Free Web NovelChapter 78: Stressful Morning
"Shhhh!" Zoe aggressively shushed him, waving her free hand frantically in the air. "Keep your voice down! You’re going to wake them up!"
Wren ignored her waving hand, grabbing her wrist to hold the phone steady.
He analyzed the dashboard. "Four hundred thousand credits?" He looked up from the screen with his blue eyes boring into her skull. "Just from selling feet?"
Zoe nodded, a mix of pride and lingering embarrassment fighting for dominance on her features.
"Yes. I swear to God... This is a shit-ton of money..."
Wren let go of her wrist, shaking his head.
"That makes no sense... The internet is flooded with free content... Nobody hits four hundred paying subscribers overnight or even some time with zero marketing."
Zoe rubbed the back of her neck, looking genuinely perplexed.
"I know. It’s weird. I actually tried to do the same with mine a few days ago. I set up the lighting, bought the pedicures, did the poses. It wasn’t working... I got like, three subscribers but for some reason... Tch, It skyrocketed randomly. The analytics show massive traffic spikes. It’s almost like it had been heavily advertised or something and the highest tier is just 10k for some feet videos."
The second the word "advertised" left Zoe’s mouth, a sharp suspicion formed in Wren’s mind.
The sudden influx of cash... The targeted traffic... The efficiency of the operation. There was only one entity in his existence capable of manipulating digital architecture with that level of precision.
’Nyx,’ Wren called out in his head, his mental voice a sharp crack of a whip.
A smooth, melodic, flawlessly synthesized voice echoed directly within the confines of his skull.
"Affirmative, Host. I am managing the backend traffic."
Wren’s jaw tightened. He kept his face blank for Zoe’s sake, but his internal thoughts were quite different. ’Why the hell didn’t you tell me about this?’
"Tee hee~ It is a test investment," Nyx explained. "Since the content generated consists solely of your feet, it does not violate your physical security protocols or compromise your facial anonymity. Furthermore, as long as you are the sole one involved in it, the return on investment is massive."
’Where did you advertise this?’ Wren demanded.
A sharp digital chime rang in his ears. Instantly, a sleek, translucent blue holographic tab booted up directly in the center of his vision, overlaying the physical bathroom.
The interface displayed a rapidly scrolling list of encrypted forum links and private server IP addresses.
"I advertised it there," Nyx casually informed him, highlighting the specific directories. "According to the biometric analysis I ran on your physical structure, your specific pedal proportions are overwhelmingly popular in private networks catering to wealthy, older women... Specifically the fifty-and-above demographic which is why you have so many subscribers."
Wren stared blankly at the glowing blue text scrolling across his retinas.
He was a digital hit with the rich grandma demographic... His System AI was actively running a hustle to drain the bank accounts of wealthy widows.
The absurdity of his life threatened to crush him.
Wren dismissed the blue holographic interface with a sharp mental command.
When he opened his eyes again, the shock was gone.
He took a deliberate step back, giving Zoe space then he crossed his arms over his chest again.
"Alright," Wren said with a sigh as he shook his head. "Here is how this is going to work. I want to split the income at the very least... I dictate the split. Ninety-ten. I get ninety percent of all current and future earnings. You keep ten."
Zoe gaped at him. freeweɓnøvel.com
The sheer audacity of the demand hit her, and her bratty defiance flared right back up.
"Are you insane?! Ninety-ten?! This was my idea! I set up the account! You can’t just hijack my business and take ninety percent!"
"No," Wren shut her down instantly. "Some people would collect it all. I could take one hundred percent right now, lock you out of the account, and report you to your mom. Take the ten percent and be grateful."
Zoe swallowed convulsively. The fight drained out of her body in a rush, leaving her sagging against the marble counter. The threat was absolute...
"Fine," Zoe sighed in bitter defeat, her shoulders slumping. "Ninety-ten. You greedy bastard. This is why I hate men."
"Pleasure doing business," Wren replied smoothly.
He looked at the glowing phone again. "Why don’t we create a new tier? Maximize the earnings for more income."
Zoe’s face lit up a fraction with the inherent greed of the hustle temporarily overriding her bitter defeat.
She tapped the screen, scrolling down to the engagement metrics.
"Look at the comments," Zoe said, a manic edge bleeding into her voice.
The screen was flooded with thirsty messages from wealthy older women.
