She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

“Lilith, bring up the empire expansion mission,” Alex commanded silently. “Let’s see what’s left on the board.”

The blue balance screen vanished, replaced instantly by the glowing slate of his active quest log.

[MAIN MISSION: BUILD YOUR EMPIRE — PHASE 02]

[Mission Objectives:]

1. Establish at least one official operational division under Eclipse Holdings.

2. Appoint one qualified Division Head.

3. Assign at least three qualified core members to the division.

[Completion Reward: Sovereign’s Gaze: Eye of Insight ]

[Failure Penalty: System Support reduced for 7 days]

Alex studied the prompts with a sharp, calculating gaze.

A commercial holding company without an iron spine was nothing more than a fat sheep waiting for wolves to circle. Before Eclipse Holdings expanded into real estate, finance, or logistics, its defense and covert capabilities had to be locked down tight.

The primary department he needed right now was clear: the Special Operations and Tactical Security Division.

It would handle the high-risk operations… personal security, intelligence gathering, covert strikes, and any dangerous work that regular law enforcement or corporate muscle couldn’t touch.

For the head of this division, Alex didn’t need to deliberate. Viktor was the obvious choice.

Viktor had the cold discipline, the tactical mind, and the combat lethality to command respect. He knew how to run field teams without hesitation, and his loyalty to Alex was already rock-solid.

The rest of his men could easily be slotted in as core members beneath Viktor’s direct chain of command.

He could have finalized the appointments right there on the interface, but the System required their explicit, in-person acceptance to bind the hierarchy.

Besides, Viktor wasn’t quite ready to step into the Ascended realm yet. Alex wanted to give him enough time and the right foundation to cross that threshold before loading him down with the weight of an entire division.

“Lilith,” he called out silently. “What do you have in the shop to push him into the next realm?”

[ELIXIR OF ABSOLUTE ASCENSION]

[Description: A pinnacle alchemical catalyst that eliminates the near-fatal mortality of ascending beyond the mortal ceiling. Where natural breakthroughs risk core fractures, crippled meridians, or instant death, this elixir guarantees a flawless, 100% safe transition with zero backlash. It violently purges deep marrow impurities and stabilizes the kinetic compression of Vital Essence, forcing the formation of the highest possible grade of Ascendant Core the consumer’s latent potential can sustain. Leaves no internal scars and prevents future cultivation bottlenecks.]

[Base Cost: 50,000 CP per unit]

[Subordinate Discount (75%): 12,500 CP]

[Requirement: Peak Apex Realm]

[Warning: Usable only by an officially bound faction member. Unauthorized users will experience immediate rejection and zero effect.]

Alex scanned the floating slate, an amused eyebrow ticking upward.

“Quite a grand description,” he mused silently. “And a bit pricey, too.”

“Solely crafted for crossing the mortal divide into the Ascended Realm,” Lilith explained, a low hum of satisfaction purring in her voice. “It isn’t cheap for a single subordinate, but it turns an elite soldier into a genuine monster. No cracked cores, no crippled veins, and none of that ninety-nine percent mortality nonsense ordinary cultivators gamble with.”

Twelve thousand five hundred points was quite a sum, but he didn’t even flinch. Points were meant to be converted into absolute power and loyalty.

With Viktor firmly in the Ascended realm, the first pillar of Eclipse Holdings would have real steel behind it.

‘Buy it,’ Alex commanded.

[Purchase Confirmed: Elixir of Absolute Ascension (x1)]

[Points Deducted: -12,500 CP (Subordinate Discount Applied)]

[Remaining Balance: 92,880 System Points]

A faint ripple distorted the space directly in front of his chest. Particles of deep violet and molten gold coalesced out of thin air, folding into a tangible, physical form.

Alex reached out, catching the vial before it touched the bedsheets.

The container was carved from a single piece of seamless, frosted crystal, cool against his palm and surprisingly heavy. Inside, the elixir didn’t slosh like ordinary water. It moved with the sluggish, heavy density of liquid mercury… a deep, iridescent crimson fluid that seemed to pull ambient light toward itself. Suspended at the very center of the liquid was a tiny, luminous speck, pulsing like a miniature, dormant heartbeat.

He turned the vial slowly between his fingers.

