Chapter 14: Hot Milfs In Your Area
A butler and a maid stood near a grand arched window, feather duster and polishing cloth in hand as they worked. They spoke in low, warm voices, completely unaware I was just around the corner.
"Can you believe how lively the estate feels today?" the maid whispered, unable to hide her smile. "For years, Lord Julian and Lady Alice had us clean and polish this entire Right Wing every single day, keeping every room spotless."
"Aye," the butler replied, gently wiping down a gilded picture frame. "They kept it sealed and guarded, waiting for the day their son would return to fill it. There were times I thought Lady Alice would break from the grief... but look at them now."
I stood frozen behind the archway, my breath catching in my throat.
Their casual, unfiltered words hit me harder than any grand speech ever could. Julian and Alice hadn’t just claimed me when the system altered reality, they had spent three painful years preserving an empty wing of a palace, keeping a light burning for a son they thought was lost. The sheer depth of their love settled heavily in my chest.
[Whoa there, big guy,] Paige’s voice cut through my thoughts, soft and playful. [Are those actual tears see? Don’t tell me my invincible, god-like host is getting teary-eyed over housekeeping gossip.]
I rubbed at the corner of my eye before resuming my walk. ’Shut up, Paige. I just got something in my eye.’
[Right, right. Dust in your eye... inside a mansion where the staff are practically contractually obligated to destroy every speck of dirt on sight,] Paige teased, her tiny holographic avatar floating beside me. [It’s okay to admit you’re touched, Seth. You went from a boss who yelled at you for taking a five-minute lunch break to a family that preserved an entire palace wing for you.]
’I know,’ I replied, a faint smile returning as I approached my suite. ’It’s just... a lot to take in.’
[Well, process it fast, because you’ve got visitors waiting for you,] Paige said.
Sure enough, two tall, immaculately dressed head butlers stood outside my bedroom doors. Beside them sat several large cardboard boxes stamped with high-end tech logos, containing the custom liquid-cooled PC, triple-monitor setup, and all the peripherals we’d ordered at the mall.
"Young Master Seth," one of the butlers said, bowing deeply as soon as he saw me. "The delivery from the Fernando Galleria arrived a few moments ago. We wished to set up the equipment in your room, but protocol dictates that we cannot enter your private quarters without your explicit permission."
"Oh, right. Thanks for waiting," I said as I opened the heavy double doors. "Come on in. You can set everything up by the desk."
"Understood, Young Master."
The two men moved with terrifying efficiency. While I stepped into my walk-in closet to change out of my street clothes and into a soft grey hoodie and sweatpants, the butlers unboxed everything, routed the cables with almost mathematical precision, and powered up the massive rig.
Fifteen minutes later, the setup looked like something straight out of a premium showroom. Soft ambient lighting glowed beneath the desk, while three curved monitors displayed a crisp desktop.
"Everything has been configured to the highest performance standards, Young Master," the lead butler said with another bow. "Please let us know if you require anything else."
"No, this is amazing. Thanks a lot," I said.
After they bowed and quietly closed the doors behind them, I pulled out the plush leather gaming chair and sat down.
For a few seconds, I just sat there staring. A setup like this would’ve been something I’d only ever seen in YouTube thumbnails or behind the glass display of an electronics store.
I stared at the glowing triple-monitor setup, a sudden wave of hesitation washing over me. Back in my old life, my "computer" experience had been limited to a clunky ten-year-old laptop that struggled to open Word documents and the POS touchscreen at the restaurant where I punched in food orders.
"Alright... let’s see how this thing works," I muttered, reaching for the mouse.
I clicked around at random, trying to figure out how to open a browser so I could search for a few games. My movements were clumsy, and I had absolutely no muscle memory to rely on. I somehow managed to close the settings three times, open five different windows at once, and even invert the mouse controls.
[Pfft-HAHAHA!] Paige burst into laughter. [Seth, what are you doing?! You’re clicking on the ads! Stop!]
"I’m trying to download a game launcher!" I shot back, squinting at a flashing pop-up that proudly declared FREE HIGH-SPEED GAME DOWNLOADS! NO VIRUS! "It literally says there’s no virus!"
[Seth...]
[Seth, don’t click random things.]
[...Why are you hovering over that?]
[Seth.]
[SETH!]
[DON’T CLICK THE GREEN BUTTON—]
*CLICK*
Instantly, three bright red warning windows exploded across all three monitors as an obnoxiously loud alarm blared through the room. Red text flashed across every screen.
CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR! YOUR COMPUTER HAS BEEN INFECTED WITH 47 VIRUSES! CALL THIS NUMBER IMMEDIATELY!
I nearly fell backward in my chair, staring at the flashing red disaster in horror. "What the hell?! I only clicked one button!"
[I told you!] Paige was practically rolling on the floor laughing. [You can rewrite reality, alter the fundamental laws of physics... and you just got defeated by a scam your grandmother would’ve spotted!]
"Can you fix it?!" I asked, frantically closing window after window, only for even more to appear. "If Dad finds out I broke a twenty-thousand-dollar PC in under ten minutes, I’m going to die of embarrassment!"
"Of course I can fix it, you absolute caveman,] Paige giggled.
A tiny blue pulse of light rippled out from my forehead, washing over the computer. In a fraction of a second, the flashing red pop-ups vanished, the loud alarm cut off, and the desktop returned to a perfectly pristine state. A clean game launcher icon appeared in the center of the main screen.
[There. I removed the virus, installed the proper launcher, created an account for you, and optimized your network connection,] Paige said, sounding smugly pleased with herself. [Now, please refrain from clicking on "Hot Singles In Your Area" while I’m trying to nap.]
’Shut up, I didn’t click on that,’ I grumbled, unable to stop myself from laughing at the sheer absurdity of the situation.