Privileges and Purifications

"Ms. Vance, it is time to wake up."

Cassian’s deep voice broke through the quiet bedroom. Marcella blinked her eyes open, met with his flawless face just above hers. A rush of warmth chased away the fog of sleep. Her morning grumpiness vanished.

Half an hour later, they sat in Marcella's spacious dining room. The robot helper had laid out a lavish breakfast. Cassian pushed a cup of steaming coffee toward her.

"Ms. Vance, will you be waiting here at home for me, or do you want to tag along to the hospital?"

Marcella paused, holding a piece of toast. "Why do you need to go to the hospital?"

Cassian smiled, a fond curve touching his lips. "I need to pick up a few items from my office. I will also be submitting my application for marriage leave."

Marcella swallowed her bite of food. "Marriage leave? How long is that?"

"One year."

Her eyes widened. She stared at him across the sleek table. A whole year? That was an insane societal perk for males. In Veridia, the standard marriage leave was a meager three days, and plenty of corporations offered zero time off.

Cassian caught the stunned look on her face. "I can cancel my wedding leave whenever I want."

A sharp pang of envy hit Marcella in the chest. She summoned the system in her mind, her internal voice dripping with frustration. "System, why do I not get a one-year wedding leave?"

The mechanical voice chimed in her head, flat and devoid of empathy. "Ms. Vance, once you accumulate enough vitality points, you may take wedding leave at your own discretion."

Marcella let out a dry, humorless laugh. This system was worse than the greediest workaholic capitalist. She was bound to an endless grind while men enjoyed massive societal perks.

The system sensed her annoyance and swiftly pivoted. "Ms. Vance, Dante moves in today. Do not forget this arrangement."

Marcella smacked her forehead. She had forgotten all about the snake therian's arrival. She pulled up her Holocom interface, typing out a quick message.

"Dante, I am heading to the Resonance Tower for work today. Do not worry, the robot helper will let you inside."

A reply popped up on her screen instantly.

"Understood. Ms. Vance, I will pick you up after work."

Marcella tapped out a firm rejection. "No need."

She closed the Holocom and finished her coffee.

Marcella sank into the leather seat of her flying supercar. Cassian slid into the driver's seat, taking control of the machine. The engine hummed as it lifted off the ground. It really was nice to have immense wealth. She watched the cityscape of Obsidian Vale blur past the window as Cassian navigated the skyways. He made a quick stop at the hospital to handle his paperwork, then drove her straight to her workplace.

The gleaming glass doors of the Resonance Tower slid open. Marcella and Cassian stepped into the grand lobby and headed for the VIP elevator. The metallic doors parted with a soft chime.

Marcella froze.

Sylvia and her five imposing mates stood inside the elevator cabin. The air turned tense in a fraction of a second. The enclosed space suddenly felt suffocatingly small.

Garrick and the other four men narrowed their eyes. They scowled at Marcella, their massive frames tensing up.

"Ms. Vance."

Garrick muttered the greeting reluctantly.

Marcella suppressed a cringe. The memory of her original self harassing these formidable men flashed through her mind. But the storyline had already started to shift. She pushed the awkwardness down, smoothed out her features, and offered them a polite smile.

Garrick and the others stiffened. Did this evil woman still have her sights set on them?

Cassian picked up on the heavy vibe suffocating the elevator. He scanned the defensive posture of Garrick and the others, recalling their strange behavior from last night. There was a hidden history here. He filed the information away, keeping his face a neutral mask.

"Ms. Rostova."

Cassian greeted Sylvia smoothly.

Sylvia gave a slight nod, then shifted her gaze to Marcella.

Their eyes locked. Sylvia studied the woman beside the silver-haired doctor. One look was all it took for the heroine to realize Marcella had changed. In the past, Marcella had carried a dark, bitter cloud around her. Today, she radiated a bright energy. She was still breathtakingly beautiful, but there was an unexpected warmth about her. Sylvia wondered what could have caused such a drastic transformation, but she kept her curiosity in check.

Marcella let out a quiet breath. She decided to rip the band-aid off.

"Ms. Rostova, how about we wipe the slate clean?"

Garrick and the four other men stared at her, glaring with evident skepticism.

Sylvia blinked in surprise. A moment later, a genuine smile touched her lips. "Sure."

