Chapter 303

Daphne

There’s something weird.

Something is very weird.

System. It has come to my attention that I keep seeing the main character everywhere. Please tell me. Please tell me this is all in my head.

[The world seed has been actively pushing you toward the main character.]

My eye twitches.

Excuse me?

[Analysis confirms: The frequency of coincidental encounters with Elliot Wallace exceeds statistical probability by 847%. This is not random chance. The world narrative is attempting to integrate you into the harem dynamic.]

I’m trying to break the harem. Now it seems I’m being actively pushed toward being the sixth member.

The golf function—fine. Whatever. He was working there, it made sense. Annoying, but plausible.

Then I saw him at the mall. With my mother. Olga had dragged me shopping for "family bonding time," and there he was, working at some boutique, smiling that soft smile, looking at me with those big green eyes. Olga even commented on what a "sweet young man" he was. I wanted to scream.

Again, whatever. Coincidence. Malls have many employees.

Then I was driving back from a meeting on the outskirts of town. Middle of nowhere. Industrial district. And my tire blew out.

Guess who was there?

Elliot. Delivering catering supplies to a warehouse. In the middle of nowhere. At the exact moment my tire failed.

He helped me change it. With his soft hands and his gentle voice and his pheromones that did absolutely nothing to me except make me want to run in the opposite direction.

It’s been a series of natural yet unnatural coincidences. That blonde twink keeps showing up, and honestly? All the good emotions I had for him are fading really fast.

I’m getting annoyed.

[The world seed is persistent. It recognizes you as a powerful Alpha and seeks to incorporate you into the central narrative.]

I don’t want to be incorporated. I want to dismantle it.

[The two objectives may be mutually complicating.]

I pinch the bridge of my nose, hard enough to hurt.

Can you do something? Block it or something?

[Limited capabilities. I can attempt to create narrative resistance, but the world seed’s influence is strong. The MC’s attraction to you is genuine—the coincidences are the seed’s way of creating opportunities for that attraction to develop.]

Great. So the universe is playing matchmaker between me and the one person I’m supposed to be separating from his five soulmates.

[Essentially, yes.]

I want to scream.

Was this how he got five Alphas? This relentless, universe-driven proximity? The constant "coincidental" encounters that wear down resistance and build familiarity?

Now it’s making sense.

[The world seed’s influence is strongest during the harem formation phase. It creates opportunities for bonding under the guise of fate.]

Fate my ass. This is harassment.

[Semantics.]

I’m going to murder this system one day.

*

The next coincidence happens three days later.

It’s a high-class restaurant. VIP only. Ultra exclusive—the kind of place where reservations are made months in advance and the waitstaff are trained to be invisible. I’m meeting a business contact, someone who can help me ruffle those CEO feathers I haven’t forgotten about.

Charles Grey is next on my list. This contact has dirt. Delicious, destructive dirt.

I walk in, scan the room, spot my contact at a corner table. Perfect.

I sit down. We exchange pleasantries. Order drinks.

And then—

How are the fucking odds?

Our waiter is a pretty, tiny thing with blonde hair and green eyes.

Elliot. Again.

Are you fucking kidding me?

He approaches the table, professional and poised, and I watch my business partner’s eyes light up with interest. The Alpha in him responding to the Omega presence like a magnet to metal.

Great. Another Alpha caught in his orbit.

Like what is he? Alpha crack or something?

I ignore him. Completely. I focus on my contact, on the conversation, on the dirt I’m here to collect. Elliot takes our order, his voice soft, his movements graceful, and I pretend he’s furniture.

It works. For about ten minutes.

Then—

Wine. Directly on my crotch.

Elliot freezes, the empty bottle in his hand, his face going pale. "I—CEO. Han, I’m so sorry—"

He grabs napkins. He reaches for me. His hand heads directly for my crotch.

I grab his wrist before he can make contact.

"It’s fine." My voice is controlled. Calm. Dangerously calm. "Mistakes happen."

I stand, ignoring the spreading stain on my light gray trousers. Of course it had to be the day I wore bright gray instead of black. Of course.

"I’ll be back," I tell my contact, and walk to the bathroom with as much dignity as I can muster.

*

I stand in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection.

Gray trousers. Dark wine stain. Directly on my crotch.

It looks like I pissed myself and then some.

I take off my jacket, untuck my dress shirt, and try to assess the damage. The stain is set already. Nothing I can do except survive the rest of this meeting and get home.

I’m still strategizing my escape when I finish in the bathroom and step outside.

He’s there.

Waiting.

Elliot. His hands clasped in front of him, his green eyes wide and wet with unshed tears. He looks like a kicked puppy. Like I might strike him at any moment.

"CEO Han." He bows, low and apologetic. "My apologies. Please let me make it right. I can—"

I hold up a hand, cutting him off.

"Like I said before." My voice is flat. "It’s okay."

He opens his mouth, clearly wanting to say something more. To explain. To apologize again. To bond over this miserable experience.

I don’t give him the chance.

I walk past him, back to my table, and spend the next hour pretending my crotch isn’t stained while I extract every piece of information I need about Charles Grey.

When I finally leave, Elliot is nowhere to be seen. Good.

But as I drive home, the System chimes in.

[He cried in the back room after you left. Genuine distress. The world seed is using his genuine emotions against you.]

I don’t care.

[He’s not manipulating you. He genuinely feels terrible. Genuinely wants your forgiveness. Genuinely—]

I said I don’t care. Are you under the influence of the world too?

Silence.

I sigh.