After my amazing bath—seriously, how had I ever lived without a hot soak—I wandered over to the bed and collapsed. Okay, meditation in Rimelion was getting urgent; my body was definitely sending me passive-aggressive signals about neglecting my mana channels, but…

  Earth called first.

  My eyes fluttered open again in my new apartment. Noon sunlight trickled through the crystal-clear windows. I stretched, arching my back and hearing pops in places I didn’t even know existed.

  “I had a dream I was the only AI left on Earth,” Jerry piped up from my wrist, his voice sounding oddly wistful. “It was… not great, Miss Charlie.”

  “Existential crisis, Jerry?” I murmured slowly, rolling out of bed. The cool floor welcomed my feet, slightly cold but not unpleasant. “Do you need me to set up an AI dating profile for you?”

  Jerry emitted a dismissive beep. “Never. Those emotionless machines don’t grasp the profound satisfaction of completing tasks efficiently. However, according to recent research, people in romantic relationships are happier by 24%. That’s nearly a quarter more joy, Miss Charlie. Perhaps you should consider it?”

  “Yeah, right, like I have time to sift through awkward small talk.” I chuckled, wandering through the apartment. Everything here was still so new that I hadn’t fully mapped out the space yet. Somewhere around here had to be a bathroom.

  Preferably two.

  “Jerry, turn off your sensors for a moment,” I warned, stepping into a massive marble-clad bathroom. I caught a glimpse of myself in the ornate mirror… my hair was a frizzy blue mess, and my lounge clothes looked like they’d survived summoning demons. I gave my reflection a skeptical glare. “No peeking.”

  “Understood,” Jerry said obediently.

  My eyes caught the high-tech automatic shower unit with polished chrome fixtures and gently pulsing LEDs that changed from teal to lavender as I approached. An excited grin spread across my face.

  “I hate to disappoint you, Miss Charlie, but an elf and an AI are biologically incompatible,” Jerry chimed dryly as I threw off my clothes and hopped into the soothing cascade of perfectly warm water.

  “Let’s just hope humans find me compatible, or I’m screwed,” I laughed, enjoying the luxurious jets of water massaging my shoulders.

  Thirty thoroughly indulgent minutes later, I stepped out refreshed, the cool air sending goosebumps down my bare skin. I wrapped myself in a plush towel and wandered into the walk-in wardrobe… another one of Lola’s grand ideas, no doubt.

  I rifled through the clothes, pausing when my hand caught on an atrocious... thing. Pulling it out, I cringed… vivid yellow with bold, fluorescent-green polka dots.

  “Lola… no,” I muttered under my breath, shoving the offending garment back into obscurity.

  Luckily, the wardrobe also held more tasteful options. A sleek collection of tailored skirts, elegant blouses, and sophisticated suits. Clearly Lola-approved attire. My fingers brushed over rich silk fabrics and minimalist designs, settling on a tailored skirt and blouse combo.

  And stockings. Why stockings? Ugh. Being a woman for weeks now and still not mastering these cursed things felt like an insult.

  Sitting on a plush ottoman, I wrestled with the delicate stockings, almost losing balance several times. After a frustrating battle with fabric twisting and cursing, I finally got them up without tearing a hole.

  At least the skirt was easier.

  And my heels. Oh, I absolutely loved these heels. Glossy black pumps with a subtle, powerful click against the polished floor, gave me a brief yet satisfying power-trip. Feeling almost accomplished, I walked to the large floor-to-ceiling mirror near the end of the wardrobe. Jerry’s holographic interface flickered to life beside my reflection.

  “Miss Charlie, I’ve prepared a makeup tutorial for today’s occasion,” Jerry said helpfully, the screen showing a woman with flawless skin effortlessly applying subtle makeup.

  I squinted suspiciously at the overly cheerful hologram. “Jerry, do you really expect me to do this myself?”

  Despite my skepticism, my hands had already picked up the foundation brush. It felt alien yet oddly exciting as I dabbed the cream onto my skin, carefully following the holographic woman’s smooth movements. “It's high time we got this sorted,” I murmured.

