The morning sun, filtered through the massive, floor-to-ceiling windows of our presidential suite in Finesse City, was a soft, gentle gold. It was a world away from the grit and shadows of Grand Metropolis, and after the chaotic, whirlwind tour of the past few days, the peace was a little disorienting.
I woke up on one of the plush, oversized sofas, my body still humming with the residual energy of my new, upgraded stats. I must have crashed hard. I wasn't the only one. Nari, Bella, and Allison were already awake, gathered on the sprawling balcony that overlooked the "greeny" city. They were drinking coffee, their conversation a quiet murmur against the backdrop of the waking, eco-friendly metropolis.
And with them, looking a little shy but undeniably radiant, was Sandra Karl.
When we'd left her house last night, after I'd managed to pull her back from the edge of her own despair, she had been hesitant, fragile. She'd looked at me, her dark brown eyes full of a new, terrifying hope, and said, "I want to come with you. Now. I... I want to know the beauty of imperfections. Please, show me."
I hadn't been able to say no. How could I? I thought it was a good chance to change her view of the world, to solidify the foundation I had just laid. So, she had come with us, her presence a quiet, beautiful, and incredibly complicated new piece on our board.
I stood up, stretching the kinks out of my back, and walked onto the balcony. The fresh, pine-scented air of Finesse was a welcome change.
"Good morning, everyone," I said, my voice a little rough from sleep.
"Good morning, Adam," Nari replied, her striking grey eyes appraising me over the rim of her coffee cup. She was, as always, the picture of serene, analytical control.
Bella just gave me a curt nod, a silent, respectful greeting that was a world away from the defiant, resentful woman I'd first met in Triveria. Allison, on the other hand, beamed at me. "Good morning, Mr. Wilson!"
Sandra, however, was the most interesting. She looked… lighter. The heavy, suffocating cloak of her [Self Doubt] seemed to have lifted slightly. She was still reserved, still processing, but when she looked at me, there was a genuine, shy warmth in her eyes.
She was the first to speak, her gaze drifting to Allison. "So, Allison," she began, her voice the soft, melodic sound of a [Legendary Songstress], "Who else is in this… 'Allure' program?"
Allison, my god, she just lit up like a Christmas tree. I could practically see her kindness and her inner fangirl doing a victory dance. "Miss Sandra!" she squeaked, her hands fluttering in her lap. "I just… I just can't believe it. I'm with you. Right now. I am your biggest fan!"
Sandra, the "reclusive genius," looked genuinely overwhelmed, a small, embarrassed blush coloring her sun-kissed cheeks. She wasn't used to this kind of raw, unfiltered adoration; she was used to the dry, critical analysis of industry insiders or the soul-crushing weight of her own self-doubt. "I… I know you're my biggest fan, Allison," she said, her voice a little shaky. "You've... you've repeated it many times since yesterday."
"I just can't believe it!" Allison continued, her enthusiasm unstoppable. "Let me touch you, please. Just to make sure you're real."
Sandra looked at me, her eyes wide, a silent, desperate plea for help. Adam.
I just chuckled, letting her squirm for a second before Bella, my new "matriarch," stepped in, her voice a smooth, calming balm. "Allison, let her breathe," she said, her tone gentle but firm. "Let her get used to all of us first." She then turned to Sandra, her expression one of professional, respectful camaraderie. "To answer your question, Miss Karl, the Allure project is… extensive. We have the Sterling triplets, the Roux soeurs, and Sabrina Renner."
I watched Sandra's face as Bella listed the names. Her eyes went wide. "Oh my God," she breathed, her voice full of a genuine, profound awe. "You… you were able to find the Sterlings? I… I'm really enthusiastic to meet them after such a long time. I've always admired them. They are perfectionists. Their perfection in clothes and design… it's breathtaking."
I thought, " Interesting. Her "fault of perfection" makes her see the Sterlings as idols. She sees their precision as a goal, not a prison like her own. We can definitely use that."
Nari, who had been listening quietly, added the next piece. "The brand is also under the guardianship of a legendary model. A woman who won every award show she ever entered, including nine consecutive 'Model of the Year' titles."
Sandra, who knew the industry inside and out, was already connecting the dots. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, her eyes fixed on me. "Don't tell me," she whispered, her voice full of a new, almost religious reverence. "Don't tell me you have Big Sis Chris with you."
I just smiled. "Sandra, Christine Holmes is my aunt. And this entire project, Allure, this whole thing… it's happening because of her. It's for her, and for everyone like her, everyone like you, who lost everything because of a corrupt, broken industry. We're not just building a brand; we're taking our revenge. We're taking back what was stolen from us."
The last of her reservations melted away. The awe in her eyes was replaced by a new, fierce, and burning determination. She wasn't just a recruit anymore; she was a soldier who had just been given a holy war to fight. "I can't wait to meet Big Sis," she said, her voice full of a new, unshakeable resolve.
"I'm glad everyone is so excited," I said, cutting in, my voice pulling everyone's attention. "But we still have more members to recruit."
Nari picked up the thread instantly. "Yes. We still have Ivy Romanoff, Evelyn Stone, Florence Jun, and Maddison Beer on the list."
"That's… quite a big list," Sandra said, her analytical mind already calculating the sheer scale of the talent we were assembling.
"I am so excited to meet the others!" Allison chimed in, her earlier star-struck awe now a full-blown, passionate commitment to our cause.
I said, " I get mail from Anna, and she said she can find the location of Florence Jun. And Able to fix the meeting, Evenlyn Stone."
