"Then why didn't you ask?" The question came out more raw than Alex intended. "Why didn't you demand to know what was happening to me?"

Victoria was quiet for a moment, her dark eyes holding his with an intensity that made his chest tighten.

"Because I trusted you," she said finally.

"I trusted that whatever was happening to you, whatever power you were developing, it didn't change who you were fundamentally. The man I'd come to care about."

She reached out, her hand finding his where it rested on the bed between them.

"I could have interrogated you. Could have pressed for answers." Her fingers threaded through his gently.

"But I chose to trust instead. To let you come to me when you were ready. To respect whatever privacy you needed while you navigated... whatever was happening."

Alex felt something crack open in his chest. Guilt, yes. But also gratitude. And something deeper that he didn't have words for.

"I knew it wasn't a normal catalyst," Victoria continued, her voice quiet but steady.

"I was very shocked at first… the changes in you were too dramatic, too comprehensive. Whatever was enhancing you was something different. Something I couldn't recognize from what little I knew about the process."

She smiled slightly. "I decided that when you were ready to tell me... you would. And until then, I would simply be here. Supporting you. Trusting you."

Alex stared at her, this woman who'd given him space and trust when she could have demanded answers. Who'd known he was keeping secrets and chosen to respect them rather than force confrontation.

The guilt settled in his chest, heavy and undeniable.

She'd waited. Watched him transform into something beyond normal Enhancement. Noticed the impossibility of what was happening to his body.

And instead of pressing, instead of using her knowledge of the Enhanced world to corner him...

She'd simply trusted.

Given him the space to come to her on his own terms.

And what had he done with that gift?

Kept his secrets. Maintained his distance.

Protected his advantages while she quietly supported him without demanding explanations.

The weight of that realization made his jaw tighten.

He should tell her.

The thought crystallized with sudden clarity, cutting through the guilt and gratitude and unnamed emotion swirling in his chest.

But even as the impulse formed, his enhanced Mind automatically began calculating variables. Analyzing risks. Processing implications.

Telling Victoria about the system meant exposure. Vulnerability. Sharing the source of his power with someone outside his control.

It went against every strategic instinct he'd developed since the system had appeared in his life.

And yet...

Alex's gaze traced Victoria's face... the intelligence in her dark eyes, the patience in her expression, the trust she'd already demonstrated by not asking questions she clearly wanted answered.

His mind shifted, reframing the calculation.

If she knows...

The thought opened new possibilities rather than just risks.

How long could he maintain that separation?

How many excuses could he make before the contradictions became impossible to ignore? How long did he really think he could keep living two lives before everything collided?

If Victoria understood the system, understood what he was ultimately working toward, those introductions became simple. Natural.

She could even help.

The realization struck with unexpected force.

Victoria wasn't just intelligent... she was strategic. Connected. Experienced in navigating the exact kind of power structures and hidden world politics that Alex was only beginning to understand.

She'd built an empire through strategy and networking. She knew how families like the Blackwoods operated. She understood the Enhanced world's unwritten rules and dangerous currents.

If she knew what he was trying to accomplish, what his long-term goals actually were...

She could be invaluable.

Not just as someone he cared about. But as a genuine partner in building whatever future the system was pushing him toward.

The practical considerations aligned with the emotional pull, creating a clarity that felt almost inevitable.

He should tell her.

Should being the operative word.

Alex's enhanced Mind immediately flagged the remaining variable. The one factor that could complicate everything regardless of Victoria's trustworthiness or his own desires.

The system itself.

'Lilith,' Alex thought, his internal voice careful and deliberate. 'I need to ask you something.'

There was a moment of silence, then the familiar presence crystallized in his mind... warm, amused, and somehow always giving the impression of a smile even without a physical form.

"Oh? The mighty Alex finally seeks counsel? How refreshing."

Lilith's tone carried that trademark mix of mockery and genuine affection that had become oddly comfortable over the months since the system had entered his life.

"If I tell Victoria everything," Alex continued, ignoring the teasing. "About you, about the system, about what's happening to me... will there be complications? Consequences? Restrictions I should know about?"

"Complications?" Lilith's presence seemed to circle his question, considering. "That depends entirely on what you mean by complications, darling."

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Will the system penalize me? Restrict my progression? Create problems if I share information about it with Victoria?"

The teasing quality in Lilith's presence softened slightly, taking on a more serious note.

"The system," she said carefully, "doesn't particularly care who knows about it. I'm not some jealous secret that needs to be hoarded in darkness. If anything..." Her tone shifted, becoming almost thoughtful. "Sharing knowledge of the system with those who can be trusted often proves... advantageous."

Alex absorbed this, his mind processing the implications.

"But?"

