The Heart System

Chapter 110: Chapter 110

I trudged back to the blanket, the sand warm under my feet, the weight of the calls with Kayla and Penelope sitting heavy in my chest.

”Hey, you okay?” Jasmine asked, her dark eyes narrowing, her braids catching the sunlight.

”Yeah, what’s up?” Tessa added, pushing her sunglasses up, her brow furrowed. ”You look like someone kicked your dog.”

I forced a grin, dropping onto the blanket, the cooler’s ice sloshing as I nudged it. ”Ah, nothing, just work stuff, you know,” I said, waving a hand, trying to sound casual. ”Payment bullshit, like I said.”

Kim tilted her head, her lips pursing like she wasn’t buying it, but she didn’t push. Tessa exchanged a glance with Jasmine, who raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet, too. They knew something was off, but they let it slide, settling back into the sun’s warmth.

A shadow crossed the blanket, and I looked up to see a girl passing by, her steps slow. Our eyes met, and my stomach did a flip. ”Oh,” I said, arching an eyebrow. ”You... Julia?”

”Marlowe?” she replied, her voice calm, a faint smile tugging at her lips. ”How surprising.”

Shit. Julia, my ex from high school, looking exactly like I remembered—sharp glasses perched on her nose, long brown hair tied up in a neat bun, and a body that still stopped me cold. Her round ass and tits, not too big, not too small, just fucking perfect, were barely contained by a navy blue bikini, the top tied in a simple knot, the bottoms hugging her hips, accentuating her curves.

She had that same calm demeanor, like nothing ever rattled her, no matter how wild the world got.

We’d broken up—well, I’d ended it—because my pride couldn’t take it anymore. Back in high school, I was broke, scraping by, while her rich parents had her set. She paid for everything, movies, burgers, coffee, all that crap.

For her birthday, I’d saved every cent for a cheap knock-off necklace, but when mine rolled around, she got me a shirt worth more than my entire wardrobe. It crushed me. I told her we were done, that she deserved someone better, someone who could match her. Looking back, I was mature for a dumbass teenager, but it still stung.

”I thought you went to Germany,” I said, standing, brushing sand off my swim trunks.

”No, Father decided to stay here,” she said, her voice even, her eyes flicking to the girls before settling back on me.

”Oh,” I said, realizing I hadn’t introduced them. ”Jasmine, Kim, Tessa, this is Julia. My... friend from high school.”

”Ex-girlfriend,” Julia corrected, her tone light but firm, a small smile playing on her lips. ”Nice to meet you all.”

”Ex, huh?” Jasmine said, leaning forward, her teal swimsuit shifting as she propped herself on her elbows. ”I’m kinda curious what Evan was like back in high school.”

”Same,” Tessa and Kim said in unison, their eyes glinting with mischief.

”Why’d you two break up?” Jasmine asked, her grin widening.

”That’s... a story for another day,” I said, forcing a strained smile, my face heating up. I turned to Julia. ”So, nice to see you again. What do you do now?”

”Same old stuff,” she said, her necklace catching the sun. ”I work at Nuppia as an accountant. Started five days ago, actually.”

Nuppia. Fuck. I’d ghosted their CEO, Anotta, for weeks. With getting my ass kicked and the rain trapping us, I hadn’t followed up. Hopefully, she wasn’t pissed.

”Oh, nice,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. ”Nuppia. That’s... good. Very good.”

”You, Marlowe?” Julia asked, tilting her head. ”Where do you work?”

”I...” I started, exhaling. ”Looking for a job right now. Quit my last one.”

”What were you doing?”

”Gas station clerk,” I said, scratching my neck.

Julia giggled, a soft, unbothered sound. ”Gas station clerk?”

”Yeah, well, it sucked. I know.”

”At least you’re doing something,” she said, shrugging. ”Unlike my brother...”

Brother? Shit, I didn’t even know she had one. ”Oh... y-yeah.”

”I should go,” Julia said, glancing at the girls. ”Nice to meet you, Jasmine, Kim, Tessa.”

They nodded, Kim giving a small wave, Tessa smirking, Jasmine still eyeing her curiously.

”See you, Evan,” Julia said, her voice calm as ever.

”Yeah,” I said. ”See you, Jul.”