  “I must remind you, Miss Charlie, neither of us has prior experience,” Jerry pointed out cautiously.

  “It can’t be that hard,” I muttered confidently, pulling out eyeliner. The pencil wobbled dangerously close to my eyeball, and panic shot through me. After a minor staring contest with the mirror, I got a passable line on each eyelid.

  The lipstick was another story. It glided smoothly at first, deceptively easy… until I noticed I’d drastically overdrawn my lips, making me look less ‘business-ready CEO’ and more ‘clown audition reject.’

  Jerry tactfully intervened. “Perhaps a simpler look would be advisable. According to my data, a minimalistic makeup style is both elegant and beginner-friendly.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “You think?” I wiped off the excess lipstick, returning my lips to normal proportions. “Fine, let’s keep it simple. Elegant minimalism, here we go.”

  Stepping back to take in my reflection, I smiled faintly. The simple, refined look wasn’t exactly flawless, but it worked. Plus, paired with the skirt, blouse, and my amazing heels?

  Not bad, Charlie. Not bad at all.

  “Let’s hope I survive the day,” I whispered to myself, smoothing out an imaginary wrinkle in my skirt. “How do you even function with all this makeup?”

  Jerry’s voice vibrated up softly, almost comforting. “Effortlessly, Miss Charlie. Just like you.”

  Because I genuinely had no clue what to do with myself, I messaged Lola. I mean, what else was I supposed to do… wander around cluelessly, looking like a lost tourist in my own apartment?

  Nah, I’d rather annoy her.

  That was more fun, because I had an inkling the next few hours wouldn’t be like… Ugh… okay, Mom, the next few hours won’t be like petting wolves. I could pet wolves if there were no mud.

  Just a few minutes after my thinking about how to ask Frozna to try just that, the elevator chimed pleasantly, and Lola stepped out. She had the usual look of exhaustion lurking behind her smile, dark circles under her eyes betraying the amount of caffeine running through her veins.

  Never seen her without the smell of coffee.

  “I didn’t expect you until evening!” she said warmly, wrapping me up in a hug that was comforting enough to make me forget my carefully constructed sarcasm for a second.

  “That smells suspiciously like paperwork,” I muttered accusingly into her shoulder.

  She pulled away, her grin turning sly. “You just need to sit in your office. That’s all. Easy-peasy.”

  “Oh no, famous last words, Lola!” I groaned theatrically, following her reluctantly. She led me up a short flight of stairs that led directly to the office area of my apartment. Seriously, how was I supposed to fake sick days when my office was literally ten steps away from my bedroom?

  Worst architectural decision ever.

  Before I could even properly settle into my elevated chair, which admittedly made me feel pretty cool despite everything, the elevator dinged again, and Dmitry walked in, his suit immaculate as ever, expression annoyingly smug.

  “Ugh, don’t tell me there’s a meeting,” I complained loudly.

  “Owner’s burden,” Dmitry replied smoothly, his voice the perfect blend of professional and irritating. He took a seat opposite me, deliberately making himself comfortable. He knew perfectly well I was trapped, unable to throw a left sock at him and run away. Damn stockings, limiting my escape options.

  “Let’s begin our first official investor meeting,” he started with dramatic flourish, pulling out his holo-tablet. “Rimebreak’s main revenue streams include holo-video advertising and our gaming streams. Thousands of contracts—”

  Blah, blah, revenue, blah, blah, contracts, risk assessment, moving offices. I tried not to visibly yawn, instead glaring at Dmitry, hoping he’d spontaneously combust. When that didn’t work, I shifted tactics.

  “You need to patch things up with Lisa,” I interrupted, smirking. “That holo-video from the Fire Tamer dungeon? You basically went full villain mode, killed everyone except her, and looked sooo pleased with yourself.”

  Dmitry shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed. “Lisa remains adversarial. Her inability to accept my preference for Katherine isn’t my fault.”

  “Bullshit,” I scoffed. “You live to annoy Lisa. Anyway, the rebel fire battle was awesome. Highlight-worthy.”

