Before the end of the workday, Evelyn walked into the top-floor CEO suite once again.
"President Sterling," Evelyn said respectfully, "I’ve purchased the hypercars you requested and had them delivered directly to the Rose Manor garage. The unlimited card is also ready. Here are the keys and the Black Diamond Card."
Victoria took the sleek key fob and the shimmering black card. As she looked at the items in her hand, the corners of her red lips curled into a subtle, fond smile.
My little bed-slave will probably like these, won’t he?
Just then, a senior executive knocked and entered the office to report on an urgent proposal. "President Sterling, this is the investment framework our department finalized today. Please review it."
He placed the thick dossier on Victoria’s desk.
"Mhm," Victoria nodded calmly. "You may leave."
The executive was momentarily stunned. "President Sterling... aren’t you going to review it now?"
Victoria glanced at the minimalist clock on the wall. "There are only two minutes left until five o’clock. I will review this tomorrow morning. Vice President , you should also leave work on time."
With that, Victoria began tidying her desk and gathering her personal belongings.
The executive’s mouth hung wide open in sheer disbelief. When had President Sterling EVER left work on time?! Didn’t she normally wish she could spend twenty-four hours a day inside the company building? Hearing the phrase "leave work on time" come out of President Sterling’s mouth felt like entering an alternate universe.
Victoria swept out of the CEO suite, leaving the executive standing there in a total daze.
"Evelyn... is President Sterling in a rush to attend an emergency meeting?" he asked, completely bewildered.
Evelyn smiled politely, keeping her secret to herself. There’s a handsome man waiting in her bedroom at home. Of course she’s in a hurry to get back!
"Vice President , President Sterling suggested you leave on time," Evelyn reminded him gently. "You’d better head home quickly to be with your family."
"Ah... right," the executive nodded blankly. "I’ll head back now."
Back at Rose Manor...
Presumably because things had been far too intense the previous night, Julian only managed to stay awake in the living room until four in the afternoon before fatigue washed over him again.
He climbed back upstairs to the master suite and drifted off to sleep.
This kind of useless life—eating gourmet food and sleeping while servants wait on me hand and foot—is actually incredible, he thought with a soft sigh. Being a rich woman’s captive canary wasn’t bad at all.
Besides, Rose Manor was massive—it had a heated pool, world-class athletic facilities, and a sprawling private garden. Staying inside, he had zero need to ever step foot outside.
System, Julian called out in his mind, I’ve decided I’m not doing those tasks anymore. Victoria was going to pamper him with endless wealth anyway. Why rack his brains trying to hustle out in the cold world?
[ Host, one must strive for progress! You cannot become decadent! ] the System chimed sternly.
Julian was dismissive. When I have a billionaire sugar mommy supporting me, working hard is just asking for unnecessary stress.
The System fell silent for a moment before a sharp notification rang out:
[ Ding! Mission issued: Host, please obtain seven million dollars from the Vance family. Reward for success: one month of accurate stock market trends. Penalty for failure: continuous hiccuping for thirty days. ]
Julian: ...
You’ve got to be kidding me. A thirty-day hiccup penalty?! You really come up with the worst punishments.
Around five-thirty, as Julian was drowsily waking up, his phone on the nightstand began ringing loudly. He blindly reached out and held it to his ear.
A sharp, demanding female voice blasted through the receiver. "Julian Vance! Didn’t I tell you to get me that Heart of the Ocean necklace?! Where is it?!"
Julian’s brows furrowed. "If you want a necklace, can’t you buy it yourself?"
"Julian!" The woman on the other end sounded furious. "Who gave you permission to speak to me like that?! Do you want me to block your number forever?!"
Julian finally realized who it was. It was Natasha—the university campus belle whom the original host had blindly pined after.
In the original plot, Natasha had treated the original host like a disposable footstool, ordering him around constantly. Yet the original host had been an irredeemable romantic, endlessly trying to please her no matter how much she disrespected him.
Engrossed in the phone call, Julian didn’t notice the bedroom door quietly opening.
A tall, striking figure stepped smoothly into the bedroom.
When Julian had answered the call, he had tossed the phone onto the mattress on speakerphone, allowing Victoria to hear every word coming through the speaker.
"Julian," Natasha took a deep breath on the line, her voice condescending. "If you apologize properly right now, I might consider forgiving you. Of course, ’apologizing’ doesn’t just mean saying sorry—I expect that necklace."
Every single word reached Victoria’s ears with crystal clarity.
Victoria’s eyes narrowed dangerously, a dark glint flickering within them.
Heh... According to the file Evelyn had handed her earlier, Julian used to be intensely infatuated with a girl named Natasha. This had to be her.
"Natasha..." Julian began, exasperated, "you want me to coax—"
Before he could finish, a slender, porcelain finger gently pressed against his lips, cutting him off.
Julian looked up in confusion—only to find Victoria hovering right above him. When did she get back?!
"Julian! Where are you?! Are you even listening to me?!" Natasha’s shrill voice demanded over the speaker.
Julian frowned deeply. The original host had done countless embarrassing things for Natasha, which Victoria could easily uncover with a simple background check. He couldn’t let Victoria misunderstand and think he was still entangled with an ex!
Julian reached out to hang up the call, but Victoria caught his wrist in a firm, unrelenting grip.
"Julian..." Victoria whispered, her crimson lips pressing against the corner of his mouth. "I missed you."
In Victoria’s eyes, there was nothing but raw, consuming desire. Julian seemed to possess a fatal attraction for her—the second she got close to him, her cold composure melted, making her want to possess him completely.
"Victoria," Julian muttered against her cheek, "let me hang up the phone first..."
A dark, possessive flash glinted in Victoria’s eyes. She wanted Natasha to hear. She wanted this woman to listen carefully to how Julian belonged to her now.
"Julian is being naughty," Victoria purred, lightly biting the corner of his lip in punishment. "Thinking about another woman’s call while you’re lying with me?"
"Victoria, listen to me," Julian tried to explain. "I’m just worried that the call..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Victoria sealed his lips with a fierce, dominating kiss, leaving him completely breathless.
"Julian," Victoria whispered indistinctly against his mouth, "let’s pick up where we left off last night, shall we?"
Julian was still worrying about the open phone line on the mattress. "Victoria... hang up first, or she’ll hear everything..."
"No rush," Victoria’s red lips curled into a dangerous, intoxicating smile. "Let’s attend to our business first. As for her listening... let her listen all she wants."
Her slender fingers began unbuttoning Julian’s shirt one by one.
On the other end of the line, after receiving no reply for several moments, Natasha slammed her phone onto her bed in a fit of rage.
"Ah—!"
In the past, Julian Vance had been completely submissive to her every whim, rushing to answer her calls within seconds. This was the very first time she had ever been ignored by him!
She punched her plush pillow in exasperation.
"Julian Vance! Fine! Just fine!"
"How dare you ignore me!"
"I’m telling you, I won’t be so easy to talk to next time!"
She was the campus belle with dozens of wealthy suitors waiting in line. Giving Julian Vance a chance to buy her gifts and please her had been a favor! Since he dared to ignore her now, he shouldn’t blame her for giving him the cold shoulder!
"Hmph!" Natasha fumed, completely unaware of the scene unfolding on the other end of the line.