The low hum of the apartment's air filtration unit was the bass note to the soft, lingering symphony of dinner's end. The scent of roasted synth-protein and steamed vegetables, cheap but lovingly prepared, still hung warmly in the air of the main living space. The table was cleared, the dishes were stacked by the auto-cleaner, and the women of the Hardcox household had settled into the worn, comfortable grooves of their usual spots on the large sectional sofa. It was a scene of quiet decompression, but the energy thrumming beneath the surface was anything but usual.
Cathy, was curled at one end, her slender fingers tracing the rim of her empty water glass. Her blonde hair was pulled back, a few stray strands framing a face that seemed softer tonight, less etched with the quiet worry that she usually looked. Vera, sat solidly in the middle. Her bob-cut black hair, with its subtle, fiery red undertones, seemed to absorb the dim light of the overhead lamp, and her strong hands were resting on her thick, denim-clad thighs.
On the other end, Nadia, radiated a serene, matronly satisfaction, her voluptuous form seeming to fill her corner of the couch with a comforting presence. Bella and Emily were sprawled on the floor on a pile of cushions, a datapad glowing between them, though neither seemed to be looking at it. And Kate, the newest and most reserved member of our fractured constellation, sat slightly apart in the single armchair, her posture still a little too perfect, her eyes taking in everything.
"So…. That was different, there's something new in the air~". It was Emily who broke the comfortable silence, her voice a casual, almost lazy, as she hinted at the clearly awkward air.
"Hush you, well… different is one word for it." Vera let out a soft, breathy laugh that was more air than sound. She shifted, the couch creaking under her weight. "The kid was… prepared… Like, actually prepared... Had charts and everything.".
"It was more than the charts, Vera," Cathy said, her voice gentle but firm. She put her glass down and looked around at the others. "It was his eyes…. The way he held himself, He wasn't just throwing an idea against the wall. He was presenting a plan. He knew what he was talking about. He was… serious."
Bella rolled onto her stomach, pushing the pad aside. Her athletic frame was coiled with a nervous excitement. "He was amazing! He sounded like one of those corporate streamers, all confident and smart…. But it was still Sael.". She said it with a reverence and excitements.
"It was the certainty that struck me…. There was no hesitation, no… effeminate flailing like he usually does, He laid out a multi-million-dollar business strategy with the same calm focus another boy might use to explain a video game cheat code..." She paused, her sharp eyes flicking from one woman to another. "It's a profound change, it hits… hard… It confirms it now, doesn't it? He's not the same person. Anymore…".
A collective, silent agreement passed through the room. Nods. The slight relaxing of shoulders that hadn't even realized they were tense; it was an acknowledgment of the unspoken truth they'd all been tiptoeing around for days. The sullen, dismissive, makeup-wearing boy was gone. In his place was someone new, someone who looked them in the eye. Someone who wanted to provide. Someone who, against all odds, seemed to actually see them.
The mood in the room lightened, the heavy blanket of awe and reflection lifting slightly. A smile played on Emily's lips, a knowing, slightly mischievous glint in her blue-dyed highlighted hair. "Charming is another word for it," she said, picking up on Kate's observation. "Now, bro is receptive as well, And THAT is the big one, He's not pushing us away anymore. He's… Inviting us in...".
"He's beginning to warming up and noticing us, now," Bella added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, though there was no one to overhear. "Not in a creepy way… or, In a… hungry way… Like he's actually noticing… you know… us." She gestured vaguely at her own body, a flush creeping up her neck.
Emily chuckled, a low, warm sound. "Oh, he's noticing, all right... Trust me.". She pushed herself up onto her knees, looking directly at Kate, who seemed intrigued by this new line of conversation. "Let's just say our Sael has developed a very specific, very pronounced… appreciation. A particular taste."
Kate raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "A taste?"
"Mmhmm," Emily hummed, her smile widening. "Our bro, the new man of the house, has a thing... A big thing… A massive thing." She paused for dramatic effect, her eyes sparkling. "He's utterly, completely obsessed with tits... Big, heavy, full, milky tits, to be exact.".
The blunt, crude phrasing hung in the air. Cathy's cheeks pinked, but she didn't scold. Instead, a small, almost proud smile touched her lips. Vera laughed, a full-throated, genuine sound this time, and nodded in agreement. Nadia's expression was one of deep, maternal amusement.
