"What a boomer," Jay muttered.He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen.The call was still ringing, yet there was no sign that Officer Mark had any intention of answering. Jay waited until the call eventually disconnected before trying again but still nothing. After several attempts with no answer, he finally lowered the phone with a small sigh."Guess he's probably on patrol or something."There wasn't much else he could do. If Officer Mark was busy, he would simply have to wait for him to call back or try again later.With that settled, Jay's attention shifted to the translucent stat panel that always hange at the egde of his vision expanding it into full view with just a thought. [Host: Jay Wayne][Age: 25][Intelligence: 16][Agility: 18 ][Charisma: 2][Touch Status: 0][System Level: 1][System Points: 30][Account Balance: $656,009,570,000 ][Skills: Value Analytics]His eyes lingered on the 30 System Points.Finally.He'd been waiting for this moment e

Jay pulled up outside the luxurious Elaris Grand Gallery, a sprawling glass-and-marble venue already surrounded by high-end vehicles and a steady stream of elegantly dressed guests.This was the location Stacy had sent him—the venue hosting her cousin's gallery opening party.After spenting some time scrolling through his phone, intending to relax for only a few minutes. Somehow, those few minutes had turned into an unexpected nap on the sofa. By the time he opened his eyes again, the clock was already showing 7:00 p.m.He'd told himself he didn't have to come. After all, he hadn't agreed to the invitation in the first place.But for some reason, the idea of disappointing Stacy hadn't sat right with him. At least, that was the excuse he was telling himself to cover up the real reason why he had consider coming was because he wanted to see her again. He stepped out of his Lamborghini Urus and immediately noticed several guests nearby turning their heads.One glance became two. Then th

"What the hell is this scumbag doing here?"Hale's voice carried across the gallery, loud enough to draw a few curious glances from nearby guests.A woman holding a champagne glass briefly looked in their direction. Two men paused their conversation to see what had caused the disturbance.But when nothing immediately happened, they eventually turned back to their conversations, leaving Hale standing there with his jaw clenched and his eyes fixed on Jay.Stacy, on the other hand, looked almost amused."I invited him," she replied with a visible smirk on her face.There was something almost mischievous about the way she looked at Hale, as though his frustration was exactly what she'd hoped to see. Jay noticed it immediately, making his eyes shift between the two.Did she invite me here just to piss him off?Considering she mentioned they didn't get along too well the last time he and she met at the exhibition, he wouldn't put it past her.Hale's expression changed."Wha... What... Why?

Jay couldn't tell whether this was the effect of his newly acquired Charisma, but considering how naturally Stacy and Elena had been talking to him, it almost felt as though they had known each other for years.There was no awkwardness. No invisible barrier separating him from them because of their different social backgrounds.They simply talked.And somehow, that made Jay feel comfortable enough to ask the question that had been sitting at the back of his mind ever since Hale had confronted him.Jay glanced at Stacy before speaking, choosing his words carefully."Stacy, tell me the truth. Is pissing Hale off the real reason you invited me here in the first place?"His tone was polite, but his eyes remained fixed on her, waiting to see how she would react. Stacy stared at him for a moment before she drew in a slow breath and let it out through her nose."No. Why would I do that?" she asked. "As much as that would be nice to do... but no, I didn't. I don't have time for that."She sho

“Really, man? A twenty-four-hour strip club...?”Jay muttered the words under his breath as he sat across from Cassie, staring at him with an expression that was already beginning to question every decision that had led him here.Cassie, meanwhile, looked completely at ease. He sat comfortably in his chair with a bottle of beer in one hand, the noise and flashing lights of the club barely registering on his radar.“What do you mean?” Cassie asked, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t you just love watching the ladies dance while attending to business?”“What?”Jay blurted the word out almost instantly.He stared at Cassie for a moment, genuinely wondering if the man had heard himself. Then he dragged a hand down his face and rubbed his forehead, letting out a slow breath through his nose.At this point, he was already regretting giving Cassie the opportunity to choose where they would meet.There were restaurants, parks, quiet bars, even a hotel lounge would have been better.There were dozens