NOVEL WEB Chapter 30: Dawn's Reckoning
Vincent's eyes opened to the soft gray light of dawn filtering through the penthouse windows. His internal clock was precise—6:47 AM. Helena lay curled against him, her head resting on his chest, brown hair spilling across his skin like silk. She wore only her panties, her body warm and soft against his, one arm draped possessively around his waist even in sleep.
The night had been... intense. They'd made love until well past midnight, Helena's passion matching his own until exhaustion finally claimed her. Vincent felt perfectly alert—the benefits of being a refined stage cultivator. His body processed fatigue differently, recovered faster, endured more. Helena, however, was barely at the basic level, her mortal frame pushed to its limits.
He studied her sleeping face, noting the slight flush still coloring her mature features, the way her lips were slightly parted in peaceful slumber. She'd been working under him in PR for about a month now, and he'd watched her navigate the corporate world with sharp intelligence and grace. She would need cultivation resources if she was going to keep up with him, he realized. Pills to strengthen her foundation, perhaps some spiritual herbs to enhance her stamina and recovery.
The thought surprised him. When had he started thinking in terms of 'keeping up with him'? When had Vincent Cornelius—Chairman of Cornelius corporation, manipulator, cold strategist—begun considering someone else's needs beyond their usefulness?
His fingers traced absent patterns on Helena's bare shoulder, marveling at how her presence seemed to thaw something frozen within him. With her, the calculating coldness that had defined him for so long gave way to something warmer, more human. It was... disconcerting.
Helena stirred against him, her eyelashes fluttering as consciousness slowly returned. She nuzzled closer to his chest, pressing a sleepy kiss to his skin.
"Morning," she murmured, her voice husky with sleep and exhaustion.
"Good morning," Vincent replied, his voice softer than usual. His hand found her hair, fingers threading through the silky brown strands.
Helena lifted her head to look at him, her eyes still heavy with sleep but warming as they met his. "You're already awake. How long have you been watching me sleep?"
"Not long," he lied smoothly, though his smile was genuine. "You look peaceful."
She shifted to prop herself up on her elbow, the movement causing the sheet to slip lower. "I feel completely drained," she admitted with a tired smile. "I don't think I've ever been this exhausted in my life."
Vincent's response was to pull her down for a kiss—soft at first, then deeper as Helena melted against him despite her fatigue. Her body molded to his, and he felt her responding even through her exhaustion. The kiss grew more heated, more urgent, and Vincent felt his own desire stirring in response to her soft sighs and the way she pressed closer to him.
His hand was sliding down her back when his phone buzzed insistently on the nightstand.
Vincent ignored it, focusing on the way Helena's breath hitched as he kissed along her neck. The phone buzzed again, then fell silent. Good.
Helena's fingers tangled in his hair as she arched against him, her exhaustion seeming to fade in the face of renewed desire. Vincent's hand traced the curve of her hip when the phone erupted in persistent buzzing again.
"Vincent," Helena whispered, though she made no move to pull away.
He growled low in his throat, reaching blindly for the device. One glance at the screen showed Olivia's name—his secretary's efficiency was legendary, but her timing was abysmal. He declined the call and tossed the phone aside, returning his attention to Helena.
The phone immediately began buzzing again.
"Answer it," Helena said breathlessly, though her body remained pressed against his. "It might be important."
Vincent's jaw tightened—that particular persistence meant business, and urgent business at that. He reached for the device, noting the slight tension in Olivia's voice when she spoke.
"Chairman, I'm sorry to interrupt your... morning." There was the faintest edge to her words, though her tone remained professionally neutral. Olivia had cleared his schedule for the date, had known exactly where he'd be and with whom. "But we have a situation. The trap worked perfectly. We caught seven of them trying to break into the Qi engine facility. Two more were intercepted at the logistics center. They're all secured and waiting for your instruction."
Vincent's expression grew cold, his features hardening into a ruthless smirk Helena had seen glimpses of. "Hold them. I'll be there within the hour."
"Should I begin preliminary questioning?" Olivia's voice carried a note of professional eagerness that didn't quite mask something else—a subtle satisfaction that the call had interrupted whatever he was doing.
"No. I'll handle the interrogation personally."
He ended the call and set the phone aside, his mind already shifting gears. Helena was watching him with concerned eyes, noting the transformation in his demeanor.
"Everything alright?" she asked, her voice careful.
Vincent's smile was sharp-edged, dangerous. "Just some rats I baited have been caught."
Helena felt a chill at his tone, remembering the calculated precision with which he'd destroyed Jin. The man beside her was no longer the tender lover but the CEO who'd built Cornelius corporation into a powerhouse through strategic ruthlessness. But the chill only made her heart beat faster now.
🔔 System Notification
▶ Helena Favorability towards Vincent: 95(+2)
▶VP: +50
"You should rest more," he said, his voice gentling as he looked at her. "You're exhausted, and your body needs time to recover."
He kissed her forehead, then her lips—a brief, possessive touch that somehow managed to be both tender and claiming. "The maids will prepare breakfast when you're ready. Stay as long as you like."
Helena watched him move with predatory grace as he rose from the bed, her heart clenching at the transformation. This was the Vincent who commanded boardrooms and crushed competitors, who moved through the corporate world like a chess master positioning pieces for maximum damage.
An hour later, Vincent emerged from the penthouse looking immaculate in a tailored black suit, his hair perfectly styled, his expression composed. Helena had showered and joined him for breakfast, dressed in one of his shirts that fell to her mid-thigh. The sight of her in his clothes stirred something possessive in his chest.
"I have to go," he said, giving her a small peck on the lips. "Business."
The moment he stepped out of the penthouse, his face became gloomy, the warmth from his eyes disappearing entirely. He had expected there to be spies but not so many. The elevator descended in silence, carrying him back to the world where sentiment was weakness and mercy was a luxury he couldn't afford.
In the parking garage, he was surprised to see a different figure waiting by his car. Instead of David, who was taking a well-deserved break, a burly man with an infectious grin was leaning against the Phantom's hood.
"Boss!" Raghu's booming voice echoed through the garage as he straightened. "David's out sick with that flu that's going around. Thought you might need the A-team for whatever's got Miss Olivia calling at dawn."
Vincent studied his bodyguard—six feet of solid muscle and refined stage cultivation wrapped in an expensive suit that somehow still managed to look casual on his frame. Raghu had been with Cornelius corporation for years, his cheerful demeanor and loud laugh a strange contrast to his lethal efficiency. The old Vincent had kept him around purely for his cultivation level and unwavering loyalty, finding his personality... excessive.
"Ready when you are, boss," Raghu said, opening the car door with a flourish. "Though I gotta say, you're looking pretty relaxed for someone dealing with industrial espionage."
Vincent slid into the backseat, his expression already shifting to its familiar coldness. "Drive. And have the men do some things for me. Immediately."
As the Phantom pulled out of the garage, Vincent stared out the tinted windows at the city awakening around them. The warmth Helena had kindled in him was already fading, replaced by the familiar chill that had kept him alive in this world of protagonists, corporate predators and industrial warfare.
He couldn't afford to be soft. Not in this business, not with competitors trying to steal his Qi stabilizing technology and optimized logistical routes. The moment he showed weakness, the moment he let sentiment cloud his judgment, he would be the one to suffer.
Nine rats were waiting. And Vincent Cornelius had never been known for his mercy.