She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother - Chapter 345: The Reward

Chapter 345: The Reward

Alex stepped out of the villa into the cool morning air, his footsteps crunching softly against the gravel driveway.

The sun had barely crested the horizon, painting the Roland Estate in shades of pale gold and soft amber. The lake below shimmered, peaceful and untouched, as if the events of last night had left no mark on the world at all.

He walked toward his car with unhurried confidence, his mind already shifting to the next piece on the board.

Viktor’s villa. The next phase.

But as he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, his thoughts drifted back to last night.

It had been… fruitful.

More than he’d anticipated.

Vivienne had prepared meticulously. She’d laid out everything… documents, recordings, surveillance photos… with the precision of a woman who’d been planning this reveal for months.

Every scheme Cassandra had orchestrated. Every lie she’d whispered into Jennifer’s ear. Every manipulation the uncles had attempted. Even the sordid affair between Cassandra and Arthur, captured in explicit detail that left nothing to the imagination.

Jennifer had sat there, her face pale and hollow, as her mother dismantled her entire world piece by piece.

And then Vivienne had brought in the two men.

Security personnel who’d been following Jennifer since she left the Vanderbilt Tower. Hired by Cassandra to “ensure her safety,” but really to report back her every move.

They’d told Jennifer everything.

How Cassandra had orchestrated the entire crisis. How the “emergency meeting” had been fabricated. How every word about Richard Blackwood’s marriage demand had been a carefully constructed lie designed to send Jennifer running straight toward her mother.

Jennifer had cried.

Not the hysterical, angry tears from the dining room.

Quiet, broken tears that came from someone realizing they’d been a pawn in a game they hadn’t even known existed.

It had been… strange, seeing her like that.

The arrogant Ice Princess reduced to a shivering, devastated girl, apologizing to the boy she’d once tortured.

“I’m sorry,” she’d whispered, her voice barely audible. “For everything. For what I did to you. For who I was.”

Alex hadn’t responded.

He’d simply watched, his expression unreadable, as Vivienne stroked her daughter’s hair with surprising gentleness.

But the most important thing… the thing that had genuinely surprised him… was the notification that had appeared as Jennifer stumbled through her apology.

[Ding!]

[MISSION COMPLETE: MOTHER AND DAUGHTER]

Objective: Seduce both Vivienne Vanderbilt and Jennifer Vanderbilt. Achieve a threesome with both targets.

Status: COMPLETE

Reward: Calculating…

Alex had stared at the notification, genuinely confused.

“We didn’t have a threesome,” he’d said quietly, addressing Lilith directly in his mind.

Her response had been immediate, her voice carrying uncharacteristic softness.

“I took pity on you, darling. What you accomplished was close enough. Both women. Both broken. Both yours. The technicality didn’t seem worth enforcing.”

A pause.

“Consider it a reward for exceptional performance.”

Now, driving away from the villa as dawn broke over the estate, Alex allowed himself a small smile.

The Vanderbilt women were his.

The mission was complete.

And the mysterious reward…

He glanced at the system interface hovering at the edge of his vision.

The reward hadn’t been delivered yet. Still calculating, the notification said.

When he asked about it, Lilith told him to wait.

But he couldn’t.

The anticipation was killing him. He needed to know what this mysterious reward would be.

Whatever Lilith had planned, it was going to be interesting.

Alex turned onto the main road, leaving Roland Estate behind, his mind already three moves ahead.

[DING!]

The sound cut through his thoughts like a bell in an empty hall.

Alex’s eyes snapped to the interface as new text materialized in his vision, glowing brighter than before.

[Reward Calculation Complete]

[Mysterious Reward Available]

[Accept Reward?]

[YES / NO]

Alex immediately pulled the car to the side of the road. The tires crunched against gravel as he shifted into park, his full attention locked on the notification.

Finally.

“Well?” Lilith’s voice drifted through his mind, amused and teasing. “Are you going to keep staring at it, or are you going to accept?”

Alex’s lips curved into a slight smile.

He mentally selected YES.

The interface flared bright gold, the text reshaping itself before his eyes.

[NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED]

[SUBORDINATE SUPPORT SYSTEM]

Alex’s eyes widened, shock flooding through him like ice water.

His breath caught.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

No.

It can’t be.

“Subordinate Support System?” he whispered aloud, his voice carrying genuine disbelief.

He stared at the golden text hovering in his vision, his mind racing through the implications.

“Tell me this is what I think it is.”

“Tell me this does what I think it does.”

“Oh, you should see your face right now,” Lilith purred, her voice dripping with amusement. “Go on. Read the details. I promise it’s worth it.”

Alex’s heart hammered against his ribs.

His thoughts were a chaotic mess of hope and disbelief.

There was no way.

No possible way the system would actually grant him exactly what he’d been hoping for.

Does it?

As if responding to his desperate need to know, the interface flickered and expanded.

[SUBORDINATE SUPPORT SYSTEM – DETAILS]

[Function: Purchase system resources for designated subordinates at 25% of standard shop prices]

[Purpose: Strengthen subordinates alongside host through discounted cultivation resources, enhancement items and many more]

[Qualification: Target must have Loyalty Rating of 90 or higher]

[Limitation: Discounted resources can only be applied to confirmed subordinates]

[Current Qualified Subordinates: 5]

Alex’s breath stopped completely.

Then he laughed.

A genuine, unrestrained sound that filled the empty car.

“This is good,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “This is really, really good.”

Twenty-five percent of the original price.

He could buy resources for Viktor and his entire team… enhancement serums, cultivation pills, ability upgrades… all at a quarter of what they’d normally cost.

Five qualified subordinates already.

People with loyalty ratings above ninety.

People he could actually invest in without bankrupting himself.

“You outdid yourself this time, Lilith,” Alex said, still grinning.

“I know,” she replied smugly.

Alex shifted the car back into drive, his mood transformed completely.

Viktor’s villa wasn’t just a meeting anymore.

It was an opportunity.

He pulled back onto the road, acceleration smooth and confident.

This changed everything.