The Shameless Urban System: Lust and Laughter

Chapter 8: First Charisma Point

"So, Rendy..." Aminata whispered right into his ear as the elevator began to ascend. "What is it you actually want to sell me? Aside from this intoxicating scent of yours?"

The fragrance of Aphrodite's Cologne filled the confined space of the elevator like a thick, visible, and intoxicating mist. Rendy could feel the warmth of Aminata’s breath hitting the nape of his neck, a sensation that sent an electric surge straight to his nerve centers. The woman’s hand, which should have been strictly professional, belonging to a central CEO’s secretary, was now crawling slowly across Rendy’s waist, her slender fingers seemingly searching for an opening beneath his cheap dress shirt.

However, in the other corner of the elevator, the atmosphere felt far from romantic. Mariam stood there, frozen like an ice sculpture ready to shatter. Her sharp eyes were fixed on Aminata’s hand, which dared to touch her "employee." There was anger flashing in her gaze, but strangely enough, there was also a trace of confusion and... jealousy?

[WARNING: 'APHRODITE'S COLOGNE' EFFECT ON TARGET 'AMINATA' HAS REACHED CRITICAL THRESHOLD!]

[TARGET 'MARIAM' IS EXPERIENCING MENTAL CONFLICT: 'DESIRE TO POUNCE' VS 'EXECUTIVE DIGNITY']

Rendy broke into a cold sweat. He was trapped between two high-tier female predators. If he moved even an inch toward Aminata, Mariam might fire him (or choke him) on the spot. If he rejected Aminata, he would lose his only chance to secure the contract that could save his career.

"I-it’s... Ms. Aminata, it’s about the distribution partnership proposal sent by our branch," Rendy managed to say, struggling to keep his voice steady even though his heart was thumping like a war drum.

"To hell with that proposal," Aminata murmured. Her eyes looked slightly glazed; her pupils were dilated, a sign that her autonomic nervous system was being forcibly triggered by the wretched perfume. She leaned her face in close, her nose inhaling deeply the scent from Rendy’s chest. "Why do you smell so good? This isn't just ordinary perfume... it’s like... pure temptation."

Just as Aminata’s lips were about to brush Rendy’s jawline, the elevator doors opened with a sharp chime.

Ding!

Fresh air from outside the elevator rushed in, and with it, the concentration of the perfume in the tight space diminished slightly. Aminata jerked back. She blinked repeatedly, as if she had just woken up from a vivid, explicit dream. She pulled her hand from Rendy’s waist with lightning speed; the face that had been flushed with passion now turned deathly pale, then morphed into a deep, embarrassed red.

"W-what did I just do?" Aminata whispered to herself, her voice returning to its cold, sharp tone, though there was a tremor she couldn't quite hide.

Mariam cleared her throat loudly, stepping out of the elevator with heels clicking hard against the hotel lobby’s marble floor. "Ms. Aminata, I hope your unprofessional behavior just now was merely... a momentary lapse due to exhaustion."

Aminata immediately straightened her back, her aura shifting back into that of an untouchable elite secretary. "Of course, Ms. Mariam. I think the air conditioning in this elevator needs to be repaired; it’s far too hot." She then turned to Rendy, her gaze now as cold as arctic ice, showing no signs of the woman who had just been feeling up his waist. "Follow me to the lounge. Let’s discuss your contract. But don’t think this strange scent of yours will help you any further."

[NOTIFICATION: TARGET 'AMINATA' POSSESSES THE 'STRONG WILL' ATTRIBUTE. PERFUME EFFECT HAS BEEN SUPPRESSED BY HER MENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS.]

[MISSION UPDATED: NEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT MANUALLY WITHOUT CHEAT ASSISTANCE!]

Rendy cursed under his breath. "Damn system. Just when I started feeling like a Casanova, I’m back to being a loser who has to rack his brain."

They sat on plush leather chairs in the quiet hotel lounge. Aminata opened the proposal folder Rendy had given her with perfectly mechanical movements. She read every line with incredible speed, while Rendy could only sit stiffly, trying to ignore the way Mariam was watching them from a distance at the bar table.

"These numbers are garbage," Aminata said suddenly, tossing the folder onto the table. "Modibo offered a deal that is 15% more profitable for the center. Why should I choose your branch, which is currently seeing a performance decline?"

