Daria's POV
"How many girls do you have?" I sighed, pulling out my notebook and pen.
"Two hundred," she answered too quickly for my liking.
I had to sit there for a minute and do deep breathing exercises. I'm going to make this bitch cannon fodder.
"Anyone underage?" I asked through gritted teeth, and Orion flinched and looked like he was trying to knock her out.
I don't blame him, and she's my puppet now, but I don't know if I should allow that. I say that lightly and mainly for Orion's mental health and reputation. Then again, if it were one of the women she's been selling out, I'd let them have at her for therapy and group sparing.
"I don't deal in that," she spat in disgust as Devon pulled up a chair and sagged in it.
"Oh, well done, Ferona. Do you want me to thank you for having a slither of morals?" I clapped sarcastically and seriously considered letting him hit her.
"When you go home, the first thing you will do is get me the key for Nexus, and you'll never think about him again," I said, raising my eyebrow at her whimpering.
I looked at Orion in disgust.
I stood up and backhanded her into a sweet, quiet submission. What has she been doing with him? I shudder at the thought.
'You should hit her again to ensure she gets it,' Adam snickered.
I know a few ways to make sure she gets it. Don't you worry about that.
I smirk down at her and sit back in my chair.
"You need to start selling everything," I started, pulling out my list of supplies people can eat.
I don't know how many of these girls will want to go home and how many will need an experienced top-class therapist, and the ones who stay will need to be trained in self-defence and legal weapons.
"Wait, but doesn't she have the fun stuff," Devon sat up in his chair and looked at me excitedly.
"I don't care; that's not my focus," I replied, shaking my head and rolling my eyes at his disapproving look, "I can assure you that someone will create a zone for everything. We really need a zone aimed at building the future," I sighed, glancing at Orion, confident he would grasp it better.
"A place where families will be safe," he nodded, and I smiled back.
"Humanity is a scourge in an apocalypse, and families are destroyed, and only the strong are safe," I muttered, my head twitching a little at the thought of the things Craver taught me, "Get me a list of all the women and close the second floor of your club. Allow dancers who want to be there. Everyone you have trapped must be brought into the third floor tomorrow evening so I can talk to them."
"Two hundred women is a postcode," Devon mumbled, his face a little green.
"Oh god, and get rid of Molly and your brother. I'm not dealing with those freaks tomorrow," I hissed, getting out of my chair and heading to bed.
I spent the morning claiming the houses and warehouses that Rain and Ferona owned, and to my utter surprise, I had gained a thousand build points for every building I had claimed. After spending the morning taking all their buildings around the hotel and up to the university, I had forty thousand build points when I walked into the strip club with Rain and my lunch. I upgraded the house and reinforced the doors and windows to level ten, bullet and bombproof.
Ad? Can I spend on the wall and schedule it to start three months before D-day?
'Yes, that shouldn't be an issue… d day?'
Dead Day.
I built the boundary wall to sixty feet high and reinforced it to withstand a nuke. I found myself with two thousand points left, even after I had added a basic offensive pack to it. Damn, that wall is expensive, but it'll kill anything when the time comes. I sat at the bar, casually drinking a Red Bull while waiting for my key.
Ferona was walking too slowly, struggling with her task but unable to defy me, as she dropped the key into my hand and stomped away.
'I wonder how strong one has to be to defy you.'
If she's anything to go by, it must be true love or a deep, strong, and well-maintained familial or friendship bond, but I doubt anyone can defy me if I keep my mental abilities high.
'Congratulations, you have gained an extra thirty thousand points. Claim sixty properties.'
'Congratulations, you are Level Five.'
I'll have that smashed in a couple of hours.
I shrugged at Ad, pretending he was in the seat next to me and finished my can. I slid off the bar chair, strode out of this disgusting place, and took out the rest of the town—thirty more houses of Ferona's emptied of the woman and furniture. Every home will need to be deep cleaned.
'I can order that for every house for four thousand build points. It will be done by the evening,' Ad interrupted smugly.
Please do it! I'll spend extra to have Ferona's places cleaned twice!
'Congratulations, you have gained an extra twenty thousand points. Claim eighty properties.'
Bit of a jump?
'I'm adapting to your gang sweeps,' he snickered.
I squinted my eye in annoyance and messaged Devon and Orion to leave his job when he could because I'd be at the house Nexus was in soon. I don't know what state he will be in or whether I will need to take him to the hospital or call a fucking therapist. In the beginning, he was about as reserved as Orion, and you can tell he had influences on his personality from Devon, too. They took good care of each other, and yet they only seem to talk to each other now because of me.
