She tossed the ruined clothes into the bin with finality. "Three fresh sets. No more swimming in Danton's old garbage. Should've done it years ago." Her voice softened, almost cracked. "I'm… trying to rewrite some of the damage. It won't erase anything, I know. But it's a start."
Phei didn't trust his voice, so he just nodded and kept eating.
They finished the meal in a silence that wasn't quite comfortable but wasn't hostile either—Melissa stealing glances like she was memorizing the new version of him sitting across the table.
Afterward, she walked him through the rest of the phone: secure messaging apps that self-destructed, encrypted vaults labeled simply "Private" with a wink, building access codes, gym schedules, concierge contacts. A digital skeleton key to an entire hidden world.
By the time they finished, it was past eight.
"You'll need to go to school tomorrow," she said reluctantly. "The 'sick' excuse is wearing thin. One more day and someone might actually check."
Phei considered it. Ashford Elite. The gauntlet of rich predators and beautiful prey. Brett's smug face. Anderson's entourage. Sierra and her court of perfect mean girls.
But now he had new uniforms on the way. Charisma that actually worked. Charm Speech Level 3. Dominance Aura Level 2. Abilities that turned conversations into weapons.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm ready."
"It'll be brutal," she warned. "Dragon Rise routine at dawn, school all day, more training after. Your body's going to file a formal complaint by noon."
"I know. But pain's temporary. Power isn't."
Her smile was genuine this time—proud, possessive, a little feral. "That's my Dragon."
Then her expression shifted, more practical. "There's also the gas station job."
Phei had been turning that over in his head for hours. "Yeah. That job's obsolete. Minimum wage, graveyard shifts, smelling like stale fries—it doesn't fit anymore. I need something that pays real money. Something that gives me flexibility. And status."
Melissa leaned forward, eyes sharp. "What are you thinking?"
He met her gaze, calm and certain.
"Time to level up."
"You could quit entirely," Melissa offered. "Use my card for everything."
"No." Phei shook his head, firm. Decisive. The word tasted like freedom. "I'm not going to leech off you forever. Only when it's necessary. I need my own money, my own spine. Real independence."
Most kids in Paradise wouldn't understand that impulse—they treated parental credit cards like oxygen. But Phei had never been allowed to breathe that air. He'd clawed for every dollar, and he wasn't about to trade one cage for a gilded one.
Melissa studied him for a moment, something unreadable flickering behind her eyes. Respect, maybe. Or recognition of the same hunger she now fed in herself.
"Or I can help with that," Melissa said slowly. "I have connections. Could get you something better, closer to Downtown Paradise maybe. Something that pays well and gives you the flexibility you need for... everything else you're doing."
She meant harem building. The conquests. The slow, deliberate construction of his empire of pleasure.
"What kind of job?"
"Let me make some calls tomorrow. I'll have options lined up by the time you're out of school. Good jobs aren't hard to find when you know who to ask."
Phei nodded. In the past, he'd been invisible—nobody to vouch for him, nobody who cared. The gas station had been the only door that opened. Now an entire network was cracking wide because one powerful woman had decided he was worth the effort.
But now he had Melissa. Had her resources, her contacts, her willingness to help.
He was going to use these advantages until she said it was enough. Hopefully it didn't get to that point.
"There's also the option of working at Paradise Wines," Melissa said, then immediately shook grimaced. "But that's not really an option, is it? Too visible. Harold would definitely notice. We can't have that."
They crossed that one off the mental list.
Phei stood, stretching the day's lingering aches from his shoulders. "I should head up. Homework, uniforms, prep for tomorrow. Need to be ready."
Melissa rose too, walking him to the base of the stairs. At the bottom step, she caught his hand—warm, deliberate—and squeezed.
"Thank you," she said quietly, voice stripped of its usual polish. "For letting me try to fix some of what I broke. Even if we're doing it in the most depraved way imaginable."
Phei squeezed back. "Normal's overrated. We're deep in twisted territory now. Might as well own it."
She laughed—real, bright, startlingly young—and released him.
Back in his cramped room, Phei forced the system noise to the background. No blue boxes. No stat calculations. Just the mundane rituals of a teenager who still had to pretend the world hadn't tilted on its axis.
He cleared space for the new uniforms that would arrive soon. Checked his bag. Pulled out the calculus worksheet.
Then he actually did his homework. Calculus problems that felt absurdly trivial compared to everything else happening in his life.
"Solve for X." Sure. X equals fucking your aunt and getting a magic dragon cock. There's your solution.
Solving for x felt hilariously pointless when the real unknown was how many women he could make come undone before breakfast. He snorted, scribbled answers, and tried not to picture Sierra's face when he finally turned his new abilities on her.
But his mind kept circling the Main Quest anyway.
[MAIN QUEST PROGRESS: 10%]
10% percent from marking Melissa. Needed to hit at least 10% to unlock system powers, which he'd done. But completing the full 100%? That's what would unlock the Shop. Let him actually use all those Points he was accumulating.
And whatever monstrous rewards waited at 100%.
And he knew the rewards from completing it would probably be insane. Probably unlock new abilities, new powers, new everything.
What was left? More conquests, obviously.
Remaining targets:
Female-family: Victoria, Delilah, Sienna, Mrs. Adriana, (the hot rude neighbor) Academy Belles (multiple available)
He'd start with the academy tomorrow. Sierra, Natasha, Gianna, Amber, whoever else caught his attention. His improved Charisma and abilities would make approaching them actually feasible instead of suicidal.
Then maybe Delilah or Sienna. They lived here, were accessible, and would be huge progress toward completing the quest.
Victoria was away at college most of the time, so she'd have to wait.
Mrs. Adriana though... that woman was something else. Rude, cruel, Melissa's best friend. But according to his observation, she was naturally submissive. His Dominance Aura would affect her, make her feel things she didn't understand.
That would be interesting. Challenging. Risky as fuck.
But interesting.
Phei finished his homework, closed the textbook, and leaned back in his chair.
Tomorrow started the real work. Dragon Rise at 6 AM. School. Training. Job hunting. Planning conquests.
No more wallowing. No more being the victim.
Time to become the predator.
His phone buzzed—the new secured one. A delivery notification.
Your uniforms have arrived. Left at the front door.
Perfect timing.
Phei headed downstairs, grabbed the package from the front porch, and brought it back to his room. Opened it carefully.
Three brand new Ashford Elite Academy uniforms. Perfectly tailored, not hand-me-downs, not worn, not Danton's castoffs.
His.
He held one up to the light. The fabric was quality, the fit would be proper, the whole thing looked sharp instead of sad.
Tomorrow, he'd walk into school looking like he actually belonged there instead of like the charity case everyone pitied.
With purple eyes that would make people stop and stare.
With Charm Speech that would make his words carry weight even with people who hated him.
With Dominance Aura that would make the weak-willed boys avoid him and the submissive girls feel things they couldn't explain.
Tomorrow, everything changed.
Again.
No anxiety about dying. No despair about his life.
Just anticipation.
Hunger.
The knowledge that Paradise was full of beautiful women, and he was going to claim them one by one until there was nobody left who hadn't screamed his name.