📍 Day 36 — Crane Dominion: Skyline Lounge – 11:45 PM
Ethan Crane stood alone on the 99th floor of his private tower, bathed in the cold glow of the city lights. The skyline glittered like a crown of glass and gold, but none of it reached his eyes. His scotch sat untouched on the obsidian marble table.
His phone buzzed.
LILA KIM (2 MISSED CALLS)
LILA KIM (1 NEW VOICEMAIL)
He didn't listen.
[System Notification]
Emotional Resonance Detected: "The Queen Who Abandoned You"
Analyzing impact…
Passive Skill Unlocked: Heartless ROI
"When emotions falter, profits rise."
+15% Economic Efficiency when dealing with individuals linked to past trauma.
Bonus: Emotional immunity during business negotiations.
He slid the phone into his pocket and pulled up a holographic feed from his AI system: Dominion.EXE. On-screen was Lila's boutique internship, the firm she had fought to get into.
Command Input: "Acquire K-Fusion Group. 100% shares. Leave no paper trail."
Sub-Command: "Replace senior management with Dominion insiders. Keep Lila. No clue she's the target."
Execute.
📍 Next Morning — K-Fusion Group HQ
Lila entered the office with a hopeful smile, clutching a hot coffee in both hands. She was early, dressed sharply, and ready to prove herself.
But something was off.
Her direct supervisor—Ms. Han—had been replaced.
The new woman? Icy. Calculated. Familiar.
"Report. Desk. Ten minutes," the woman said without looking up.
"I… just got here—"
"No excuses."
Within the first hour, Lila had been assigned five times her usual workload. Her lunch break was removed. Her ideas were shot down. The new boss didn't yell. She didn't belittle. She simply drained Lila of energy, one task at a time.
Lila stared out the office window that evening, exhausted. She didn't know why things had changed. But something in her gut twisted.
Her instincts whispered one name.
Ethan.
📍 Crane Dominion – Sub-Level 3: The War Room
Ethan stood before a massive digital board displaying stock movements, economic trends, and personal dossiers.
Lila's photo pulsed faintly on the side, now marked with a red "X" overlay.
[System Alert – Side Quest Complete]
Make Her Regret It.
Objective: Cause emotional and professional distress without direct contact.
Status: ✅ COMPLETE
Reward: Hollow Crown Badge
Bonus Trait: Emotional Fallout – Targets who underestimated you suffer 20% drop in confidence and decision-making for 48 hours.
Ethan turned off the screen.
He didn't smile. There was no satisfaction—only silence.
"She should've believed in me when I had nothing," he muttered.
📍 Flashback – Six Years Ago
Ethan sat on a cracked bench with nothing but a resume and a half-eaten instant ramen in his lap. Lila sat beside him, in a neatly pressed school uniform, looking down at him.
"You need to stop dreaming, Ethan. You're not that guy."
He remembered her words. Word for word. Expression for expression.
That day, her rejection cut deeper than any knife.
📍 Present Day – Crane's Private Elevator
Ethan entered the elevator, and the doors closed like a tomb sealing a monarch. His reflection stared back—no longer a poor boy begging for a chance, but a king ruling from the shadows.
[New Quest: Queen's Gambit]
Objective: Force Lila into a public scandal of her own making.
Method: Orchestrate through anonymous legal leaks and internal pressure.
Reward: ??? (Hidden)
Status: In Progress…