"J-Julian?!" Seraphina stammered, her hands trembling slightly against her crisp black-and-gold uniform. She blinked rapidly, as if expecting the image of me standing in a custom designer suit with a 6-million Stardollar watch to dissolve into thin air. "How... how are you staying in the Skyland Presidential Suite? Weren’t you..."
She trailed off, biting her lower lip to stop herself from mentioning my past struggles.
"Working three odd jobs just to afford a moldy room?" I finished her sentence with a faint smile, stepping smoothly into the living room. "Well, as you can see, everything turned out fine for me. Experiencing life at the bottom was important, though—otherwise, a man becomes arrogant and forgets how to help those who deserve it."
I stretched my shoulders, glancing around the massive suite. "Well, that’s enough reminiscing for now. I’m going to take a shower first. Pick out the best casual outfit from the delivery bags that arrived today—I’m planning to relax a little."
Stepping into the luxurious marble bathroom, I turned on the shower. As the hot water washed over me, a familiar chime sounded in my head.
[System Notification: First Task Fully Completed!]
[Rewards Applied: +5 Charm, +5 Physique]
[Host Current Stats: Charm 10/100 | Physique 10/100]
An electric, warm surge coursed through my veins instantly. My posture straightened effortlessly, my shoulders broadened, and the subtle fatigue in my frame completely vanished. Looking into the bathroom mirror, the frail, bone-thin man from yesterday was gone, replaced by a healthy, sharp, and confident young man.
Drying off, I wrapped a plush bathrobe around myself and walked back into the living suite.
Seraphina’s breath hitched as she looked up. Her eyes widened at my clear skin and broad shoulders. "Weren’t you... so thin and exhausted before?"
"It was just severe exhaustion from living a hard life, love," I chuckled casually. "Do you know how much sacrifice my body went through back then? Look at me now—at least I look like a healthy, average guy, don’t you think?"
Seraphina’s cheeks flushed a light pink. Remembering her duty, she quickly dropped into a deep, graceful bow. "I-I’m sorry, Mr. Vance. I spoke out of turn. As your private butler, I am here to attend to your every need during your stay."
"Relax, Seraphina," I said, walking toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Metro City’s skyline. "We were classmates. There’s no need for rigid corporate talk. But tell me—how did Metro High’s top genius student end up working as a hotel butler?"
A shadow of deep pain crossed her beautiful face. She forced a polite smile, but her fingers gripped her tray tightly. "Life happened after graduation, Julian. My family’s business ran into severe financial trouble, and I had to drop out of university to clear our debts. Right after we cleared them, my mother passed away... and then my father fell severely ill."
Her voice cracked slightly. "I had no money left and no college degree to apply for corporate jobs, so I took this butler position because it pays well. But..."
"But what?" I asked gently.
"Some VIP guests expected ’unspoken services,’" she whispered, her eyes flashing with pride. "When they tried to force themselves on me, I hit them and reported them to management. The hotel stopped giving me VIP clients as a punishment, but today, no other butler was available for the Presidential Suite, so they had no choice."
Before she could continue, the cool blue panel flashed before my eyes.
[New System Task Triggered: Spoil the Beauty Butler!]
[Target: Seraphina Lin (High School Crush / Personal Butler)]
[Status: Burdened by 10,000,000 Stardollars in critical medical bills for her father’s brain tumor.]
[Task Objective: Spend money to resolve her crisis and elevate her lifestyle.]
[Task Reward: Special 3x Cashback Multiplier on all purchases made for Target, +10 Charm, +100% Loyalty from Target.]
"Ten million in medical bills?" I muttered softly. "Why is it so expensive?"
"My father has a rare brain tumor in a delicate area," Seraphina explained, her eyes downcast. "Only a specialized overseas medical team has the experience to perform the surgery."
I walked over to the dressing table, taking the designer shirt and trousers she had prepared for me. Slipping into the clothes, I pulled out my Supreme Black Diamond Card and fastened my 6-million Stardollar watch onto my wrist.
"Seraphina," I said smoothly, stepping close to her. "You’re taking the rest of the day off."
"Wh-What? No, Julian! I’m on shift, and if management finds out—"
"I reserved this suite for a full month, which means your time belongs exclusively to me," I interrupted softly. "Hand me my coat. We’re going to the hospital right now to clear that 10-million Stardollar bill in full."
Seraphina froze mid-step, her jaw dropping. "Julian... are you serious? That’s ten million Stardollars..."
"Let’s just say I have way more money than I could ever spend on my own," I replied with a confident smirk. "Now don’t just stand there staring. Grab your things, and let me drive you."
Twenty minutes later, my luxury Valence & Co. SUV pulled up to the main entrance of Metro City Central Hospital—the top medical facility in the country.
Walking inside with Seraphina right beside me, I headed straight to the chief billing counter.
"Excuse me," I said, sliding my card across the counter. "I’d like to pay off the entire balance for Mr. Lin. I also want him transferred to the private VIP penthouse suite immediately, and I want to cover the full upfront cost for the overseas specialist surgical team."
The head nurse looked up from her computer screen, her jaw dropping. "A-Are you sure, sir? Between the VIP penthouse suite, the imported medical gear, and bringing in the overseas surgical specialists, the total upfront cost comes to 15 million Stardollars."
"Swipe the card."
Beep.
[System Notification: Task Progress 50% Completed!]
[3x Cashback Multiplier Applied: Spent 15,000,000 Stardollars $\rightarrow$ Received 45,000,000 Stardollars!]
[Host’s Current Bank Balance: 263,000,000 Stardollars!]
The transaction approved instantly. The head nurse nearly fainted, wildly bowing as her hands shook. "R-Right away, sir! I will arrange the transfer and notify the Head of Surgery immediately!"
I turned to look at Seraphina. Tears were welling up in her wide eyes, her chest heaving as overwhelming emotion threatened to break her composure.
I leaned down slightly, catching her eye with a warm smile. "Hey... don’t cry. I didn’t spend all this money on a beautiful face like yours just to watch it shed tears. Give me a smile, dear."
Hearing me call her "dear," a deep blush instantly spread across her cheeks, reaching all the way to her ears.
"Go up to your father’s new VIP room," I told her gently. "Nurse, please send the Chief of Surgery up as well—I have a few things to discuss with him regarding the operation."
Watching her walk toward the VIP elevator with a radiant, tearful smile on her face, I leaned back against the counter, my smirk widening.
"So, Seraphina... how does it feel seeing how much life can change in a single day?"