Chapter 56: The Plan to Wait · The Indulgence System

The first hostage stared at me, his eyes wide with trembling anticipation. "Now... I have given you everything I have and everything I know about Patriarch Karon’s illegal business! You promised!"

I looked him straight in the eyes, my voice cool and calm. "Remember what I said. I told you that I wouldn’t lay a single finger on you. But I never said I would let you live." I turned toward the shadow chief. "Dispose of everything, and then clean this entire place until it looks like nothing ever happened here."

The shadow chief bowed respectfully. "Don’t worry, sir. You can head back to the villa. We will handle everything here smoothly."

"Good," I nodded, turning around. "Then I’ll take my leave."

I walked out of the underground weapons testing facility and stepped into the cool evening air. My private driver immediately stepped forward, opening the rear door of the Aurelius Executive sedan for me. I slid smoothly onto the soft leather seat.

As the car door clicked shut, a familiar electronic chime echoed softly in my mind:

[System Notification:] Host practiced firearm mastery and eliminated enemy sleeper cells! Host has gained 80,000 Indulgence Points!

I smiled to myself, resting my head against the leather headrest. So taking care of threats and completing high-level tactical training can also grant me Indulgence Points? In that case, I should practice even more often.

System, open status overview, I commanded mentally.

A translucent blue screen materialized directly before my eyes:

[System Status Overview]

[Inner Circle Panel]

Seraphina Lin: Destiny Confidante (100% Complete Devotion)Clara Carter: Destiny Confidante (100% Complete Devotion)Dr. Sophia Starling: Inner Circle Member (Relationship Status: Complete Devotion)Belle Young: Inner Circle Member (Relationship Status: Complete Devotion)

System, open the system shop, I commanded mentally.

A pleasant robotic voice echoed in my mind: Following the recent system update, the system shop has been upgraded. You can now purchase special functional items and sports skills:

Bad Luck Card: 100,000 Indulgence PointsBankruptcy Card: 100,000 Indulgence PointsBasketball Skill: 10,000 Indulgence PointsTennis Skill: 10,000 Indulgence PointsPro Golf Skill: 20,000 Indulgence Points

Reviewing the list, I didn’t hesitate. Purchase the Bad Luck Card for me.

Host, are you sure you want to confirm this purchase?

Confirm.

100,000 Indulgence Points deducted! Remaining Indulgence Points: 10,000. Bad Luck Card has been added to the Host’s inventory!

I smiled with satisfaction as the card settled into my system inventory. I already had a very neat, calculated plan for when and where to use it against Karon Smith.

After a smooth thirty-minute drive through the city, the luxury sedan came to a gentle halt inside the private driveway of Grandview Villa No. 1. I stepped out into the evening breeze and looked at the driver. "You are free to go off duty now. I won’t be using the car for the rest of tonight, so enjoy your evening."

"Thank you, sir! Have a wonderful night," the driver bowed respectfully before driving the car toward the garage.

I walked through the grand entrance doors and stepped into the living room. All four of the gorgeous women in my life—Seraphina, Clara, Sophia, and Belle—were sitting together on the plush sofas, chatting comfortably.

"Hello, my lovely ladies," I greeted with a warm, genuine smile. I walked over to each of them, leaning down to press a soft, passionate kiss onto their lips one by one.

Taking a seat in the plush armchair across from them, I asked softly, "What are you all up to?"

Seraphina looked up, her eyes bright. "We were just waiting for you to get back! Right now, all the entertainment news channels are talking about Pop Queen Iris holding her massive concert in River City soon."

"That’s right," Clara added. "Her team booked the largest arena in River City, and yet every single ticket sold out in just five minutes flat! And those tickets were incredibly expensive!"

I chuckled softly, stretching my arms over the back of the sofa. "Well, when someone is that famous and genuinely talented at what they do, real fans don’t think twice about the money." I glanced around the spacious room before turning to Sophia. "By the way, where is little Daisy?"

"Darling, she’s upstairs in her study room doing her homework with Maya," Sophia answered with a warm smile.

I looked directly into Sophia’s beautiful eyes, my tone turning gentle and affection-filled. "Love, today it’s your turn to spend the night with me, right?"

Sophia’s cheeks instantly flushed a sweet crimson. "Y-Yes, darling... but why are you asking like that right now?"

I smiled warmly, leaning forward. "Why don’t you tell Maya to sleep in Daisy’s bedroom with her tonight? That way, if Daisy wakes up during the night, you won’t have to worry or rush over. Maya will be right there with her, and Daisy gets along wonderfully with Maya anyway."

Sophia nodded softly, her eyes shining with affection. "That’s a very sweet idea, darling. I’ll tell Maya right away."

I glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, it’s dinner time. Let’s all head to the dining room and eat. We should call Daisy down as well."

The ladies smiled, standing up gracefully as we all walked toward the grand dining hall together.

Meanwhile, far away in River City, inside the main dining hall of the Smith estate...

A lieutenant came sprinting through the corridors, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. He burst through the double doors and gasped, "P-Patriarch! We can’t get through to any of our sleeper cells in Metro City! Every single line has gone completely dead! I think there might be a massive problem—"

Before General Rey could even step forward to manage the situation, Karon Smith’s face twisted into unhinged fury. He grabbed a sharp silver dining knife from the table and hurled it directly across the room!

THUMP!

The heavy blade sank deep into the lieutenant’s chest. The man let out a wet gasp, collapsing onto the marble floor.

Karon lost all control, roaring in explosive rage as he swept his arms across the grand dining table, smashing expensive porcelain plates, crystal glasses, and serving platters onto the floor in a shower of shattered glass.

"Rey!" Karon screamed, his chest heaving wildly as he glared at his head general. "What do we do now?! How do I get rid of that bastard in Metro City?! This isn’t just about business anymore—it’s about my ego! My pride will never be satisfied until I personally break Julian Vance and tear down that Cosmos Group he’s so proud of!"

General Rey immediately dropped onto one knee amidst the broken glass, lowering his head. "Patriarch, if you will allow me, I have a backup plan. What if we invite him here to River City under the guise of an official business negotiation? On his way here, we can arrange for his vehicle to suffer a catastrophic accident. He will die quietly, and no one will ever be able to suspect us. It will be treated as an open-and-shut road accident."

Just as Karon’s eyes flashed with dark approval, his private encrypted phone suddenly began ringing on the table.

Karon glanced down at the screen. The moment he saw the caller ID, all the color drained from his face. His aggressive posture instantly vanished, replaced by sheer, terrifying dread.

With trembling hands, Karon picked up the phone, his voice shaking. "Y-Yes, Sir! How can I help you? Is there something you need me to do? Just say the word, and I will handle it immediately!"

A voice came through the speaker—cold, calm, and utterly terrifying in its authority. "I heard you have a personal matter going on with a man named Julian Vance."

Karon wiped a nervous bead of sweat from his forehead, stammering quickly, "S-Sir, you don’t need to trouble yourself with such a minor issue! I am taking care of him myself right now—"

"Who do you think you are?" the voice interrupted, turning deathly cold. "Do you honestly believe I care about your petty personal squabbles? What interests me here is Julian Vance himself. Do not touch him. I have heard that he plans to expand his business into River City soon."

Karon swallowed hard, sweating profusely. "Y-Yes, Sir... he is."

"Then let him come," the voice commanded with unquestionable power. "And you will wait for my explicit orders before you dare try to mess with him again. In the future, if you act rashly without my permission, no one in this world will ever find out where Karon Smith disappeared to."

CLICK.

The call disconnected. Karon stood frozen in place, trembling from the terrifying warning, yet burning with absolute, suffocating rage. He was trapped. The one man he hated most in this world was untouchable because his shadow backer had entirely different plans for Julian Vance.

In a fit of helpless fury, Karon slammed his phone against the stone wall, shattering it into a dozen pieces.

He turned his bloodshot eyes toward General Rey, growling through gritted teeth, "Abort everything. Abort every single plan we prepared against Julian Vance until further notice from Sir... And go get me a new encrypted phone."

"Understood, Patriarch," General Rey bowed low, keeping his head down as Karon glared at the broken pieces of phone scattered across the floor.

Meanwhile, back in Metro City...

I sat comfortably at the head of the long dining table in Grandview Villa No. 1. Sitting right beside me in her high baby seat was little Daisy. On my right sat Seraphina as always, with Clara beside her, while Sophia and Belle sat on my left next to Daisy.

I turned my head toward Daisy with a warm smile. "Sweetie, you’re going to sleep with Maya tonight, right?"

Daisy puffed out her little chest proudly. "Yes, Papa! I’m a big girl now! I can even sleep all by myself!"

I chuckled softly, tapping her tiny nose. "No, dear, definitely not alone."

She pouted cutely before smiling. "Okay! With Maya then!"

As we all laughed at her sweet reaction, Belle turned toward me, her expression turning slightly serious. "Julian, you’ll need to come with me tomorrow. We have an official meeting scheduled with the Brooks family."

I turned my eyes toward Belle, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "The Brooks family? One of the four major noble clans of River City?"

Belle nodded, her eyes shining with anticipation. "Yes, love. Tomorrow, we take our next big step."