Chosen Mate Of The Beastmen Empire

Everyone swapped looks, staying quiet. They could tell Jane was bluffing-hiding her freakout with bravalo. She was probably kicking herself for picking a fight with Nyx earlier.

Whoever could drag Marilyn out of retirement to manage Nyx would not let Nyx go short on resources Hurricane Tech's Mr. Williams sure as hell didn't have that kind of pull. Nyx wasn't lying after all

The apartment buzzed with unease. Nyx settled into the van, closing her eyes for a quick nap, when her phone started buzzing like crazy in her pocket.

She didn't want to check it-screen time in a car made her queasy-but it wouldn't stop, so she grudgingly pulled it out Over a dozen unread messages-all from old dormmates, spamming friend requests through the company chat and stuff.

Scanning the names, none were close-some she didn't even know, never spoken to. Now they were piling on, their motives crystal clear. Nyx ignored them all- didn't approve a single one.

She opened the pinned company artist chat, ready to bounce, but saw they were going off about Dylan

[Holy crap! Check the livestream! More people are spilling on Dylan!]

[WTF]

[I knew Dylan was a pimp, but drugging too?]

[No wonder so many of his artists quit depressed.]

[He even smashed someone's nose implant! My new nose just throbbed.]

[AAAAH he kicked a girl 'til she miscarried!]

[I'm done. Thank god I'm not under him.]

[Same.]

[Dylan's toast this time, right?]

[Hard to say-boss might cover for him. They're tight.]

Nyx scrolled up through 99+ messages, slowed her exit, and decided to munch on this drama first. The ride from the dorm to her new place took about an hour. Nyx lurked in the chat, watching the mess explode.

It started with one of Dylan's ex-artists popping off online-said Dylan forced them into a cash-for-sex deal with some bigwig, unwillingly.

Just a random nobody, and Dylan wasn't famous, but the stream blew up anyway. More of Dylan's victims joined in, spilling tea left and right-shocking stuff piling up, views snowballing to insane levels.

Oracle Entertainment had never been this hot. Seafarion didn't want fame this way-things were spiraling out of his gr

Rich guys who'd dealt with Dylan started getting exposed one by one. People online jumped in, hyped, piecing together the year's juiciest scandal.

Nyx clicked the list someone posted-sure enough, Mr. Williams was on it. The Williams Group was indeed no more.

[Cops are here-nobody's saving him now.)

[We're screwed, sisters-not just Dylan, Seafarion and company are tanking too. Jobless time!]

12:33 Tue, 18 Mar

*.60%

Long-timers in the biz, even bottom-tier nobodies, were sharp. After a bit of gossip, they sniffed out the company got targeted-probably 'cause Dylan pissed off the wrong person.

It was easy to tie it to Nyx. Chat got cautious-Nyx mentions turned all praise, nobody daring to trash-talk her getting pimped to Williams like last night. Nyx saw friend requests piling up, flipped on do-not-disturby, closed the app, and stuffed her phone back in her pocket.

"I might need to hit the police station," she said, thinking it over.

"Hm?" Marilyn turned from the front passenger seat. "Not yet."

"I've got a rough idea what went down yesterday," she said with a faint smile, like she had it all under control. "If they need you for a statement, I'll let you know ahead of time and take you."

With her around, she'd handle everything-Nyx didn't need to stress. The van parked in the underground garage-a short walk left to the elevator. The assistants hauled Nyx's stuff up to the fifteenth floor.

Nyx set up the fingerprint lock and checked out the new place Lancet arranged. About three thousand square feet-bright, clean, fully stocked. Move-in ready.

Her pajamas, toiletries, and junk were crammed in the boxes. She cracked them open to start unpacking.

"I got it! I'll do it!" The assists)

1. in. "Let us handle it!"

Seeing the box contents, their faces froze. Gavin kept it together, stayed quiet. Helly blurted out, "Where'd all this junk come from?"

"S-sorry!" She clapped her mouth shut, realizing she'd screwed up, face red as she bowed to Nyx. "I didn't mean it like that-

I-I."

www

Nyx wasn't mad-just amused. "It's cool."

Her stuff did clash hard with this plebe. Calling it junk wasn't wrong-it was beat-

up but usable, and she wasn't tossing

1. it. Her old Earth life felt ages away, but this stuff yanked her back to her youth-like she was really eighteen again.

Marilyn opened her mouth to say something but held back, just looking at Nyx with a touch more sympathy.

Luggage sorted, fully settled-it was past lunch. Nyx suggested ordering takeout together, but Gavin said he was a great cook -could handle her meals from now on, wanted to show off today.

"I'll grab groceries!" Helly volunteered, eager to make up for earlier. After checking everyone's likes and no-gos, she bolted out like a gust.

Nyx was stunned by her speed. This girl was built for sprinting-or maybe weightlifting. Assistant gig was a waste of her talent.

"Want to rest a bit?" Marilyn said, pulling her to the sofa. "Or check out some scripts first?"

"I pulled these from the latest batch," she said, handing Nyx a stack of papers. "Summarized the plots, marked roles I think suit you. Take a look-which one you want?"

All big-name writers, directors, companies-she said it casually, like Nyx could pick any role she fancied and it'd She was not bragging about her clout-she'd been tapped by Lancet personally and knew Nyx's backer was Seafarion. With that guy's power, forget roles-if Nyx wanted to be a global superstar overnight, he could make it happen.

ers.

Nyx didn't have that kind of ambition. She dug into the scripts seriously. Three- quarters through the first one, the doorbell

rang.

12:33 Tue, 18 Mar

Nyx looked up, confused, as Gavin opened the door. Helly wood there, hands fullnoveldrama

of hulging bags. My thought she was a fast reader, but Helly was just unreal.