Relief washed over Marcella. Her polite smile turned into a sincere grin. The original novel's heroine truly possessed a big-hearted vibe. Marcella officially buried the hatchet.

She allowed her gaze to flick over the five male leads. She felt a quiet sense of admiration. They were visually stunning, their builds towering and powerful. They clearly outshined average therians. It made sense why her original self had been obsessed with them. She glanced up at Cassian. Her new mate held his own easily against the male leads, matching their presence with his cool elegance.

A soft ding announced their arrival at the top floor. Cassian placed a hand on Marcella's lower back, guiding her out of the elevator.

Vaughn watched their retreating figures as the doors began to slide shut.

"Ms. Rostova, do you really believe Marcella is not going to come after you again?"

Vaughn asked the question, his deep voice rumbling in the cabin.

Sylvia looked at her five protective mates. "No. I trust her. She has truly changed. Back when she caused us trouble, we all hit back, one by one. None of you are to sneak off and mess with her behind my back."

The five men went silent. A strange feeling settled over them. They felt as though their place in Sylvia's mind did not quite measure up to Marcella's newfound standing.

Cassian stood in the center of Marcella's private resonance room. He scanned the luxurious furnishings and the state-of-the-art medical equipment.

"Ms. Vance, I will wait for you in the lounge next door."

Cassian turned his attention back to her, his tone supportive.

Marcella raised a skeptical eyebrow. The Resonance Tower had strict regulations prohibiting mates from interfering with a female's work sessions. They provided dedicated lounges for this exact reason. But she had a full day of grueling work ahead of her. Sitting in a solitary waiting room for hours sounded like pure torture for a top-tier surgeon.

"Cassian, maybe you should skip your holiday and go to work. Just swing by and pick me up after your shift is done."

Marcella voiced her concern, not wanting him to waste his day.

Cassian met her gaze. A warm light flickered in his bright eyes. He instantly knew she was just worried about him being bored.

"Do not worry, Ms. Vance. I have it all planned out."

Marcella did not push the matter any further. She grabbed her datapad and headed for the door to face her massive task.

By ten in the morning, a group of senior staff members escorted Marcella down to the collective resonance site. It was her very first time conducting a group session of this magnitude. A tight knot of nervous tension twisted in her stomach.

The sheer scale of the room was staggering. The cavernous space buzzed with a loud hum of masculine voices. Fifty towering male therians milled about the floor, talking over each other. They were vibrating with desperate excitement, speculating loudly on exactly how much the rare S-tier female could lower their deadly contamination levels.

"Ms. Vance is here!"

An anonymous voice shouted the announcement over the deafening din.

The chaotic noise vanished in a split second. A pin-drop silence swept across the hall. Fifty pairs of hungry eyes snapped toward the entrance, locking onto Marcella's figure.

She stepped up onto the raised central platform, her heels clicking softly against the floor. She kept her posture straight, sweeping her calm gaze over the fifty therians waiting in the pit below.

A senior staff member stepped up to the microphone positioned beside her.

"Good morning, everyone. This is Ms. Vance. She possesses S-tier psionic powers. During this collective resonance, you all need to stay quiet and cooperate fully with her instructions. If you fail to do so, you will end up on the Resonance Tower's permanent blocklist. You will not be able to book any female resonance sessions for a hundred years."

The severe warning hung heavy in the cold air. The fifty imposing men froze, remaining frozen still in their designated spots. Not a single muscle twitched among them. The staff member gave a satisfied nod and stepped back into the shadows.

Marcella felt a profound wave of relief at the strict management. She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart and pushed the lingering tension away.

"Let us get started."

Marcella spoke clearly into the silent room. She gave the men one final minute to mentally prepare themselves. She slowly closed her eyes. She reached deep into her core, found the well of her energy, and unleashed her S-tier psionic power. A wave of breathtaking energy exploded outward from her standing figure. Soft, starry green lights cascaded from her body, raining down over the fifty male therians like a glowing meteor shower. The visual impact was epic and strange, transforming the sterile room into a scene of otherworldly beauty.

The radiant green lights drifted downward and settled gently on the broad shoulders, chests, and heads of the fifty men. Her immense psionic power crashed into the toxic pollutants ravaging their internal systems. A unified gasp echoed through the room. Every single man tilted his head back, their rough faces displaying the exact same expression of pure awe and euphoric bliss.