She walked off, her navy bikini catching the sun, her steps steady, unbothered. I sank back onto the blanket, the girls watching her go, their eyes flicking to me with unspoken questions.

╭────────────────────╮

- Quest Available

==========================

- Title: Old friends

- Task: Text Julia.

- Reward: +75 EXP

==========================

- Accept Quest? [Yes] [No]

╰────────────────────╯

Huh? Why would I have wanted to text Julia, anyway? But... whatever. I figured I’d just send a quick ’Hey, what’s up?’ and be done with it. The thing was, I didn’t even have her number. I’d have to track down her socials first and ask for it.

”Okay, you gotta tell us everything,” Jasmine said, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees, her dark eyes gleaming. ”Who is Julia? And why’d you two break up?”

”I’d rather not,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck, my voice low, hoping they’d drop it.

”Come ooon!” Tessa said, grabbing my arm and shaking it playfully, her fingers warm against my skin. ”Tell us! Don’t be like that, ’Marlowe.’”

”No,” I said, pulling my arm back, trying to keep it light but firm.

”Booo. Come on!” Kim chimed in, tossing a handful of sand toward me, her red bikini top shifting slightly as she laughed.

Tessa nodded, smirking. ”Yeah, you suck.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, the sun hot on my shoulders. ”Fine, fine. Look, it’s a rich girl, poor guy cliché,” I said, my tone clipped. ”I didn’t like how she crushed me with her money. So I told her it’d be best if we broke up, that she deserved better.”

”My god,” Tessa said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. ”Your little man-pride couldn’t handle a girl paying for your coffee? Aw, so fucking idiotic, isn’t he, girls?”

”There’s no man-pride here,” I said, my jaw tightening, though I kept my tone even. ”I just didn’t like... you know, not doing anything for her. Shit, I bought her a cheap knock-off necklace for her birthday, and she got me an expensive fucking shirt.”

”Necklace?” Jasmine asked, tilting her head, her braids catching the light. ”Is that the same necklace she was wearing just now?”

”Huh?” I said, frowning, my eyes dropping to the sand as I tried to picture it. ”I... don’t remember.”

”You don’t remember the necklace you gifted her?” Tessa asked, her mouth dropping open, mock horror on her face. ”My god... are you even real, Evan?”

”Ah, come on, it was years ago, Tessa. Years. I was in high school. How the hell am I supposed to remember that?” I said, throwing my hands up. ”It was just some random necklace I could afford.”

”Wow, you broke up with her because she was rich,” Kim said, nodding slowly, her lips pursed. ”I thought Tom was an idiot.”

”Just drop it, okay?” I said, my voice sharper than I meant, but I softened it with a half-smile. ”We’re at the beach. Let’s have some fun.”

Jasmine nodded, her expression easing, a grin spreading across her face. ”You’re right. Well... who’s up for some ice cream?”

‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬

I leaned back on the couch in my living room, the familiar creak of the cushions grounding me after a week back from the beach. Home sweet home, but the quiet was weird—no job, no schedule, just me and this strange system dictating my next moves. The thought of starving if I didn’t grind out quests and earn credits loomed large. Jobless life felt like a void, waking up with no plan, just a vague sense of needing to hustle.

I grabbed my phone from the coffee table, checking for emails from the jobs I’d applied to. Surprise, surprise—nothing.

”Shit,” I muttered, tossing the phone onto the couch, running a hand through my hair. ”Nothing, nothing, and nothing. Great.”

A week since the beach, and I still hadn’t made things right with Mendy. The quest had failed, but I didn’t care about the system’s score. I just wanted her to forgive me, to fix the mess Richard had caused.

”Fucking Richard...” I growled under my breath, the memory of his damn hospital rant burning in my mind.

I got up, stretching, and shuffled to the bathroom, grabbing my new toothbrush from the counter. After Cora’s creepy invasion, I wasn’t taking chances—she might’ve done something fucked up to my old one.

Brushing my teeth, I caught my reflection in the mirror. Damn, I looked good. The Charm skill was like magic, sharpening my features, giving me an edge I didn’t mind flaunting. I could’ve dumped more points into Libido or Pleasure, but Charm was working just fine.

Aside from that, I needed to figure out these mastery points and put them to use.