Wakey wakey

SELENE

I step out of the salon, the cool breeze brushing against my freshly dyed purple hair. The vibrant color catches the sunlight, making it shimmer with every step I take.

I pull out my phone and tap on the FaceTime app, calling June and Levi. As their faces appear on the screen, I can't help but grin.

"Wakey wakey, rise and shine, princesses!" I chirp, striding down the bustling street.

June, who is definitely not a morning person, groans. "Omg, Selene, why are you awake at this ungodly hour?"

I glance at the corner of my screen and chuckle. "June, it's almost eleven."

Levi yawns on the second small screen. "What time is it... wait, what did you do to your hair?"

"Oh, you noticed," I reply, twirling a strand of my newly purple hair. "How does it look?"

June raises her thumb, her eyes lighting up. "Very pretty, I love the colour on you."

Levi nods in agreement but then frowns. "But didn't your mother-in-law give you a list of rules? Won't this make things difficult for you?"

I chuckle, a mischievous glint in my eye. "That's the point. If they don't like it, they can go to hell."

As I wait for the light to turn green so I can cross the street, a young man passing by says, "I like your hair."

I smile at him. "Thanks."

June's voice pipes up, teasing. "Ohhh, you are already turning heads. Is he cute? Get his number."

I almost roll my eyes. "You two get to work. You can't sleep all day," I say before hanging up.

***

Entering Lynx Corp, I feel the eyes of several employees on me. Unlike their formal and semi-formal attire, I am dressed casually in high-waisted jeans and a bright pink top. I know I look great, but I also know I'm the exact embodiment of what Roan despises. Armed with this regalia, I am ready to poke the bear.

People keep glancing in my direction as I pass through security. Near the elevators, Roan's junior secretary, Terry is pacing back and forth. When he sees me, his eyes brighten like he's seen a saviour.

"Madam, the president sent me to get you. May you please come with me?" he asks, almost breathless.

I am not at all surprised. "Okay," I say with a bright smile. This is even better; I get to ruin Roan's day earlier than expected.

We exit the elevator, and Terry leads me straight to Roan's office. He knocks on the door, and a deep voice from within commands, "Come in." He opens the door and gestures for me to enter.

As I step inside, Conrad's eyes widen fleetingly at the sight of my dazzling purple hair and casual outfit. Clearly unwilling to be caught in the crossfire, he mutters, "Good morning, Madam," before scurrying out like he is being chased by ghosts.

Roan finally looks up, his brows furrowing at the sight of me. I flip my soft hair as I make my way to the couch and sit down. "I heard you wanted to see me. What do you want?" I ask, my tone casual yet challenging.

Roan turns his gaze away, seemingly unable to bear the sight of me. Seeing the effect I have on him, I smirk. It was all worth it.

He gets up and sits opposite me on the couch. "You are late," he states, his voice tight with irritation.

I chuckle, leaning back. "Then fire me."

Roan, who usually remains composed despite my antics, snaps back, "If I could, I would."

I cross one leg over the other, my tone dripping with sarcasm. "You seem tired. Did you not sleep well last night?"

Roan looks done with me. "You can't return to the development team, so I will put you up in the office down the hall."

My brow arches. I know that office. It had remained vacant even in my past life. Rumour had it that when Lina was running the company, she put her disgraced ex-husband in that office to keep a good eye on him and make sure he didn't get too greedy. Now it was my turn.

I have no interest in working for Roan seriously, and besides, I don't want to see the head of the Development Department, Eleanor. In my past life, she screwed me over at every turn and made me lose face countless times. She always had something to say about me, and nothing good. It was as though she was a concubine vying for Roan's attention.

"Okay, anything else?" I ask, my voice steady.

Roan's eyes narrow. "And your clothes, please stick to the appropriate dress code."

I smile slyly and stand up. "I am not here to please you, Roan." With that, I turn and walk out, ready for whatever comes next.

I leave Roan's office, and Conrad, waiting outside, leads the way. The office he takes me to is spacious, with a contemporary design and its own bathroom. I sit in the swivel chair and smile. Who knew antagonising Roan would get me a much more comfortable office than the cramped workspace I had in my past life?

I take out my laptop and put on my headphones, diving back into the game. The familiar sounds of the virtual world envelop me, and I lose track of time. Suddenly, the door opens, and I look up to see Conrad standing there. I realise he must have knocked, but I didn't hear him.

"Madam, sorry to intrude, but Milli brought over your lunch meals," Conrad says, his tone apologetic.

I want to refuse, but then I recall how Milli would probably take this chance to put some of the "medicine" in my food. I get up and head to the small kitchen. Inside, I find two lunch bags and two thermos flasks attached to them, each labelled. Grinning, I tear off the labels and swap them. With no shame, I take Roan's food and return to my office.

Opening the lunch bag, I savour the food with relish. There's something particularly satisfying about eating Roan's food. Once I am done, I go back to my game, eager to complete my main quest and witness the downfall of Lulu Game's flagship with my own eyes.

***

On the day of the release of "Arms of Retribution: The Final Chapter," I wake up in an exceptionally good mood. Skipping breakfast, I grab an apple on my way out. I don't bother letting Roan know where I am going, and he doesn't ask.

