Fair judgment

"To murder a man without sullying my hands."

Luca's lips stretched from ear to ear while Nova's forehead creased. She cast Nova a knowing look, winking coquettishly.

"I feel... excited," Nova mumbled, unable to deny the excitement bubbling in her heart at the thought of what sort of hellish surprise this woman had in store for that damn piece of trash.

Just then, the buzzing sound from her phone interrupted the scheming air dominating the room. Luca's brow arched, rolling to her tummy, and picked up the phone. Checking the incoming call, she immediately rejected it when she saw Jacques' name.

But when she did, she saw the message notification on the screen. Out of habit, she swiped it to check, just in case it was important. The message came from an unknown number, but her lips curled up.

"Just about time," she murmured, making Nova walk closer to her. The little cat leaned in until her furs were touching Luca's cheek. The latter didn't mind, even tilting her phone for her cat to see better.

"Wow... that jerk is really amazing."

Luca's lips stretched even wider, glancing at Nova knowingly. "Of course he is. He saw an opportunity, and I'm too spicy to miss." Her eyes glinted dangerously, setting them back to the phone.

The content of the message was simply a list of places Xander recommended. He told her his assistant would do it, but Luca memorized his number more than her manager's. And also, she was aware of the subtle hints Xander was giving her.

"Thank you very much, Assistant Vayne..." she dawdled as she typed, licking her lips while tapping the send button.

"Assistant Vayne?" Nova looked at her, intrigued.

"He told me he'll let his assistant send it. So I need to act stupid." Luca shrugged nonchalantly. "He didn't introduce himself, after all."

"Make sense." Nova rocked her head before her brows creased when Luca suddenly sat upright. "Where are you going now?"

Luca looked back at her with a bright smile. "Just in front of the mirror and doll up," she explained, flinging her legs out of the bed. When she was standing beside the bed confidently, Luca ran her fingers through her perm and looked back at Nova.

"I need to stand out because... how can I become a prey if I'm not the best, right?" Her mood spiked, humming a merry tune, skipping her steps toward the bathroom.

"Don't make yourself look like you're Karma on the flesh!" yelled Nova, knowing her style never let her appear easy. "Preys are the easiest targets! Wear something white to represent your purity!"

"Hell no~!"

Nova scrunched her nose up, eyes still on the bathroom door, which Luca didn't bother closing. Her human servant might be a virgin, but because of her style of clothing and some sexy photoshoots Luca had done in her career, she looked like a woman with experience. Not that she was slutty, but more like no one would even think she was, in fact, a virgin.

"What a strange human," Nova mumbled, idling on the bed while Luca dolled up.

Half an hour had gone by.

Nova stayed on the bed while watching Luca go back and forth in the mirror. The latter's luggage was all over the place, trying out outfits, mix-matching her getup from head to toe, and even pieces of jewelry.

"How are you so sure he will be here?" asked Nova, out of pure curiosity. "You will not make such an effort if this is not about him."

"Nova, in the past, I make an effort because I don't want to embarrass him," Luca explained lazily, putting on a pair of earrings. "But now, I'm dressing up because it makes me feel good. Also, I want to look the best."

She paused and picked up the earrings on the table to put on her other ear. "For the question, how I know he will be in here is because... his wife will tell him about it." Luca smiled in satisfaction, turning on her heel until she was facing the bed.

"Our little white sheep will surely tattle since she never hides things from him. Isn't that what marriage is all about?"

"You are a hypocrite." Nova shook her head in disbelief, clicking her tongue continuously. "Weren't you lamenting just moments ago about how you hurt her in the past?"

"For the record, I still feel bad for her, but as I've said, my plan will continue. After all, this time, I planned to hurt her intentionally." Luca arched a brow, crossing her arm under her mounds. "But she will thank me later."

"Ahh... I get it now." Nova nodded, watching Luca face the mirror once again. "You'll still break their marriage, huh?"

"But this time, not because I love him — I hate him passionately, Nova." Luca slowed down as she looked at herself in the mirror, appreciating the beauty she was born with, and her value as a human being and as a woman. "I don't think I will ever love again or have the slightest energy to believe about that stupid thing."

She let out a shallow breath, strangely calm as she recalled how she loved so hard, only to get hurt to the point she chose death. Her suicide attempt and her returning back in time weren't Xander's fault; it was Luca's decision to die, and it was Nova's decision to bring her back.

However, the scar Xander left in her heart was far too deep.

"I can forgive anyone, not him. I committed murder once, and I don't mind murdering one more time. He traumatized me, Nova," she continued in a firm tone. "So, I will traumatize him back. He took everything away from him, and I will take everything from him. Isn't that fair?"

Nova stared at Luca's reflection and then shrugged. "Fair enough, indeed." She then caught the phone on the bed light up once again.

"Oho... our little lamb is inviting you to dinner."

"Of course she will." Luca chuckled deviously, pleased at the outfit she was put together that would surely make every fickle-hearted man's jaw drop. "After all, it is only courteous to invite the new face of their brand to a fancy dinner."