Is the family dynamic that bad?
I swept through the entire warehouse district, laughing at the one hundred and thirty warehouses I could modify, and that was just the start. I will have this whole industrial district, and keeping safe when I train my army will be easy. I will need everyone's help to find ways of building skills in everyone without them noticing. The girls that stay will be easy to train because fuck trauma, and I will not allow a single one of them to lose their life to PTSD, and if I can use the businesses to wash the money and I might be able to buy shares in the company Devon works for.
Don't you find it strange that Devon doesn't have his own business?
'I don't think about him at all,' he muttered in a bored tone, and I blanched.
I shook my head and drove on, passing houses with giant private gates on either side of the road. Most houses had acres of land attached to them, making them great places to build training centres. I stopped at the brilliant white gate and froze as I saw a plaque with 'Craver House.'
You can't be fucking serious right now?
'At least we know how he got there,' he mumbled sadly.
I stepped out of the car when Devon started to walk toward me, his eyes darting around to check for anyone following or an ambush. That would be fucking awkward because I would steal their guns and shoot them all down at this point. I pressed the circle keyring onto the cut under the number pad, and the gate squeaked. It popped open and hissed until it was complete.
I returned to the car, and Devon hopped in the passenger seat. Orion drove Devon's car behind me as we trekked down the windy country lane drive. It was massive, going on and on and filling the air with an opulent vibe. My jaw dropped when the house—an enormous mansion—came into view.
"I can't believe she has a house like this," I whispered, parking in front of the large dark brown door that matched the light brown of the rest of the house.
It had eight windows that appeared to be the same as the door, and I let out a laugh at how long it might take just to search the damn house.
"Do you want to start at the top?" Orion asked, turning his head to me.
"Yeah, okay. You and Devon can go downstairs and up," I finished, stepping up to the front door.
"No, we are not splitting up when Magnus could be lurking around," Devon shook his head and took my elbow.
I rolled my eyes and pushed the door open.
Oh god, it's so pink again!
"Barbie would be pleased," I snickered, heading for the stairs in the middle of the house that were breaking off to the left and right. This house has a simple layout; the stairs to the next level are behind a slightly open door. Once I stepped onto the smaller staircase, it was like stepping into a secret passageway in those films with Victorian-style houses.
When I got to the top, I could hear chains shifting around on the other side of a dark oak door, and I had never been as terrified as I am now. Oh god, what if he doesn't remember me?
I pushed the door open, stepped in with a horrified gasp, and burst out laughing. The whole room was decorated in royal purple furnishing across black furniture, and in the middle of the room, Nexus was chained to every corner.
"Well, fuck. Little brother, you've been missing for months, and you've been here getting your dick wet the entire time," Devon howled, laughing and jumping to tug a chain close to him.
"Don't fucking do that, bro. You're perverted," he hissed, but I heard the groan as the chain was attached to his neck and choked him a little.
Oh!
I fell to my knees from the pain of my laughter and smacked Orion's leg when he went to tug another chain.
"Stop it, your assholes," I cackled, trying to get up using the wall and stumbling over to Nexus with my abdomen tensing.
I was trying not to laugh, and it was hurting.
"I'm so sorry," I snorted, trying to hide how amused I was.
"It's fine, D," he growled, his bright green eyes holding that same look that Devon gave me when we were-
"I'm sorry," I whispered, suddenly incredibly sober and no longer seeing the funny side.
"It's fine."
I feel like I will be punished, and I am here for it.
I smirked as I pulled the locks apart from around his neck and chest.
I will never see him in this kind of leather again.
He's not submissive by nature like I seem to be.
I glanced down and gasped at the little cloth covering his crotch. It was as if she purposefully brought him the tightest leather strap suit, making his chest resemble what a perfect diet and exercise regime can give you.
"D, stop staring like that and get me out of these chains and this nut job house," Nexus snapped, his cool façade breaking for a second.
"No, sorry. You're right. I honestly didn't think you'd even remember me, let alone this," I gestured wildly with my hands and broke the rest of the locks.
I pulled out a set of army trousers, tops, and jumpers for Nexus to change into. I also left the combat boots, a bottle of water, and a sandwich for him to level himself out with. Then, I left the room to give him some space.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, stopping me with his sharp, intimidating gaze.
Devon and Orion shut the door behind me, and the gust of wind and silence made me a little dizzy.
My heart pounded in my ears, my tongue had gone dry, and I was sweating like crazy. I didn't move as he unclipped the leather outfit and let it drop to the floor. My eyes widened in shock, and I stood there going through the motions like a nonplayer character.