When Emma stepped into the kitchen, she pulled the necessary ingredients from the preservation chamber. The chamber came with the villa, a gift from the Empire's government. Anything stored inside stayed as fresh as the day it was put in—for up to a year. Perfect for stocking up. Emma always prepped her ingredients ahead of time, sealed them in a container, and then grabbed whatever she needed. Quick and convenient. She took out a fish she'd already cleaned and set it to steam, then grabbed some beast meat and peppers. Soon, the kitchen filled with rich, savory aromas. By the time Drake came downstairs in fresh clothes, dinner was ready. Emma handed him a fork while she picked up her own.Dinner was even better than breakfast—especially the steamed fish, which left Drake stunned. Emma ate quietly. Apart from occasionally glancing at her lightcore, she hardly said a word. She was probably chatting with someone. The mischievous glint in her eyes gave it away. Drake found it oddly amusing. Emma was replying to Damian's messages. Damian: 'Ms. Tibarn, I made a new friend today. He's headed to F-268, so I asked to go with him. Ms. Tibarn, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm so excited!' Damian: 'Why aren't you answering me?' Emma: 'I was busy just now. I'm excited to see you too.' Tomorrow, she'd finally find out what he was really up to. … After dinner, Emma explained the mental comfort she'd be giving Drake. As expected, he agreed without hesitation.Drake studied her, remembering how she'd just been chatting away on her lightcore. That had to be one of her other matches. "If you're going to comfort me at night, won't your other matches mind?" he asked. Oddly enough, after two days here, he hadn't seen a single one of them. "Nope." Emma's tone was firm. "With me, they all listen to what I say." And if they didn't, she'd drop them. Her bossy attitude almost made Drake laugh. He glanced around the villa. "So, where are your other matches?" Seriously—what's with this guy and his lack of boundaries? If he hadn't paid her so much, she wouldn't have bothered answering. "They're all busy right now. One of them will be here tomorrow." After that, she had the smart robot clear the table and head upstairs.Three days had already passed, and not a single reliable match had appeared. With some time to spare tonight, she decided to reach out and see what the others wanted. If they all planned to break the match, she wished they'd just say so. No point dragging it out. … Back in her room, Emma showered, stretched out on the bed, and opened her lightcore. Messaging them one by one was a hassle. Therefore, except for Damian and Drake—who were already off her list—she sent a group message. 'This is your match, Emma. Reply if you see this.' A second passed. Then another. Three. A full minute. Five. Still nothing. Emma could only stare at her screen in silence, a kind of silence that was almost comical in its absurdity. She started to suspect the Beast God had set her up, matching her with nine duds on purpose. Some wanted to break it off, some were just out for money, and the rest were dead weight—like silent names lingering in her contact list. She took a deep breath and was about to warn them she'd cut things off herself when her lightcore chimed. Finally, one ghost on her list had stirred back to life. Corvin: 'I've transferred 10 million star coins.' No words—just money? What is that supposed to mean? Emma was surprised. A second later, she received the replies. Corvin: 'Transferred 50 million star coins.' Corvin: 'Transferred 100 million star coins.' Her match still didn't say a word and kept sending money. Emma: 'Can you say something, dude?'What's with all the star coins? Is he trying to buy me off, just like Kael and Drake? Corvin: 'I'm busy!' Emma stared at those words. Got it—he's too busy to bother with me, so he's just throwing money my way. He's hoping I'll end it myself. Emma: 'Got it.' Right after replying, she applied to the Beastmate System to break her match with Corvin. And, being considerate, she deleted him from her contacts.What's with all the star coins? Is he trying to buy me off, just like Kael and Drake? Corvin: 'I'm busy!' Emma stared at those words. Got it—he's too busy to bother with me, so he's just throwing money my way. He's hoping I'll end it myself. Emma: 'Got it.' Right after replying, she applied to the Beastmate System to break her match with Corvin. And, being considerate, she deleted him from her contacts.