"The watch monitors your biometrics through the watch," I explained. "Heart rate, hydration levels, stress indicators, everything. The Homebots read that data and respond. You don't have to ask. They'll just know."

She took the water with shaking hands. Drank. The Homebot waited patiently until she finished, then took the empty glass and glided away.

"What the fuck," Lila breathed.

Janet groaned from the loveseat. "Don't get me started on the Homebots."

"Oh god, here we go," Luna said, grinning.

"They're taking my job!" Janet declared dramatically. "I used to run this house. Managed everything. Made sure things were clean and organized and functioning. Now these chrome bastards do literally everything and I'm basically unemployed."

"You're not unemployed," I pointed out. "You're freed from labor."

"Same thing! I wake up and there's nothing to do. The beds are made. The dishes are washed. The cars are detailed. The groceries are ordered and put away. The whole estate basically runs itself and I'm just... existing."

"Sounds terrible," Charlotte said dryly.

"It is! I'm bored! I need purpose!"

Luna laughed. "She's complaining but she's not actually upset. Watch."

Janet crossed her arms. "Fine. I'm not upset. The Homebots are actually amazing. But I'm allowed to miss feeling useful."

"You are useful," Madison said. "You're family. That's a big purpose."

Janet softened. "Yeah. Okay. But still. They're very efficient and it's mildly offensive."

"I'm not complaining at all," Luna cut in, looking at Lila. "These things took away the laundry burden. Do you understand what that means? I used to worry about wearing the same outfit twice a week. About washing clothes. About running out of clean underwear in my wardrobe."

"Now," she gestured expansively, "I go to my wardrobe and everything is freshly cleaned, ironed, or freshly ordered. The Homebots track what I wear, what I want to wear, hate and shop, know when things need washing, and handle it all automatically. I could wear a different outfit every day for a month and never think about laundry once."

"They also," Emma added, "bring you things before you realize you need them. I was studying last week—stressed, tired, hadn't eaten in hours—and a Homebot just appeared with food. Didn't ask. Didn't wait for permission. Just knew I needed it, what kind that suited me at that moment and provided it."

"They help with learning too," Sarah said. "I was struggling with calculus homework and I did not have my Eyelens. Couldn't figure out a problem. The Homebot accessed my homework through my watch, displayed a holographic tutorial, walked me through the solution step by step. Better than any tutor."

"They're godly assistants," Dominique said from her chair. "I mentioned wanting to read a specific sex book—just mentioned it to Charlotte in passing that it was missing in the library—and two hours later, a Homebot brought me the book, freshly ordered. First edition. Signed. I don't even know how it got it that fast."

"The Quantum Watches make them omniscient," Charlotte explained, looking at Lila.

"Every woman here wears one. The watches monitor everything—biometrics, location, emotional state, browsing history, everything you look at or think about or need. The Homebots read that data through the estate's network and respond. But do not worry about your privacy, as long as your mind registers something as private, the Watch locks it so that the Homebot can't access it until you allow it and the watch makes sure the secrets are secured and nothing can ever access it, not even."

Well, ARIA can if it is emergency.

"It's like having servants," Reyna said, "except they're not people you have to feel guilty about. They're robots. They don't get tired. Don't get offended. Just... serve."

Lila looked down at the watch on her wrist. Touched it gently.

"And they run the whole estate?"

"Everything," Emma confirmed. "The estate is huge. Forest in the back. Guest house that's basically another huge mansion. Golf course. Tennis courts. Entertainment hall. Swimming pools. It's too much for humans to maintain."

"The Homebots," Charlotte continued, "handle it all. Landscaping. Cleaning. Repairs. Cooking. Laundry. Car maintenance. Security monitoring. They even order groceries when supplies run low, cook meals when someone's hungry, mix drinks when someone wants one. Some started a farming project because ARIA was bored."

"There are more than fifty of them," I added. "Throughout the estate. You'll barely notice them most of the time if you don't need them. They're designed to be unobtrusive. But they're always there. Always ready."

"It's like living in the future," Emma said. "Except it's now."

Lila was quiet for a long moment. Processing.

