Harem Tycoon System

Chapter 12: The Trap of Mistakes

"Who are you?! Don't touch me!"

Alisha’s voice echoed loudly through her office. Her breath was ragged, her hair disheveled, and her eyes glared at the two large men in all-black who had just forced their way in. Panic gripped her like a thick fog in the middle of the night.

In a rush, she ran to the door and hit the emergency button to summon security. But instead of the usual guards, the two men entered first, flanking Lucas who was sitting on the office sofa.

"Who are you?!" Alisha shouted, her eyes wildly searching for a way out. “Don’t bother my guest!” She tried to shield Lucas, who also looked confused.

"They're hotel security, Alisha."

Rico’s voice sounded calm as he leaned against the wide-open door. He looked at Lucas and Alisha with a grin, as if enjoying the chaos.

"What do you mean?! They're not—"

"You forgot, didn’t you?" Rico cut her off mockingly. "A few days ago, you personally signed the appointment letter for my men to join the hotel’s security team. All official."

Alisha froze.

Her mind raced back to last week’s theft incident. Several guests had lost valuables, and the security system was proven weak. Amid panic and management pressure, Rico appeared offering a quick and ‘professional’ solution. Without much thought, Alisha approved the outsourced security contract from Rico. Now she realized: it was a trap.

"This was all your plan..." Alisha muttered, barely able to believe her own foolishness.

Without warning, the two men grabbed Lucas and dragged him out like a high-profile criminal. Lucas resisted, but his hands were cuffed and his body was shoved so hard his knees hit the floor.

"Let him go!" Alisha screamed, trying to pull the guard’s arm. But a strong shove knocked her down. As she tried to get up, Rico had already grabbed her arm.

"Your turn, sweetheart."

Rico forcefully dragged her out of the office. In the hallway, staff and some hotel guests stared at them with curiosity and gossiping eyes. Whispering voices began to stir, talking about Alisha’s closeness with the stranger—Lucas.

No one knew that Lucas was the hotel’s new owner. His identity had been kept secret since the sudden acquisition a week ago. To everyone else, he was just a mysterious man who appeared out of nowhere that night.

"Where are you taking us?!" Alisha snapped as they arrived at the back parking lot.

Lucas was shoved into a black, unmarked van. Alisha was forced into Rico’s luxury sedan. Everything happened so fast.

Inside the car, Alisha tried to fight back. She scratched Rico’s arm, kicked the dashboard, even tried to open the door while the car was moving. But her efforts were met with a hard slap from Rico, splitting her lip and drawing blood.

"Don’t make a scene, Alisha," Rico growled in a low but threatening voice. "All you need to do is convince your new boss to pay me. Pretend to be a victim too, tell him you were also held captive. Influence him to negotiate."

"You bastard!"

"Ah, he looks like an innocent guy. Who would've guessed he’s rich? Not a bad jackpot for early retirement."

Alisha wiped the blood from her lips and glared at Rico with hatred. No. She would not be a pawn in this filthy game.

"You... how did you show up at my office right when Mr. Greystone was meeting with me? This wasn’t a coincidence, was it?"

Since she refused to cooperate, Rico took Alisha to an abandoned building in an old industrial area on the city outskirts. The walls were peeling, windows cracked, and the air inside was cold and damp. The same two men dragged Lucas in, his body bruised all over.

"Put them in that room," Rico ordered, pointing to a steel door at the end of the corridor.

The door opened, and both were shoved into a cramped room lit only by a dim yellow bulb. The smell of rust and moisture stung their noses. The door slammed shut and locked from the outside. Rico’s footsteps slowly faded away.

Silence.

Lucas sat in a corner, taking a deep breath and wiping the blood from his forehead. Alisha remained standing, her body trembling.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked hoarsely.

"No. But I’m more worried about you..."

Lucas forced a smile despite clearly being in pain. "I think I made a mistake trusting you."

Alisha turned quickly. "What do you mean? You think I knew all this?!"

Lucas stared sharply at her. "You brought Rico into the hotel. You gave them access. You got me dragged out like a criminal. On the exact day I came in as the new hotel owner. Isn’t that right, Miss?"

Alisha lowered her head. The wound cut deep, and she couldn’t deny it. "I... I didn’t know, Mr. Greystone. I didn’t know he would do this." Her voice cracked, teeth clenched to hold back the fury.

Alisha had never failed. She had never made a mistake. But her love for Rico—the wrong man—might cost her career and even her life tonight.

Silence wrapped them again.

Lucas finally stood, staggered to the wall, and sat against it. Alisha sat beside him. Amid the stillness, they heard the sound of water dripping from a leaking pipe.

"We have to get out of here," Lucas said slowly.

"But how? That door is steel, and there’s no window."

Lucas looked up at the ceiling. "If they want us alive, there’s still hope. Rico wants money. And he knows I have access to company funds."

"You plan to give in?"

Lucas glanced sharply at Alisha. System data still flashed clearly in his vision. Then Lucas began to think.

The situation was messy. Was it because he tried to defy the system’s command? If only he had followed through and completed the mission—by making physical contact with Alisha...

He pushed that thought away and said firmly, "I plan to save your life."

Alisha fell silent.

Hours passed. Their bodies grew weary, and the cold seeped into their bones. But a sound outside the door broke the silence.

Click.

The door creaked open slowly.

Rico appeared, wearing a satisfied smile. "Good evening, my special guests. How are you holding up? Lucas... ready to negotiate?"

Lucas stood, positioning himself in front of Alisha. "What do you want?"

"Five million dollars. Cash. In two days."

"Impossible. That kind of money can’t just be withdrawn." Lucas felt bitter. He didn’t even have a thousand dollars in his account.

"I’m sure you can. Use your influence. Use your connections. Use her—" he pointed at Alisha, "—to persuade the other shareholders. Or I’ll let one of you rot in here."

Alisha stood and stared at Rico sharply. "You think you’ll get away with this? I have security camera footage of you breaking into my office. You think there’s no evidence?"

Rico only laughed. "Sweetheart... you think I’d leave that footage intact?"

He raised his hand, ready to strike Alisha again, but Lucas moved quickly to block him.

Rico stepped back, pretending to yield. "Tomorrow morning, I’ll be back. If you’re still stubborn, Lucas..." he slapped the man’s cheek roughly, "I’ll make sure you pay... in my own way."

The door slammed shut again. The lock clicked. Darkness swallowed them once more.

Lucas sighed. "We have to get out before morning."

"But how?"