Chapter 1I Sent My Cheating AI Incubus to the Scrapyard

I always had a weakness for handsome men, so I camped out online to grab one of the very first AI incubi.

The brand's whole pitch was seduction tuned a hundred percent to its owner's taste. But every time I got within ten minutes of Lucien Crane, he'd force-start a system cleaning cycle, go dark, and idle out.

"Master, please don't overuse me. Bacteria buildup can cause a malfunction."

Left unsatisfied every single time, I finally went to customer service, and the rep looked as baffled as I felt.

"An incubus unit would never break off contact with its owner. We'd recommend restarting him at home."

But on the drive back, I happened to scroll past a livestream from my live-in housekeeper. The title sat right there in bold: How a Seasoned Queen Subdues In Her AI Incubus.

The lighting was low. The man's earlobes were flushed, and he knelt on one knee, every inch of bared skin crossed with messy whip marks.

My housekeeper wiggled her red-painted toes, all smiles.

"This one's got real stamina. Five hours straight and he never once tapped out."

As the comments poured in, envious, a chill ran through me.

So the so-called "cleaning system" was just his excuse to slack off and idle.

Behind my back, he was happily playing somebody else's obedient little sub.

If he wouldn't serve me the way he was built to, then he could wait to get shipped back to the factory and scrapped for parts.

* * *

I was sitting in Lucien's lap, fingertips trailing over his firm abs, my mind wandering somewhere it shouldn't.

Just as I started to follow the line of muscle lower, he caught my wrist and pushed me off, his face blank.

"Pausing intimacy mode. Initiating automatic cleaning mode."

It hit like a bucket of cold water, and I lost my balance and dropped onto the couch beside him.

Lucien pulled his hand back, his expression cool.

"Master, please control yourself. Don't cling the second you walk in. Overuse damages my chassis."

Then he closed his eyes and went straight to a black screen.

I pushed myself upright, equal parts furious and hurt.

I'd bought Lucien in the first place because my parents died young, and I'd spent these last few years buried in work, always alone.

Then one day a shopping channel ran a segment on AI incubi, and the second Lucien appeared on screen, he had my full attention.

He had seductive fox eyes, a high-bridged nose, and the delicate, cat-like curve of his lips. He was made exactly to my taste.

One look and I was gone. I ordered him on the spot and brought him home.

Lucky for me, at the start, he indulged my every whim.

He always had a gentle smile on his face. He'd come kneel and slip my shoes off the moment I walked in, scoop me up bridal-style at dinner, and in bed he gave me everything.

But somewhere along the way, it all quietly soured.

Every time things heated up to the edge of losing control, he started pushing me away.

"Master, time's up. For your safety, cleaning mode will now activate."

Three hours together used to be normal, and he cut it down to a flat ten minutes.

Stewing in it, I scrolled through other buyers' posts.

[Amazing! My incubus baby in a butler outfit is impossibly hot. Three hours minimum, every single time, and I'm always satisfied.]

[My incubus baby is boyfriend goals. He hand-washed all my underwear when I was on my period. I could cry.]

I felt worse and worse.

But when my eyes landed back on that top-tier face I'd paid a fortune for, on Lucien's gorgeous, indifferent features, my anger slowly drained away.

I told myself to let it go. As long as daily life ran smoothly, that was enough.

Except then he started ruining laundry piece by piece and scorching meal after meal.

Once, I asked him to drive me out for the day, and he rammed the car straight into a guardrail.

After he finally got me out, he looked guilty and explained,

"Sienna, it's probably impurity buildup from too much contact. It's throwing off my arousal threshold and causing faults."

"Let's keep our distance for a while. I can't keep up with your needs anymore."

I actually felt guilty, deciding I was just too possessive and that I was dragging him down.

Until one day, I caught a livestream from my housekeeper, Vivian Shaw.

"Okay, girls, time to live like the rich. Let's try out the boss's top-of-the-line robot."

"Didn't expect him to be this obedient. Five hours of playing around and he still wasn't tired. Honestly addictive."

The man on screen, ears flushed and clothes a mess, knelt on one knee.

A black blindfold covered his eyes, and he let the woman trail a riding crop across his cheek.

And that incubus mark glowing brighter on his neck, I'd traced it a thousand times in my own mind.