Then she looked at me.

"This is my life now?"

"This is your life now."

"I don't have to go back?"

"Never. The agency doesn't own you anymore, I will make sure. The Dex Family doesn't own you. You're free. And you're protected."

Her eyes filled with tears again. But these were different.

Not grief. Not trauma.

Relief.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I crossed to where she sat with Emma, crouched down so I was eye level.

"You're our family now," I said quietly. "That means you're safe. That means you're family. That means no one will ever hurt you again. And if they try—" I let the dangerous edge slip into my voice "—they'll learn very quickly why that was a mistake."

She nodded. Believed me. Could see in my eyes that I meant every word.

"Now," I stood, shifting tone to something lighter, "you need rest. Real rest. In a real bed. In your new home. Emma, can you show Lila to one of the new rooms?"

"Actually," Madison interjected, "I already had one prepared. Third floor, east wing. Good view of the forest. Private bathroom. Walk-in closet that's currently empty but we'll fix that tomorrow. I did not let Homebots take away the shopping fun."

"We're taking you shopping," Luna said immediately. "You need clothes. Real clothes. A whole wardrobe."

"And shoes," Sarah added.

"And everything else. And if want we will go shopping. No Homebot ordered." Emma finished.

Lila looked overwhelmed. "I don't have money—"

"You don't need money," I said handing her a new black card the Homebot bought, connected to the Estate's private account my women used for anything. All of them had these limitless black cards.

"Everything you need, you have. Everything you want, you'll get. That's how this works."

Charlotte stood, stretching. "I can't wait until you finally agree to bring these miracles to the whole world."

I laughed. "Not now."

"But eventually?"

"Eventually. When the time's right."

Charlotte and I had been discussing it for weeks. The plan was already mapped out.

Quantum Home.

A subsidiary of Quantum Tech dedicated entirely to home technology. Appliances. TVs. WiFi systems. Sound systems. Fridges. Ovens. Washers and dryers. Every piece of technology that went into a modern home, except better. Smarter. Integrated with AR.NuN so your house became an extension of the AI.

And eventually—when we'd saturated the market with Quantum Home products and gotten people used to the ecosystem—we'd release the Homebots.

Make humanity even lazier than they already were.

Give them robot servants that handled every domestic task.

Watch the world change overnight.

But not yet.

Right now, they were ours. Our advantage. Our luxury.

"Quantum Home launches next year," I said. "Appliances first. Get people hooked on the integration. Then Phase Four: Homebots. But we're talking two, maybe three years out."

"By then," Charlotte added, "every home will want them. Need them. We'll have created the demand before we provide the supply."

"Evil genius," Madison said approvingly.

"Thank you."

Lila stood slowly, Emma supporting her. "I think I need that rest."

"Of course. Emma, show her up. Make sure she has everything she needs."

"On it."

They headed for the stairs, Emma chattering about the estate's layout, pointing out rooms and features as they went.

The others started dispersing. Back to their activities. Their lives.

Normal evening in an abnormal household.

I watched them go and felt that warmth again.

This was what I'd built.

And it was perfect.

"Master," ARIA's voice came through my earpiece. "IHIN story drops in four hours. Dmitri's death will be international news by morning. Are you prepared for the fallout?"

"Always."

"Charlotte mission completion imminent. System rewards pending."

"Good."

"And the mansion visit that the system personalities were being weird about?"

I smiled. "After Lila's settled. After tonight. Tomorrow, maybe. Let them keep their secrets a little longer."

"Understood. Enjoy your evening, Master."

"Always do."

I settled into the couch Madison had vacated, grabbed the remote, pulled up something mindless on the massive TV.

Around me, the estate hummed with life. Homebots gliding through hallways. Women laughing in distant rooms. The subtle thrum of technology that made all of this possible.

My empire.

My family.

My paradise.

And Lila was finally home.

Safe.

Protected.

Mine.

Tomorrow would bring chaos. Dmitri's death exposed. International relations imploding. The CIA scrambling. System rewards unlocking.

But tonight?

Tonight was for family.

And that was perfect.

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