Rendy swallowed hard. He knew Modibo must have been "playing" behind the scenes with fake data or unrealistic, sweet promises.

"Because Modibo’s numbers are a lie, Ms. Aminata," Rendy started, his voice slightly shaky but slowly gaining strength. "He promises high margins by cutting logistics operational costs in the field. Do you know what that means in our territory? It means shipments will be late, goods will be damaged due to poor handling, and in the end, it’s the central CEO’s reputation that will be at stake for the short-term gains of a petty manager."

Aminata raised an eyebrow, slightly intrigued. "And you? What makes you any different from him?"

Rendy took a deep breath. He didn't have high stat points, and he didn't have political backing at the office. He only had honesty fueled by desperation.

"I don’t promise impossible numbers. I promise stability. If you sign this, I will personally go down to the warehouse to ensure every box goes out on time. I’ll be honest with you... I’m doing this because I’m about to be fired. I need this contract to survive. But I won’t sacrifice the company’s integrity just to save my own neck."

Rendy leaned forward, his eyes locked onto Aminata’s. No perfume, no system buffs, just two humans measuring each other’s strength.

"Give me a chance to prove that honesty is worth more than Modibo’s manipulated data. If, in three months, the performance doesn't match what I’ve written here, you can unilaterally terminate this contract and I will resign voluntarily."

Silence enveloped the table for nearly a minute. Aminata twirled her Montblanc pen between her fingers. She looked at Rendy again, searching for a hint of a lie, but all she found was the persistence of a man who had nothing left to lose.

Suddenly, the corners of Aminata’s lips lifted into a faint smile, a rare sight that even made Mariam in the distance narrow her eyes.

"You’ve got guts, Rendy. And you’re honest enough for a salesman who’s nearly starving to death." Aminata pulled the folder back and signed it with a firm, elegant flourish. "This contract is yours. But remember: if you disappoint me, I will personally ensure you never get a job again, not even as a janitor in this city."

[DING!]

[MISSION SUCCESSFUL: SECURED AMINATA’S SIGNATURE WITHOUT CHEATS!]

[REWARD: +5 CHARISMA STAT POINTS, +500 SYSTEM POINTS!]

[BONUS: RELATIONSHIP WITH TARGET 'AMINATA' INCREASED TO LEVEL: 'INTERESTED']

Rendy almost jumped for joy and hugged Aminata before he remembered that this woman could kill him with a single glare. He accepted the folder back with trembling hands. "Thank you, Ms. Aminata. You won’t regret this."

"Whatever," Aminata replied coldly. But as she stood up, she leaned toward Rendy and whispered softly so Mariam couldn't hear, "And one more thing... get rid of that perfume. I’d rather smell the sweat of a man working hard than that suspicious floral stench."

Aminata left with a graceful stride, leaving Rendy still stunned. Mariam immediately approached him, her face still sour but with a hint of hidden pride in her eyes.

"Let’s go back to the office," Mariam commanded shortly. "Don’t think this one contract makes you completely safe, Rendy."

"You still have a lot of explaining to do about... that incident in the elevator earlier."

***

Back at the office, the atmosphere turned electric the moment Rendy walked through the main glass doors. News of his success in meeting Aminata had spread faster than tabloid celebrity gossip.

Modibo was standing in the center of the room, surrounded by his cronies, Moussa and Amadou. He was laughing loudly, convinced that Rendy would return empty-handed.

"Look who it is! Our loser has returned!" Modibo exclaimed with a thick, mocking tone. "How was it, Rendy? Did Aminata shoo you away like a stray dog, or were you not even allowed into the lobby?"

Moussa let out a boisterous laugh. "He probably just took a picture in front of the hotel to show off on social media."

Rendy didn't say a word. He walked calmly to his desk, set his bag down, and then held up the black folder he had brought with him. With a dramatic motion, he slammed the folder onto the meeting table in the middle of the room.

"See for yourself, Modibo," Rendy said flatly.

Modibo scowled. He stepped forward and roughly tore the folder open. As soon as his eyes landed on the gold signature at the bottom of the contract, the face that had been red with laughter turned as pale as a corpse.

"Im-impossible... This must be fake! How could you... Aminata never signs contracts on the first day!" Modibo shouted, his voice cracking with panic.

