Johnny rubbed his face, then rubbed it again, and checked the screen a third time. The message didn't change.His eye twitched. “You cannot be serious.”The system, unfortunately, appeared completely serious.---[HOT ASSIGNMENT ALERT]Task: Lose Your VirginityPenalty: Death by Heart FailureTime Remaining: 06:00:00---Johnny's hands immediately flew to his chest. His heart was still beating. For now, at least. The problem was that the system had just informed him it might soon stop altogether.“Vixen,” he said slowly, staring dead at the glowing blue screen. “Please tell me this is a joke.”The suite remained dead silent. Outside, the city kept moving right along; cars navigated the streets and people went about their morning routines, completely oblivious to the fact that Johnny Steele had just been sentenced to death for being a virgin.“Tell me I'm not actually going to die if I don't get laid in the next six hours.”Nothing. Not a single word, not even a blinking notification. J

Steam curled around Johnny as he stood under the shower, palms pressed to the tile. The water was hot enough to sting, but he barely felt it. His mind was drifting—slow, heavy, all tangled up in the night before. The hot water beat down on Johnny’s shoulders, but his mind kept circling back to Rhea—not in some dramatic, world-ending heartbreak. He didn’t know Rhea deeply enough for that. But in a quieter, messier way. Her absence… it left a weird taste in his mouth. They’d only known each other a few chaotic hours, thrown together by bad timing, danger, and whatever the hell last night was supposed to be. He didn’t pretend it was love. It wasn’t. What he felt was something closer to unfinished business—like a conversation that cut off halfway through. He didn’t know her enough for it to hurt like a breakup. They were practically strangers stitched together by chaos, alcohol, bad timing, and a night that spiraled faster than either of them expected. But still… The empty space sh

The Silver Crest Holdings building wasn’t far from the Nebula Hotel. The two establishments sat in the same central district, one of the busiest areas of Pantheon Valley. The streets were still humming with early morning traffic, and Johnny decided against using any of his cars. Instead, he walked briskly, almost jogging, to clear the last traces of his hangover from his head. Each step helped him shed the fuzziness, letting his mind sharpen gradually as the city moved around him. By the time he arrived, his clothes were slightly wrinkled, dust clinging to the hems, and his sneakers scuffed from the uneven sidewalks. A row of luxurious cars gleamed under the morning sun, parked neatly along the entrance . The building itself loomed tall and imposing, all steel and glass, reflecting the skyline in its mirrored panels. Johnny paused briefly at the entrance, taking in the structure. It was a statement. A monument. A business empire manifested in concrete and glass. He adjuste

The moment Johnny stepped through the glass doors of Silver Crest Holdings, a quiet wave of déjà vu washed over him. Nothing had changed. Nothing. The lobby still had that cold, expensive smell—like polished marble and paper fresh from the printer. The same muted silver lamps. The same reception desk where interns hovered like anxious ghosts. Phones ringing. Heels clicking. People rushing past each other with the sharp urgency of those who believed their entire future depended on a signature. Everyone was busy. Everyone looked important. Everyone acted like they mattered more than whoever stood next to them. Johnny stood still in the middle of it all, watching. And for a split second, he saw a younger version of himself—same building, same walls, except his clothes were cheaper, his shoulders lower, and his eyes… tired. Always tired. Back then, when he was an intern, he didn’t really see the world around him clearly. He didn’t know the game he had walked into. He thought

Kira had walked to the door and planted herself in front of it, arms crossed, blocking the exit. Johnny blinked."Are you seriously barricading me in?""You heard me." she countered without a shred of hesitation."Do you know what that would do to my reputation if word gets out that the matron of the Red Room was rejected and walked out on by a man who paid for the full menu and then changed his mind because he was unimpressed."“I didn’t say I was unimpressed” Johnny tried to play defend but she shook her head to shut him up."I'd be a laughingstock.” She continued. “So, you're going to stand there, and you're going to tell me exactly what is going on. Then we'll see if you get to leave."Johnny rubbed both hands over his face, feeling a massive headache blooming behind his eyes. This was impossible.Even if he bared his soul and confessed the absolute truth, it would sound like the delusions of a lunatic—mostly because the reality of his life was completely insane."Kira, please," he