Chapter 50: PAY ME FOR THAT

A little under an hour later, dinner was ready.

Sarah was a genuinely good cook. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten something that actually tasted like a real meal. Living alone was bad enough. Living alone and not knowing how to cook made it worse.

The bathroom door was still cracked open the entire time. I had no idea how much Star had overheard. With how thin these walls were, probably more than I wanted. I could hear Hubert snoring on a normal night. This place was a nightmare.

"Thankfully there’s some left for Hubert," Sarah said with a light chuckle as she leaned back in her chair.

"You should be a chef, not a waitress," I told her.

"I wish." She finished the last of her orange juice and set the glass down. "I should go. Hubert’s probably wondering where I am by now."

"Yeah, of course." I stood up with her. "And... thank you for dinner. It’s been a long time since I ate something this good."

"I can cook for you sometimes," she offered, a little shyly. "Not all the time. You’d have to pay me for that."

"I’ll take sometimes," I said with a small smile.

I portioned some of the food onto a plate for Hubert. Sarah took it, and I walked her to the door. She opened it, then paused, looking back at me.

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OPPORTUNITY DETECTED

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[SUGGESTED ACTION]

- Hug her.

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- COST: 10 Lust

- EST. GAIN: ??

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A hug. It felt a little sudden... but I’d already had my hands on her waist earlier. Without the system I never would’ve had the nerve for half the things I’d done.

"Sarah." I stepped closer. "I’m glad you came."

"Oh."

I pulled her into a hug before she could say anything else. She froze for a second, then slowly raised her arms and hugged me back. It felt better than it should have. When we separated, the system confirmed another drop in her Dependence.

"I had fun," she said with a soft smile. "We should do this again. I always cook alone... it gets boring."

"Yeah. I... I can imagine, Sarah."

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GRIEVANCE LOG

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Target: Sarah Angi

Subject: Husband

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> Forgets Anniversary

> Poor Hygiene

> Ignores her at dinner

> Dismisses her Feelings

> Stifles Creativity

> Stockholm Syndrome

> [!] Alone

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A new grievance unlocked. Focusing on it brought up more detail, Hubert had no interest in anything she did around the house. She cleaned alone, cooked alone, made the bed alone. He simply didn’t care.

"Next time I’ll help," I said. "You could teach me a few things. I feel like I left you to do everything tonight."

"Oh, trust me, I wasn’t alone. Talking made the time go by faster."

That small exchange shaved off another couple of points.

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TARGET: Sarah Angi

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[ RELATIONSHIP ]

> Partner: [Hubert]

> Loyalty: 0%

> Dependence: 44%

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[ SYSTEM SYNC ]

> Favor: 0% [?]

> Threat: None

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x2 Sexual Encounter EXP

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> GRIEVANCE LOG

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Aha. That little interaction had earned me another two-point reduction, bringing her dependence down to forty-four percent. Damn, this thing was getting better by the second. All I had to do was play on her grievances, exploit them, and slowly corrupt her.

"I should go," Sarah said. "Goodbye, Chance."

"Bye."

She stepped out, gave me a small wave, and left. The second the door shut, the bathroom door opened.

Star walked out looking thoroughly pissed. I couldn’t even blame her. What was supposed to be a quick transaction had turned into her being locked in a bathroom for over an hour.

"And you said you didn’t fuck the chick," she said flatly.

"Look... I’m sorry. That was unexpected."

"Yeah. Fifty more." She pulled a cigarette from her purse. "For the time you wasted."

I exhaled. "Fine."

I was officially broke.

Star walked past me, purse over her shoulder, and lit a cigarette the moment she was in the hallway. I opened the door, checked both directions, then nodded. She stepped out.

A few seconds later the noise started.

From Karim’s apartment, only two steps away, a woman’s voice cut through the thin walls. "I told you, no anal, you freak!"

"Shut the fuck up and open your legs!" Karim snarled.

"No!"

Star’s face went rigid. "Fuck. That’s Abigail."

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NEW QUEST

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[!] MISSION:

Bad Boy

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> OBJECTIVE:

Save Abigail.

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> REWARD:

+150 EXP

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The sounds kept escalating. Something heavy hit a wall. A sharp slap. Then crying.