When I see that there are no visible changes yet on Roan's body after swapping our lunches at work, I smirk. Roan meets my gaze, his brows furrowed, and I turn to leave. It seemed the effects would take much longer than expected.

Downstairs, I find Kirk's car parked across the street. He volunteered to take us to the game launch at the convention centre nearby. I cross the street, and Kirk gets out to open the door for me. Sliding into the car, I find Levi and June in the back seat, bickering as usual. The car is small, and Levi's large stature takes up a lot of space.

"Why are you so big? What did your mother feed you?" June complains.

Levi retorts, "Why are you complaining when you are small? You have more than enough leg room."

I chuckle as I pull on my seatbelt. "Sorry about them," I say to Kirk.

He smiles, unfazed. "I am used to it," he replies, starting the car. "You look nice."

I am about to thank him when I hear yelping from the back. Levi is fighting for his life as June pinches him. "Will you two stop? Don't make me come back there," I warn. Kirk laughs as we drive off.

The convention centre is buzzing with fans from all walks of life. People are cosplaying as game characters, and fans excitedly take pictures with them. Seeing all these happy faces excited for the new launch, I feel no guilt about what's coming. I am about to ruin their day and dampen their excitement.

June and Levi drag Kirk to take a picture with the Ethereal Huntress, the main female character of the game. I watch them with a smile when my gaze inevitably spots a group of men in suits walking into a passageway. I know who it is.

The man in the maroon suit is Marc, the owner of Lulu Games, but he's not who I am interested in. It's the man behind him that catches my attention. He has the same tattoo as the man who attacked me in my past life.

My blood freezes as I watch them disappear. It takes Kirk waving his hand in front of me to snap me back to reality. I regain my composure and smile slightly. Levi asks if I am really okay.

"Yes, I am really fine. Let's go," I say putting on a reassuring smile.

I sit in the audience, my mind wandering as the countdown to the release of "Arms of Retribution: The Final Chapter" ticks away on the screen. The numbers reflect in my eyes as I gaze up at the executive suite above. As soon as the countdown reaches zero, the room erupts in excitement. But then phones begin to buzz, and the dimly lit conference centre is suddenly illuminated by the glow of countless screens. Gasps and chatter fill the air as the entire gameplay and full guide are sent to everyone with an account on "Arms of Retribution." The room descends into chaos.

I notice the men in the executive suite leaving and decide to make my move. "I'll be right back," I say, but June barely has time to ask where I am going before I disappear.

Outside, I look around for an employee to steal an access card from. Spotting one carelessly left on a bench, I grab it and slip it around my neck. I head to the passageway leading to the executive suite and tap the card on the reader. The door clicks open.

From my position, I can hear a man yelling, "Who did this? I want to know who they are!... Don't tell me you don't know. What am I paying you for!" Using the excuse of wanting to speak to Marc about the cancelled contract, I walk over, playing the role of a desperate businesswoman who has lost a major client.

As I approach, several men stop me. Putting on my best pitiful expression, I say, "Mr. Marc, it's Selene from JLS Media. You recently cancelled our contract and I—"

Before I can finish, Marc dismisses me rudely, "This isn't the place to discuss this. Get lost you fucking bitch."

The man with the tattoo on his hand leads me away, which is exactly what I wanted. I can't recognise his face, but I am sure this man will lead me to the one who attacked me in my past life. Reaching into my handbag, I activate the cloning app on my phone. I need to clone his phone, so I cry pitifully, saying, "Mr. Marc was my last hope. We will surely go bankrupt."

The man says, "Ma'am, this is not the time. Please make an appointment."

"Okay, thank you," I say as my phone vibrates, signalling the cloning is complete. I pretend to be sad as I walk away, wiping my tears. An eerie smile creeps onto my lips.

***

After wreaking havoc at the game launch, we decide to celebrate. We sit at a small self-cook BBQ restaurant, the air filled with the mouth-watering aroma of sizzling meat. Levi takes charge of the grill, turning the thin slices of beef with a focused expression.

June, animated as ever, makes fun of the reactions of the staff when the gameplay for "Arms of Retribution" was leaked. Her laughter is infectious, and even Kirk, who is usually more reserved, chuckles along.

Kirk looks at us curiously. "What sort of hatred do you have with this Lulu Games'?"

Levi's face darkens. "They cancelled our contract after we had done ninety-five percent of the work for them. The cancellation fee wasn't even half of what Lulu Games owed us."

Kirk shakes his head. "They sound like jerks."

"Of course they are," I say, my voice slurring slightly from the beer. "My parents were angry with me for annulling the marriage, so they tampered with our business."

The table falls silent. June and Levi exchange glances, clearly shocked by the revelation. They didn't know the truth behind the cancellation. Kirk reaches for the bottle in my hand, but I dodge him, holding it close.

"No, no, no, let me drink," I insist, my speech even more slurred. "I earned it. I have to live with that bastard Roan, so let this woman drink."

I gulp down the beer, feeling the liquid drip down my neck. Smacking the bottle on the table with a proud look, I call out, "Waiter, waiter! Yes, you, come here. May I please have some more?"

The waiter nods and hurries off. The three of them are still staring at me, so I ask, "What?"

They shake their heads wordlessly, and I smile before taking another bite of the meat. "So yummy," I say, doing a little happy dance in my seat.