Chapter 174: Plan for a proper morning

The following morning found Tom on the sofa.

He had stayed up late talking through the club development with Bree, long enough that the conversation went on until past midnight. The more she spoke, the clearer it became why the System had placed her beside him. She understood private club structure in a way that went beyond decoration and staff schedules. She spoke about privacy design, member psychology, service flow, and the kind of quiet luxury that money alone could not invent. By the time the call ended, Tom was convinced he could not have asked for a better person in that role. She had what the project needed, and he could not picture anyone else handling it with the same clarity.

He woke with a stiff neck and stretched slowly, joints loosening one after another. The living room was still quiet as the day was just breaking. Before he could fully sit up, the System spoke.

[Good morning, Host.] Then a panel came up bringing up the daily task;

````

[DAILY TASK]

Take care of Stella throughout today using PDA.

Reward: $500,000

Harem Bond

Penalty: No reward

```

Tom stared at the panel. Five hundred thousand? That was the highest cash reward he had seen on a daily task.

"that’s unusually high... Why?" he asked under his breath. The

[Stella Marchetti is fully recruited.]

She is the first pillar of Host’s harem.

[And her Relationship Maintenance is nearly complete.]

[Missions involving her now carry higher rewards and lighter penalties.

Losing the reward is already penalty enough.]

[Treat this as an investment subsystem. The more you take care of her, the more you gain]

```

Tom read through and nodded in satisfaction. That made sense. Stella was no longer just a target. She was structure. Keeping that structure stable was worth paying for. If the System was going to treat her as an investment, then he would treat the task the same way.

He stretched again, drew in a deep breath, and stood up. His body still carried the stiffness of a night spent on the sofa, but his head was clear enough.

A moment later, Stella walked out of his room.

She had clearly raided his wardrobe. One of his larger shirts hung loosely on her frame, long enough to cover her properly but was sexy on her nevertheless. The soft material moved with her as she stepped into the living room. The moment her eyes found him near the sofa, her brows pulled together with anger.

Tom knew what was about to happen and why, he did not give the frown time to settle.

"Hey, babe." he called out. He didn’t let the surprise of that endearment settle before topping it with another surprise.

He walked up and pulled her into a hug before she could speak. The sudden affection caught Stella off guard. She had come out ready to admonish him for leaving her alone in the room until morning. Instead, she found herself against his chest, his arms firm around her, the warmth of his body was now cutting through the complaint she had prepared.

As if he already knew what she had been about to say, Tom spoke against her hair.

"I fell asleep on the couch. I was discussing the club development with my personal assistant."

He pulled back just enough to look at her, then kissed her on the lips. The kiss was brief but calm.

At that exact moment, Sienna stepped out of her room.

She took in the scene in one glance and frowned deeply. Whatever she had intended to do with her morning stopped cold. The sight of Tom holding another woman so openly, so early, settled under her ribs like something sharp.

"I can’t believe this is what my eyes have to feed on this early?" She gritted under her breath. Her fists clenched at her sides. But without a word, she turned and walked back into her room.

Tom did not notice her but Stella did. The quiet satisfaction that touched her expression was small, but it was there. She had seen the retreat. She did not need to comment on it.

"What do you need for the day?" Tom asked.

Stella arched a brow, still standing close enough that his shirt shifted against her thighs. "You’ll need a list."

Tom chuckled. "I guessed as much."

That earned a short laugh from her, softer than the frown she had walked out with. Some of the earlier irritation eased from her face, replaced by excitement.

Before either of them could continue, Aria and Leah came out of their room.

Leah saw Tom holding Stella and did not slow her steps. She lowered her head slightly and greeted them with a polite, clipped, "Good morning." Her tone was careful, the kind used by someone who had already decided not to involve herself.

Aria, however, slowed. Her eyes moved over the two of them with open interest, lingering a second too long on the way Tom’s hand rested against Stella’s waist. Leah noticed at once, caught her wrist, and pulled her into the kitchen with more force than courtesy.

~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the kitchen, Leah’s voice dropped into a sharp whisper as she began to admonish Aria.

"It is not everything you need to be seeing."

Aria frowned and she deadpanned; "How am I not supposed to see what is right in front of me?"

Leah made a quick shut-up gesture with her hand. Aria scoffed, then leaned in conspiratorially, her eyes bright with curiosity she made no effort to hide.

"So what was that?"

"It is what it is," Leah shot back.

"Is that normal?" Aria demanded.

Leah’s reply came flatter, almost tired. "In a house like this, anything can be normal. People like us look away."

Before Aria could press further, Tom walked into the kitchen.

Leah immediately turned back toward her work, set her shoulders straight, her hands already reaching for the nearest task as if the conversation had never happened. Aria, on the other hand, looked at Tom with a flirty, naughty glint that made no attempt to hide itself. The interest in her eyes was obvious. It was as if she was broadcasting she wouldn’t mind to be involved in what was going on between him and Stella.

Tom did not spare her a glance.

He went to the fridge, took a bottle of water, and returned to Stella without acknowledging the look. Whatever game Aria thought she was beginning, he left it untouched.

Stella accepted the bottle, drank, then lowered it and looked at him properly. A familiar glint had entered her eyes, the kind that usually meant mischief dressed as elegance.

"Shall we start the morning properly now?"

Tom studied her face. "What?"

"I have a plan for a proper morning," Stella said. "All you need to do is flow with it."

She held his gaze, unbothered by the house around them, unbothered by who might still be watching from behind closed doors.

"Will you?"