"Jason Carter! Put me down right now!"
That was the first thing Emma Reed saw the moment she walked downstairs.
Jason stood in the middle of the living room with Victoria Reed in his arms. Victoria’s face was red enough to rival a tomato.
For a split second the entire room froze.
Jason almost laughed. Victoria looked like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her.
"It’s not what you think," Jason said calmly.
Emma folded her arms. "I haven’t even said anything yet."
The atmosphere turned instantly awkward.
Victoria hurried to explain, voice still flustered. "I twisted my ankle last night. Jason was just helping me. He was putting ice on it earlier."
Emma’s frown deepened. "Mom, why didn’t you tell me?" She hurried over and crouched beside Victoria. "Let me see."
Victoria looked faintly guilty. "It’s fine. It’s much better now."
Emma gently examined the ankle. The swelling had gone down significantly. Only then did she relax.
"You’re always like this," she muttered. "Trying to do everything yourself. If you fell and hit your head, then what?"
Victoria could only give a helpless little smile.
Watching the mother and daughter talk, Jason finally exhaled. One more second and he probably would’ve been sentenced without a trial.
"Alright," he said, clapping his hands once. "Let’s eat before everything gets cold."
The warm smell of scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and fresh coffee filled the room. Emma’s attention snapped to the table, the earlier suspicion temporarily forgotten.
"You made breakfast?"
Jason nodded. "Mostly."
Emma gave him a deeply skeptical look. "You?"
"What’s with that face?"
"The face of someone who still remembers you burning a pot of instant noodles."
Jason nearly choked. That had been years ago. Why was she still holding onto it?
Victoria laughed softly. For the first time in a long while, the house felt light again.
The three of them sat down together. The atmosphere was surprisingly warm. Jason glanced at Victoria across the table. Compared to yesterday, the heavy shadow hanging over her because of Sarah’s illness had eased a little. That alone made everything worth it.
After breakfast, Jason packed a thermos with the leftover eggs and toast. He still needed to stop by the hospital.
Just as he reached the door, a system notification appeared.
[Ding!]
[Family Happiness +1]
[Current Rebate Multiplier: 3.2×]
[Hidden Reward Progress Increased]
Jason paused, genuinely surprised.
The system was evolving. Originally it only paid out after completed missions. Now emotional connections and family moments could raise the multiplier too. Interesting. Very interesting. Maybe the real way to use this system wasn’t just chasing money~it was building real relationships and creating actual value.
If that was true, the future was a lot bigger than he’d thought.
He left with the thermos.
Half an hour later he walked into Sarah’s hospital room. She was sitting by the window with a book. The moment she saw her son, her expression softened.
"You’re here again."
Jason smiled. "Brought breakfast."
Sarah shook her head, but there was no real complaint in it. "You don’t have to keep coming every day."
"I’m your son," he said simply. "Of course I’m coming."
The quiet answer made her eyes turn a little red. She lowered her head and started eating. Jason didn’t bring up medical bills or money or pressure. He just sat beside her and talked~about school, old memories, random nothing. Sometimes that was all family needed. Not solutions. Just company.
An hour later he left the hospital. As he stepped outside, the warmth drained from his face. The smile disappeared. A cold, focused look settled in his eyes.
There was still one problem left to handle.
Olivia .
The bitch who had taken his money. The same woman who had helped push his previous life off a cliff. The same woman who thought she could keep treating him like an ATM.
Jason pulled out his phone and dialed a number he’d saved the day before. A private investigator. It had cost him nearly half of what he had left, but it was worth every cent.
The call connected.
"Mr. Carter."
"Any news?"
The investigator chuckled. "Actually, yes."
Jason stopped walking. "What did you find?"
"The girl you’re looking into is... interesting. Last night she went to a restaurant. She wasn’t alone."
Jason waited.
"She met a university lecturer. Looked very close."
Jason’s mouth curved into a thin smile. Exactly as he remembered. The future associate professor hadn’t climbed on talent alone. She’d taken a different kind of shortcut.
"Do you have solid evidence yet?"
"Not enough. Give me a few more days."
"Keep digging."
"Will do."
The call ended. Jason slipped the phone back into his pocket, the cold smile still on his face.
Olivia. Let’s see how long you can keep pretending. Sooner or later every single cent was coming back~with interest.
At noon he returned home. Laughter floated down from the second floor. Emma was back. He followed the sound and found her cross-legged on the couch with a laptop, lines of code filling the screen. Dark circles sat under her eyes.
Jason frowned. "Did you sleep at all?"
Emma rolled her eyes without looking up. "Not everyone gets to be as free as you. I’m working on research."
He stepped behind her. Even with future knowledge, half the code still looked like another language. Emma noticed his expression and immediately grinned, looking far too pleased with herself.
"What’s wrong? Can’t keep up?"
Jason nodded honestly. That only made her happier. Finally~something she could beat him at.
She stretched, arms over her head. The fitted T-shirt pulled tight across her chest for a second. Jason looked away quickly. Emma caught the movement. A small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"Little bro."
Jason’s eyebrow twitched. "Who are you calling little bro?"
"I’ve called you that since we were kids. Got a problem?"
He had no good comeback.
Then Emma’s tone shifted, suddenly casual. "You free tonight?"
Jason felt the trap coming. "Should be."
"Avatar just came out. My friend said it’s incredible. Want to go watch it together?"
The second the words left her mouth, the system chimed.
[Ding!]
[New Mission Activated]
[Mission: First Date]
[Target: Emma Reed]
[Reward: $5,000]
[Additional Reward: Random Rebate Card]
Jason’s eyes sharpened slightly. A random rebate card? That was new.
Emma noticed his silence and started to backtrack. "Forget it if you’re busy~"
"Who said I’m busy?" Jason smiled. "We’ll go."
Emma froze, then her whole face lit up. The smile she tried (and failed) to hide was pure and bright.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Then it’s a deal."
"Deal."
The afternoon passed quietly. As evening approached, Emma disappeared upstairs to get ready. Jason sat in the living room waiting. Victoria sat nearby, quietly watching him... then her daughter... then him again. A strange, uncomfortable feeling settled in her chest, like something important was slowly being pulled away. She didn’t want to examine it too closely.
Jason’s phone vibrated.
Unknown number. One short message.
Want your money back? Meet me alone tonight.
~ Olivia.
Jason’s eyes turned ice-cold.
The fish had finally taken the bait.