Heena stared at him, her breath hitching as her shock rapidly morphed into utter indignation. "You dumb bastard!" she snapped, batting at his shoulders with a fierce scowl.

She wrenched herself back and pointed a sharply accusatory finger toward the window, where bright, cheerful sunlight was still streaming through the glass. "It is not even evening yet!"

---

Heena looked at him with absolute disbelief and said, "Yes, ’sleep,’ huh?"

With that declaration, she pushed him off her with both hands and said firmly, "Then GO and sleep. ALONE."

She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, reaching for her discarded robe.

Samuel immediately sat up, looking at her with confusion and said, "Wait, where are you going right now? It’s time to sleep!"

Hearing that ridiculous statement, Heena looked at him with utter disgust and said, "YOU are sleeping for half the day, then for the OTHER half you make it difficult for ME to sleep! What exactly are you up to?!"

She tied her robe with sharp, angry movements and turned to leave the room.

The System, who had cautiously returned after the... activities... had concluded, was now floating near the window. He looked at Heena with knowing, judgmental eyes.

Seeing that look, Heena whipped around to face him and said irritably, "What the HECK? What is it you want to say? Just SAY IT!"

The System hesitated, then said carefully, "Nothing, Host..."

Hearing that obvious lie, Heena glared directly at him and said, "Listen, if you want to say something, just SAY it. My brain is literally fried right now. And if you mess with me, I will beat you up. I’m not joking."

Hearing that threat, the System looked at her and said with surprising boldness, "No, Host, I just... I never thought I would see you act like a proper, respectable person for even a second."

Heena’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "EXCUSE ME?"

The System, apparently having decided he was already committed to this path, continued: "Well, you just PUSHED Samuel away. Normally it’s YOU who pulls guys toward you. Like, you’re always the one to initiate, to be aggressive about physical intimacy. But this is the first time someone has actually made it hard for YOU to maintain control."

Hearing that observation, Heena looked at him with a raised finger, pointing accusingly, and said, "Listen, you damn lion. Of course I pushed him away! If you have something too EASILY, you don’t appreciate its value. You have to make them work for it sometimes!"

The System looked at her skeptically and said, "Come on, Host. It’s not that he’s ’too easy.’ It’s that he’s actually more POWERFUL than you in this particular dynamic—"

It was like someone had hit Heena’s most sensitive sore spot.

She looked at him with blazing eyes and said dangerously, "System. Shut UP. Right now. Just tell me what you’ve recorded while spying on Maya and Chen Yifan. And if it’s not something USEFUL, I’m going to beat you up right NOW."

The System immediately backpedaled, his little lion ears flattening nervously. "Okay, okay! I have recordings! Very useful recordings! Very important information!"

He quickly projected a small viewing screen in the air, showing the earlier conversation between Maya and Chen Yifan in the courtyard.

Heena crossed her arms and watched intently, her strategic mind immediately clicking back into focus despite her emotional turmoil.

The recording showed Maya and Chen Yifan speaking in hushed tones:

Maya: "The old fool is getting suspicious again. That servant girl spilled his medicine—deliberately, I’m sure of it."

Chen Yifan: "Then we need to accelerate our plans. Can you increase the dosage?"

Maya: "I already have. But if someone is watching closely, if they bring in another physician..."

Chen Yifan: "Then we arrange an accident. Something sudden. A fall, perhaps. His heart is already weak—no one would question it."

Maya: "And what about the son? Samuel is becoming more involved in the business affairs."

Chen Yifan: "After the old man is gone, we can deal with Samuel. One problem at a time."

The recording ended.

Heena’s expression had gone cold and calculating during the viewing.

"So they’re planning to stage an ’accident’ soon," she said quietly. "And they’re discussing eliminating Samuel after the old Master dies."

The System nodded. "Yes, Host. They’re escalating their timeline."

Heena paced across the room, her mind racing through possibilities and counter-strategies.

"We need to move faster than anticipated," she muttered. "Get the inheritance transfer completed immediately, not gradually. And we need protection for both the old Master AND Samuel."

She turned to the System. "How many days until the memory unlock?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Two days now, Host. You lost a day because of... activities."

Heena scowled. "Don’t remind me."

She resumed pacing. "Two days. Maya and Chen Yifan are planning something soon. Samuel thinks his father’s possessiveness will expose Maya, but they might act before that happens."

Behind her, the bedroom door opened and Samuel emerged, now properly dressed.

"Why are you standing like a stone again?"

A large hand waved back and forth in front of Heena’s face, pulling her abruptly from her tangled thoughts. She blinked, her focus snapping back to Samuel. The lingering annoyance was still clearly etched across her features, but as she looked at him, a sudden, brilliant plan clicked into place in her mind.

Her scowl smoothed out into a look of calculated dismissal. "Just go and do your work," she shooed him with a wave of her hand. "Why are you always roaming around me?"

Samuel stared at her, utterly dumbfounded by the sudden eviction. He opened his mouth to argue, but before he could formulate a proper retort, a breathless servant practically tumbled into the room.

"Master!" the servant gasped, bowing hastily and grabbing Samuel’s sleeve. "There is urgent work at the estate. You are needed immediately!"

Samuel scowled, resisting the tug for a moment as he looked back at Heena. "Sometimes I can’t believe—" he started to complain, but the frantic servant was already pulling him toward the door.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her grumbling husband, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

’[Host, what are you planning?]’ the System asked, sounding inherently suspicious.

Heena’s lips curved into a sharp, satisfied smirk. ’I’m just going to use all the resources at my disposal,’ she replied smoothly.

’’[Two Hours Later]’’

Heena sat comfortably at the table, firmly grasping a warm cup of tea. Her physical condition had improved significantly, the lingering soreness fading into a manageable ache. But more importantly, there was a deeply cunning smile resting on her face as she looked over a fresh sheet of paper.

The System let out a heavy, digitized sigh. ’[Host, can you just act like a normal female lead for once? Act beautiful, cry a little, scheme dramatically, do something poetic? Why do you always insist on being so ruthlessly realistic?]’

Heena paused mid-sip, lowering her teacup to look at the empty air with utter contempt.

’So, do you want me to just go and die? Or perhaps you’d prefer I fight Chen yifeng and Maya to the death in some courtscreaming match? Huh?’ she mentally retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm. ’