"But nothing, dear Alex. No restrictions. No penalties. No cosmic punishment for letting someone into your confidence." Lilith paused, and when she spoke again, her voice carried a weight that felt significant. "However, I would recommend you always check something before making your final decision."

"What?"

"Her dependency rating."

Alex blinked, his attention sharpening.

The information appeared before he could finish the thought, overlaying his vision like translucent text only he could see:

[RELATIONSHIP ANALYSIS: Victoria Blackwood]

Dependency: 100%

Loyalty: Absolute

Emotional Investment: Maximum

Trust Level: Complete

Threat Assessment: None

Recommended Classification: Safe for full disclosure

Alex stared at the numbers, something tightening in his chest that had nothing to do with strategy or calculation.

100%.

Complete trust. Absolute loyalty. Maximum emotional investment.

The system... cold, mechanical, analytical... was telling him what his heart had already known.

Victoria could be trusted with everything.

"Still worried about complications?" Lilith's tone had returned to its usual amusement, though something softer lingered beneath it.

"That woman loves you, Alex. Actually loves you. Not your power, not your potential, not what you can do for her. Just... you."

"The system doesn't judge emotions," Lilith continued, her voice quiet. "It measures facts. Patterns. Behavioral consistency. And every piece of data we have on Victoria Blackwood indicates she would protect your secrets... protect you... with the same fierce determination she uses to protect everything else she's built."

Alex felt his hand tighten slightly where it rested near Victoria's, his gaze still holding those impossibly clear numbers.

100%.

"So," Lilith said gently, "the only real question is: are you brave enough to trust what the data is telling you?"

The presence faded, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts and the woman still watching him with patient, understanding eyes.

She'd noticed his distraction. Of course she had.

Victoria noticed everything.

But she didn't press. Didn't ask what he was thinking about. Just waited with that same quiet patience she'd shown for months.

Trusting him to come to her when he was ready.

Alex made his decision.

"Victoria," he said quietly, his hand finding hers properly now. "There's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you before."

Her expression shifted slightly... not surprise, but something like relief. As if she'd been waiting for exactly these words.

"I'm listening," she said simply.

Alex took a breath, feeling the weight of what he was about to share.

"What's enhancing me... it's not a catalyst. It's called a system." He paused, watching her face for reaction.

Victoria's eyes widened slightly, genuine curiosity replacing her patient waiting.

"A system?" Victoria echoed, brows drawing together. "What is a system?"

Alex exhaled slowly, choosing his words with care.

"It's… hard to explain simply," he said. "But think of it as a progression mechanism. Something that sets goals, rewards progress, tracks my growth... physically, mentally, strategically."

He hesitated, then added:

"And it isn't just a program. There's an intelligence attached to it. A guide."

"A guide?" Her voice dropped, softer, more cautious.

"You mean an actual someone…?"

"Her name is Lilith," Alex said. "She's part of the system… but also separate. She gives information, direction, warnings. And..." he rubbed the back of his neck, unable to stop the small smile, "she also gives commentary I don't always need."

"I heard that," Lilith's voice chimed in his mind, amused.

I know, Alex thought back.

A beat of silence stretched between them — not tense, just full.

Then Victoria's expression softened, a small smile touching her lips, warm and curious.

"Can I meet her?" she asked quietly.

Her tone carried no fear, no hesitation. Just sincerity.

She shifted a little closer, her fingers brushing his as if to steady him.

"If she's such a big part of you," she continued, voice gentle, "I'd like to see her myself."

Alex blinked, caught off guard by how easily she said it... how naturally she accepted something most people would have panicked over.

Inside his mind, Lilith let out a delighted hum.

"Oh, she's good," Lilith purred, unmistakably pleased.

"I like her already."

"So that's a yes?"

"I can manifest visually for her, if you'd like. Nothing too dramatic... don't want to give the poor woman a heart attack. But yes, I can make myself... visible."

Alex nodded slowly, then looked back at Victoria.

"She says yes. But fair warning... Lilith has a personality. A strong one."

Victoria's smile was genuine and slightly excited. "I think I can handle it."

Alright, Lilith, Alex thought. Keep it simple.

"Where's the fun in that?"

But even as the thought formed, the air next to the bed began to shimmer slightly. Not dramatically... just a subtle distortion of light that gradually coalesced into a form.

Lilith manifested as she usually did in Alex's mind's eye: elegant, beautiful in a way that seemed almost deliberately designed to be aesthetically perfect without being threatening.

Her form was translucent, clearly not fully physical, but detailed enough to seem real.

She wore a slight smile as she regarded Victoria with open curiosity.

"Hello, Victoria," Lilith said, her voice now audible in the room rather than just in Alex's mind.

"I've heard a great deal about you. Well, experienced a great deal through Alex's perspective, more accurately. It's lovely to finally speak directly."

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