Dark Lord Seduction System: Taming Wives, Daughters, Aunts, and CEOs novel Chapter 296

Chapter 296: Hidden Possessiveness

My skin itself was shedding. Not dramatically — just the top layer peeling away like the world’s worst sunburn, taking with it acne scars, minor blemishes, the rough patches from years of cheap soap. Underneath was skin that felt new, fresh, healthy. Not perfect — still recognizably mine — just... clean.

The pain shifted from burning to stretching. Muscles I’d never properly used were awakening, tightening, defining themselves. Not bulking up — staying lean, but every fiber becoming functional. The soft teenager body was being carved into something athletic without being intimidating.

I felt taller somehow, though I couldn’t be sure. Maybe it was just my spine straightening from years of terrible posture, vertebrae aligning properly for the first time. My shoulders naturally pulled back, chest opening up, breathing becoming easier.

Another wave of vomiting. This time clearer, less black, but still carrying traces of waste. My body was determined to expel everything that didn’t belong.

"ARIA," I gasped between convulsions. "How much longer?"

"Forty-three minutes remaining, Master. Your body has expelled approximately twelve pounds of waste material."

Twelve pounds of pure toxins and fat. No wonder I felt lighter.

The transformation moved to my face. I felt my features shifting subtly — nothing dramatic, just... optimizing. The asymmetry everyone has naturally was evening out. My nose straightened slightly. My eyes became more balanced. Not movie star handsome — just above average, the kind of face that would get second looks without stopping traffic.

When it finally ended, I was sitting in a bathtub that looked like an oil spill had occurred. The black sludge was inches deep, chunks of dissolved matter floating in the toxic soup. The smell was unbearable.

I stood on shaky legs, the waste sliding off my new skin like it was coated in teflon. Nothing stuck to me anymore.

The mirror showed Peter Carter — still me, still recognizable, but cleaned up. Lean muscle where soft flesh used to be. Clear skin with a healthy glow. Features that were handsome without being remarkable. The kind of guy girls would call "cute" and mean it.

[DING! All-Perfect Pill Integration Complete]

[Body Purification: 100%

Status: Free of all disease, infection, parasites, toxins, genetic defects, and cellular damage

Sexual Stamina (Peter Carter Form): +40%

New Attributes (Stats): +10 (LOCKED)

Note: Attribute(Stats) bonus sealed until Gym Mission completion]

"Seriously?" I muttered. "I just went through hell, and the upgrades are locked?"

[Complete Daily Gym Mission to unlock Stat attributes

Days remaining: 30]

"And honestly?" I continued, the truth spilling out. "I just don’t like the idea. Male strangers in my mother’s house, touching our things, breathing our air while I’m not there to watch them. Call it possessive, call it paranoid — I don’t care. Female crews only, or we wait until we find one."

[Vendor located: Elysian Fitness Solutions. 87% female technicians. Confirming full female crew availability.]

"Triple-check their identities. Visual confirmation at the gate with your security. If they try any last-minute substitutions, send them away. If they complain about the requirement, find someone who won’t."

I stared out at the Miami dawn through the bathroom mirror, feeling the weight of responsibility. This wasn’t just about weights and machines.

I stopped staring out the window. A cold satisfaction settled in my chest, displacing the earlier sigh. This wasn’t just about weights and treadmills. This was about control. About safety. About carving out a space within those walls where my family could be strong, be vulnerable, be themselves, without the prying eyes or lurking shadow of unwelcome male presence. They deserved that fortress within the fortress.

And I would build it, brick by brutal brick, starting with this. Every nail driven, every weight bolted down, done by hands that posed no threat. Anything less was unacceptable. Anything less was failure.

One careful decision at a time.

I turned on the shower, watching the last of the black sludge wash away. My new body felt different — lighter, stronger, more responsive. Not superhuman like when I transformed into Eros, but optimal. Like this was what Peter Carter was always supposed to be if genetics and environment had been perfect from birth.

The naive kid was still there in my reflection. The same innocence in the eyes, the same uncertainty in the expression. The pill had cleaned me up, not changed who I was. That was still my choice to make.

But now I had the body to back up the power. Even in base form, I was ready.