Day 124 Post-Impact
Meera Ryan missed nothing.
She walked through Harmony's sectors with Mythili at her side, asking questions that seemed casual but cut straight to the heart of things. How many awakened in the settlement? How did the power structure work? Who made decisions when Sarnav wasn't available?
And always, always, her eyes found the wives.
"That one," Meera said, nodding toward Sana as she led a group of refugees through orientation. "She's different from the others. More... centered."
"Sana was one of the first. A healer." Mythili's voice was carefully neutral. "She and Sarnav have a deep connection."
"I can see that." Meera watched as Sarnav approached Sana, their brief interaction charged with an intimacy that was impossible to miss. A touch on the small of her back. A shared smile. "They all look at him like that, don't they? Like he's the center of their universe."
"The bond network creates... closeness."
"Mmm." Meera's knowing eyes slid to Mythili. "And how does that make you feel? Watching your son with eleven beautiful women who worship him?"
Mythili's step faltered almost imperceptibly. "He's building something important here. Protecting people."
"That's not what I asked." Meera's smile was gentle but relentless. "I've known you for thirty years, Mythi. I can see when something's eating at you."
"It's complicated."
"I imagine it is." Meera watched Ishani jog past in workout clothes, her athletic body drawing appreciative glances from several male refugees. Sweat glistened on her bronze skin, her sports bra straining to contain her 35DD chest. "Especially when they're all so young. So beautiful. And your son manages to satisfy all of them."
The flush that crept up Mythili's neck told Meera everything she needed to know.
"He's changed so much," Mythili said quietly. "When Vikram died... I thought I'd lost everything. But Sarnav became something I never expected. Strong. Confident. A leader."
"And attractive." Meera's voice was gentle. "You can say it, Mythi. He's grown into a very attractive man. Anyone with eyes can see that."
"He's my son."
"Yes. And you're a woman who's been alone since Vikram passed." Meera's hand found Mythili's arm. "I'm not judging. I'm observing. The way you watch him when you think no one's looking. The way you tense when one of his wives touches him in front of you."
"Meera-"
"We'll talk about it eventually." Meera squeezed her arm. "When you're ready. For now, just know that I see you. All of you. And I'm here."
[ENTITY STATUS: MONITORING - 2KM PERIMETER][DEADLINE: 16 DAYS REMAINING]
In the research wing, Yuki had made a discovery.
"The corrupted data wasn't random," she explained, ice crystals forming unconsciously on her tablet as she presented her findings to Sarnav and Jade. "It was deliberately fragmented. Someone didn't want this information accessible."
"What information?" Sarnav leaned closer to the display.
"A third option." Yuki's eyes gleamed with scientific excitement. "The original Seal Wardens didn't just imprison or release. There was a process called 'Covenant' - a negotiated binding where both parties agreed to terms."
"The entity could be bound by choice rather than force," Jade added, her fingers dancing across holographic displays. "Reduced power in exchange for limited freedom. It's referenced in three separate fragments."
"Why wasn't this mentioned before?"
"Because someone erased it." Jade's expression was dark. "Probably the same faction that pushed for mass imprisonment. They didn't want alternatives on the table."
Hope flickered for the first time in weeks. A path that didn't require trust or force. Something in between.
"Keep digging," Sarnav said. "I need to know if this is viable before I present it to the entity."
He found Jade in her surveillance den two hours later.
Multiple screens showed feeds from across the settlement - gates, common areas, medical wing. One screen was dedicated entirely to tracking Meera Ryan's movements.
"Stalking my mother's friend?" he asked from the doorway.
"Observing." Jade didn't look up from her monitors, her pale face illuminated by the glow. Black hair with purple streaks fell across her features, dark eye makeup sharp as always. "She's been asking questions. Lots of questions. About you. About the wives. About the bond network."
"She's curious. It's natural."
"She's gathering intelligence." Jade finally turned, her expression the familiar mask of tsundere irritation. "I don't trust her."
"You don't trust anyone."
"I trust you." The admission slipped out before she could stop it, and she immediately scowled. "Don't let it go to your head, idiot. I just mean you're marginally less suspicious than most people."
He crossed the room, noting how her breath quickened as he approached despite her best efforts to appear unaffected. "You've been avoiding me."
"I've been busy."
"Twelve days busy?"
"I don't keep count." But the flush creeping across her porcelain skin said otherwise. "Unlike some people, I have actual work to do. I don't have time to-"
He kissed her.
She fought it for approximately two seconds - teeth and tongue and angry sounds - before melting into him with a moan she'd never admit to making. Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer even as she bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Sei yan," she hissed when he pulled back. "I didn't say you could do that."
"Your body said I could." He gripped her jaw, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You want me to stop?"
The war on her face was beautiful - pride versus need, tsundere mask versus naked desire. "...No."
"Then stop pretending." He spun her around and bent her over her own desk, sending keyboards and tablets scattering. The surveillance feeds continued to play, dozens of angles showing the settlement going about its business. "You want this. You've been thinking about it for weeks."
"I have not-" She gasped as he yanked down her tight black pants, exposing her pale ass. She wasn't wearing underwear. "Diu! I just... forgot to do laundry."
"Liar." He ran his hand over her exposed flesh, feeling her shiver. "You knew I'd come. You were waiting."
"I was working-"
He spanked her hard enough to leave a mark. She yelped, then moaned, her hips pushing back toward him.
"Try again."
