Jason leaned back in his chair, pulled out his phone, and started flipping through his notifications.
As soon as he opened the system app, a familiar pop-up slid across the screen.
[Successfully used information from the system to steal an opportunity from the protagonist. 6000 points]
Jason tapped the "OK" button and navigated to the random information section. A new image loaded onto the screen—three babies, clearly triplets, bundled in soft blankets.
His brows furrowed.
There was a strange visual ssage embedded in the picture. Around each child were scattered items—so subtle, so more direct. The baby in the middle had a plastic tiara. The one on the left had a silver spoon in her mouth. And the one on the right...
Jason narrowed his eyes.
A toy knife sat in her hand, almost too clean and too sharp for a children’s plaything. The expression on the baby’s face even seed colder than the others.
"Jessy," he muttered.
He held his finger down and saved the image to his gallery.
Back on his ho screen, a text from Tony popped up.
Yo, we should link tonight. Drinks on . Got a VIP booth reserved. You in?
If it was anyone else, he might’ve ignored it. But Tony was a familiar problem. A leech.
Tony is one of Alex’s pawns.
He’d get Jason drunk, encourage him to act out, then tip off Alice to show up at just the right ti. All of Jason’s failed confessions and public embarrassnts? Orchestrated.
Jason nearly typed out a refusal. But he paused.
Alex Yun.
If Tony was texting, it ant Alex was watching. And if Jason ignored him now, it could make Alex suspicious. That wasn’t sothing Jason could afford before the story truly began.
Although both are from the Yun family Alex’s influence within the city far outclassed Jason’s.
While Jason had the Son engagent brewing, that alone wasn’t enough to threaten Alex’s standing—yet.
Alex’s power inst sothing he can afford to face at least not until the story officially kicks off.
Jason began ntally reciting the Yun family hierarchy.
Family Head: Grandfather Yun. Still in power, holding the final say.
Family Representative: Position currently empty. Usually held by a middle-aged mber with business success and political ties. Their vote carried even more weight than an elder’s.
Bright Youngstar: The top young heir among all Yun juniors. This person’s vote is almost equal to the family representative’s during succession votes.
The problem? Bright Youngstar was awarded based on rit—and Jason’s rit doesn’t get him anywhere close to that position.
As of now, the top four candidates were:
Jane Yun (perfect record, the model child)
Alex Yun (the shadow prince)
Britney Yun (corporate genius in luxury brands)
Emily Yun (international investnt prodigy)
Jason, despite recent moves, wasn’t anywhere close to the top 5. The Son engagent might raise his profile, but it wasn’t enough.
If Alex suspected anything, he’d move early.
Jason replied with a thumbs up emoji.
A few minutes later, Daisy walked in holding a tablet.
She placed it on the desk in front of him. "Look at the numbers," she said.
Jason leaned forward. The screen displayed stock charts—specifically the company Manager Park had worked for.
Its peak value... then a cliff.
Stockholders were dumping shares in a panic.
Jason smirked. "Buy up everything you can. I want full control by the end of the week."
Daisy pushed up her glasses and nodded.
The company wasn’t a major player in the novel, but the scandal was huge. Rebranding it would be simple, and Jason knew just how to flip the narrative.
a new direction — and a face the public could rally behind. Who better than Hendricks?
He wasn’t just a skilled designer. He was a victim — soone who had lost everything because of Manager Park and CEO Lang’s cover-up. By putting Hendricks at the forefront, Jason wasn’t just offering him a second chance; he was offering the public a symbol of justice, of rebuilding, of proof that victims could rise again.
And as for the company’s na... he already had sothing in mind. Sothing that honored Vanessa Clark — and reminded everyone what this was really about.
By 7:30 p.m., Jason walked into a sleek, overdesigned lounge filled with blaring lights, overpriced cocktails, and fake laughter.
Tony t him at the door, all teeth and cologne. "My guy! Let’s get you set up. It’s been too long."
Jason smiled, relaxed but alert. "Figured I’d make an appearance."
They were led to a private booth tucked in the back. Inside were a few vaguely familiar faces—two girls from past parties, plus a couple of Alex Yun’s lesser-known underlings. Their presence confird what Jason already suspected: this wasn’t a casual invite.
The bottle service ca quick. Premium liquor, expensive mixers, and shot glasses stacked like a dare.
Tony poured the first round himself. "To new beginnings, huh?"
Jason clinked glasses, then sipped. The others downed theirs.
"Co on," Tony laughed. "Don’t nurse it, bro. We’re celebrating."
Jason obliged—strategically. Slow drinks at first, then a few faked gulps once they weren’t paying attention. He let his eyelids droop a little, exaggerated his laugh.
It didn’t take long.
"Yo," one of the guys leaned in, voice casual, "what were you doing on Gordon Street last week?"
Jason swirled the ice in his glass. "Signing off the bar. Got tired of holding on to junk property."
Nods and low chuckles followed. Another question slid in, more casual.
"What’s going on with that Son girl? The one you helped?"
Jason slurred just a touch. "She’s cool very beautiful too.
"So... what happened with Alice?"
Jason looked into his glass.
"It beca obvious she was never going to accept . A relationship like that? It’s nothing but misery. I’m not chasing ghosts."
Everyone nodded. Even Tony bought it.
Eventually, Jason leaned back in the booth, eyelids heavy, words just a bit slurred. "Damn... I’m done, boys. Y’all keep partying without ."
Tony raised an eyebrow, clearly satisfied. "You’re getting soft, man."
Jason offered a crooked grin and a lazy nod. "That, or y’all drink like demons."
Underneath the table, Jason’s fingers shifted against the glass—three taps, pause, one tap. A prearranged signal. Across the club, two plainclothes n rose from their seats without drawing attention and slowly moved toward the rear exit.
Jason stumbled toward the hallway near the washrooms and ducked into the back corridor as one of the n approached, pretending to be a staff mber.
Monts later, he exited through the service door and slid into a waiting SUV with tinted windows. As soon as the door shut, the drunken mask dropped.
Jason sat up straight and rolled his neck. "They bought it?"
"Yes, sir," said the driver. "We’ve got audio too. Nothing useful. They only asked vague questions."
Jason pulled out his phone, rechecking the saved photo of the triplets—the image with the toy knife in Jessy’s hand still disturbed him.
"Let’s head back," he muttered. "Tonight should’ve bought so breathing room
anwhile, in a parking garage nearby...
Tony leaned against a concrete pillar, lighting a cigarette. He exhaled before dialing.
The voice that answered was slow, cold, and clipped. "Speak."
"He folded," Tony said casually. "Said he sold the bar—said Son Liying was just a coincidence. Acted like he’s still caught up on Alice."
There was a pause.
"I pressed a bit, made it feel natural. Nothing specific. He drank like a fish—hell, I don’t think he rembers half of it."
Another pause, longer this ti.
"Body language?"
"Relaxed. Sloppy, even. If he’s faking... he’s damn good."
Silence stretched on the other end. Then finally, Alex Yun’s voice ca through, low and thoughtful.
"Then it was a false alarm."
Tony blinked. "So we pull back?"
"Yes"
"Understood."
Click.
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