Wren read through the scrolling text, maintaining a blank face as he absorbed the unhinged thirst radiating from the comments.
They were dissecting the vascularity of his ankles and offering ridiculous sums for personalized videos.
Zoe tapped her finger against the screen, highlighting one specific upvoted comment pinned near the top of the thread.
[User Velvet_Matriarch: I don’t care what it costs. I would literally pay a million credits to see cold milk spilled all over those arches... Zoomed in really well.]
Wren stared at the text... A million credits for spilled milk?
"Host," Nyx’s voice chimed in, running the raw calculations with terrifying speed. "Executing that kind of content would foresee a projected immediate net income of 1,250,000 Credits based on current subscriber engagement."
One point two-five million... For a thirty-second video of dairy products hitting his skin?
Wren stared at the digital number floating in his vision. He closed his eyes, taking a long deep breath.
He let it out in a heavy sigh. "Why not?"
The exact second the words left his mouth, Zoe reached directly into the deep pocket of her dark sweatpants.
With the fluid motion of a magician, she pulled out a small, condensation-covered glass bottle of milk. It was chilled with the glass sweating in the warm air of the bathroom.
Wren froze. He slowly looked from the bottle of milk up to her face.
"Why the hell do you have that on standby?" Wren demanded, his voice laced with genuine concern for her sanity.
Zoe didn’t even blink. She just offered a little grin, shrugging her shoulders.
Wren stared at her for a second longer before giving up entirely. He looked down at his bare feet which was the ultimate source of his newfound wealth.
He reached out, his hand snagging the cold glass bottle from her grip.
With a crisp metallic tear, he slowly uncorked the bottle.
"The things I do for money," Wren muttered darkly.
...
The next morning broke over Ivory Island with the kind of picture-perfect tropical beauty that only extreme wealth could buy.
The sun was shining brightly, casting brilliant golden rays directly through the massive reinforced glass walls of the island’s premier VIP Cafeteria.
The air inside was cool and smelled of freshly ground espresso and exotic fruit.
Priya sat completely alone at a quiet, secluded corner table.
The stunning girl ran a hand through her silky black hair with gold freckles, mindlessly drumming her slender index finger against the edge of the table as she stared blankly at the highly elaborate, custom-made deluxe dish resting untouched on the porcelain plate in front of her.
She thought about the vacation.
’Rich people sure do live the life... I’m just grateful we managed to come here.’
The sprawling island, the endless funds, the pristine beaches... It was hard to imagine that this was a product of someone’s money. Would she ever see money like that in her life?
Priya really doubted so.
Her boyfriend, Derek, had woken up early, full of boundless energy, and gone out with Toby and Zach to do something out on the water. Hell even Dani had joined them.
This vacation was perfect. Well, it would be perfect if Wren spent some more time with them.
’Ugh...’
A heavy entirely involuntary blush coated Priya’s cheeks, burning hot against her skin.
She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting a losing battle against her own traitorous thoughts.
Even if Derek was her boyfriend... no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get Wren out of her head.
’D-did he forget that he took my first kiss?’ Priya thought, looking down at her lap.
The memory of his lips flashed through her mind, causing a fresh wave of heat to pool in her stomach.
She wanted him to rate her swim suit and she wanted to spend more time with him... Alas he was probably busy spending his time with the other girls.
Her agonizing train of thought was abruptly interrupted.
A tall, conventionally handsome guy in expensive resort wear smoothly slid up to the edge of her table.
He leaned his weight casually against the back of the empty chair opposite her, flashing an arrogant smile.
"Excuse me," the guy said smoothly, his voice laced with slick charm. "Are you a magician?"
Priya blinked, her intense spiraling train of thought completely derailed. She looked up, her dark eyes clouded with genuine confusion and then she stared at the man, failing to process the transition.
"Huh?" Priya asked, her brow furrowing.
The guy’s arrogant smirk widened. He leaned in closer, invading her personal airspace. "Because whenever I look at you, everyone else in the room completely disappears."
Priya cringed internally.
’A pick-up line... in the big 26?’
The physical reaction was violent. The overwhelming cheese of the delivery made her stomach turn. She didn’t offer a polite smile as she immediately put up a firm social wall.
"That’s nice," Priya said flatly. "But I have a boyfriend."
