The valet brought Hez's rented Mercedes around—another third-party expense the system would refund. Maya slid into the leather seat, the champagne still warming her veins.

  Maya: "Where are we—"

  Hez: "Somewhere your credit card would weep." He nodded toward the glowing luxury mall ahead. "Let's upgrade that 'thrift store jacket.'"

  The system updated as they walked into Vault 31, where minimalist racks held five-figure price tags:

  A sales associate in a tailored suit materialized. Maya stiffened.

  Maya: (hissing) "Hez, this pce is insane—"

  Hez: (to associate) "We'll take the private suite."

  The mirrored VIP room swallowed Maya's protests. Hez circled a cashmere bzer.

  Hez: "Try this. And this. Actually—" He swept an arm across the dispy. "Everything in her size."

  The associate beamed. Maya's fingers trembled on a silk dress' price tag: 2,300. The system pinged:

  [Current Money: 15,848.50]

  Maya emerged from the dressing room in a structured Balmain mini dress, her reflection warring with disbelief.

  Maya: "I look like someone who owns a yacht."

  Hez: (adjusting her colr) "You look like someone who buys yachts." His thumb brushed her bare shoulder—

  The night air hummed with possibility as Hez guided Maya into the gleaming luxury mall, her Saint Laurent bag swinging at her side. The champagne from dinner still sparkled in her veins, lending a flush to her cheeks as they approached the first boutique—Atelier, where the mannequins wore price tags with more digits than her rent.

  Maya hesitated at the entrance.

  Maya: "Hez, this is too much—"

  Hez: (smirking) "You haven’t even seen the best part yet."

  He pushed the door open, the scent of fine leather and cedar enveloping them. A sharp-eyed sales associate glided over.

  Associate: "Good evening. How may we assist?"

  Hez: "We’re here for a full wardrobe refresh. Whatever she likes."

  Maya’s breath hitched as her fingers brushed a silk blouse—1,200.

  Hez didn’t hesitate. "We’ll take it. And that skirt. And the matching bzer."

  Maya’s protests dissolved into stunned silence as the associate piled garment after garment onto the counter. A cashmere coat (3,200??),apairofstilettoboots(??1,800), a mbskin crossbody bag (2,500).

  The total fshed on the register: 9,850.

  Maya gripped Hez’s arm. "You can’t possibly—"

  He swiped his card before she could finish.

  He looks at his dashboard that only he could see.

  [Current Money: 25,548.50]

  She stared at it, then at Hez, her expression caught between awe and suspicion.

  Maya: "This… this shouldn’t be possible."

  The system remained stable—no warnings, no glitches.

  Hez: (grinning) "And yet, here we are."

  Maya exhaled, shaking her head. "You’re terrifying. And I think I love it."

  As they stepped back into the night, arms den with glossy shopping bags, Maya leaned into him, her voice a whisper.

  Maya: "What’s next?"

  Hez’s smile widened. The game was his to py.

  The shopping bags y forgotten in the back of the Mercedes as Hez turned to Maya, his fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel.

  Hez: "So, what do you drive?"

  Maya blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation.

  Maya: "Uh—just a beat-up Honda. Why?"

  Hez: "Still paying it off?"

  She hesitated, then sighed. "Yeah. About 11,000 left."

  Hez kept his voice casual. "Which bank holds the loan?"

  Maya eyed him warily. "Hez, what are you—"

  Hez: "Humor me."

  After a moment, she relented, pulling up her banking app and reciting the details. Hez entered them into his phone, along with the loan account number.

  Hez: "Let’s try something."

  With a few taps, he initiated a payment of 11,000 to her auto loan. The system processed instantly:

  [RefundProcessed:+22,000]

  [Current Money: 36,548.50]

  Maya’s phone buzzed violently. She stared at the notification, her face paling.

  Maya: "What the—? You just… paid off my car."

  Hez: (smirking) "Looks like it."

  She frantically refreshed her loan account. The bance read 0.00.

  The system remained steady, no warnings, no glitches.

  Hez: "Lucky, I guess."

  Maya’s hands trembled as she gripped her phone.

  The weight of the night—the designer clothes, the extravagant dinner, now this—settled over her like a surreal dream.

  She turned to Hez, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Maya: "You’ve given me thousands of dolrs tonight. There has to be a catch."

  The hum of the Mercedes’ engine filled the silence as Hez studied her.

  Hez kept his tone light, almost teasing.

  Hez: "Well, since you asked… I do want something in return."

  Maya tensed. "Here it comes," she thought.

  Hez: "Your private number. And your address."

  A beat of silence.

  Maya blinked. "That’s it?"

  Hez: "That’s it."

  She exhaled, half-relieved, half-disbelieving. "You paid off my car just for my phone number?"

  Hez: (grinning) "Call me old-fashioned."

  They exchanged numbers. Then, after a moment’s pause, she dictated her address—a modest apartment complex on the east side of the city.

  Hez saved her details with a satisfied smirk. "Now was that so hard?"

  Maya shook her head, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "You’re insane."

  Hez: "And yet, you gave me your address anyway."

  The car pulled up outside her building. Maya gathered her shopping bags, pausing before she stepped out.

  Maya: "This was… the weirdest night of my life."

  Hez: "Stick with me. It’ll get weirder."

  She ughed, shaking her head as she walked away.

  As Hez watched her disappear inside, he knew the real game was just beginning.