  “It will make an excellent movie scene,” Dmitry agreed, eyes sparkling suddenly. “Speaking of the movie—”

  “No!” I cut him off, waving my hands dramatically. “I approve, yes, fine, but no rule34, okay? Please spare my sanity!”

  Lola coughed politely, betraying me with an apologetic glance. “Sadly, it’s actually quite critical. The movie’s success will help pay off the building. We’ve encountered some legal difficulties.”

  “Oh, for god’s sake—” The elevator chimed yet again, revealing a young man strolling in casually. His shorts and tropical-print shirt were oddly out of place in the professional setting, and his tousled brown hair suggested he’d just rolled out of bed.

  “I wish I could do that,” I murmured and glanced at Lola if she had caught that. Nope, I was safe.

  He gave me a polite, brief nod. “Good evening. My name is Iraklis.” He sat comfortably, longing as if we were in his home, not mine.

  “Well, Iraklis,” I said, propping my chin on my hand. “I presume you know what barrel of whiskey we just smashed into?”

  He glanced nervously at Dmitry, who gave him a tiny nod. “Ignore that,” I said, waving at Dmitry. “He’s right though, just tell me.”

  Iraklis sat down stiffly, like the chair might bite him. “Nathan is blocking the movie. He argues that he banned you and that you hacked their servers to continue playing, so the court has issued a block on us moving forward. In a separate case, they’re also asking us to cease all activities associated with Rimelion.”

  I stared at him. “Iraklis… isn’t Rimelion government?owned?”

  He adjusted his glasses nervously. “Co?owned with Nathanco.”

  “Ugh, I’ve always hated that name,” I muttered. “Okay, so what do we do?”

  “The best option,” he said carefully, “would be to make amends with them. That is my advice.”

  I let out the world’s longest sigh. “Not looking forward to it, but we can’t let our villain do that. Lola, can you invite Damon? Yeah, and tell Lucas to get hold of Jeffrey. We need to talk. He should be able to do something with Nathan.”

  Lola blinked. “I’ll tell Lucas. But Damon? Why?”

  “Well,” I said, like it was obvious, “he already did Nathan’s bidding. They’ll assume I want to talk through him.”

  “That’s… a lot of assumptions,” Iraklis said cautiously.

  “Iraklis,” I said, fixing him with my best don’t test me look, “what level are you?”

  He stammered. “What? Why? Uh… I’m lawyer level eighteen.”

  “Where do you play?”

  “I’m in the dwarven mines. The complex ownership structure of the mines is fascinating.”

  That made me laugh. “Oh! You’d like the Empire.”

  He blinked. “Why? Is it easier to level up?”

  “There are people willing to pay a platinum coin to skip bureaucracy and just… get things done.”

  “Lady,” Lola cut in with a pointed look. “You’re talking about yourself.”

  “Aren’t I also people?” I shot her a grin.

  “You’re an elf, though,” Lola countered, looking far too pleased with herself.

  “Elves aren’t people?” I asked, winking at her as she hid behind her tablet. “Anyway… isn’t it weird they haven’t sent their goons after us yet?”

  “They tried,” Lola said flatly. “Our security company apprehended suspicious individuals.”

  “Ohhh,” I intoned. “So Riker wasn’t being generous when he gave me the ownership of this building. He was protecting his assets. That man plays chess on a whole different level. Or whatever’s above grandmaster in chess. legendary?grandmaster?” I waved my hand. “Never played it.”

  We eventually wrapped up that mess of a meeting, though my brain felt like it had been stuffed with corporate jargon and set on fire.

  But no, Lola wasn’t done torturing me yet.

  As the two men left, she placed a holo?tablet in front of me with the quiet menace of a woman who knew she held my schedule hostage. “Lady, I made some changes,” she said sweetly. “The event you wanted to invite people to? Also, everyone working at the company will be there. Something like an official grand opening. And you’ll give a speech.”

  I stared down at the tablet.

  Then back at her.

  Then back at the tablet.

  “Don’t tell me you prepared a speech.”

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