The guy didn’t even flinch. He didn’t take the hint. Instead, he chuckled, stepping even further into her personal space.
He opened his mouth, preparing to press the issue and tell her that a boyfriend isn’t a husband.
Before the very first syllable could even leave the guy’s mouth, an incredibly firm hand clamped down directly onto his shoulder.
Both of their eyes widened simultaneously.
The guy flinched, turning his head sharply. His arrogant smile vanished into thin air the absolute instant he found himself staring directly up into Wren’s cold, deadpan blue eyes.
The sheer difference in physical presence was suffocating. Wren towered over the man with his broad shoulders blocking out the morning sun and his grip on the man’s collarbone bordering on bone-crushing.
"Scram..." Wren told him.
The guy swallowed hard.
He felt the pressure of the grip on his shoulder and the guy didn’t say another word.
He practically sprinted away from the table, his expensive resort wear blurring as he left the cafeteria without looking back once.
Wren smoothly, effortlessly released the tension in his posture. He was holding his own sleek silver tray loaded with premium breakfast food in his left hand.
’Sigh... What a stressful morning.’ He thought, he had been woken up by Isabella and she was currently seeing Marcus off so they would spend some more time together and Leah on the other hand had left her clothes in his bathroom so he needed to return them. ’Later.’
Wren looked down at Priya.
The cold deadpan expression melted away instantly with his sharp features softening flawlessly into a warm handsome smile that made her heart physically skip a beat in her chest.
"You don’t mind if I sit here with you, right Priya?" Wren asked casually, his deep voice wrapping around her as he smoothly slid into the seat opposite her.
Priya stared at him, completely flustered, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to form words as the image of him effortlessly protecting her burning itself into her mind.
"I don’t..."
Wren casually pulled his hand back and slid into the empty woven chair across from Priya.
"Thank you."
He set his silver tray down on the marble tabletop with a soft clatter, adjusting the plate of grilled chicken breasts, soft-boiled eggs, and tea. He was absolutely not getting Coffee after the last incident...
Wren hadn’t intended to cause a scene; he had simply wanted to grab a quiet breakfast after a very strange night in his suite, but seeing his childhood friend cornered by a persistent tourist had altered his trajectory.
"You okay?" Wren asked. He picked up his fork, entirely at ease.
Priya let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for a long time with her shoulders dropping as the tight tension left her frame.
Her dark eyes followed the exit route of the guy who had just been hounded off, then shifted back to lock onto Wren.
A small pink tint remained on her cheeks which was a lingering reaction to how effortlessly Wren had dismissed the threat without even raising his voice.
"Yeah," Priya murmured, nodding as she ran a hand through her long black hair, smoothing down the stray strands. "Thanks. He was... getting really annoying. I didn’t know how to get rid of him without making a massive deal out of it."
"Don’t worry about it," Wren said, taking a neat bite of the chicken. "Some people don’t know how to take a hint. Where’s Derek?"
Priya looked down at her own plate, where a deluxe spread of tropical fruit, pastries, and a small glass of orange juice sat largely untouched.
She began to mindlessly drum her slender fingers against the porcelain rim of her cup.
"He went out early with Toby and Zach," she explained. "Dani went with them too. They rented a couple of those high-speed jet-skis on the south beach I think. Derek was really excited about it. He’s amazing, really, but..." She trailed off, staring into the liquid of her cup. "I just wanted a quiet morning... The beaches are so packed and loud today, and the constant scheduling was starting to feel more like a chore than a vacation. I just needed a break from the stress which is why I’m here."
Wren casually took a sip of his tea.
He nodded understandingly, his blue eyes studying her face for a brief second before he looked back out toward the sun-drenched terrace.
"Jet-skis are loud anyway," Wren said smoothly, setting his cup back down with a muted thud. "I wouldn’t be much fun out there with them. Remember when we were back on the beach back on that Island? I wasn’t lying... I never actually learned how to swim properly. I’d just end up being a massive liability on a jet-ski out in the open ocean."
’Without Isa around at least...’
Priya’s drumming fingers stopped instantly. Her eyes widened, her gaze snapping up to lock onto his face in genuine surprise.
She had secretly thought Wren was avoiding the main group, that he was purposely staying away from her and Derek but hearing him admit a plain simple vulnerability completely shattered that assumption.
’He really can’t swim? O–Oh...’
