The sight of them together was what betrayal would look like it were two people. Elise stood next to James, my boss, my friend and my mentor. His arm brushed against hers in a way that was too casual, too familiar. The way he smirked when his eyes met mine, it all clicked into place with a sickening clarity.
It had never been paranoia when I was suspicious before. It was my brain screaming the truth at me while my heart tried to rationalize it.
And now, here they were, presenting themselves to me with no fear of consequences, thinking i was down for the count.
Elise's lips twisted into that same cruel smile she had worn the night before while my contract fluttered to the floor. "Leo," she said, her voice dripping with a sympathy I knew was fake. "You look like hell."
James crossed his arms, playing the part of the stern, disappointed superior. "Regina told me you quit. After losing the Anders account?" He shook his head, a portrait of wounded pride. "I defended you for years, Leo. And this is how you repay me?"
The sheer audacity of it made, my, hands, tremble....
This man had been with my girlfriend behind my back, and now he had the nerve to act like I was the one who had betrayed him.
I opened my mouth, a torrent of furious words ready to erupt, when my phone buzzed violently in my pocket.
A warning flashed in my vision.
[Emotional threshold breached. Quest failure imminent.]
I barely had time to process it before another message followed, cold and absolute.
[Penalty enacted. Ninety percent of liquid assets deducted.]
My stomach plummeted.
I fumbled for my phone, my fingers shaking as I opened the banking app. The numbers glared back at me, a brutal mockery of the hope I had felt just hours ago.
One hundred and fifty thousand dollars was now fifteen thousand.
I had just lost one hundred and thirty five thousand dollars in a single heartbeat. The money that was supposed to be my foundation, and to help my mom. Reduced to almost nothing.
And the three hundred thousand dollar reward I was supposed to win from the quest? It vanished from the log, replaced by a stark red "FAILED."
A cold, sickening numbness spread through my limbs.
Elise's voice cut through the haze of my shock. "What is wrong, Leo? Cat got your tongue?"
James let out a short, ugly chuckle as he spoke. "Probably realizing he just torched his entire career."
Regina stepped out of her office, her heels clicking a sharp rhythm of annoyance on the floor. "Leo, do not be an idiot. Come back inside. We can fix this."
I barely heard her. My mind was a storm of rage and regret. I had one job, one fucking job! To stay calm and stay in control.
I had failed spectacularly, and now? I had nothing.
No job, no home. And barely enough money to survive.
I should have walked away. I should have kept my big mouth shut. But the words tore out of me anyway. There was no use remaining stoic anymore.
"You want to know what is funny?" My voice was low and rough. "All of you, standing there like you have already won. Like I am just some pathetic loser you can kick on your way up."
Elise rolled her eyes so hard she might have looked behind her brain. "Oh, here we go, he's about to throw a fit."
"You," I said, my gaze locking onto James. "You were my mentor. And the whole time you were just waiting to stab me in the back."
His smirk finally faltered.
Regina stepped forward. "Leo."
"No!" I turned to her, the anger making my movements erratic. "You spent years treating me like garbage because you could, and honestly because I let you." My hands curled into fists at my sides.
"Well, guess what? That Leo is gone."
Elise let out a harsh scoff. "Wow. Did getting kicked out scramble your brain?"
I ignored her, looking at each of them in turn. "Remember this moment. Because when you come crawling back, and you will, do not expect me to care."
James actually laughed. "Crawling back? To you? What are you even talking about?"
I did not answer. I just turned and walked toward the elevators amd went down.
Derek was lurking by the water cooler, his face alight with cruel delight. He didn't know if had already resigned, so he came with his usual threats.
"Leo! Am not just going to get you fired, but I'll make sure you're blacklisted." he sneered. "You are finished in this industry! You hear me!"
I did not even look at him.
All that cash, lost just like that, my mind was spining as the old insecurities I had of not being enough resurfaced. The weight of the whole satuation weighed down on my shoulders as I took everstep.
My mother's treatment was not optional. It was not something I could just delay, every single day counted.
A cold, gnawing fear settled deep in my chest. What if I cannot fix this in time?
What if I am too late?
But in the midst of it all, I felt the urge to push forward. I could not give up, not right now. The System had given me a second chance once. Maybe, just maybe, it would do it once more.
I pulled up the interface, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
[ HOST: Leo Landon
RANK: Mortal (Grade 0)
CURRENT HAREM MEMBERS: Maya(30%)
AFFECTION POINTS: 105 can upgrade a member to the next teir of familiarity.
System points: 50
SKILLS: Aura of Intrigue, flirt master (level1)
TITLES: Simp Lord (the host has reached the highest level of simping and somehow broke free of the illusion of love).
I saw that I had 50 system points, the sight caused me to sigh. The points was so low as many of the things in the system shop were expensive. Still I decided to scroll through the many skills.
Bruh, there were so many different upgrades, I couldn't even remember half of them. Upgrades to my body and stupidly crazy skills, that even one of could change a person's life. At the bottom of the list of skills I saw my salvation. An inconspicuous skill that was worth the exact amount of system points I had. The funny thing was, systems points weren't even supposed to be used to by skills, only physical upgrades. So, what was going on? It could be that the system had planned this whole thing to mold me into its perfect specimen, or maybe I was just paranoid. I clicked on the skill and bought it.