The following Tuesday, I didn’t just walk into the Sterling Committee eting. I prepared for it like a heist.
I sat in the library basent an hour before the eting, the System interface glowing in the dim light. I had accumulated a stockpile of "System Points" (SP) from the Victoria Sterling mission, the exam success and the other previous missions. It was ti to spend them.
I opened the [System Shop].
[Available SP: 1,250]
[Shop Categories]
Attributes (Expensive)
Skills (Moderate)
Items (Consumable/Permanent)
Intel (Target Specific)
I scrolled to [Items].I didn’t need a permanent stat boost right now; I needed a tactical edge for the eting. Elena was Sapiosexual. She didn’t care about my muscles; she cared about my mind. But she was also a woman who appreciated sensory details—the sll of old books, the taste of expensive scotch.
I found what I was looking for.
[Item: Pheromone Cologne (Grade B)]
[Cost: 300 SP]
[Effect: Subtly enhances natural scent to trigger a dopamine response in targets with ’High Intelligence’.]
[Duration: 4 Hours]
I bought it. A small, glass vial materialized in my pocket. It slled like cedarwood and rain—understated, expensive.
Next, I went to [Skills]. I needed sothing to dominate the room, to show her I wasn’t just a student following orders.
[Skill Upgrade: Orator]
[Level 1 -> Level 2]
[Cost: 500 SP]
[Effect: Increases persuasion chance by 15% during public speaking. Unlocks ’Commanding Voice’ trait.]
I bought that too.
Finally, I checked [Intel].
[Target: Elena Vance]
[Unlock: Hidden Preference]
[Cost: 200 SP]
I hesitated, then tapped Purchase.
[Secret Revealed: Elena hates the fluorescent lights in the conference room. She gets migraines after 5 PM. She prefers natural light or warm lamps.]
It was a small detail. But in a ga of inches, small details were everything.
I walked into the conference room at 3:50 PM. The room was empty except for the secretary setting up water pitchers.
"Hi, Martha," I said, flashing a smile. "Do a favor? Keep the overhead lights off today. Let’s open the blinds and use the table lamps. It’s better for the presentation."
Martha looked confused but shrugged. "Sure, Jake. Whatever you say."
She flipped the switch. The harsh buzzing glare vanished, replaced by the golden glow of the late afternoon sun filtering through the blinds and the soft warmth of the brass lamps. The room instantly felt intimate. Less like a boardroom, more like a library.
I applied a single drop of the Pheromone Cologne to my pulse points.
At 4:00 PM, the door opened.
Elena walked in, followed by Roger and two departnt heads. She looked tense, her hand coming up to rub her temple—the pre-migraine reflex.
Then she stopped.
She looked around the room. She saw the lighting. She took a breath, and her shoulders visibly relaxed.
Her eyes found mine.
"The lights," she said, setting her portfolio down.
"I thought we could use a change of atmosphere," I said, my voice dropping into the lower register unlocked by the [Commanding Voice] trait. "Fluorescents kill creativity. And I want us sharp today."
Elena stared at . The System flashed.
[Target: Elena Vance]
[Status: Relieved / Impressed]
[Affection: 3]
"Good call," she murmured, taking her seat at the head of the table.
The eting began. Roger tried to derail us with a budget spreadsheet, droning on about line items.
I let him talk for two minutes. Then I leaned forward.
"Roger," I said. I didn’t shout, but my voice cut through the air with absolute clarity. The [Orator] skill kicked in. "We aren’t here to balance a checkbook. We are here to build a legacy. The budget is a tool, not a cage."
I stood up and walked to the whiteboard.
"This is the vision," I said, drawing a tiline. "Phase One isn’t construction. It’s acquisition. We use the Sterling grant to buy the private collection of the Mariti Museum in Boston. They’re going bankrupt. We swoop in."
The room went silent. Even the departnt heads were listening now.
I wasn’t just presenting a plan. I was performing. I moved with confidence, my scent drifting toward Elena as I passed her chair. I saw her nostrils flare slightly. She was watching my hands, my mouth.
"We don’t just preserve history," I concluded, looking directly at her. "We own it."
Elena was leaning forward, her chin resting on her hand. She wasn’t looking at her notes. She was looking at .
[Skill Check: Orator (Level 2)]
[Result: Critical Success]
[Target Status: Captivated]
"Do it," Elena said softly. "Authorize the acquisition."
Roger sputtered. "But Dean, the procurent protocols—"
"Are suspended," she cut him off, never breaking eye contact with . "Jake is right. We move fast, or we lose."
After the eting, the room cleared out quickly. I stayed behind, packing up my notes.
Elena remained in her chair. The sun had set, and the room was now lit only by the table lamps. It was quiet, intimate.
"You knew," she said.
"Knew what?"
"About the lights. About the migraines."
I walked over to her end of the table. I didn’t sit. I stood next to her chair, leaning against the mahogany.
"I pay attention, Elena. You rub your left temple when you’re stressed. You squint when the overheads are on. It’s not magic. It’s observation."
"It’s madness," she whispered. "You see too much."
She stood up. We were inches apart. The scent of the cologne was working; her pupils were dilated.
"You were brilliant today," she said. "Ruthless. You reminded of..."
"Don’t say yourself," I interrupted. "I’m not you."
"No," she agreed, her voice husky. "You’re sothing else."
She reached out and straightened my tie, her knuckles grazing my chest.
"I have a gala next Friday," she said. "The University President’s dinner. It’s boring. Stuffy. And mandatory."
"And?"
"And I need a date. Soone who can handle the politics. Soone who won’t bore to death."
She looked up at .
"Are you free, Mr. Hart?"
The System exploded with notifications.
[Mission Update: The Long Ga]
[Objective: Secure a Date with Elena]
[Status: COMPLETE]
[Affection Level: 60/100]
[Reward: 500 SP]
I smiled.
"For you, Elena? I’m always free."
"Good." She stepped back, regaining her composure, but her cheeks were flushed. "Pick up at 7. And Jake?"
"Yes?"
"Wear the black suit. The one you wore to the t."
"I will."
I walked out of the conference room.
I had spent 1,000 SP. I had used every trick in the book.
And I had just landed a date with the Dean.
I checked the [Shop] again as I walked down the hall.
[Item: Advanced Seduction Guide (Volu 1)]
[Cost: 1,000 SP]
I grinned.
"Ti to save up."
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