” I said, already heading toward the master bedroom. ”I need to go out for a bit. I’ll text you in a few hours, okay?”

”Where?” Nala asked, but her phone connected before I could answer. ”Oh, hello, Mrs. Chigo.”

Carrie was perfect. She had money, influence, and a public image built on charity work and goodwill. If she publicly backed the project, investors would calm down overnight.

I entered the master bedroom and nearly jumped.

Mana was standing right in front of me.