MY NETORI SYSTEM-Chapter 10: Wine and Paperwork

Thursday rolled around faster than I expected, mostly because I spent the whole week trying not to think about it like some nervous teenager before prom. Rebecca’s house in Vinings. 11 a.m. Wine mentioned. Paul on a golf trip. Elena feeding me intel like she was running a spy ring instead of cheating on her husband.

I woke up at 7:30, made coffee that tasted like victory (new beans finally arrived), and spent twenty minutes picking an outfit that screamed "professional but fuckable if you squint." Navy chinos, light gray button-down (sleeves rolled because why not), the Tag Heuer ticking like it knew something I didn’t. Shaved. Hair combed. Looked in the mirror and thought, Damn, you actually clean up okay when you’re not broke and depressed.

The system decided that was the perfect moment to remind me it existed.

A faint blue glow slid into the corner of my vision like someone had installed shitty AR glasses in my eyeballs overnight.

[NETORI SYSTEM – DAILY STATUS CHECK]

Host: David Reyes

Rank: Bull 3

Net Worth (Tracked): $124,780 (BMW depreciation offset by mystery deposit yesterday—thanks, ghost daddy)

Charm: 44 (+2 from Rebecca meeting—apparently she liked the jokes)

Dominance: 39 (+1 passive tick—Mark texted Elena last night asking if she was "okay," voice "subtly insecure")

Libido: 94 (perma-high, currently thinking about Rebecca’s freckles)

Passives Active:

Wife Breaker Lv.1 → Elena 97% (she sent a 2 a.m. pic of her in lingerie "practicing for later")

Cuckold Whisper Lv.1 → Mark Insecurity Baseline: 48% (rising)

Netori Gaze Lv.1 → Ready for activation on eye contact

New Passive Progress: Status Aura Lv.1 (unlocked but dormant—triggers on first major business win)

Current Mission: None active

Next Trigger Threshold: Major netori escalation or business milestone

Hint: Target #2 (Rebecca Voss) – Arousal baseline low but rising. Use Gaze wisely. Don’t be a creep.

I blinked the screen away, muttering, "Yeah, thanks for the dating advice, HAL." It flickered once more like it was laughing at me, then vanished.

I grabbed my portfolio, the updated proposal (now with her actual declarations page Elena had "borrowed" and scanned for me last night), and headed out.

The drive to Vinings took thirty minutes—light traffic, windows down, R&B low. I parked on the street outside her house: big two-story colonial, manicured lawn, BMW X5 in the driveway (hers, probably). Looked like the kind of place where people argued about HOA fines over mimosas.

I rang the bell at 10:58. Rebecca opened the door in jeans and a soft green sweater that hugged her curves without trying too hard. Hair down this time—red waves past her shoulders. Freckles more noticeable in daylight. She smiled—small, but genuine.

"David. Right on time. Come in."

The house smelled like coffee and something vanilla-baked. Kitchen island had a bottle of red already open (mid-morning wine, bold move), two glasses, charcuterie board that looked like she spent thirty minutes arranging it to look casual.

"Hope you don’t mind," she said, pouring. "Paul’s gone till Sunday. Figured we could talk without interruptions."

I took the glass. "I don’t mind at all. Makes the conversation easier."

We sat at the island. She slid her declarations page over—thick stack of insurer docs. I flipped through slowly, asking questions I already knew the answers to just to keep her talking.

"Carrier’s denying half your water-damage claims?"

She rolled her eyes. "They say ’poor maintenance.’ I say ’poor policy language.’ Paul thinks we should switch to whoever’s cheapest. I think that’s how you end up bankrupt when a tenant slips in the hallway."

I nodded. "You’re not wrong. Cheap policies are like cheap condoms—feel good till they break."

She laughed—sharp, surprised. "That’s... one way to put it."

The blue screen popped in again, right as she leaned forward to point at a clause.

[Netori Gaze Lv.1 – Target Arousal Spike: +22% on sustained eye contact]

Subtle flush detected. Proceed?

I blinked it away mid-sentence. Not now, you horny hologram. But yeah, her cheeks were a little pinker. Pupils dilated just a fraction. She tucked hair behind her ear—classic tell.

I kept my voice steady. "This exclusion here is brutal. We can replace it with a rider that covers ’unforeseeable tenant actions.’ Costs about $1,200 more a year but saves you six figures if someone sues."

She sipped wine. "You make it sound easy."

"It’s not. But I’m good at making hard things look easy."

Another laugh—this one lower. "Elena said you had a way with words."

"Elena talks too much."

"She talks about you a lot."

I raised an eyebrow. "Good things?"

"Mostly." She paused, swirling her glass. "Said you’re single. Said you ’take care of things.’"

I leaned back slightly. "I try."

The screen flickered again.

[Charm Tick: +1 – Target Interest Rising]

Current Charm: 45

Dominance Proximity Alert: Target subconsciously deferring to your lead

I ignored it. Focused on her eyes—held the gaze a second longer than professional.

Rebecca broke first. Looked down at the papers, cheeks definitely flushed now.

We talked numbers for another forty minutes—premium breakdowns, trust options, asset shielding if "things go south" with Paul. She vented about his golf obsession ("He spends more time with his clubs than me"), his penny-pinching ("He once returned a $12 bottle of wine because it was ’overpriced’"), how she felt like the only adult in the marriage.

I listened. Nodded. Threw in light jabs: "Sounds like he’s married to his scorecard more than you."

She snorted. "You have no idea."

Wine glasses emptied once. She refilled without asking. The charcuterie board dwindled—cheese, crackers, prosciutto disappearing between laughs.

Around 12:45 she set the folder aside. "I think I’m in. I’ll sign whatever you need to start the switch. Just... make sure it’s ironclad. I don’t want Paul finding loopholes later."

I nodded. "I’ll draft the authorization forms. We can sign next week—here again if Paul’s still swinging clubs."

She smiled—slow, a little dangerous. "Or sooner. I’m free most weekends."

The screen popped one more time.

[Mission Triggered: First Business Conquest]

Objective: Secure Rebecca Voss as client AND plant netori seed (arousal/loyalty shift >30%) within 30 days.

Reward: $35,000 cash injection + Status Aura Lv.1 unlock + Charm +10

Bonus: Get her to admit dissatisfaction with husband aloud → Double cash + random item

Failure Penalty: -5 Charm (temporary)

I blinked it away. Finally woke up, huh? About time.

Rebecca stood. Walked me to the door. Paused in the foyer—close enough I could smell her perfume (something citrusy and expensive).

"Thanks for this," she said quietly. "Feels good to talk to someone who... gets it."

I met her eyes again. Held.

"Anytime."

She bit her lip—just for a second. Then opened the door.

"Text me when the forms are ready."

"Will do."

I stepped out. Door closed behind me.

Halfway to the BMW the screen flashed once more.

[Netori Gaze Residual Effect: Target Arousal +9% post-interaction]

Elena Loyalty Tick: 98% – She’s texting you in 3... 2...

My phone buzzed.

Elena: How’d it go? 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Elena: She just messaged me: "Your consultant is dangerous. In a good way."

Elena: Spill. Did she blush?

I laughed out loud in her driveway.

Me: She blushed. Hard.

Me: Coming over tonight?

Me: Bring the red dress. We’re celebrating.

Elena: Already packing.

Elena: Make me scream loud enough Mark hears it through the walls?

Me: I’ll try. No promises. Last time the lamp almost filed for divorce.

She sent back a string of laughing emojis and a peach.

I got in the BMW. Started the engine.

The system screen hovered one last time—faint, almost smug.

[Progress to Dominion: 23%]