My Beauty System: Seducing the Best in My Universe

"Did you know him, bel fiore?" Giovanni asked suddenly snapping Evangeline out of her racing thoughts.

"What?" she asked in a voice that was shaky.

"Do you know that preppy pampered rich boy I shot back there?" he asked again and Evangeline gulped heavily as her mind raced.

She couldn't let him know that she knew Orion, she couldn't let him know anything about her so she suppressed her emotions.

"No, I am just shaken because of a the guns and violence," Evangelibe responded.

"Are you scared of guns?"

Evangeline froze as danger bells were set off in her head. Her head snapped up to meet Giovanni's eyes. Those sharp, piercing green eyes that looked at her like he was trying to dissect her very soul.

Her lips parted, the words caught in her throat but she finally forced out, "Y-yeah. Who isn't?"

Giovanni tilted his head, his smirk slow and cruel on his pink lips, as though he'd just found his new play thing. He leaned back in his chair, lazily pulling a gun from his belt. His fingers, long and strong, ran over the sleek black surface like it was an extension of himself.

"You should get over that," he said casually, lifting the gun and pointing it right at her.

Evangeline's breath hitched. Her chest tightened, her pulse hammering in her ears.

"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered in disbelief, her voice was shaking now.

Giovanni didn't answer. His thumb flicked, cocking the gun with a sharp click. And then—

BANG!

The sound exploded and it was deafening. Evangeline screamed, flinching so hard she nearly fell over. Her hands flew to her chest, expecting to find blood, pain, something.

But there was nothing.

Her head snapped back up, and she realized the bullet had hit the wall just behind her.

Giovanni was laughing. A low, deep, rumbling sound that sent shivers racing down her spine.

"You're insane," she said, her voice trembling as her fists clenched. "You're a fucking psychopath!"

Giovanni leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, the gun still loose in his hand. His smile widened, slow and dangerous.

"Psychopath?" he echoed, his voice calm, almost amused. "No, fiore. I'm worse than that."

Evangeline couldn't move. She wanted to run, scream, something, but his gaze pinned her in place.

"Take her to her room," Giovanni said, his voice suddenly bored, like the whole thing had just been a mild distraction.

A man standing by the door gestured for her to follow. Evangeline's knees felt like so weak as she stood, her hands were even trembling at her sides.

Giovanni's mansion consisted of several interconnecting mansions that linked to a central one— which she was being led into.

The room they led her to was beautiful, like something out of a magazine. The walls were painted in soft earth tones, the furniture a mix of elegant bohemian designs. Silk curtains framed impossibly tall windows, and the bed was big enough for three people.

For a second, the luxury was almost distracting. Then her eyes landed on the other beds.

Three of them, all perfectly made.

Before she could process it, the door opened, and three girls about her age walked in. They were practically stunning— glossy hair, perfect skin, designer clothes that screamed wealth.

One of them smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, we have a new girl, what a dazzling surprise."

"New girl?" Evangeline repeated dumbly.

"Welcome to the Blue Devil's harem," another said, her tone light but dripping with sarcasm. "You're one of Giovanni's now."

Evangeline blinked, the words not making sense at first. "Harem?"

The first girl nodded, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms over her chest. "It's for Giovanni and his men. Lucky you. The boss hasn't had a concubine of his own in years."

The jealousy in their voices was impossible to miss, but Evangeline was too stunned to care.

"I don't see the luck in this?" she muttered under her breath. She felt the farthest thing from lucky.

The girls didn't seem to notice her reaction. They introduced themselves briefly before retreating to their own corners of the room while chattering about… whatever.

They had no idea what it felt like to be her.

Evangeline felt like her head was spinning. This was too much… it suddenly felt all too real.

She spotted a door leading to a bathroom and decided to freshen up. She peeled off the jeweled costume, and some of the gems dug into her skin as she yanked them off.

The hot water in the shower helped a little. It didn't wash away the worries and tension, but it did something.

When she was clean, she slipped into a set of comfy pajamas she'd found in one of the closets. And then she climbed into one of the beds, pulling the soft blankets up to her chin.

She tried hard not to think about how many other girls had slept on this same bed.

The system screen came to life, and Hadley's deceptively cute face popped up, grinning like she'd been waiting for the moment Evangeline decided to get some rest to pop up.

"What the fuck are you doing in bed?" Hadley demanded, her sharp voice making Evangeline wince.

"What?" Evangeline groaned in her mind, glaring at the screen. "I just got shot at. I need to sleep."

Hadley rolled her eyes. "You don't have time to sleep, darling. Giovanni wants you at a dinner party. Get up and get to work."

"Dinner party?" Evangeline repeated as her stomach sank at the fact that she trulybwasnt getting any rest that night.

Hadley's smirk widened. "With the vice president. Better get dressed."

Vice what?!

As if on cue, the door opened, and a suited man stepped inside. "Giovanni wants you ready in twenty minutes," he said to Evangeline, his tone was sharp and straight to business.

Evangeline stared at him for a moment before nodding.

The man left the room as quickly as he came.

Hadley's laugh echoed in her head as the screen disappeared.

Evangeline sat up, her pulse picking up again. Her heart wasn't ready for this, but she didn't have a choice. She swung her weak legs over the side of the bed and stood, her hands clenching into fists.

"Lets see how long I can survive this."