The moment I made that choice and clicked the Premium button on the SCAL app, my world shifted.
One second, I was standing in my office. The next, I was no longer anywhere familiar. Every sound, every texture, every shape around me vanished. My stomach dropped as if gravity itself had been rewired.
"Welcome to my office," Mavrik announced, his voice smooth and smug. "Please, have a seat."
He snapped his fingers.
A sleek chair materialized behind me with a soft whoosh. The void around us solidified, folding itself into a polished, high-end office. The floors gleamed under a subtle golden light, the walls dark and commanding, and a massive desk lay perfectly positioned between us. A faint scent of leather and ozone hung in the air.
Mavrik settled into his seat with casual authority, as if he'd always been here—and as if he owned the universe itself.
I hesitated, my fingers brushing the smooth edge of the desk before I finally sank into the chair opposite him. The leather was cool under my touch, and the faint vibration of energy from the tablet in front of me sent a shiver down my spine.
"Where are we?" I asked, curiosity lacing my tone. My eyes swept the room, drinking in every detail.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched a galaxy of stars. No familiar skyline, no comforting landmarks—just endless, infinite darkness speckled with glittering pinpricks of light.
Earth hovered in the distance, a blue-and-green jewel suspended against the void, breathtaking and impossibly fragile. My chest tightened at the sight, a mix of awe and vertigo making it hard to breathe.
"Nice view, huh?" Mavrik said, clearly savoring my reaction. "I get to look at Earth from my office window."
He waved his hand, and a tablet blinked into existence, hovering just above the polished surface. A faint hum pulsed from it, almost imperceptible but undeniably present, like the heartbeat of this strange space.
"This is just a formality," he continued, his eyes gleaming. "Since you've decided to go Premium, everything needs to be legally bound."
I reached out, my fingers brushing the cool glass surface of the tablet. Bold letters filled the screen—terms, clauses, and conditions that made my pulse quicken and my stomach twist.
"Alright," I said, forcing steadiness into my voice, though my fingertips tingled from the tablet's strange energy. "Let me read through this first."
Mavrik clicked his tongue, the sharp sound echoing faintly in the quiet office.
"Reading through the contract will take a while. I'll give you an overview of what it stipulates," he said, his tone calm, almost hypnotic, as he rested a hand over the tablet, blocking my view. The faint hum of the digital interface vibrated under my fingertips, making the pause feel heavier.
I narrowed my eyes, a flicker of suspicion pricking at my chest.
"Hold it right there. Why are you stopping me from reading the contract? I have the right to know what I'm signing, don't I?" My voice trembled slightly, betraying the flutter of unease twisting in my stomach.
Mavrik chuckled, the sound smooth and effortless, yet somehow laced with amusement at my outrage. He raised both hands in mock surrender, his movements deliberate, almost theatrical.
"It's not that I'm stopping you, Arisa. I'm just trying to make your life easier. You see, the contract has a total of 1,333 pages. Are you sure you want to read through all that?"
The number hit me like a physical blow. My mouth fell open, and I instinctively pressed my hand to my chest.
"A thousand…?" My voice cracked, disbelief tangling with irritation. "What kind of contract has over a thousand pages? Are you… insane?"
Mavrik leaned back slightly, letting the glow from the tablet catch his sharp features, his confident smile unwavering.
"A divine contract," he said, the words rolling off his tongue like a secret only the worthy could understand.
I swallowed hard, feeling the cool weight of the tablet against my palms, the faint hum now buzzing in my ears. The faint metallic scent of the office air somehow felt sharper, heavier, like the promise of consequences lurking in every clause.
"In a nutshell, going Premium means you'll be fully enrolled in the SCAL program," Mavrik said, rising from his seat.
The polished floor reflected the sharp lines of his suit as he walked around my chair with measured grace. He leaned his back against the edge of the desk, arms crossed, front facing me.
"It's mandatory," Mavrik said, his tone smooth but unyielding, the faint scent of his cologne—woody, slightly metallic—wafted toward me, making my pulse quicken.
"Every Premium member must follow this to ensure success in their relationship journey. We call it the Success-Driven Dating Protocol—SDDP for short."
I gave him a slow once-over, my eyebrows knitting in suspicion. My lips pressed into a thin line. Unconvinced didn't even begin to cover it.
Mavrik noticed my expression and smiled, sharp and infuriatingly confident.
"You will go through multiple blind dates," he continued, his voice smooth but unwavering, "with different potential matches, all handpicked by the app."
"Multiple? Multiple?!" I exclaimed, leaning back in my chair, the leather creaking under me. My stomach twisted. "I can barely maintain one relationship, and now you want to—what?—turn me into some kind of romantic buffet?"
Mavrik clapped his hands lightly, the sound echoing in the sleek office. He straightened and leaned slightly closer, his shadow stretching across the desk.
"See? That's precisely why we give you a harem—I mean, multiple dates," he said, a twinkle of mischief in his eye. "To broaden your horizons!"
I blinked, mouth gaping, my fingers curling into the edge of the chair. The absurdity of it all made my head spin.
The city—or whatever void this office floated in—felt impossibly far away. I could almost hear the faint hum of the universe outside the glass walls, reminding me how small and ridiculous my current predicament was.
A sudden pang of regret tightened my chest.
"Erm… I still have time to cancel this Premium thing, right? I haven't signed the contract yet," I said, my voice shaking slightly, betraying the uncertainty curling in my gut.
"Cancel? No, no, no," Mavrik replied, his tone silky but final, like velvet drawn tight over steel. He leaned forward just enough for his gaze to pin me in place.
I swallowed. The tablet in front of me suddenly felt heavier than it looked, as if it had absorbed all my doubts and now weighed them down physically.
My fingers twitched at the edge of the screen, half-expecting it to sting if I dared touch it.
The gravity of my decision settled over me like a thick fog—suffocating, yet strangely electrifying.
"Oh right, haven't I already told you," Mavrik said, his grin sharp enough to cut glass as he glided toward his chair. The soft click of polished shoes against the gleaming floor echoed in the quiet office. His eyes caught the faint golden glow bouncing off the walls, flickering with amusement.
"The moment you click Premium…" His voice dropped, smooth but heavy, as if each word pressed against my chest.
He sat down and leaned back slightly, the leather of his chair sighing beneath him, a subtle, almost mocking echo in the quiet room.
I felt it in my chest before his words finished—an electric thrill mingled with a sick twist of dread. Every surface around me seemed sharper, the polished desk edges colder under my fingers, the faint hum of the tablet now vibrating in sync with my racing heartbeat.
"…there's no turning back." His tone dropped, smooth and deliberate, the words settling over me like a weight pressing against my lungs.