The Heart System

Chapter 258: Chapter 258

I glanced at the next dialogue option, then exhaled, never breaking eye contact with him. I needed him to feel fear. I needed him weak. And thanks to the points I’d invested in Honeyed Words, persuasion had become easier, smoother, more effective. If I added more to my Charm ability, it would be as if things had never been difficult at all.

Okay. Last push. Screwing up meant it was over. I had to make him talk.

I stepped closer, meeting his eyes head-on. Snow fell behind me, quiet and slow, but the air between us tightened.

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Attempting Persuasion

”One last chance. Think about it.”

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Base Chance: 30%

Honeyed Words: +50%

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Final Chance: 80%

Upon Succeeding: ☑☑

▶ Proceed with Persuasion? [Y/N]

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”One last chance,” I said quietly. ”Think about it.”

He cracked.

╭────────────────────╮

Persuasion Attempt: Havalante

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☑☑☑☑☐

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Remaining Chances: 3/3-SUCCES!

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”Fine...” he exhaled shakily. ”He—he asked me for cocaine this morning. I told him no, thought he was joking.”

”And?” I pressed.

”Then he... he punched me. And took some from my stash.” he muttered. ”Didn’t know why. I swear.”

”So he didn’t do drugs in the bathroom?” Kim asked. ”But he...”

”Naaah,” I said, the realization hitting me like a punch. ”He was in the security room.”

I clenched my jaw.

”He’s lying,” I said. ”Son of a bitch.”

”H-he told me they were onto him,” Hav stammered, his voice shaky. ”Said he needed a distraction. He was... going to plant a bag of cocaine in someone’s coat. A guy named Evan.”

”Me?” I repeated, my anger bubbling to the surface. ”This Reid... fuck. Cunt. CUNT!”

Without another word, I spun on my heel and started walking toward the car. Kim followed closely behind, her footsteps quick and light, but there was hesitation in her pace.

So that was it. He knew I was getting close to the truth about the mole, and to take me out of the game, he was going to plant that bag of coke on me, set me up, and watch me fall. But we’d already beat him to it. We got to his office first. He didn’t stand a chance. Now, he was scrambling, trying to cover his tracks with some half-assed excuse about doing a line of coke in the bath.

”Wait.” Kim’s voice cut through my thoughts. She grabbed my arm, pulling me to a stop. ”What’s going on?”

”Call Nala,” I said, my voice low and sharp. ”Tell her not to let Reid leave the building.”

”O-okay. I’ll call her,” Kim stammered, her voice tight with panic.

”Move,” I urged. ”We need to get to the company, now.”

We crossed the street without waiting for the light to change, and I nearly got us hit by a car. The driver slammed on the brakes, honked, and flipped us the finger. I barely glanced at him as I unlocked the car and slid inside. Kim followed right after.

The engine roared to life as I shifted into reverse, backing out of the parking spot. A quick U-turn, and I slammed the pedal down. Reid... I knew a guy like him wouldn’t use drugs. It didn’t make sense. But damn, this whole thing was a mess.

”He tricked us,” I muttered, gripping the wheel tighter. ”He knew I was getting close to figuring him out. So he planned to plant that bag of coke in my jacket. But we beat him to it, caught him before he could make his move.”

Kim raised an eyebrow. ”So he just made up some lame excuse and tried to distract us with the cocaine?”

”Exactly.” I nodded, my jaw tight. ”The drug test will clear me. I’m sure of it. He lied through his teeth. Motherfucker... I swear...”

”Damn,” she shook her head, still processing it. ”This corporate drama’s starting to get to me, Evan.”

”Yeah...” I sighed, exhaustion creeping in. ”Same here, Kim. Same here...”

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎

Nala sat behind her desk, arms crossed tightly, her jaw set so hard I could see the muscle twitch from where I sat. Marcus stood at her side, hands clasped behind his back, his stare locked onto Reid like a hawk studying a mouse. The storm had cleared outside, but in this office? The air was heavier than ever.

I sank into the couch, exhaling smoke as Reid sat opposite us—wrists on his knees, shoulders stiff, eyes darting around the room like he was searching for an exit he knew didn’t exist.

Our mole. The one who nearly fucked the entire company. The man who lied through his teeth while Project Phoenix, TechForge’s biggest asset, was bleeding from the inside.

Nala didn’t respond to him. She kept her eyes on the snowfall outside, the cold light outlining the tension in her shoulders.