Emily, a mischievous glint in her eyes, grinned. "Well, he's not all seriousness. There's a certain charm to him now, too…. And a willingness to… indulge." She nudged Nadia playfully. "Isn't that right, grandma?"
Nadia blushed, a smile playing on her lips. "He is very attentive," she agreed, her voice a little breathy.
"Attentive, yes," Emily continued, her gaze landing on Kate with a warm, inviting sincerity.
"And he has a very specific kind of affection he enjoys giving… And receiving.". She leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, though loud enough for everyone to hear. "Our boy has a deep love for… ample bosoms... And a particular fondness for suckling milk."
The revelation hung in the air, not as a shocking confession, but as a shared, happy secret. The other women nodded, their smiles radiant, a silent testament to their unity in this aspect of their lives with Sael. The living room, far from becoming awkward, felt even more intimate, wrapped in a shared understanding.
Kate looked stunned, her professional composure cracking for a second. "He… what?". Kate's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise, then something akin to understanding, passing through them. She glanced from Emily to Cathy, then to Vera. "So… this is a household-wide effort, then?" she asked, her voice tinged with a careful curiosity.
Cathy and Vera exchanged a look, then nodded in sync.
"It is," Cathy confirmed gently. "We are all on the lactating pills, Kate... And it brings him immense joy, and us, too, in seeing him so content… we wanted him to be content,".
"He finds comfort and pleasure in it," Vera added, her knitting now forgotten in her lap. "And it's a way for us to nurture him, to show him a different kind of love and connection, making him enjoyed the love of a woman… also, we… we all waited until you were ready, Kate. And we want you to feel as much a part of this as the rest of us…"
Emily reached over to a small, ornate drawer in the side table, pulling out a small, amber bottle. The pills inside shimmered faintly. "It's a beautiful thing, Kate… A shared intimacy, we'd love for you to join us. There's plenty of love to go around...".
Kate looked at the bottle, then at the faces of the women surrounding her. There was no judgment, no coercion, only open-hearted acceptance. She saw the genuine warmth in their eyes, the unified front, the unspoken promise of a deeper bond with Sael and each other. Her past reservations, her unspoken anxieties about her place, about him, began to crumble. This was her family, and also her home.
She reached out, her hand steady, and took a single pill from Emily's outstretched palm. She didn't speak, didn't need to. Her acceptance was silent, but it resonated through the room, a powerful affirmation that she was, finally, truly, in. She swallowed the pill, a new, sweet anticipation beginning to bloom in her chest.
**********************
The aroma of Aunt Vera's cooking still faintly clung to me as I settled into my bed. Dinner had been...perfect. The laughter, the easy conversation, the way they all looked at me – it was a world away from the solitary meals and silent, resentful gazes of my old life. A chasm separated the man I was from the ghost I'd been, and I was grateful for every brick I'd laid to build this bridge, the efforts of me rebuilding the fractured family has now bore the fruit.
This new life, this incredible, vibrant reality, was mine for the taking. I wouldn't squander it. I wouldn't shy away from its pleasures or its responsibilities, I would live it to the fullest, indulge the desires that had once been forbidden fantasies, and cherish these women who had, against all odds, become my everything. The hedonistic norms of this world, once a source of confusion and discomfort, now felt like a natural, even desirable, part of my existence. I had consciously chosen this path, and I loved it. Our family dinner ended quite normally and serene.
Aunt Kate head back to her apartment, and soon everyone also went on their own, to do their own stuff, I too head back to my room. It was time for me to see today reports on everything.
"Sunday," I murmured, leaning back against the pillows. "A quick query... Based on your analysis of Aunt Kate's behavior this evening, her non-verbal cues, and her past interactions… would you say she harbors a romantic or physical interest in me?"
A soft chimed, Sunday reply. "[Affirmative, Sir. Her current state indicates a significant shift towards romantic and physical attraction… Her previous protective and maternal instincts have largely transmuted into a desire for closer, intimate connection, mirroring the other women in the family, her decision to partake in the lactating regimen further solidifies this observation.]"
A small smile played on my lips. 'Good. Another piece of the puzzle, another member of my family ready to fully embrace our unique dynamic'. I filed that information away, a pleasant thought for later.
