Time: 10:00 AM. Solomon's Office.
Luciela entered the office, placing a requisition form gently on the mahogany desk. She was dressed in a sharp, form-fitting pencil skirt and a white blouse, wearing black-rimmed glasses. She looked the part of a perfect executive secretary, if one ignored the predatory glint in her eyes.
"Master," Luciela said, her voice smooth like silk wrapped around a razor blade. "The Rico assignment was executed with 100% efficiency. According to the employee handbook you drafted, exceptional performance merits a reward. I am claiming mine: A private escort mission. Just the two of us."
Solomon paused his typing. He looked at the schedule on his tablet. "Granted. I need to go to Wall Street. The major banks are adjusting their deposit interest rates. I need to conduct a Field Audit to optimize Siren Capital’s competitive edge. You will accompany me as my security detail."
"Boss! Absolutely not!"
The door burst open. Moon and Cara stormed in, looking flustered.
Moon (Brand Protection): She placed her tea cup down with an aggressive clatter. "Boss, Manhattan is the sanctuary of Old Money. These people can smell a thug from a mile away. If you appear with a walking weapon who radiates bloodlust, you will tarnish the 'Sophisticated' brand image of Siren Capital! Clients want peace, not a heart attack!"
Cara (Security Protocol): She crossed her arms, her face grim. "The risk is too high! Don Antonio sent a threat yesterday. Letting you go alone with a girl who is currently... 'emotionally compromised' is a Red Level security breach! She will be too busy staring at you to watch the perimeter!"
Solomon adjusted his glasses. He looked at the two most powerful women in his organization.
"I am not going on a date," Solomon said, his voice monotone and devoid of any romantic sentiment. "I am going to work. Luciela is adept at camouflage. She is the most discreet physical deterrent we have. If I take Benny, Wall Street will think King Kong has escaped the zoo. If I take Raphaela, she will shoot the ATMs out of curiosity."
He stood up and grabbed his coat. "Luciela is the optimal choice for a stealth operation. The debate is closed."
Moon and Cara fell silent. They glared at Luciela, who offered them a polite, terrifyingly smug curtsy behind Solomon’s back.
Scene 2: The Bribe
Time: 10:15 AM. The Garage.
Moon and Cara retreated to the garage. They were not giving up. They needed eyes on the ground.
They looked at Benny, who was currently bench-pressing a truck axle. "No," Cara shook her head. "He is too loyal and too simple. If he sees Solomon, he will wave and shout 'HELLO BOSS' from three blocks away."
They looked at Gara, who was tinkering with the espresso machine he had dismantled.
Moon stepped forward, pulling a thick envelope from her purse. "Gara," Moon purred. "This is a... 'Vehicle Maintenance Fee'."
Gara looked up, grease on his nose. He saw the thickness of the envelope. His eyes turned into dollar signs. "Oh? Maintenance? But I just changed the oil..."
"Brand loyalty maintenance," Cara cut in sharply. "Your mission: Tail the Boss and Luciela. Record everything. If Luciela attempts any... 'excessive physical contact' or tries to drag him into a hotel, you create a diversion. Cause a traffic jam. Honk the horn. Anything."
Gara took the envelope. He thumbed through the cash. It was enough for that Twin Turbo setup he had been dreaming of. "For the integrity of the corporation..." Gara shoved the money into his jumpsuit. "...and for my new intercooler, I accept this hostile takeover!"
Scene 3: The Hijacking
Time: 10:20 AM. The Lobby.
Raphaela was furiously polishing her gun when she saw Luciela walking to the car with Solomon. Luciela turned back and gave a subtle wink. Raphaela snapped. She clawed at the bulletproof glass. "That witch! She's cheating! She's using 'Work' to hoard the Master all to herself! Unacceptable! I need to sabotage this!"
She looked around for a vehicle. She saw Daniel, who was sneaking toward the restroom with a newspaper tucked under his arm.
Raphaela lunged. She grabbed Daniel by his tie and dragged him backward. "You! Drive! Now!"
"Help!" Daniel yelped, dropping his newspaper and crossing his legs tightly. "I just need to pee! My bladder is at 99% capacity! If it ruptures, the medical bills will bankrupt the HR department!"
"Hold it!" Raphaela growled, spinning a butterfly knife. "Drive the car and follow them!"
"Drive yourself!" Daniel clung to the doorframe. "You drive a motorcycle like a pro!"
"I can't!" Raphaela argued, stomping her foot like a petulant child. "I drive too 'emotionally'! If I get behind the wheel, I'll start drifting and the police will catch us! You drive like a boring old man! It's perfect camouflage! Go!"
