Maya sat at her kitchen table, stirring her coffee absently as her boyfriend, Daniel, chattered away about his upcoming golf trip. His sharp jawline and toned physique—features that had once made her weak in the knees—now barely registered in her mind.

  Daniel: "—and if the weather holds, I might finally break 80. Babe, you listening?"

  Maya (distant): "Hmm? Yeah. Golf."

  Her phone buzzed—another notification from the bank. "Mortgage Payment Processed: 0.00 Due." A shiver ran down her spine.

  Hez.

  Fifteen years older. Not conventionally handsome. But in a single day, he had handed her a life she’d only fantasized about—designer bags, a paid-off car, a house—without so much as a demand in return.

  Daniel snapped his fingers in front of her face.

  Daniel: "Earth to Maya. You’ve been spacey all morning."

  She blinked at him, really looking at him for the first time in weeks. His perfect smile, his sculpted arms… and suddenly, it all felt so empty.

  Maya (ft): "We need to talk."

  Daniel leaned in, his sculpted lips brushing against Maya's—only for her hand to snap up in a sharp, stinging sp across his cheek.

  Daniel (staggering back, shocked):

  "What the hell, Maya?!"

  Maya (breathing hard, eyes bzing):

  "Don't."

  The room fell silent. Daniel’s perfect face twisted in confusion, his usual charm failing him for the first time.

  Daniel: "Is this about me going golfing? Because if you’re that pissed—"

  Maya (cold, cutting him off):

  "It’s about everything."

  Her phone buzzed again—another alert from the bank. "Transaction: 0.00 - Mortgage Paid in Full."

  A reminder of the power Hez wielded so effortlessly.

  Daniel reached for her again, his voice softening. "Babe, talk to me—"

  Maya (stepping back, voice icy):

  "We’re done."

  Daniel's face darkened as Maya’s words hung in the air. His hand shot out, gripping her wrist before she could pull away.

  Daniel: "Done? The hell you mean, done? You don’t just drop that out of nowhere!"

  Maya yanked her arm back, but his fingers tightened.

  Maya: "Let go."

  Maya yanked her arm back, her mind still repying yesterday's surreal events—the designer bags, the car loan vanishing, the house. All from Hezri, a man Daniel didn't even know existed.

  Maya: "Just drop it, Daniel."

  He stepped closer, his voice rising. "Drop it? You've been acting like a ghost, barely listening to me, and now you're pushing me away over nothing?"

  Maya's phone buzzed—another alert. "Transaction Cleared: 0.00 - Mortgage Paid." A shiver ran down her spine.

  Daniel (grabbing her phone): "What's so important that—"

  Maya (snatching it back, voice icy): "Don't."

  A beat of silence. Daniel's confusion hardened into suspicion.

  Daniel: "Is there someone else?"

  Maya almost ughed. Someone else? Hezri wasn't a lover—he was something far more dangerous. A man who'd rewritten her life in a single afternoon without asking for a single thing in return.

  Maya: "We're done."

  Daniel's face went pale. "You're joking."

  Maya: "I've never been more serious."

  Daniel's eyes swept across the room, nding on the pile of glossy shopping bags from Vault & Veil, the diamond-encrusted gown still draped over Maya's chair. His voice turned sharp with realization.

  Daniel: "Oh, I see now. Is this what's been going on?" He kicked at a Saint Laurent shoebox. "You found yourself a sugar daddy?"

  Maya's stomach dropped. If only it were that simple.

  Maya: "It's not like that—"

  Daniel (ughing bitterly): "Bullshit. You've been different ever since these started showing up." He picked up the Fendi bag, running his thumb over the price tag still attached. "What's his name? Some old CEO? A banker?"

  Maya snatched the bag back. "You wouldn't understand."

  A notification buzzed on Maya's phone:

  Silvercrest Realty: Your keys are ready for pickup.

  Daniel saw it. His face went sck.

  Daniel: "...Wait. Did he buy you a house too?"

  Maya's silence was answer enough.

