’Girlfriend...?’

That was Diana’s first thought.

It wasn’t supposed to be surprising given the fact that Wren was drop-dead gorgeous, but she had to blink.

He had a girlfriend? Well, he did say that it was complicated, so did that mean they were on some kind of break? Regardless, he was cheating on this wonderful girl with an old woman like her.

Diana didn’t know what to feel.

On one hand, she was weirdly happy that Wren was cheating on his girlfriend with an older woman like her, especially since her husband had cheated on her with a college girl so it was some kind of inverse stuff... Karma, maybe... Cosmic balance... Whatever you wanted to call it but at the same time, Diana was also disappointed that Wren was actually cheating.

She’d thought he was better than that, more honest and more upfront about things.

But then, did that mean this girl was no good for him? Was it that she couldn’t satisfy him like Diana could? Was there something wrong in their relationship that drove him to seek comfort elsewhere? Or maybe the girl didn’t appreciate him properly and didn’t see what Diana saw in him?

’What am I thinking about?’ Diana thought, mentally shaking herself.

The good thing to do... the right thing, the moral thing would be to tell the girl immediately that Wren was cheating on her so that they would break up. It was only fair. She deserved to know but then... would Diana have to leave Wren too? Would that make her a hypocrite if she stayed? Would she lose him entirely?

’I guess I could satisfy him regardless...’ Diana finished the thought, then felt a wave of guilt crash over her.

However, Wren bonked Leah on the back of her head, making her grip it with a wince.

"Ow! Ow!" Leah said, rubbing the spot. "I don’t remember you being this strong... It’s like you’ve gotten a whole new body."

She looked back at his face. He was more handsome and muscular than before, but she preferred the way he was before.

Though she would ask him about the change later... it wasn’t normal to change like this in less than two weeks.

’Did he get some overpowered system or something?’ Leah thought with amusement.

Wren’s eye twitched.

"We’re not dating..." Wren said flatly.

"Eh?" Diana perked up immediately.

Leah turned to Wren with an exasperated look.

"Why didn’t you go along with the flow of it?" Leah asked. "You haven’t had a girlfriend before, so let me act as your girlfriend at least. You could show me off."

The information hit the other two women like a storm.

’N-never dated before?’ Diana thought, her cheeks suddenly going red. ’D-d-does that mean that...?’

Even the average high schooler had relationships before college. It was practically a rite of passage.

Zoe had been in two already, for example, and she was only nineteen but Wren hadn’t been in any? Not a single one? Maybe he was into hookups instead? One-night stands? The kind of casual encounters that didn’t require emotional commitment?

"I don’t need to show off..." Wren said.

Leah chuckled.

"Did you finally have any other woman interaction except for me?" Leah asked.

Diana’s face reddened so much that steam came out of her ears.

’So that meant he didn’t have any womanly interaction...’ Diana thought, her heart racing faster and faster. ’So... so... the blowjob that I gave him was actually his first time ever?’

Her cheeks burned hotter... She had taken one of Wren’s first times, his first sexual experience with another person which was unfair, really, because he didn’t get to take her first time too.

’B-but that means I can take his first sex too, right?’ Diana thought, the realization hitting her like lightning.

She immediately slapped the thought away by hitting her cheeks on each side, trying to physically knock the idea out of her head but it kept coming back, tempting her.

It was said that guys didn’t forget who they gave their first times to, as long as they loved that person so that meant if she did take his first time... his actual virginity... that Wren would keep loving her, right? Or at least stay with her? Remember her forever, even if things ended eventually?

On the other hand, Zoe was grinning for a whole different reason.

’So he hasn’t even dated before...’ Zoe thought with a gleeful smirk. ’This means I can bully the fuck out of him.’

He was a bloody virgin. She was a virgin too, but still if he was hot like that and still a virgin with zero woman interactions, it would stop her friends from going after him. They liked men with experience, right?

[Ding! Target Diana’s affection has hit the 100 mark! Congratulations, Host! You have successfully made another man’s wife fall completely in love with you!]

’Already?’ Wren blinked and looked at Diana, who was currently slapping her blushing face repeatedly. ’What the hell is she thinking about?’

Wren turned back to Leah.

"Just shut up..." Wren said.

"That’s no way to treat your best friend!" Leah protested.

She walked forward confidently.

"I personally handpicked all of those flowers in that bouquet," Leah said. "You should cherish them!"

Before Wren could say anything, she had already arrived at the kitchen counter.

"Mother Diana!" Leah said brightly. "Should I help you cook?"

Diana blushed hard.

"M-m-mother..." Diana stammered.

"Yes!" Leah said enthusiastically. "If you’re Wren’s stepmother, then you’re my mother too, right? You should take me as your daughter!"

Diana blushed even more.

"Okay," Diana managed. "There’s no problem, but I hope you won’t mind—"

Leah laughed warmly.

"You’re really kind!" Leah said. "And you have such a beautiful smile!"

Diana smiled at her warmly. It didn’t feel the same as when Wren gave her a compliment, but she would take it.

"Thank you..." Diana said softly.

"So what are you cooking?" Leah asked, looking at the ingredients on the counter.