"But I have reports to file..."
Raphaela pressed the cold steel of the blade against his cheek. "Lie to the Boss. Tell him we are collecting debts in Queens. Move, Calculator, or I subtract your fingers and feed them to the stray dogs!"
Daniel whimpered, letting go of the doorframe. "I hate this job. I really, really hate this job."
Scene 4: Home Alone
Time: 10:30 AM. The Exchange HQ.
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The fortress was strangely quiet. Benny walked into the lobby, scratching his head. "Huh? Where is everyone? Boss…is gone. Daniel…is gone. Gara is gone. Even the crazy twins are gone."
Niko, sitting on a bench picking his teeth, shrugged. "Probably went to lunch without us. Lucky bastards."
Their peaceful break lasted exactly ten seconds. Moon and Cara, fuming with frustration from being left behind, marched into the lobby. They saw two idle men, and their eyes narrowed.
Moon (Cold Smile): "Benny. That marble floor... I can't see my reflection in it. It's cloudy. Polish it again. By hand."
Cara (Drill Sergeant): "Niko. Go to the armory. Count the 9mm rounds. Individually. If the count is off by one bullet, I'm docking your pay."
The two men groaned, their shoulders slumping. "Women..." Niko whispered to Benny. "When they are mad at the husband, they kick the dog. We are the dogs."
Scene 5: The Field Audit (The Killing Aura)
Time: 11:00 AM. Wall Street.
Solomon and Luciela entered the massive lobby of JP Morgan Chase.
A female teller—blonde, young, and very pretty—smiled brightly at Solomon as he approached. "Good morning, sir," she chirped, batting her eyelashes. "I can help you over here. You have such lovely eyes... are you new to the city?"
The air in the bank didn't change temperature, but suddenly, the teller felt a chill crawl up her spine. The hair on her arms stood up. Her survival instinct, buried deep in her DNA, screamed: PREDATOR.
She looked past Solomon. She saw Luciela. Luciela wasn't frowning. She wasn't yelling. She was simply... staring. Her eyes were dead. Void of humanity. It was the look a butcher gives a lamb before the hammer falls. Luciela’s hand slid slowly into her bag. The metallic click of a heavy fountain pen cap coming off sounded like a gunshot in the teller's ears.
The teller’s smile twitched and died. Her hands started to tremble uncontrollably. She dropped her pen. "I... I..." the girl stuttered, her pupils dilating in pure terror. She couldn't breathe. The aura coming from Luciela was suffocating her.
"Master," Luciela whispered into Solomon’s ear, her voice soft but carrying a terrifying weight. "This employee is malfunctioning. She is shaking. Inefficient. Shall I... 'terminate' the distraction so we can proceed?"
The pen tip hovered, aimed at the girl’s throat.
Solomon didn't look at Luciela. He calmly placed his hand over hers, effectively trapping the weapon. "Negative," Solomon said, his voice cutting through the tension. "She is in Sales. Flirtation is a standard Customer Acquisition strategy. Do not deplete the competitor's workforce."
He looked at the teller, whose face was now pale white. "Miss? Are you having a seizure? Do you require medical assistance?"
"N-no... sir..." the teller squeaked, looking at Luciela with horror. Luciela withdrew the pen, her lips curling into a satisfied, sadistic smile. "Good," Luciela purred. "Live to serve another day."
Scene 6: The Near Miss
Outside on the street, the surveillance operation was falling apart.
The Mistake: Raphaela, watching through binoculars, saw the teller flirting. "SHE'S FLIRTING! KILL HER!" Raphaela screamed, kicking the dashboard. Daniel panicked. He jerked the steering wheel. SCREECH. The black sedan swerved violently, nearly hitting a hot dog stand.
At the same time, Gara, in the truck behind, saw a parked Porsche 911. "Holy mother of parts!" Gara gasped, leaning halfway out of the window to inspect the exhaust pipe. He forgot to brake. HONK! He slammed on the brakes, stopping inches from Daniel's bumper.
Solomon's Perception: On the sidewalk, Solomon stopped. He turned his head sharply toward the noise. He adjusted his glasses, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the traffic.
"That black sedan..." Solomon muttered. "The suspension is leaning to the right. Bad shocks. Or... a heavy passenger throwing a tantrum." He looked at the truck. "And that truck engine... it sounds like a diesel pump that Gara was trying to fix last week."
He took a step toward the street. "Those assets look familiar..."