"Understood, Sunday. Thank you. Now, let's change the topic, what are the current sales figures for Silent Hill on the Vapor platform? Give me the raw data, for the first twenty-four hours since launch.".
Scene 3: The Reasonable Price Tag
"[Projecting Total Units Sold: 11,507,370]". The numbers flashed directly into my Monitor, projected by Sunday with clinical precision.
'Holy freaking shit,'. I was shocked to see the total number, I felt a surge, not of giddy excitement, but of profound satisfaction. It worked, more than eleven million copies in a single day.
I had priced Silent Hill at $69. Not because it was a short game, though it was. Not because it was a PT-style teaser, though that was its genesis. But because to me, it felt right. A higher price, say $100 or $120, would have felt shameless to me, it doesn't feel right.
Especially for a game that was, that to me was just essentially, a perfected demo. Yes, the quality was there, the experience was unparalleled, but I knew the value proposition was delicate. I wanted to build goodwill, to be seen as fair, rather than a greedy opportunist. This world was already filled with them; I would be different. Reputation, in the long run, would be far more valuable than a quick, exorbitant buck.
Silent Hill's primary objective was never maximum, short-term profit. It was a multifaceted attack: to establish Meteor Studio as a serious player, to gain instant recognition and a reputation for quality, to generate initial "seed money" for more ambitious projects, and most crucially, to eradicate the specter of debt that had haunted my family for years.
The game's production cost had been laughably low. A hundred dollars, to be exact, for the copyright and patent filing. Everything else, the assets, the engine, the design – it had all been ripped directly from my memories, my previous life's intellectual property, transferred by the System without incurring basically any cost at all. The sheer efficiency of it was staggering. A hundred dollars for a product that was now selling millions.
"Sunday, calculate the gross profit before platform cuts and taxes," I commanded, my voice calm, almost detached. After all, I am on the verge of nervous breakdown.
"[ Silent Hill : First Fear, Gross Profit: $793,988,530,]". Sunday reported instantly.
Nearly eight hundred million dollars. And I felt… steady. Not entirely elated, and not overwhelmingly shocked, but a quiet, deep sense of accomplishment. I feels like I was floating.
"Now, break down the costs," I continued. "Vapor's tiered cut, then the government tax. Give me the net profit."
"[ projecting the entire cut down of the initial gross profits, projecting now…]". Sunday said, and with that a full spreadsheet appeared on my Monitor for my inspection.
"[Vapor Platform Cut (Tier 1: 30% up to $100M; Tier 2: 20% for $100M-$500M; Tier 3: 15% above $500M):
$30,000,000 (for the first $100M)
$80,000,000 (for the next $400M)
$44,098,280 (for the remaining $293,988,530)
Total Vapor Cut: $154,098,280
Government Tax (Standard 20% on Net Revenue after Platform Cuts):
(Gross Profit - Vapor Cut) x 0.20 = ($793,988,530 - $154,098,280) x 0.20 = $127,978,050]".
"[ The full Total Deductions: $282,076,330. And Net Profit for Meteor Studio: $511,912,200. Everything had been tripled check and concluded, Sir]". Sunday elaborates on everything for me.
My breath hitched, just slightly. Half a billion dollars. Five hundred million. More money than I had ever dreamed of in my previous life, more than I could possibly spend in this one, probably. but most importantly, to me this was a liberation, a solid security for me and the family. I sat in silence for a long moment, letting the sheer immensity of that figure wash over me, not as an emotional tidal wave, but as a cold, hard fact. Five hundred million dollars. My family was safe. More than safe, actually, they were utterly, irrevocably secure.
"Sunday," I said, my voice low and firm. "Set all Meteor Studio sales statistics on the Vapor platform to private... Make them inaccessible to anyone outside of my direct authorization, if this draws attention, have the system redirect all inquiries to a generic, automated response about proprietary data…. I don't want the world knowing the true scale of our success, not yet.".
"[Understood, taking action immediately,]". Sunday went to work instantly, covering up every data as legally as we could. That amount of sales, is guaranteed to make me a bigger target.
The Entire world is already out for Meteor Studios blood, if they saw the numbers, for sure that everyone would come out of the woodwork and wanted their claims. Those that were smearing me which unintentionally helped me, would start to earnestly put me down if they saw the numbers.