"I’m making fried chicken..." Diana explained, pointing to the various bowls and ingredients spread across the workspace. "With a special coating and seasoning blend. I use peanut oil for the frying, it gives the chicken a really nice crispy texture and adds a subtle nutty flavor that you can’t get with regular vegetable oil."

Leah’s eyes lit up with genuine excitement.

"No way! That’s my favorite!" Leah said, practically bouncing on her heels. "Peanut oil makes such a difference in fried chicken! Most people just use whatever cheap oil they have, but peanut oil is absolutely worth the extra cost."

Diana’s smile widened, pleased to find someone who actually appreciated the details.

"It really does!" Diana agreed. "Most people don’t know that. The smoke point is higher too, so you can get a better sear without burning. Would you like to cook it together?"

"I’d love to!" Leah said eagerly.

Diana led her over to the pantry and opened the door, revealing several hooks with different aprons hanging neatly in a row with each one a different color and pattern.

"Pick whichever one you like," Diana said warmly. "It wouldn’t be good if oil spilled on such a beautiful dress."

Leah looked at the selection with wide appreciative eyes.

"Can I really pick any of them?" Leah asked, touching the fabric of a few. "They all have such beautiful designs!"

"Of course!" Diana said, nodding encouragingly. "Choose whichever speaks to you."

Leah selected one with little red hearts embroidered all over it in a cute vintage style. Diana stepped behind her and helped her put it on, tying the strings in the back with ease.

"You have quite wide hips," Diana commented as she adjusted the apron and worked the ties. "The strings barely reach around!"

Leah laughed good-naturedly.

"It runs in the family," Leah said. "My mom and grandma are the same way. My dad jokes that Merritt women are built for stability..."

Diana finished tying the bow and stepped back to admire her work and just as she did, Zoe appeared at the kitchen entrance, looking between the two women with interest.

"I want to join too..." Zoe announced.

Leah looked up with a welcoming smile while Zoe grinned inwardly, her plan was simple.

So far, she knew that they were best friends but that didn’t mean Leah was dating anyone and that meant Zoe could try and win over this gorgeous older woman.

Diana raised an eyebrow at her daughter clearly skeptical.

"The last time you tried to cook, you almost—"

"Mom!" Zoe interrupted, her face flushing bright red with embarrassment.

Diana sighed but gave in with a small smile, reaching for another apron... this one with blue flowers.

"Alright, alright," Diana said, helping Zoe into the apron and tying it for her. She rolled up her own sleeves and clapped her hands together with determination.

"Let’s cook, girls!" Diana announced.

...

The dining table had different assortments of food available all around... the golden-brown fried chicken as the centerpiece, along with mashed potatoes, fresh coleslaw, buttered dinner rolls, and a colorful pasta salad.

Wren sat down with the other women, taking in the spread.

"This looks amazing..." Wren said with a genuine smile. Diana and Leah both smiled warmly at the compliment, clearly pleased.

"We didn’t need anybody to tell us that." Zoe said smugly, though she was obviously happy too and Wren rolled his eyes at her typical attitude then he turned to Leah, his expression becoming more serious.

"Alright, before we eat," Wren said. "What’s your real reason for being here?"

Leah put a hand to her chest in mock offense.

"I can’t just come visit my best friend?" Leah asked innocently.

However, Wren gave her a knowing look... the kind that said he could see right through her bullshit. Sure, he wouldn’t deny she came partly to piss him off. That was a given with Leah but there had to be another thing.

He was sure of it.

Leah laughed.

"You know me too well, Wren." Leah admitted with a grin.

She reached into the breast pocket of her dress and pulled out several glossy tickets, pushing them down onto the table with a dramatic flourish.

"Well, well, well," Leah said, her grin widening. "Prepare yourselves... all of you. Wren, his family, and even his friends."

She spread the tickets out so everyone could see the elegant design and gold embossing.

"I got us all tickets for a trip to and back from Ivory Island," Leah announced proudly. "On the Celestine."

Right.

Wren had almost forgotten. Leah’s family owned Merritt Maritime... one of the largest shipping conglomerates in the world, a true maritime empire that had been built over three generations.

They handled international cargo transport across every major ocean route, moving everything from raw materials to finished goods between continents and they also operated massive commercial freight services for electronics, automobiles, textiles, industrial equipment... if it needed to cross an ocean, Merritt Maritime could move it.

They owned an entire fleet of luxury cruise ships including the famous Celestine, which was considered one of the most costly floating hotels in existence.

They ran specialized vessels for deep-sea research and salvage operations, recovering everything from sunken cargo to historical artifacts. And they even had lucrative military contracts for naval supply chains and troop transport across conflict zones.

The Merritt name was practically synonymous with ocean commerce and maritime dominance in the modern era. If it floated and made money, Merritt Maritime probably had a hand in it somewhere.

Leah’s father was one of the wealthiest men in the shipping industry, and the family’s influence extended into ports, logistics companies, and even coastal real estate development and immediately after Leah’s announcement, a notification flashed in Wren’s vision.

[Ding! New Mission Available!]

[Seduce a Famous Woman in a Loving Relationship on the Celestine]

[Time Limit: 12 Days]

[Reward: 30,000 Credits + Business Mode Activation + 100,000 Credit Starting Business Funds]

’What the... absolute fuck?!’

Nyx had gone mad. He should do what?!