Lucy is so close to losing her shit.
Her patience, which has never been her greatest strength, is slowly but surely running out. Here she is, doing another stupid task for Damon when she hasn't even finished investigating the cause of the problems in the company yet.
Every time she closes in on a lead, the trail self-destructs. Evidence comes out damaged and witnesses refuse to talk. She tries to hunt down former employees who mysteriously quit for no reason, but she still can't find them after using all the resources at her disposal. In addition, it's not like she can directly question the board members why they're suddenly being stubborn, although she does want to shake them down and scream at them for making things difficult for her.
Above all this, Lucy is certain that Damon's assumption is correct. Someone is definitely manipulating this behind the scenes. There's no way for the mess to be this clean—this organized—without some mastermind in the dark.
At the end of the day, it's all a big headache for her, and she can't care that much when she plans on leaving soon.
Now, that moody boss of hers suddenly asks for Lucy to go shopping—all for that Beta lover of his, all because they fought, or for some other reason she can't be bothered to learn.
Lucy may have had no opinion on Heath before but that's not the case anymore, not since she found out that it was Heath who last came into the Lin Manor on the day that Kaiden was sick. Whether he intentionally locked Kaiden in the closet or not doesn't matter to Lucy. All that matters is how they treated Kaiden in the months of Uriel's absence.
Trudging through the mall with heaps of shopping bags in her arms, Lucy mentally lists the various crimes and dirty deeds of the Valentino family. The actual list and evidence are hidden somewhere safe, but thinking about the day she gets revenge on behalf of Kaiden keeps her temper at bay. It's the fruit of her labor, the sleepless nights of digging deeper than she ever did before.
So what if she's doing it behind Damon's back? That Alpha jerk deserves his ruin as well.
Lucy seethes whenever she thinks about what Kaiden went through. There's no excuse for Damon's indifference, his lack of action. Neglect is a form of abuse too.
Her only—and biggest—regret is that she didn't act sooner. Her principle of not intervening in her superior's personal life backfires on her, resulting in the weak, almost broken Omega called Kaiden. She shudders at the memory—his pale and thin figure leaning on her as he fights for his life, body heating up, pheromones rotting from months of obstruction—but at least, at least it's over now.
She tells herself that it's going to get better for him soon. The guilt inside her morphs into protectiveness every time she looks at Kaiden, the Omega reminding her of the young children in the orphanage she grew up with. This time, she'll secure a good life for him, even if she failed to do so for the others.
While entering another luxury shop, Lucy laments over Kaiden's kind heart. She can't believe that kid asked her not to 'blow things up,' wishing to live quietly instead. Although, considering how he lived so far, Lucy understands his desire to not make a ruckus. She has no choice but to respect his wishes … for now.
With a sigh, she wonders how Kaiden remains so soft despite everything.
Lucy picks up another item on Damon's gift list for Heath, silently cursing both of them when she sees how much it amounts to. She's been shopping for two hours but she hasn't crossed out half of the items on the list yet.
--
The familiar melody of a successfully cleared level plays from Primo's phone.
Although he is internally jumping in joy, delighted at finally triumphing after fifteen times, his face gives away nothing. He sits perfectly still—ankles crossed atop one another, fingers swiping at the block puzzle—as the makeup artist does her best to make him look rugged and grimy.
Some will be shocked upon seeing how different his transformation is from his usual 'pampered young master' aura, but there is nothing new to this. If the role calls for it, he can even sit, unmoving, for six hours straight while they turn him into an intergalactic warrior. It's a small price to pay to showcase his dedication to his craft.
This time, however, he's playing the role of a young, runaway soldier who is struggling to survive in the middle of war after being betrayed by his comrades. The movie is a delicate balance between action and drama, a break from his usual fantasy and romance movies, hence the need to keep the filming confidential.
From Primo's perspective, the movie is sure to be a blockbuster hit, not because of his contribution, but because the plot alone is enough to carry the whole film. Of course, ticket sales aren't enough. Primo knows that the director is gunning for multiple awards at the next film festival. It's why the rookies are suffering and why the rest of the staff are high strung, but not Primo.
Oh no, not him—Primo does such a spectacular job that he can afford to play Jelly Mash while his co-stars bury themselves in the script.
What can he say? He's a natural.
The makeup artist is adding a fake scar on his right cheek—one his character supposedly got after his best friend offered his head to the opposing camp—when a notification appears on top of his screen. He rolls his eyes upon seeing whom it's from, but he opens the message anyway.
[Ugly Alpha: How come you post about a cup of coffee but not my dumplings? :( ]
Primo's fingers fly above the keyboard as he types: [Because you're annoying.]
Before he receives a response, he sends another one: [How do you even know that? My manager took it down immediately.]
The reply is immediate.
[Ugly Alpha: What can I say?]
[Ugly Alpha: I'm your biggest fan, baby :)]
As if to prove a point, Primo receives a photo of his merch (both official and fan-made) delicately laid on a table. A signed photo of Primo is the centerpiece, flanked by two chibi fan art of him on both sides. His latest endorsement—a full set of luxury skincare items, still inside the box—is placed next to the plushie of a wizard, made in the liking of one of his most iconic roles. To top it off, on the wall hangs a framed ensemble of premier movie tickets of every film he has starred in, starting from his rookie days as an extra to his most recent leading role.
This is not the first time Primo is seeing this altar—this shrine that does a better job at documenting his career over the years than his official website, so he knows there's more to it than what's photographed. He won't ever admit that he's touched, grateful that someone appreciates what he does like this.
Still, he can't keep the small smile off his face when he replies: [Gross.]
[Ugly Alpha: Only for you <3]
Undeterred, he even sends Primo a sticker of a gray wolf cub sending a flying heart with its tiny paw.
Primo adds it to the list of things he won't admit he finds cute, the wolf cub reminding him of the sender. Instead, he texts: [You're an idiot.]
[Ugly Alpha: I'm YOUR idiot *wink* *wink*]
Primo is quick to close the messaging app upon reading that, no longer in the mood to play games, trying not to picture that stupid, ugly Alpha and his stupid, ugly face.
--
Lucy hauls the rest of the shopping bags in the back of her Mercedes. Her feet are killing her from walking around in high heels.
Why is this even assigned to her? Have they not heard of online shopping?
Although irritated, she's careful in closing the trunk. Her car did nothing wrong to deserve rough treatment.
She walks to the driver's seat while checking her phone. There are no missed calls from the office but there is one text from Kaiden, asking her to call him when she's free.
As she buckles her seatbelt and turns on the ignition, she connects her wireless earpiece to make the call.
She's reversing out of the spot as the call rings once, twice, thrice, before it goes through.
"Hello." Kaiden's soft voice is loud in her ear.
She adjusts the volume while trying to navigate out of the underground parking lot. "Hello, Kaiden. Did something happen?"
There's rustling on the other end, the sound of paper crinkling. He doesn't say anything but Lucy can hear the way Kaiden is hesitating through his shallow breathing.
Lucy waits, patient, as Kaiden gathers his courage for whatever he's about to say next. Just as she's joining the cars on the main road, Kaiden weakly says, "Can I ask for a favor?"
"Sure! Whatever it is, I'll do it for you." Lucy is more than enthusiastic to fulfill Kaiden's wish, and it shows in how fast she answers.
However, when Lucy hears the exact details of Kaiden's favor, she accidentally swerves over the next lane. Thankfully, it's empty, or else there may have been an accident before Lucy gets to hear the rest of Kaiden's call.