Allison said, "That's impressive, how good our hacker is." Then I said, "But there is a catch." Bella asked, "What catch?" Nari explained, "Florence has left the industry due to a scandal. So, we strangers have to go to her for recruitment. We would definitely scare her." I agreed, "Absolutely. And a similar case is Evelyn. She's a veteran and quite secluded and conservative in her thinking." Sandra asked, "So, are you not going to recruit her?" I replied, "It's not impossible, but it's not efficient." Nari suggested, "Then, you're going to use Christine's connections." I said, "No, I'm not doing it. She's handling it herself. She said, 'I will recruit them, they will definitely listen to me .'" Nari responded, "That's good. Now, we're only left with Ivy Romanoff and Madison Beer. Madison is already in Grand Metropolis, so now only Ivy Romanoff remains."
Bella looked at me, her dark eyes sharp and focused. "So, where are we going next, Boss?"
I held up a hand, a gesture that instantly silenced the room. "Nowhere," I said. They all looked at me, confused. Nari, her ruthless empress persona, looked positively bewildered. "We're taking a rest," I announced, my voice leaving no room for argument. "We've been running on fumes for days. Today, we're going to explore Finesse City. We're going to see its beauty, its nature. We're taking two days off."
Nari's reaction was immediate and predictable. "But Adam," she protested, her voice tight with a frustration that was born from her [Empress Wu Zetian] and [Perfectionist] passives. "We have momentum. We have a schedule. We need to…"
"No," I said, my voice quiet but absolute. My own skills—[King's Aura] and [President]—surged, not as an attack, but as a heavy, unshakeable anchor in the room. "No means no. No one is doing any work for two day." I looked at her, my gaze firm, but I softened it, letting a hint of a gentle, almost teasing smile touch my lips. "We are taking a day off. And that includes you, Nari. I know there's work to do, I know you want to be on the phone with Stacy and Tiffany, but we are taking a day off. That's an order from your Chairperson."
She stared at me, her grey eyes a stormy sea of conflicting emotions. I could see the analytical part of her brain warring with the new, unfamiliar sensation of being overruled. She was angry, but it was a quiet, sulking anger that I found… well, kind of adorable. She finally huffed, a small, frustrated sound, and turned away, crossing her arms and staring out at the city, her back rigid.
I turned to the others. "Okay, ladies. I've already ordered a huge breakfast. Everyone should eat, and if anyone wants to go anywhere, you can go. Allison, Bella, you've earned a break. Enjoy the city. Buy some new clothes on the company. You're executives now, after all."
Allison's face lit up. "Thank you, Mr. Wilson! I really want to look around." Bella just gave me a single, respectful nod, a silent acknowledgment of my leadership and my generosity. Sandra looked at me then, a shy, hopeful look on her face. "Will you… will you go out with me, Adam? I… I want to see this 'beauty in imperfection' you were talking about. I want you to show me."
"Okay," I said, a genuine smile on my face. "It's a date." "Yes!" she whispered, her excitement a quiet, beautiful thing.
After breakfast, as everyone dispersed to enjoy their first moment of peace in days, I found Nari. She was in the suite's private office, a holographic display open, her fingers already flying across a console, pointedly ignoring my order. She was sulking. I just smiled. I went to the kitchen, found the high-end coffee maker, and programmed it to make a dark hot chocolate, rich and black, with almost no sugar. The scent of it, dark and complex, filled the air. I brought the steaming mug to her. "Here," I said, placing it on the desk beside her. "It will give you some relief." She looked at the mug, then at me, her face a mask of pure, dumbfounded shock. "How… how did you know I have my period?" she whispered, her voice a mixture of awe and a profound, blushing embarrassment. I tapped the side of my head, a mysterious, knowing smile on my face. "A sulking Nari is not a normal Nari, you see," I said, my voice a low, teasing murmur. "I just connected the dots. A brilliant, ruthless School President doesn't just get a little angry because I gave her a day off. She's either in pain or she's plotting a coup. I was betting on the first one." She looked… I don't even have the words. She was completely flustered, her cheeks a beautiful, rosy red. "You…" she stammered, at a complete loss for words. I just smiled. "Drink it. And also, rest today, and we will go to dinner tomorrow. We're going out. Just us." She looked bewildered. "But why?" "Because, my dear President," I said, my voice softening, "you need rest. Because we have a long, long way to travel together, and if you get exhausted, you'll lag. I can't have my best strategist burning out on me." She just stared at me for a long, silent moment. Then, she did something I had never seen her do before. She chuckled. A real, genuine, musical laugh that seemed to fill the room with a surprising warmth. "You… Mr. Adam Wilson," she said, her voice a mixture of exasperation and a dawning, profound admiration. "Co-Chairperson of Phoenix. Leader of the Hunter's Guild. Step-brother of the most capable woman in Northwood. And a complete nobody just a few weeks ago. You still have this… unique softness. You are, without a doubt, the most unpredictable, chaotic, and completely infuriating man I have ever met." I just grinned, taking it as the high praise it was. "I'll take that as a compliment. By the way, right now, I'm going on a stroll around the city with Sandra." She picked up her hot chocolate, a new, playful, and slightly dangerous light in her grey eyes. "I hope you have a good time with your new partner," she teased. I was already at the door. I looked back at her over my shoulder, a matching, confident smirk on my face. "You're adapting, Nari. Looks like you're finally remembering the hierarchy." "I'm just learning from you how to adapt, Adam," she shot back, her voice a smooth, silken challenge. I left her there, a smile on my face, my heart lighter than it had been in days. The game was on, and for the first time, I felt like I was playing it with a true, brilliant, and utterly captivating equal.