I had told myself I was done being the guy who stepped in. Done getting hurt for other people. But the crying didn’t stop, and neither did the thrashing.

I still had some morals left. Apparently.

"Karim!" I shouted, already moving. I banged hard on his door. "Open up!"

Inside, his voice roared, "You fucking slut! Stop fighting, we agreed!"

"I told you I don’t do that!"

"I’m paying you!"

"Karim!" I slammed my fist against the door again. "Open the goddamn door!"

"Help her!" Star was right beside me now, voice tight. "Fuck, Abigail!"

"Call the cops," I muttered.

"I’m on it." She stepped back, phone already to her ear.

Another slap. The crying got louder.

I took two steps back, set my weight, and kicked the door. The cheap lock gave immediately. The door flew open.

Up the stairs, Hubert and Sarah had appeared, staring down. Other neighbors were poking their heads out too.

I didn’t look at them.

Straight ahead in the living room Karim was on top of a naked woman. Dark skin, clear slap marks across her cheek, tears on her face. He was naked too. The second the door smashed open he looked up, face twisted with rage.

"The fuck is your problem, you little shit?!"

He scrambled up and came at me. Grabbed a vase off the side table and hurled it. I barely got an arm up in time, it shattered against my forearm, ceramic bits raining down. Before I could recover he closed the distance and punched me square in the jaw. The hit snapped my head sideways. I stumbled back, catching myself on the wall, then kicked out hard at his leg. My heel connected with his knee. He went down with a curse.

I shoved myself upright. The woman, Abigail, scrambled toward me on unsteady legs.

I caught her by the shoulders and pushed her toward Star. "Go to my place," I panted. "Lock the door."

Star grabbed her without hesitation. "Okay, okay, "

They disappeared into my apartment. The door clicked shut.

I stepped back into the hallway, breathing hard, just as the stairwell door opened.

And... fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Cole walked in. The same bald, tattooed bastard who had beaten me half to death over a cat.

His eyes went straight past me to Karim. "Yo. Where’s that whore Abigail?"

Karim spat on the floor, still naked and furious. "And you were supposed to be a fucking pimp. The bitch defected."

Then Cole’s gaze locked on me.

A slow, ugly grin spread across his face. "Well, well. Look who it is." He took a step closer. "Playing the hero again? That beating I gave you wasn’t enough, boy?"

I didn’t answer. Two on one. Talking wouldn’t help.

Cole reached out, grabbed my chin in one rough hand, and forced my face up. His fingers dug in hard. He was stronger, I could feel it in the grip. I still didn’t look away.

The hallway had gone quiet except for the distant sound of a siren starting somewhere far off.

Cole’s grin widened. "You really don’t learn, do you? Fuckwit. You fucking incel."

Cole’s other hand drove into my stomach. The air left me in a rough groan. He let go of my chin and I folded forward, arm wrapped around my midsection as I leaned hard against the wall.

Above us on the stairs, Sarah covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide.

Cole exhaled and shook his head like I was a mild inconvenience.

"I’ll see you soon, cunt." He turned toward Karim’s open door. "I’ll find you a new one. Just forget that whore, alright? She doesn’t work for me anymore."

Karim, still naked and furious, spat on the floor. "You better." He stepped back inside and slammed the door shut.

Cole muttered something under his breath, shot me one last look, and left the building. The hallway felt too quiet afterward.

At least the quest was done.

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MAIN MENU

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NAME: Chance Brooks

LVL: 10 [515/557]

RANK: Homewrecker

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[ CORE STATS ]

> CHA: 25

> END: 11

> PER: 25

> LCK: 4

> IBE: 5

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[ ENERGY ]

> LUST: 180/180

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[ACTIVE PERKS: Expand]

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SIN POINTS: 1370

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I pushed off the wall with another low groan and limped the few steps to my own door. I knocked once. Star cracked it open, saw it was me, then opened it wider. I stepped inside and shut it behind me.

Abigail was sitting on the single couch, still naked. Dark skin marked with clear handprints and a few bite marks across her breasts and shoulders. She had her arms wrapped around herself, shoulders shaking as she cried quietly, eyes fixed on the floor.