Reid swallowed and forced himself upright in the chair. ”You deserve to know the real reason. The one I didn’t say yet.”

Marcus crossed his arms. ”Then speak.”

Reid took a shaky breath. It started with my team.”

Nala turned her head slightly at that.

Reid continued. ”Three months ago, two of my senior developers got offers from Valentrix. Huge offers. Salary doubled. Signing bonuses. Relocation packages. They turned them down because they believed in Phoenix. Because they believed in you.” He paused. ”I didn’t get an offer.”

He rubbed his arms nervously.

”Instead,” he said, ”they approached me with something else. They told me my team members were on a watchlist. That Valentrix planned to poach them again in a few months. That if Phoenix failed, my team would scatter to other companies and all of us would be separated. They told me I wasn’t respected here. That I’d be replaced. That I didn’t matter.”

Nala’s eyebrows drew together. ”Reid, who told you this?”

”A recruiter,” Reid said. ”A guy named Lucien. Smooth talker. Told me he used to be in HR for Phoenix’s competitor projects.” He shook his head. ”He knew everything about our internal progress. He knew my team’s names. Their past salaries. Their resumes. He even knew who was fighting with who. I thought he was bluffing, until he mentioned my arguments with Sara in testing. That was internal. No one else knew.”

Marcus frowned. ”So he had intel inside this company.”

”Yes,” Reid said quietly. ”Enough to make me doubt everything.”

He wiped his palms on his pants.

”He showed me predicted charts—team loss projections if Phoenix stalled. He showed me what would happen if two senior devs quit. Phoenix would collapse under its own workload. And he said Valentrix could protect my team. Keep them together. Fund them properly. Give them stability.”

”And you believed that?” Marcus asked.

”I wasn’t thinking straight,” Reid said. ”My team is the only thing I have. I don’t have family. I don’t have friends. I don’t have anyone waiting for me at home. My team was my life. When they told me Phoenix might break apart and everyone would scatter, it scared the hell out of me.”

Nala slowly turned away from the window. ”So you leaked Phoenix... because Valentrix convinced you TechForge would abandon your team?”

Reid nodded miserably.

”They told me if I cooperated, they’d take the entire Phoenix development group. Every one of us. Same roles. Same structure. Better pay. No one would have to start over alone. They said Phoenix could continue without interference. That we’d stay together.”

”And you bought it,” Marcus said.

Nala stepped around the desk and walked toward him. Her expression wasn’t angry now—only exhausted.

”You endangered an entire division,” she said. ”You jeopardized the work of hundreds of people. You lied repeatedly. You broke protocol. You stole. You sabotaged.” She paused. ”And you did it because you were afraid of losing the only people who made you feel useful.”

Reid squeezed his eyes shut. ”I know.”

Marcus approached him with controlled restraint. ”You understand what happens now.”

Reid nodded weakly.

”I’ll cooperate,” he said. ”I’ll tell you everything. Every message. Every contact. Every file I sent. I’ll sign whatever you need. Just... don’t take it out on my team. They didn’t know anything. Not one of them.”

Nala’s voice softened, but only barely. ”Your team isn’t the one on trial here. You are.”

Reid opened his eyes slowly, relief and despair mixing together.

Then Nala straightened her posture.

”Marcus,” she said. ”Begin the internal investigation protocol. Lock every account Reid used. Pull his entire access log from the last ninety days. Evan, stay. I need you for the reconstruction report.”

No idea what that was but I just shrugged.

Marcus nodded and stepped forward.

Reid slowly rose to his feet, shoulders slumped. He glanced at me, then at Nala.

”I’m sorry,” he repeated quietly.

Nala didn’t answer him. This time, she didn’t need to.

Marcus placed a hand on Reid’s shoulder and guided him toward the door. Reid didn’t fight. He didn’t even look up.

And when the door closed behind them, the entire room fell into heavy, suffocating silence.

╭────────────────────╮

Main Quest Completed

Title: Corporate Betrayal

Reward: +950 EXP, 1500c

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As the UI hovered in front of me, flickering faintly in the warm office light, I crushed the cigarette into the ashtray and leaned back. The scent of smoke drifted up and clung to my clothes. Nala walked toward the window, boots soft on the carpet, her shoulders rising and falling with a long breath as she stared outside.

╭────────────────────╮

Evan Marlowe (Lvl 12)

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Age: 21

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 74 kg

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EXP: [██████░░░░] 1978/3491

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