Five days had passed.
During those five days, she was fed full meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes even supper.
But Julian Hale never showed up. Not once after that night.
And the System… no matter how many times she called for it, it never responded.
She stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing down at the city from that height. From up here, everything looked small. Cars crawled like insects. People were reduced to moving dots, lives continuing as if nothing had changed.
So insignificant.
So easy to overlook.
She pressed her forehead lightly against the cool glass, letting out a slow breath.
A soft chime rang through the suite.
Lunessa flinched.
The doorbell.
She straightened instinctively, heart tightening, before reminding herself—breakfast.
It rang again, polite and unhurried.
She walked to the door and opened it.
A staff member stood outside, pushing a covered trolley, expression neutral and professional, just like every morning.
"Good morning, Miss Lunessa," they said calmly. "Your breakfast."
The silver lids gleamed under the hallway lights, pristine and untouched by the tension sitting heavy in her chest.
"Thank you…" she said as she took hold of the trolley.
The staff member bowed slightly and turned to leave.
"Wait—" Lunessa called out. "I'm sorry, but could I ask for your help? I mean…" She hesitated, then forced herself to continue. "I need to leave the house. How do I do that? I couldn't contact Mr. Julian."
The staff member stopped.
They turned back slowly, their expression still polite but something in it shifted, becoming careful.
"For security reasons," they replied evenly, "all movements in and out of this residence require Mr. Julian's authorization."
Lunessa's fingers tightened around the trolley handle.
"So… I can't leave?" she asked quietly.
The staff member lowered their gaze. "Not without his permission, Miss."
The answer was delivered gently.
"Then…" Lunessa took a slow breath. "Could you inform him for me?"
The staff member paused.
"I plan to leave," she continued, her voice steady despite the tightness in her chest. "Not just for today. I've stayed here long enough."
She lifted her eyes, forcing herself to remain calm.
"I need to see my sister. And I'd like to thank Mr. Hale for letting me stay these past five days. After that… I won't trouble him again."
The staff member listened in silence, their expression carefully neutral.
"I will relay your message," they said at last. "However, you will need to wait for Mr. Hale's response before leaving the residence."
"I understand," Lunessa replied softly.
The staff member bowed and turned to leave.
Lunessa pushed the trolley inside and closed the door behind her. The suite fell silent once more.
She wheeled the trolley toward the dining area and stopped at the long table, the surface polished to a mirror shine. Just like every other morning, everything was laid out with careful precision.
She pulled out a chair and sat down.
The food was still warm.
She stared at it for a moment, then reached for the cutlery, going through the motions as she always did, quiet and alone.
Five days of the same routine.
Five days of waiting.
And today, she was finally asking to leave.
[NEW MISSION UPDATING]
"Oh gosh!"
Lunessa jolted in her seat, hand flying to her chest.
She hadn't realized how deep in thought she was until the familiar mechanical presence slammed back into her head without warning.
"Can you at least notify me first?" she snapped under her breath. "And where have you been for the past five days?"
Silence followed.
For half a second, dread crept in before chimed sound came again.
[SYSTEM ONLINE]
[APOLOGISE, MISS LUNESSA. THE SYSTEM ENTERED DORMANT STATE DUE TO TARGET INSTABILITY]
Her brows knit together. "Dormant… what?"
She pushed her chair back slightly, lowering her voice as if someone might overhear.
"Do you know what I went through?" she hissed. "You disappeared. He disappeared. I was locked in here like some—"
She stopped and something clicked in her head.
Her breath hitched as she looked down at the table, then back at the empty space in front of her.
"You could go dormant just because he is unstable?" she said slowly. "What about me?"
The pause that followed felt deliberate.
"Great," Lunessa scoffed softly. "So now you've decided not to answer me?"
She pushed her chair back slightly, fingers pressing against the edge of the table.
"Just because it's been five days doesn't mean I've forgotten," she said, her voice tightening. "Where's my reward for the third mission? You said I succeeded."
She waited.
Nothing.
Her jaw clenched.
"I did what you asked," she continued. "I embarrassed myself, threatened him and I ended up with no reward? Are you being serious?"
[I'M SORRY, MISS LUNESSA. YOU'VE ALREADY RECEIVED THE REWARD.]
Her breath stalled.
"When?" she demanded. "Where?"
A brief pause before the system reacted again.
[REWARD: PENTHOUSE]
Lunessa froze.
"You're joking," she whispered. "How can this be a reward? This place belongs to Julian, not something that comes from you…"
[MISS LUNESSA, REWARDS ARE DRAWN FROM ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES.]
[SYSTEM INTERVENTION ENSURES YOUR SOCIAL STATUS AS A GOLD DIGGER UPGRADES CONSISTENTLY.]
Her throat tightened.
"So what if this penthouse was taken back?" she asked, genuinely curious now. "Would you give me another reward?"
A brief pause.
[NO, MISS LUNESSA. THAT WOULD INDICATE A FAILURE.]
[A SUCCESSFUL GOLD DIGGER DOES NOT LOSE ACCESS ONCE OBTAINED.]
Her brows knit together. "Not lose… access?" she repeated.
[CORRECT]
[IF RESIDENCE IS REVOKED, IT SIGNIFIES INSUFFICIENT LEVERAGE, ATTACHMENT, OR PERCEIVED VALUE]
[SYSTEM WILL NOT COMPENSATE FOR HOST REGRESSION]
Her fingers went cold.
"So if he takes it back," she said slowly, "that means I failed."
She swallowed. "And if I failed… I would receive a penalty?"
The pause this time was longer.
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
Lunessa frowned, staring at the hovering hologram blankly.
"Never mind about the penalty," she said quietly. "Now tell me the next mission."
There was no delay this time.
[NEXT MAIN MISSION LOADING…]
A thin line of light flickered across her vision.
[MAIN MISSION: STABILIZE PRIMARY TARGET — JULIAN HALE.]
Her fingers paused mid-movement.
"Stabilize?" she repeated. "You mean… after he cut me off?"
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
[PRIMARY TARGET DISPLAYS WITHDRAWAL AND AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR.]
[PROLONGED DETACHMENT WILL RESULT IN YOUR WHOLE MISSION FAILURE.]
Her jaw tightened.
"So you want me to make him keep me."
[CORRECT]
"And how," she asked flatly, "do you expect me to do that?"
The hologram refreshed.
[MISS LUNESSA, A GOLD DIGGER NEEDS TO BE SMART.]
She let out a short, humorless laugh.
"Yeah," she muttered. "The same words over and over again."
Her gaze dropped, fingers curling slowly against the edge of the table.
"I guess I really was an idiot," she said quietly. "That's why I ended up like this."