Even through the tempered crystal, he could feel a faint, rhythmic vibration against his skin… a dense, coiled pressure that hinted at the sheer violence waiting to be unlocked. It didn’t feel like medicine; it felt like a compressed star waiting to reconstruct a man’s biology from the marrow out.

Satisfied, Alex gave a quiet nod and willed the item away.

The vial dissolved into faint motes of light, slipping seamlessly into his System inventory.

With the asset secured and his balance still sitting comfortably above ninety-two thousand points, the path forward was set. He just needed Viktor in the room.

Soft footsteps sounded in the hallway before Emma reappeared at the open doorway, pausing respectfully just outside the threshold.

“The bath is ready, Sir,” she said softly, keeping her voice low so as not to wake the sleeping woman. “The temperature is set, and the oils are prepared.”

Alex offered her a calm, approving nod. “Good job.”

Rising from the edge of the mattress, he didn’t bother reaching for a towel or hesitating. With a casual flick of his fingers, he untied the charcoal silk sash at his waist, shrugged his shoulders, and let the robe slip down his arms. The garment pooled silently onto the rumpled bed behind him, leaving him completely bare.

Emma’s breath hitched in her throat.

Her eyes widened, freezing entirely as the sight hit her. Every drop of blood in her body seemed to rush straight to her face, painting her cheeks and neck in a furious, vibrant red.

Up close in the warm morning light, his physique was breathtaking—broad, powerful shoulders tapering down to a lean, cut waist, every cord of muscle sculpted with hard, predatory symmetry.

For a long, breathless moment, Emma forgot how to speak, forgot how to look away, her gaze raking over him with an intense, raw heat, staring as if she wanted to devour him whole right where he stood.

A faint, wicked smirk played at the edge of Alex’s lips as he watched her frozen stupor.

“Lead the way, Emma.”

His deep voice snapped the spell like a sharp crack.

Emma flinched, blinking rapidly as a startled gasp escaped her lips. “Y-Yes, Sir! Right away!”

Flustered down to her fingertips, she spun around on her heels and hurried out into the hall.

Alex followed at an easy, leisurely pace, his bare feet silent on the floorboards, an amused glint dancing in his eyes as he watched the nervous, hurried sway of her hips ahead of him.

She led him just a few steps down the corridor into the expansive private bath suite adjoining the master quarters. The room was already filled with a fragrant, soothing warmth, the air thick with rising steam from the sunken marble tub.

Alex stepped smoothly past her into the mist, moving toward the steaming water without a care.

Behind him, Emma lingered at the doorway.

Her hands were lightly clasped against her apron, her chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths. Her wide, dark eyes watched his back with nervous anticipation… wondering with every passing second whether he would tell her to step inside.

Alex descended the two shallow marble steps into the sunken tub.

The hot water surged around him, scented with crushed cedar and rosemary, soothing the lingering stiffness in his muscles. He rested his arms along the wide stone rim, letting his head tilt back against the warm, curved marble with a low, contented exhale.

Through the rising veil of white steam, his half-lidded eyes shifted toward the doorway.

Emma was still standing there, frozen in place like a statue, her fingers twisting the edge of her white apron while her cheeks burned a furious scarlet.

“Are you planning to watch from the doorway all morning?” Alex’s low, resonant voice cut cleanly through the sound of shifting water.

Emma flinched, a sharp little gasp catching in her throat. “N-No, Sir. I was just—”

“Come inside and help me,” he said smoothly.

Her heart thudded violently against her ribs. The nervous hesitation that had kept her rooted to the hall vanished, replaced by a surge of pure, dizzying anticipation.

“Yes, Sir.”

She stepped through the doorway, clicking the door shut behind her to seal in the heat.

With quick, careful movements, she unbuttoned the cuffs of her uniform sleeves and rolled them neatly up to her elbows, exposing her slender forearms.

“Are you planning on soaking that uniform?” Alex asked, an amused glint in his dark eyes as he watched her push up her sleeves. “Take them off.”

Emma’s breath caught instantly. Her heart hammered against her ribs at breakneck speed, wild and frantic, as if an unspoken dream she had held for weeks was finally being realized.

With cheeks burning bright scarlet, she gave a quick, breathless nod.