The Distraction: Luciela sensed the danger. If Solomon found them, the date was over. She immediately clung to his arm, pressing her chest against him, feigning dizziness. "Master!" she gasped softly. "The market volatility... it's making me swoon. I need you to explain the Bond Yield Curve to me. Right now. In detail."
Solomon stopped dead in his tracks. The screeching tires, the blaring horns, and the chaotic traffic behind him faded into total silence. The allure of explaining macroeconomics to a willing subordinate was vastly stronger than his situational awareness.
He turned back to her, pushing his glasses up his nose, his eyes gleaming with academic fervor. "Ah. The Inverted Yield Curve. Yes, it is quite dizzying for the uneducated. Let me explain the correlation between short-term interest rates and long-term economic recession..."
In the car, Daniel hyperventilated. "He saw us! He looked right at me! I'm dead! I'm fired!" "Shut up and drive!" Raphaela hissed, ducking below the dashboard.
Scene 7: The Conclusion
Time: 1:00 PM. The Pickup.
Solomon finished his survey (and his lecture). He walked down the block, seemingly oblivious. Then, he stopped next to the black sedan parked suspiciously by a hydrant.
Knock. Knock.
Daniel jumped, nearly hitting his head on the roof. He rolled down the window, his smile twitching. "B... Boss? What a... coincidence!"
Solomon looked into the passenger seat, where Raphaela was trying to blend into the upholstery. Then he looked behind them at the truck, where Gara was pretending to read a newspaper upside down.
"Daniel. Raphaela. Gara," Solomon listed them off. "Why are the Departments of Finance, Operations, and Logistics all congregating on Wall Street?"
Daniel swallowed hard. "Uh... we were... collecting a debt! In... New Jersey! We just took a wrong turn! A very long wrong turn!"
Raphaela ripped off her scarf. "I was protecting Daniel! The stockbrokers look dangerous!"
Gara leaned out of the truck. "I was... researching the secondary market for luxury vehicles!"
Solomon sighed. He adjusted his glasses. "Inefficient. Your lies are uncoordinated."
He pulled out a small notepad and clicked his pen. "I am officially classifying this excursion as 'Unauthorized Misuse of Company Vehicles'. I am deducting the cost of today's wasted gasoline, vehicle depreciation, and toll bridge fees from your respective departmental budgets."
Daniel let out a small, strangled whimper behind the steering wheel.
"All of you, back to HQ," Solomon ordered coldly. "We will have a performance review tonight."
Closing Internal Monologues:
- Luciela (Leaning back, eyes closed):
- Smug Satisfaction. "Victory. Two hours of uninterrupted proximity. I felt his heartbeat. I defended his honor. That little brat Raphaela can throw her tantrums, but today proved one thing: I am the sophisticated choice. The Wife position is inevitable."
- Daniel (Driving, hands shaking):
- Sheer Panic. "I'm alive. But a performance review? Oh god, he's going to check the mileage. He's going to know we wasted gas. Why is my life like this? I have a Master's degree in Economics. I should be a banker, not a getaway driver for a jealous teenager."
- Gara (Driving the truck):
- Optimistic Greed. "Hehe. Boss didn't look too mad. And I got the envelope from Moon. As long as I don't get fired, I'm buying that Twin Turbo kit tonight. War is profitable, but spying pays cash upfront!"
- Raphaela (Passenger seat, glaring at Luciela in the rearview mirror):
- Vengeful Fury. "Look at that smug face. She thinks she won. She thinks she's special because she knows big words and wears a skirt. Just you wait, sister. Next time, I won't rely on this coward Daniel. I'll hijack a tank if I have to. You may have won the battle, but I will win the War for the Master."
End of Chapter 44.
[MEMO: FIELD AUDIT COMPLETE - ASSET TRACKING ACTIVATED]
Never waste company gasoline on a jealousy mission.
?? SHAREHOLDER ADVISORY POLL: > Solomon is officially the most "Audit-sexual" protagonist in history. But who is actually winning the war for his attention?
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A. Luciela: The "Stealth Escort" who uses fountain pens as lethal threats.
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B. Raphaela: The "Chaotic Shadow" who hijacks CFOs and bypasses bladders.
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C. Macroeconomics: The only thing that can actually make Solomon’s heart beat faster. Drop your vote below. Daniel is currently filing a worker's comp claim for "emotional and physical distress."
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D. Daniel: (The CFO whose bladder is at 99% capacity)
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E. Gara: (The spy who gets paid by everyone)
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Drop your choice in the comments!
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Copyright ? 2026 by Gats VII. All rights reserved. This story is officially published only on Royal Road, Scribble Hub, and Patreon. If you are reading this elsewhere, it has been stolen.