He winked at her.

Wink.

It was a slow, sexy, confident wink.

Cassandra blushed furiously! Her face turned pink! She felt a shiver go down her spine! She looked at Alex, totally captivated by his confidence.

Joel saw the wink. He saw the blush. He saw the chemistry. And he exploded with jealousy! He looked like he wanted to punch a wall! He ground his teeth together. Grrr.

At that exact moment, a beautiful sound rang in Alex's mind.

Ding!

[System Notification!]

[Congratulations, Boss!]

[You have successfully incited jealousy in a target!]

[You have made the target (Joel) feel insecure and inferior!]

[NTR Points Gained: +200]

Alex saw the blue screen and almost laughed out loud.

'200 Points! Just for a wink and a lie? This is too easy! I am going to milk this relationship dry!'

Alex looked at the blue screen floating in his mind. He looked at the +200 Points.

'System,' Alex asked, feeling a bit confused. 'You said this guy was a Boss Battle. You said he was hard. But... I just winked at his girlfriend and insulted him, and I got points instantly. This seems easy. Is he really that tough? Or is he just a paper tiger?'

[Do not be mistaken, Boss.]

The System replied instantly, its voice sounding serious.

[You are misunderstanding the nature of the points. Unlike Marcus, this guy is not weak. Marcus was a total wimp. When you messed with Marcus, he felt inferior. He felt small. He felt like he couldn't do anything against you. He submitted to your dominance instantly.]

The System paused to let that sink in.

[But this guy? Joel? He is not feeling submission. He is feeling pure ANGER. He is not bowing down; he is burning up! He wants to rip your head off. He is generating points because his ego is hurt, not because he is broken. He is a predator, Boss. Do not underestimate him.]

'I see,' Alex thought. 'So Marcus was a crying baby, and this guy is a raging bull. Got it.'

Back in the real world, the verbal back-and-forth continued.

"You think you are funny?" Joel hissed, stepping closer. "You are nothing. You are a street rat. Stay away from her."

"Or what?" Alex challenged, leaning back against the table. "You gonna call your mommy? Or are you gonna use your 'resources' to buy me a new shirt?"

"You little..." Joel raised his hand.

"Stop it! Both of you!"

Cassandra suddenly stepped in between them. She put her hands on Joel's chest to hold him back. She looked stressed.

"Please! Everyone is looking! This is a public cafe! Joel, calm down! Alex, please stop provoking him!"

Joel looked down at Cassandra. For a split second, a very dark, very scary shadow passed over his face.

His hand twitched. He wanted to push her. He wanted to punish her right there and then!

'How dare she?' Joel thought, his mind twisting with toxic thoughts. 'How dare she defend this scum? How dare she tell me to calm down? She is MY woman! She should be on my side! I want to grab her hair! I want to drag her to the car and teach her a lesson for even trying to talk to a scum like Alex!'

He wanted to exert his dominance. He wanted to make her fear him.

But then... his brain kicked in.

'Wait,' Joel calculated coldly. 'It has only been two dates. Two dates. I don't have the papers yet. I don't have the ring on her finger. I don't have total authority.'

He knew Cassandra. She was a reporter. She was independent. If he exploded now... if he hit her or acted too crazy... she would leave him. She would dump him right there and write a nasty article about him. He would lose his prize.

'I have to wait,' Joel told himself. 'I have to be patient. Once I marry her... then I can train her.'

So, he decided to calm down. He forced his face muscles to relax. He took a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. The monster went back into its cage.

"You are right, honey," Joel said, his voice suddenly smooth and gentle again. It was scary how fast he changed! "I am sorry. I let this... trash... get to me. I shouldn't have lost my temper."

He grabbed Cassandra's hands and looked into her eyes with a serious, possessive look.

"But Cassandra, you have to promise me something. For your own safety."

"W-what?" Cassandra asked.

"Do not meet this guy in secret," Joel commanded softly. "Look at him. He is dangerous. He is a liar. Promise me you won't see him alone again. I am only saying this because I care about you."

Alex stood there, watching this whole performance. He was waiting for Joel to explode at Cassandra. He was ready for the fireworks!

But instead, he was totally surprised.

'Whoa,' Alex thought, his eyes narrowing. 'He stopped? He calmed down? He swallowed his rage just to manipulate her?'

Alex looked at Joel's cold, calculating eyes.

'Marcus would have cried. A normal guy would have punched me. But this guy... he controlled himself perfectly because he knows he doesn't own her yet. He is playing the long game. He is a snake.'

Alex nodded slowly.

'Okay, System. You were right. I understand why Joel is a Boss now. He is actually smart. This is going to be fun.'

"Well, I have wasted enough time with low-level mobs," Alex said, standing up and stretching his arms. Crack.

He looked at Cassandra, completely ignoring the fuming Joel next to her.

"Remember what I said, Cassandra. Wait for my call. Don't let the small fish distract you from the big whale. I will give you the news that will change your career."

He gave her one last confident nod, turned around, and walked out of the cafe. Ding ding. The bell on the door rang as he exited.

Once he was outside on the street, away from the air conditioning and the fake smiles, Alex let his true feelings show.

His face twisted into a scowl. He was in a very irritated state.

'That guy... that Joel guy... he really pissed me off,' Alex thought, kicking an empty soda can on the sidewalk. Clatter. 'He is so arrogant. He thinks he owns her. And the way he squeezed my hand? The way he looked at me like I was a bug? It makes my blood boil!'

He felt a lot of pent-up aggression inside him. The confrontation with a Boss Level enemy had raised his adrenaline, but he didn't get to fight physically. He was tense. His muscles were tight. He needed to release this energy. He needed to vent it out immediately!

'I need to blow off some steam,' Alex decided. 'I need to hit something... or bang something.'

A slow, wicked smile crept onto his face. The irritation turned into lust.

'He he. What better way to vent it out than to pound a homely, submissive wife?'

His mind instantly went to Lily. He thought about her soft curves. He thought about her shy face. He thought about how she squirmed under his touch in the shop while her husband Marcus was right there, oblivious and weak.

'Yes. That is exactly what I need. I need an easy win. I need to dominate someone to wash away the taste of Joel's arrogance.'

Alex didn't hesitate. He changed his direction. He walked straight towards the market district. He walked with a purpose. He walked straight towards Lily and Marcus's general store.

He was going to vent this out properly. He was going to use Lily's body as his personal stress relief ball. He was going to enjoy his time, and maybe, just maybe, he would farm some more easy points from that loser Marcus while he was at it.

'Get ready, Lily,' Alex thought, licking his lips as the shop sign came into view. ' The doctor is coming for a check-up.'

...

Inside the small, dusty general store, everything looked peaceful. It looked like a picture of a perfect, happy life.

Lily was standing behind the wooden counter. She was finally back on her feet. She was standing up straight, organizing the potions and the herbs.

But if you looked closely, her legs were trembling just a tiny little bit.

She was still recovering from getting absolutely pounded by Alex! Her body was still sore and sensitive from his rough "treatment."

Marcus was there too. He was in the aisle, tending to some stuffs on the shelves. He was arranging the bread and the dried meat.

"Honey, do we need to order more flour?" Marcus asked with a bright smile.

"I think so, dear," Lily replied with a sweet smile.

They were talking and smiling like old times. They looked like a normal husband and wife who loved each other very much.

But inside their heads? It was a total mess!

Lily looked at the door nervously every five seconds. Glance.

'Please... please don't come back,' she prayed silently. 'I hope Alex never walks through that door again.'

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