Outside, the rain had picked up again, tapping steadily against the windows. The sound filled the apartment in a calm, steady rhythm, but my mind was anything but calm. My chest still felt tight from earlier. Breaking into someone’s house, planting a camera, sneaking past security... it wasn’t exactly something you did and then just shrugged off.

I leaned back slightly in the chair, rubbing my neck.

"Delilah called you, by the way," Jasmine said suddenly, still typing. "You weren’t answering your phone?"

"Oh, I was with Cora," I replied. "That place we went to didn’t have great reception."

"Mm."

"What did she say?"

Jasmine shrugged, still focused on her work. "Didn’t tell me much. Just asked where you were."

"I should call her," I muttered, pulling my phone back out.

"Yep," Kim said absently.

I stood up and walked toward the balcony door, stopping in front of it and looking outside. Rain streaked down the glass, blurring the city lights beyond. I dialed Delilah and waited.

A few seconds later, the call was declined.

I frowned slightly and lowered the phone. "She declined it."

"Got her angry?" Kim asked, glancing up briefly. "Bad boy Evan."

"Bad boy Evy," Jasmine added with a quiet chuckle.

Kim nodded. "That sounds better."

I ignored them and tried calling again. Maybe it was accidental. Maybe her phone was in her pocket or something.

The call rang.

Then got declined again.

I stared at the screen for a second. That didn’t feel like Delilah. She wasn’t the type to just ignore me like that. Something felt off. I walked back toward the table, about to sit down again, when my phone suddenly rang.

Delilah.

I answered immediately. "Hey, Delilah."

"Hey," she replied, slightly out of breath. "Oh my god... you kept interrupting this stupid gym video I was watching."

I let out a small breath, some of the tension easing. "Seriously? It’s spreading like a virus now."

She laughed lightly between breaths. "It kind of is."

"Sorry I missed your calls," I said. "How are you?"

"I’m fine," she replied. "I was just worried. It kept going straight to voicemail."

"Yeah, bad reception. Sorry about that."

"How’s everything there?" she asked.

"Same as usual," I said, glancing back at the girls. "How’s Ivy?"

There was a short pause on her end.

"Well... that’s actually why I called," Delilah said, her tone shifting slightly. "She went out drinking this morning."

I frowned. "Morning? Drinking?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I think she just needs space... or something. I don’t know."

"Yeah..." I muttered. "That’s rough."

"I didn’t want to dump this on you," she added quickly. "Sorry."

"It’s fine," I said. "Let me know when she gets back, okay?"

"I will."

A brief pause followed.

"Bye... and I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too," I replied.

We hung up, and I let out a breath as I dropped back into my chair.

Damn. Ivy was really spiraling. Day drinking wasn’t a great sign. When I met her that day she seemed... normal. Put together, at least on the surface. Now it felt like everything underneath had started collapsing. And honestly, I couldn’t blame her. Chase had messed her up bad.

"What happened?" Jasmine asked, finally looking up.

"Ivy," I said. "She started drinking. In the morning."

Kim let out a low whistle and closed her laptop. "That’s not good."

"Yeah," I muttered. "Not good at all."

Minne walked in at that moment, carrying plates carefully in both hands. Steam rose from the food, filling the room with a warm, comforting smell.

"I’ll help," I said, getting up.

Before she could react, I stepped closer and leaned in, kissing her softly on the lips. She froze for a second, then immediately turned red, her cheeks heating up as she looked down shyly.

Kim chuckled under her breath.

I took one of the plates from Minne’s hands and placed it on the table in front of Jasmine’s laptop.

Then I reached for the laptop itself and lifted it away.

"Hey!" Jasmine reached for it, but she was too slow.

"We’re eating," I said. "You’re like a kid glued to a phone."

"At least let me save it," she protested.

"You can do it later."

I walked over and placed the laptop on the single couch, out of her reach, then returned to the kitchen area.

"Fine," she muttered, leaning back in her chair.

Minne continued bringing out the rest of the food, placing everything neatly on the table. Simple but solid. Warm dishes, fresh ingredients, everything arranged with care.

I sat back down, finally letting myself relax properly.

For now, at least, things were quiet.

But tomorrow... tomorrow was when things would actually start moving.

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

It was close to midnight when my phone rang. We were getting ready for bed. Jasmine was in the bathroom while I lay lazily under the covers, scrolling through the news on my phone. Damn, if Delilah was calling at this hour, it had to be serious.

"Delilah?"

"Evan... I’m getting worried," she said, her voice shaky. "Ivy isn’t picking up her phone and she hasn’t come home yet."

I sat up straighter. "She hasn’t?"

"No." Delilah sounded panicked. "Oh my god, what if something happened? What if someone like Chase... Evan, I don’t know what to do."

"Okay, okay, calm down," I said, swinging my legs off the bed. "Tell me where she went drinking tonight."

"I don’t know," Delilah replied. "Her watch is here, so I can’t track her with the app either."

Just then, Jasmine stepped out of the bathroom... and holy fuck, she was... wow.

She was wearing a tiny, sheer black babydoll lingerie set that barely covered anything. The top was see-through, her full breasts clearly visible, nipples pressing against the thin fabric. The matching panties had a large opening at the back, perfectly framing her round ass. And right in the middle of that opening sat a thick, shiny black buttplug, stretching her tight hole. The sight made my cock twitch instantly.

Holy fuck... Jasmine looked incredible. But I couldn’t let myself get distracted. I needed to find Ivy.

"She was with her friend," Delilah continued. "But that friend isn’t answering my calls either. I do know where she lives, though."

"Alright. Text me the location. I’ll go check."

"What happened?" Jasmine asked, her face dropping with concern as she saw me..

"I will," Delilah said. "Thank you, Evan. Thank you so much."

Huh. Five points. Nice. I was now 80/100 with Delilah. And the milestone reward? A good amount of EXP. But I didn’t care about that right now.

══════════════════

Evan Marlowe [Level 21]

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EXP: 4975 / 31500

[███░░░░░░]

──────────────────

Current Credits: 7812

Current SC: 0

══════════════════

I hung up and opened the wardrobe, pulling out a simple t-shirt and jeans. Jasmine crossed her arms, watching me.

"What’s going on?"

"Ivy is missing," I said, pulling on my pants. "She went out this morning and hasn’t come back yet."

"Shit... okay, go. Be careful."

"I’m sorry," I said, quickly buttoning my jeans. "Fuck... I really am missing out on you right now, huh?"

Jasmine chuckled softly and stepped closer, kissing me on the cheek. "I’m not going anywhere. Go help her."

I kissed her back, then pulled on my t-shirt. A few seconds later, Delilah’s text came through with the address. It was a bit far, but with the late hour, traffic should be light. I could make it in ten minutes... fifteen max.

"Damn it..." I muttered under my breath as I grabbed my keycard. "Damn it..."

══════════════════

WOMEN - INTERACTIONS

──────────────────

Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60 ★★

Kayla: Interest: 38 / 40 ★

Tessa: Interest: 40 / 60 ★★

Kim: Interest: 100 / 100 ★★★★★

Delilah: Interest: 80 / 100 ★★★

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100 ★★★★★

Mendy: Interest: 20 / 40 ★

Nala: Interest: -99 / 100 ★★★★★

Penelope: Interest: 5 / 20

Minne: Interest: 38 / 40 ★

Ivy: Interest: 40 / 60 ★★

Eleanor: Interest: 25 / 40 ★

Amelia: Interest: 12 / 20

Esme: Interest: 60 / 80 ★★

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