"Fine! Yes, I was waiting, I've been waiting for days, are you happy now?" Her voice cracked with frustration and need. "I hate how much I want you. It's inefficient. It's distracting. It's-"
"Perfect." He freed his cock, already rock hard, and pressed it against her dripping pussy. She was soaked, her arousal coating his length before he even entered her. "You're absolutely perfect, Jade."
"Don't say embarrassing things, idiot-" She screamed as he thrust into her without warning, burying himself to the hilt. "DIU! Yes! Finally!"
He fucked her hard over the desk, one hand pressing her face down against the surface, the other gripping her hip. Her 34DD breasts were crushed against the cold metal, her dark nipples hardening from the sensation. The surveillance screens flickered around them, their reflection visible in a dozen feeds.
"Look at the screens," he growled. "Watch yourself get fucked."
Her eyes found one of the monitors, saw herself bent over with her pale ass exposed, saw his cock disappearing into her pussy again and again. Her black hair with purple streaks was disheveled now, her dark eye makeup starting to smear. The sight made her clench around him, her walls gripping him like a vice.
"Fuck... I'm being recorded... everyone could see what you're doing to me..."
"They won't. Unless you want them to." He knew her surveillance kink, knew how the idea of being watched made her drip. "Do you want them to see what a good little slut you are under that cold exterior? The untouchable hacker getting her brains fucked out?"
"Don't call me that-" But she was getting wetter, her pussy making obscene sounds with every thrust, her juices dripping down her pale thighs. Her nails found the edge of the desk and scratched deep grooves into the metal.
"Ready for what you really want?"
She knew what he meant. Her body tensed in anticipation. "...Yes."
He pulled out of her pussy and pressed his cock against her other entrance. She pushed back against him immediately, desperate.
"Put it in my ass," she demanded, abandoning all pretense of resistance. "I've been thinking about it for weeks. Fingering myself there and imagining it was you. Please, Sarnav. Fuck my ass."
He pushed inside slowly, feeling her body resist then yield, her tight ring stretching around his cock inch by inch. She screamed - pleasure and pain mixing in equal measure - her hands scrambling for purchase on the desk, knocking more equipment to the floor.
"So tight." He began to move, building a rhythm, watching his cock disappear into her ass on one of the surveillance monitors. "Even tighter than your pussy."
"Because it's yours," she gasped, her voice cracking. "All of me. Every hole. Even if I won't admit it out loud, even if I pretend I don't care, it's all yours."
He fucked her ass with increasing intensity, one hand wrapping around her throat, squeezing just enough to make her breath catch. She moaned, pressing back into the pressure, her porcelain skin flushing pink from arousal and oxygen deprivation.
"Harder. Choke me harder while you fuck my ass. I want to feel it tomorrow. I want to remember this every time I sit down."
He obliged, tightening his grip while he pounded into her tight rear entrance. She was making sounds she'd deny later - whimpers and moans and broken Cantonese curses that grew louder with every thrust. Her ass clenched around him rhythmically, her body learning to take him deeper.
"I'm going to- diu, I'm going to cum from my ass- sei yan, don't stop, don't you dare stop-"
Her hand flew to her clit, rubbing frantically while he fucked her. When she came, she screamed loud enough to trigger the room's audio sensors, her ass clamping down on him in rhythmic waves. Her nails raked down his arm, drawing blood, leaving marks he'd wear for days.
The sight of her losing control - the untouchable tsundere hacker reduced to a screaming, cumming mess - pushed him over the edge. He came deep in her ass, filling her completely, his hand still wrapped around her throat.
When it was over, she collapsed onto the desk, breathing hard. He released her throat and she gasped, then laughed - an uncharacteristically soft sound.
"I hate you," she murmured, but there was no venom in it.
"I know." He kissed the back of her neck. "I hate you too."
On the surveillance screens, Meera Ryan was heading back toward the guest quarters, a thoughtful expression on her face.
That night, Meera sat alone in her room, processing everything she'd seen.
Eleven wives. All beautiful, all devoted, all sharing one man. And Mythili, hovering at the edges, watching her son with an expression Meera recognized all too well.
She'd noticed it years ago, back when Sarnav was barely eighteen. The way Mythili's eyes lingered. The way she tensed when he touched her. The complicated mix of maternal love and something else - something she'd never allowed herself to name.
And now, surrounded by young women who worshipped him, Mythili was being forced to confront what she'd buried for years.
This is going to be interesting, Meera thought, a small smile playing on her lips. Very interesting indeed.
[HARMONY POINTS: +850][BOND WITH JADE WONG: DEEPENED][JADE WONG: C → C+ ADVANCEMENT][DIGITAL MANIPULATION: ENHANCED]
[DAY 124]
[SARNAV: S-RANK (HARMONY SOVEREIGN - FIRST STAGE)][PROGRESS TO SECOND STAGE: 40%]
[WIFE CULTIVATION STATUS][1. NISHA - C+ | 2. ISHANI - C+ | 3. ANANYA - C+][4. MINJI - C | 5. JADE - C+ | 6. SANA - B-][7. JIYEON - C | 8. SERENA - C+ | 9. ZARA - B-][10. ELENA - S | 11. YUKI - D]
[HARMONY SAFE ZONE: 1,371 SURVIVORS | 3 SECTORS][SEAL INTEGRITY: 91.2%]
[ENTITY STATUS: MONITORING - 2KM PERIMETER][DEADLINE: 16 DAYS REMAINING][NEW OPTION DISCOVERED: COVENANT BINDING]
[MEERA RYAN: OBSERVING - AWARE OF MYTHILI'S CONFLICT]
[WIVES BONDED: 11/32]