Fatoumata, who had been watching from her desk, approached and looked at the contract. Her face beamed. "It's real! I recognize the headquarters' hologram seal. Rendy... you actually did it!"

The entire office instantly erupted into chaos. Staff members who had previously shunned Rendy began whispering in awe. Adama and Sidiki, two juniors who were usually neutral, started giving Rendy thumbs-up.

"Alright, everyone, back to work!" shouted Mariam, who had just stepped into the room. Her booming voice silenced everyone immediately. "Modibo, to my office now. We need to talk about those 'figures' you provided earlier."

Modibo trembled, glaring at Rendy with seething hatred before trailing behind Mariam with slumped shoulders.

Rendy let out a sigh of relief and sat in his chair. He felt like he had just won a world war. He opened his system interface to allocate the points he had just earned.

[USER: RENDY]

[STAT CHARISMA: 5 -> 10 (AVERAGE HUMAN: 5)]

[SYSTEM POINTS: 650]

"Allocate 5 points to Charisma," Rendy whispered to himself.

[DING! CHARISMA STAT INCREASED!]

[WARNING: YOUR CHARISMA IS NOW AT THE 'FEMALE MAGNET' LEVEL!]

[SIDE EFFECT: YOUR PRESENCE WILL TRIGGER HORMONAL REACTIONS IN WOMEN WITHIN A 5-METER RADIUS. USE WISELY OR YOU WILL BE TRAPPED IN REPRODUCTIVE TROUBLE!]

"What does 'reproductive trouble' mean?" Rendy frowned.

Just then, Fatoumata walked up to his desk to offer him a cup of coffee. "Rendy, congratulations on the contract. I’m truly impressed by you..."

As Fatoumata leaned in, Rendy felt something strange. Fatoumata suddenly tripped over her own feet and fell right toward him. By instinct, Rendy caught her. Fatoumata’s petite body landed squarely on his lap.

Usually, Fatoumata would apologize and pull away immediately. But this time, as she looked at Rendy's face, now radiating his new 'Charisma' aura, her eyes glazed over and her breathing grew heavy. Instead of standing up, she rested her head on Rendy’s chest, her hands gripping his shirt tightly.

"Rendy... you... you feel so different now," Fatoumata whispered in a sultry voice, her eyes hazy with desire.

It wasn't just Fatoumata. Across the room, Kadiatou and Djénéba, two administrative assistants who usually never looked at Rendy twice, stopped working and stared at him with eyes that looked... hungry.

Rendy gulped. He glanced toward the door of Mariam’s office and saw his boss peeking through the tinted glass, her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she saw Fatoumata sitting on his lap.

[DING!]

[NEW QUEST: SURVIVE THE OFFICE HAREM!]

[MISSION: ESCAPE THE OFFICE IN 10 MINUTES WITHOUT CAUSING A SCENE OR GETTING FIRED FOR INDECENT CONDUCT!]

[FAILURE PENALTY: 'VIRILITY' STAT PERMANENTLY REDUCED BY 50%!]

"DAMN YOU, SYSTEM!" Rendy screamed internally, as he felt Fatoumata’s hands begin to crawl toward his thigh under the desk, while other female colleagues began walking toward his station with ridiculous excuses.

Rendy’s true adventure had just begun. And this time, his enemy wasn't some villain like Modibo, but the libido of every woman around him.

The phone on Rendy’s desk rang. It was an unknown number. He picked it up with a trembling hand.

"Hello?"

"Rendy," a cold, authoritative voice sounded. It was Aminata. "I forgot to tell you. Tonight there is a private dinner to celebrate this contract. Just me, you, and the CEO. Pick me up at seven. And remember... wear something nice. I don't want my fake boyfriend looking like a hobo."

"Wait, fake boyfriend?!" Rendy exclaimed in shock.

"Of course. You thought that contract was free? I need a shield to avoid my family’s arranged marriage tonight. And you are the best candidate with the right 'scent.' See you later, honey."

Click. The line went dead.

Rendy stared at his phone screen, then looked at Fatoumata, who was now beginning to kiss his neck, and finally looked at Mariam, who had just stepped out of her office with a face as dark as a storm cloud.

"I... I’m a dead man," Rendy muttered in resignation.