"How'd you get back so quick" Nyx got up to grab the bags from her.

"No need, boss-you're not strong enough. Ill take em in Helly insisted, holding tight.

As they tugged back and forth, a soft click came-the neighbor's door opened. Nyx glanced over, surprised. Lancet?"

"You live here too?" she said, squinting slowly.

Lancet was speechless. He started sweating buckets, wishing he could rewind thirty seconds and chop off his dumb hand for opening the door. "Haha, yeah- crazy coincidence."

“Hahaha,” Nyx laughed back. "Coincidence? You're funny, Lancet. Didn't you set up this place for me?"

One hallway, two units-she was his only neighbor. She hadn't thought much of it moving in, but now it hit her-someone was playing sneaky.

"Uh, yeah-there just happened to be a good empty spot here," Lancet said, eyes darting, fumbling through a laugh. He couldn't figure why Seafarion insisted on moving here, secretly playing neighbor, and swore him to silence.

If he liked Nyx, he should just be frank about it instead of hiding. What happened already happened-Seafarion was hot, loaded, and generous. Anyone landing that gig would be laughing all the way-nobody'd say no, Nyx included.

He didn't get what Seafarion was thinking, but he followed orders. Seafarion's thoughts weren't his to question.

"You had lunch yet?" Nyx switched topics out of nowhere.

Lancet was still tense and shook his head.

“Perfect-Gavin's cooking," Nyx said, waving him over. "Want to join?"

They'd bought extra-more than enough for another person to join.

"Thanks-maybe next time," Lancet said, stiffly waving it off. "I've got food coming today."

He was too guilty to hang with Nyx right now-scared she'd dig deeper or he'd slip

up.

Nyx was trickier than he'd thought. Those clear eyes staring him down-he felt totally seen through.

"Alright then," Nyx said with a small smile, not pushing. "Come by when you're free. I make decent cookies-next batch, I'll drop some off."

Lancet couldn't even picture it-Nyx knocking with cookies, him gone, just Seafarion there. Talk about awkward.

He nodded with a grin, ducked back inside, and reported to Seafarion, asking what to do next. The door hadn't shut earlier. Seafarion was in the living room, ears perked, listening the whole time.

"She's real friendly with you," he said after a long pause.

He sized up his assistant with pale eyes, first time caring about anything beyond the guy's work skills. Lancet was twenty-eight-two years younger than him. Good-looking, not a freakish white-haired, pale-eyed weirdo like him, and fully mobile -no wheelchair. A guy like that probably drew women like flies. Seafarion gripped the wheelchair arms tight, silent. "I recall you've got a girlfriend?"

And the cost odorstand why Seatano was suddenly on his love life. He never

cared before

Wayn said akend

Yangi tad kill the sugadour Soarion Begt going “Broke up Why?

u get where sumas face. Seafarion usually softened the edge with a warm vibe. Stone-faced, he looked walign

Rey de la Let's back sweated again. He fessed up reluctantly, "She thought I

worked too much-didn't spend

gath

jur quite auff causing faction-feelings might not be totally dead Seafarion nodded slightly, getting it. Til hire another

our your workload. Pay stays the same. Go win her back"

Loving Soatan's place. Laucet was still in a daze, couldn't snap out of it. Waiting

for the elevator, it hit him-Seafarion's sea ames He died hard Sealation was jealous over nothing.

Thinking over the clues were there. A guy cold as ice for thirty years, then bam- intimate with a stranger. That wasn't just anything at was he at first sigh

By was the one out of it that gin-Scalation was wide awake. Legs messed up,

sure, but he never slacked on training- wrong as Bell of he didn't want it, he could've shoved her off easily. But he didn't.

Latest swallowed hard. If he was right, Nyx meant way more to Seafarion than he'd guessed.

Elevator in 32. doors slid open with a ding. Lancet pulled it together, deciding to be extra polite to Nyx from now on

Capto bragged about hús cooking, and he wasn't lying-it was legit Nyx rubbed

her full belly. "You could be a pro chef" I did study cooking professionally Gavin said with a shy grin. "Got a nutritionist certificate too."

Bring a chef wouldn't pay near what this job did, though With a fat paycheck, they

worked hard-both assistants outdid each other, keeping Nyx out of the post-meal cleanup.

sher fishing everything Helly snuck glances at Nyx, fidgeted, and pulled out a box. "Boss, for you

Les fine-still scaled She'd snagged it while grocery shopping.

I know you're not short on cash or phones, but I want to apologize," she said. Her

earlier blunder still made her want to crowd in a hole. She couldn't think of a better sorry gift-saw Nyx's phone was ancient, so she grabbed this.

Nyz dices't warn it. It was two grand straight from Helly's own pocket. She wasn't

even mad so she saw no reason to accept

Her some back-and-forth, Helly got antsy, bowing and pleading. Nyx suddenly got deja vu-like a dumb puppy begging forenes her screwing up.

She shook off the weird thought and took it anyway. Swapped the SIM, migrated

data, logged back into her chat app-she saw Lancet had just sent her a friend

request

Lancer: This is Lancet

Lancet: And this is my personal account-you can add it too.] Personal account? Nyx squinted, clicked the profile. Username was a fish symbol,

pic was a dark night sea, bio and posts bank-nothing like Lancer's style, but it

rang a familiar bell for her.

12:33 Tue, 18 Mar

*60%

Nyx stared at it a bit, lips curling faintly. She hadn't even started fishing, and a pretty fish was already biting. Friend request sent-approved in a second. "That eager, huh?' she thought. Nyx was eighty percent sure who it was but tossed a message anyway.