Monday afternoon. The campus athletic center was packed.
Adrian walked through the double glass doors, wearing his new fitted turtleneck and tailored slacks. The transformation was absolute. The moment he stepped into the massive, echoing gym, heads turned.
Girls on the treadmills lost their footing.
Guys lifting weights paused, intimidated by the sheer, suffocating presence radiating from him.
He was looking for the campus café located on the second floor, but his path was suddenly blocked.
"Well, look who found a sugar daddy."
Adrian stopped. Standing in the middle of the walkway was the one and only-Melissa Kane.
She was flanked by two massive guys from the varsity football team. Melissa was wearing her crimson cheerleader uniform, the tight fabric struggling to contain her massive DD-cup chest. Her thick, powerful thighs were planted firmly apart, her hands on her hips. She was glaring at Adrian, her fiery auburn hair pulled back, her face twisted into a sneer.
Ever since Adrian had humiliated her in the courtyard last week, Melissa had been seething. She was the apex predator of the campus social scene. She bullied weak men for sport. The fact that Adrian Vale—the biggest loser in school—had made her step aside and left her dripping wet was a psychological splinter she couldn't pull out.
She needed to crush him to get her equilibrium back.
"Nice clothes, Vale," Melissa mocked loudly, making sure the surrounding students could hear. "Did Olivia finally pay you for all those essays you wrote? Or did you max out your student loans to play dress-up?"
The two massive football players behind her chuckled, crossing their thick, muscular arms.
Adrian didn't look at the jocks. He looked at Melissa. He activated [Emotion Scan].
[Target: Melissa Kane] [Anger: 70%] [Insecurity: 40%] [Arousal: 50% (Hidden)]
She was furious, but her body was betraying her. Just looking at him in his new, dominant attire was making her heart race.
"System," Adrian thought. "Purchase [Level 3 — Social Intimidation] from the Dominance Tree."
[Ding! 200 LP deducted. Skill Unlocked.] [Level 3 — Social Intimidation: Host's aura now projects active psychological pressure. Rivals will feel a primal, instinctual fear when confronting you, severely weakening their resolve.]
Adrian took a slow, deliberate step forward. The air around him seemed to drop ten degrees. The heavy, crushing weight of his new aura slammed into the group.
The two football players instantly stopped laughing. Their smiles vanished. A cold sweat broke out on the back of their necks.
Their primal instincts were screaming at them that the man walking toward them was an apex predator, and they were prey.
"You got a problem, bro?" the larger jock, Brad, asked. But his voice cracked. He didn't step forward to protect Melissa; he subconsciously took a half-step back.
Adrian didn't even look at him. "Walk away, Brad. Before I ruin your draft prospects."
It was a bluff, but delivered with such absolute, terrifying certainty that Brad's resolve shattered completely. The jock swallowed hard, looked at the floor, and quickly walked away, his friend trailing right behind him.
Melissa was left standing completely alone.
Her eyes widened in shock. Brad was 240 pounds of muscle, and Adrian had just chased him off with a whisper.
Adrian stepped into Melissa's personal space. He was so close he could feel the heat radiating off her thick, athletic body. He looked down at her, his dark eyes pinning her in place.
"You're trying too hard, Melissa," Adrian murmured, his voice a dark, vibrating growl.
"S-Screw you," she spat, but her voice trembled. She tried to hold her ground, but her heavy chest was heaving rapidly,
brushing against his chest with every breath.
Adrian leaned down, his lips hovering just an inch from her ear. "You brought two gorillas over here to intimidate me because you're terrified," he whispered, his breath hot against her neck.
"You're terrified because ever since I put you in your place last week, you haven't been able to stop thinking about me. You're standing here trying to insult me, but your heart is beating out of your chest, and your thighs are squeezed together because you're dripping wet just looking at me."
Melissa gasped loudly, a full-body shudder ripping through her frame. Her face flushed a violent, burning crimson. "Shut up!" she hissed, but she didn't step away. She couldn't. Her legs felt like jelly.
"Keep playing your little games, Melissa," Adrian said, pulling back and looking into her hazy, lust-filled eyes. "But the next time you step in my way, I won't just embarrass you. I'll break you."
He held her gaze for one more agonizing second, then walked past her, his shoulder brushing hers.
Melissa stood frozen in the middle of the gym. Her breathing was ragged. Her hands were shaking. She hated him. She absolutely despised him.
But as she squeezed her thick thighs together, she realized with horrifying clarity that he was completely right. She was soaked.