Chapter 40: The Perfect Night and the Meeting · The Indulgence System

As I stepped into the ground-floor study, the shadow chief closed the heavy oak door firmly behind me, turning the brass lock with a quiet, secure click. I walked across the plush Persian rug toward the executive desk, took a seat in the comfortable leather chair, and motioned for the chief to take the chair seated directly across from me.

The chief immediately took his seat, his expression professional and composed. "Sir, I have the full breakdown on the corruption inside Radel University. Our investigation has exposed three core officials running the illicit operations:"

The Finance Department Secretary, who oversees the illegal diversion of student funding.The Student Welfare Department Manager, who acts as the primary intermediary for bribes and threats.University President Kim, who pulls the master strings behind the entire extortion ring.

"I see. Go on," I instructed calmly, picking up a sleek metal pencil from the desk and spinning it between my fingers while the chief continued his report.

"Sir, they systematically siphon off fifty percent of every student’s approved financial aid fund," the chief stated grimly.

I paused, raising an eyebrow at the sheer audacity of the scheme. "And regarding Maya?"

The chief hesitated for a fraction of a second before speaking further. "President Kim explicitly demanded that if Miss Maya wished to receive her rightful financial aid allocation, she had to accompany him to a private hotel suite for ’drinks’—and you know exactly what that implies, sir."

Crack.

A sharp, sudden sound echoed through the quiet study. The metal pencil I had been spinning between my fingers snapped cleanly in half under the sudden tightening of my grip.

My eyes narrowed into dangerous, glacial slits as I dropped the broken pieces onto the wooden desktop. "Did he touch her?"

"Not yet, sir," the chief answered quickly, noting the sudden drop in the room’s temperature. "But Miss Maya has been under immense psychological stress. She managed to protect herself by packing her belongings and moving out of the student dormitories. We discovered that President Kim even attempted to break into the women’s hostel late one night in search of her. That is the exact reason Miss Maya took the part-time maid job at our estate—because our residential quarters provide absolute safety and shadow security."

I leaned back in my leather chair, letting out a frustrated breath as I rubbed the back of my neck. Dealing with scum like this always tested my patience, especially knowing I had to wait until tomorrow morning to settle accounts. "He must have powerful backers behind him, otherwise a mere university president wouldn’t dare act this lawless."

"He does, Boss," the chief confirmed without hesitation. "President Kim is a distant branch member of the powerful Smith noble clan from River City."

A cold, dismissive smirk touched my lips. "The Smith family? Then I truly don’t care. The absolute first thing I am going to do is wipe out the Smith family if they dare interfere with my people."

The chief nodded in acknowledgment. "Understood. Shall we keep all the collected evidence and witness testimonies ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes. By the way, did you assign shadow security operatives to protect Maya and Belle?" I asked, making sure all bases were covered.

"I assigned them last night, sir, so you don’t need to worry about their safety anymore," the chief reported cleanly.

I nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now, how is the expansion of our intelligence department and the placement of our agents in River City progressing?"

"Everything is proceeding smoothly, sir," the chief replied. "Our intelligence network is fully established in River City. Many of our trusted people have successfully blended into high-level municipal posts—such as the police department, prominent local families, and administrative bureaus. Some of our operatives have even secured positions as police inspectors and chief investigators within the River City university governing boards."

"Good. You can go now," I instructed. "Keep expanding our reach and resources in River City."

With a swift, silent motion, the shadow chief dissolved into the background shadows and vanished.

A few moments later, I picked up my personal smartphone and sent a direct text message to Maya, asking her to report to the ground-floor study.

After five minutes, a light knock sounded at the heavy oak door. "Come in," I called out.

Maya tried to turn the handle from the outside, but finding it locked, she paused. "Wait a moment," I said, walking across the room to unlock and pull the door open for her.

Maya stepped inside hesitantly. I motioned for her to take a seat at the desk, and I sat back down in my chair. "Maya, our conversation earlier today remained unfinished. Tell me honestly now—why did you not receive your financial aid this year?"

"I... I don’t know, sir," she stammered softly, looking down at her hands.

"I will ask you once more, and if you cannot speak the truth, I will say it for you," I said gently yet firmly. "Were you harassed by President Kim of Radel University?"

Maya looked up, her eyes widening in utter shock. "H-How do you know about that, sir?!"

"That means it’s true," my voice dropped into a cold, serious register. "Did he touch you?"

"No, sir! Before anything like that could happen, I moved out of the student dorms," she replied quickly, her voice trembling slightly.

"Don’t go to college tomorrow," I instructed decisively. "I will go with you tomorrow. Come to this study only after I call for you."

Later that evening, I walked into the grand dining room to join everyone for dinner. Taking my usual seat at the head of the table, I noticed a pleasant surprise waiting by my plate—a rich, decadent slice of my absolute Favourite chocolate cake for dessert.

As we ate, little gazed across the table with bright eyes. "Papa, this cake is so tasty!"

"Yes, dear, it really is," I smiled, sharing a warm, affectionate laugh with the family.

After finishing dinner, I returned to my master suite and started going through the detailed files regarding the River City Lin family. There was no way I was going to let go of the person who orchestrated the bankruptcy of Sera’s father company. I also reviewed the paperwork for the municipal plot development project that had recently entered its second phase, carefully checking the raw material procurement and construction schedules to ensure everything was running according to plan.

After fifteen minutes of staring at the illuminated display, I put on my anti-glare reading glasses—not because my vision required it, but to protect my eyes from the harsh rays of the tablet screen.

Suddenly, the heavy door of my room swung open.

I stood up immediately and looked toward the entrance. Standing there were Seraphina, Clara, Sophia, and Belle. They had all changed into their finest, most stunning nightgowns, looking breathtakingly elegant.

I couldn’t help a low, amused chuckle as I looked at them. "If tonight becomes too wild, you can’t hold me accountable—you all look far too ravishing to hold back."

Opening the system shop in my mind, I quickly made a purchase:

[System Purchase:] Purchased +30 Physical Attribute Points for 10,000 Indulgence Points.

A warm, invigorating wave of energy coursed through my veins instantly.

[System Notification:] Host has gained +30 physical points! Host has reached the absolute peak of human capability on a physical level (100 / 100). Combined with your ’Rapid Regeneration’ and ’Grandmaster Combat’ skills, your physical strength and endurance now give you the power to take on twenty trained world-class assassins simultaneously and emerge completely unscathed.

[System Status Overview:]

I didn’t give a damn about any of system stats right now. The only thing that mattered was spending a warm, intimate night surrounded by the women who meant everything to me.

I walked over and drew the heavy curtains tightly, shutting out the rest of the world. As they climbed onto the bed, I pulled each of them close—lingering in a tender, sweet kiss with Clara, sharing a soft smile and kiss with Belle, embracing Sophia warmly against my heart, and resting my forehead against Sera’s before kissing her gently.

I reached over and turned off the bedside lamp, letting the quiet dark settle over us. The room instantly filled with an undeniable warmth—a shared affection and deep passion that carried us long into the night. We lay tangled in each other’s arms, whispering sweet promises and holding one another tightly until exhaustion finally claimed us around four in the morning.

Covered safely under the heavy blanket, all four of them slept peacefully, their faces flushed and completely content. With Clara resting her head softly over my chest and the others curled close against my side, a deep sense of satisfaction washed over me. I wrapped my arms around them, closed my eyes, and fell fast asleep.

I was entirely happy and content with everything we had built, and quietly excited for the meeting with Mayor Grey’s older brother tomorrow—the vital next step to expand our absolute influence into the capital.