Part 3Three Alphas to Capture, Three White Moons to Conquer

After Ethan left, the System chimed in.

[Host, that move was effective!]

"What move?" I asked.

[The dying move! Target number one's Heartbeat Value shot up! Should we keep it up?]

I refused.

I attempt suicide, and his value only goes up by 20%? That proved he didn’t really care about me. Why bother continuing?

Just as I was planning my next great escape, my phone buzzed. A text.

"Empyrean Club, Suite 308. 30 minutes."

No name, no greeting. Before I could reply, the sender was gone. Unmistakably, it was my third target, Wyatt.

Wyatt was a lawyer, and we only ever met at night. He suffered from severe insomnia and could only fall asleep holding me. At first, it was purely platonic. Then, one night, he came home drunk. He started getting handsy, and when I tried to push him away, he whispered, "I want you. I'll take responsibility."

I’m no hopeless romantic, but Wyatt was ridiculously handsome—a movie star's face on a personal trainer’s body. I simply made a mistake any woman would make.

After that night, I finally remembered to check his Heartbeat Value. It was only 30%.

But I wasn't discouraged. I poured my heart into winning him over. I cooked for him, helped him heal his childhood traumas, and gave him anything he wanted. Just when I thought my devotion would finally move him, I overheard him talking to his friends.

"Like her? Not really. She's just a free lay. I have no feelings for her. The one I like is Hannah."

Hannah. His "best girl friend," the adored princess of their little clique. After Wyatt brought me to one of their gatherings, she made me her personal target. Whenever we met, she'd make crude jokes at my expense and flirt outrageously with Wyatt right in front of me.

At first, her tactics didn't bother me. Compared to Claire’s physical torment, these verbal jabs were nothing. But when she realized her taunts weren't working, she turned vicious.

She had Wyatt take a series of intimate photos and videos of me. Then, whenever their group got together, they’d use my videos as betting chips in their games. Buy them with cash, or win them in a round of cards.

The first time I found out, I was furious and threatened to call the police.

Wyatt just laughed. "I'm a lawyer. Even if you call the cops, I have a hundred ways to get Hannah off scot-free. I can guarantee she won't face any consequences. Can you guarantee your videos won't end up all over the internet?"

I couldn't.

And I still had two other tycoons to capture. Annoying their "white moonlights" just meant more abuse. If they found out I was juggling all three of them, they might actually kill me.

I had planned to ignore Wyatt’s text, but then I had an idea. If they were going to release my videos, I might as well drag them all down with me.

I grabbed my phone and walked out.

I was ten minutes late to the Empyrean Club. As soon as I pushed the door open, Hannah’s smug face was in mine. "Sophie, you're late. You know the rules. The price on your little photos just went up by another ten grand. Pay up, or we post them online."

She smiled, a triumphant glint in her eyes. Wyatt sat on the sofa behind her, watching with a look of indulgent amusement.

Without a second thought, I said, "Fine. Post them."