  Daniel's face darkened like a stormfront as the reality settled in. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, knuckles whitening.

  Daniel: "Get out."

  Maya blinked. "What?"

  Daniel (voice trembling with fury): "You heard me. Take your sugar daddy's blood money and get the fuck out of my house."

  He wrenched open the closet, grabbing armfuls of her designer dresses and hurling them toward her Louis Vuitton suitcase. A 3,000 Gucci blouse crumpled on the floor like trash.

  Maya (reaching for him): "Daniel, just listen—"

  Daniel (jerking away): "Don't fucking touch me." His ugh was razor-wire sharp. "Christ, I should've known when you came home with that first Birkin bag. How much was that worth? Two months of my sary? Three?"

  Daniel: "Out. Now."

  When Maya hesitated, he grabbed the suitcase and threw it out the front door. Silk scarves unfurled midair like surrender fgs.

  ***

  Saturday sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Maya’s new bungalow as Hez and Lena hauled in the st of the furniture—a sleek, modern sofa that cost more than Maya’s previous monthly car installment.

  Maya (wiping sweat from her brow, gring at Hez):

  "I had to dump my boyfriend because of you, you know."

  Hez smirked, adjusting the coffee table (4,500, Italian marble) as the system dashboard flickered in his vision:

  [Current Money: 400,000]

  Lena (ughing as she arranged throw pillows):

  "Oh please, you were begging to drop that guy. Admit it."

  Maya threw a pillow at her, but there was no real heat in it. The rivalry between them had softened into something else—something dangerous.

  Hez (feigning innocence):

  "All I did was give you options. If you chose freedom, that’s on you."

  Maya rolled her eyes, but her gaze lingered on him a second too long.

  As the st piece of furniture—a sleek, walnut coffee table—was set in pce, Hez leaned against the wall, watching Maya and Lena bicker over where to pce a vase. His eyes flickered to the system dashboard only he could see:

  [Maya Reynolds - Familiarity: 70]

  [Lena Cho - Familiarity: 74]

  [Current Money: 400,000]

  A smirk curled at the corner of his lips. Progress.

  Hez (stretching zily):

  "Well, since I furnished this whole pce, I think I’ve earned the right to test out the bedroom tonight."

  Maya nearly dropped the vase.

  Maya (turning sharply, cheeks flushing):

  "Excuse me?"

  Maya shot Lena a sharp look, her cheeks still warm from Hez's teasing.

  Maya: "Oh, don't act all innocent. You're enjoying this just as much as he is."

  Lena held up her hands in mock surrender, her eyes glinting with amusement.

  Lena: "Unlike you, I've been happily single for years. No messy breakups, no dramatic exits—just me and my freedom." She gnced pointedly at the vish furnishings around them. "Though I suppose now I have a generous benefactor to thank for my upgraded lifestyle."

  Hez (grinning): "See, Maya? Lena knows how to appreciate a good thing."

  Maya rolled her eyes, but a reluctant smile tugged at her lips.

  Maya: "Yeah, yeah. Just remember, I'm the one who got a house out of this. You're still sleeping on the couch."

  Lena: "And I'm the one who doesn't have to share my space with a smug, furniture-buying weirdo."

  Hez clutched his chest in mock offense.

  Hez: "Ouch. And here I thought we were bonding."

  ***

  Sunday's first light filtered through the curtains as Maya stirred awake. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she lifted an arm from where it had been draped across her bare chest. The cool morning air kissed her skin, and she reached for the silk bathrobe at the foot of the bed, slipping it on with quiet grace.

  Her gaze drifted to Hez, still asleep beside her—his usual composed expression softened in slumber. A smirk tugged at her lips as she tossed a towel over his bare torso, the fabric nding haphazardly across him.

  Maya (muttering to herself):

  "Couldn’t even make it to the couch, huh?"

  As Maya padded toward the bathroom, Hez’s eyes cracked open—just enough to watch her go, his smirk mirroring hers.

  The game was far from over.