Villain Ch 35. The Rich Woman

Slowly, he reached up and lifted the VR headset from his head, feeling a slight tug as it disconnected from his neural interface. As he blinked his eyes, adjusting to the dim light, he noticed the digital clock on his desk. It displayed the time with an electric blue glow: 01.02 AM.

He sat there for a moment, still feeling a bit disoriented as he reacquainted himself with the physical world.

Allen let out a small sigh as he shook his head from side to side. The excitement for the new game had taken hold of him completely, and he knew that he had indulged himself a bit too much. He muttered to himself, "I hope they don't sleep too late."

He knew he shouldn't be saying anything about their sleeping habits, but who could blame them? The allure of a new game was something that was hard to resist.

Allen carefully placed his VR headset down. As he thought, he realized that he still had a lot of skill points and stats to distribute. He had been confused about his character from the start, unsure whether he was meant to be a mage type or something closer to a knight. Or perhaps, he thought with a frown, it was both?

Lost in thought, he began to contemplate the intricacies of his character's skill tree. Depending on what type of character he was meant to be, he knew that he needed to put his status points in the right place. After all, he didn't want to be stuck with a character that was poorly balanced or had weak stats.

Allen rose from his gaming chair, his legs feeling stiff from hours of sitting. He stretched his arms and yawned, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over him.

But before he could retire for the evening, he picked up his phone and opened a chat app, his fingers tapping away at the screen with practiced ease. He was sending a message to Kafra.

In his message, he made a simple request: a list of skills for his character and all of his wives. Then with a heavy sigh, Allen put his phone down and made his way to his bed. He pulled the covers up to his chin and closed his eyes, feeling the weight of the day's events wash over him.

—--

In another place.

The white luxury car came to a stop in front of the grand mansion, and with a soft exhale, Shea and Zoe emerged from its sleek interior. Their feet tapped onto the marble floor beneath them as they made their way to the front entrance. Towering columns and intricate carvings decorated the facade, a testament to the wealth and status of their family.

The maids and servants of the household were lined up in a neat row, their faces expectant and eager as they watched the two women approach. However, Shea and Zoe barely acknowledged their presence as they walked by, lost in their own thoughts.

Inside, the grand staircase beckoned, its walls adorned with paintings and tapestries that told the stories of the family's illustrious past.

Zoe let out a long, drawn-out yawn, stretching her arms high above her head to work out the stiffness in her muscles. She couldn't fathom why her mother had insisted on investing in that particular company for so long. Her voice was tinged with annoyance as she spoke, still recovering from the hours she had spent waiting for her mother to negotiate.

"I don't understand why you wanted to invest in that company that much," Zoe complained.

"It's a good game, and the idea is incredibly original, so why not?" Shea responded to her, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "Besides, since I'm one of the players, I can find out all the information much faster," she added.

Shea's eyes sparkled with a glint of satisfaction, despite her weariness. "Did you see how the players stormed the game shops after the first war? Let alone the sale of item mall," she reminded her daughter. "If I don't buy it now, someone else will."

Zoe couldn't help but cringe at her mother's words. "But I didn't expect you to go as far as threatening them," she added, her voice laced with concern.

Shea let out a small chuckle. "It wasn't a threat, my dear. Just a gentle reminder that we don't take kindly to those who don't keep their promises," she explained, a sly smile creeping onto her lips. She had just spoken to the CEO of Hell's Gate company and invested a considerable sum of money into the project. She was a woman who got what she wanted, no matter what.

"Well, they are very stubborn. So hard negotiations are needed," Shea added in a casual tone, her lips curving into a sly smile. The staff at the company had been skeptical at first, fearing that Shea would come in and completely revamp the entire structure. But she had promised them that she wouldn't and had managed to convince them to agree to the deal.

"I thought you did it because of Allen," Zoe teased, her eyes flickering mischievously as she glanced over at her mother.

"It is," Shea replied, her voice still casual but with a hint of humor in her tone. She knew that her daughter was trying to provoke a reaction out of her.

Zoe stopped in her tracks, shock written all over her face. "Are you serious?" she asked, incredulous.

Shea chuckled and turned to face Zoe, a playful gleam in her eyes. "I'm half kidding," she admitted, her lips quirking up into a mischievous smile.

"Half kidding?" Zoe repeated, emphasizing each word as she struggled to wrap her head around her mother's response.

"Yup!" Shea responded, nodding her head and grinning broadly. She knew that her daughter was always up for a bit of banter, and she couldn't resist playing along.