Valeria's reaper supervisor - A - was not pleased when she arrived at the Zen Soul Headquarters with Lex Lindi's soul more than four hours later. It doesn't help that Valeria had also sent out incriminating photos of Lex Lindi with her husband, Mark Brinstrone, to the newspapers and put it up online as part of her revenge plan before she went back to the Zen Soul Headquarters.
"Substitute reaper, you are not supposed to do that," A said sternly the moment Valeria walked into the office.
"Do what?" Valeria feigned innocence, as if she did nothing wrong at all. Well, technically, she didn't do anything wrong. She casually walked over to the cubby holes and dropped Lex Lindi in the scarf into Ari's cubby hole. The scarf glowed and disappeared.
"You cannot seek revenge on behalf of a soul and you surely cannot conspire with a soul to let it remain in the human realm for longer than it's supposed to!" A said coldly.
"Well, technically, I was seeking my own revenge too and I wasn't exactly conspiring with her…I just gave her some extra time, that's all," Valeria shrugged. "Well, I delivered her soul, so no issue right?"
A glared at her.
"Consider this your first warning," A said, then she turned away and walked off before disappearing.
"Warning? Pfffftttt! Whatever," Valeria retorted to the empty space where A was earlier.
"Erm….do check your system what it means to get a warning," Ari told her. Valeria rolled her eyes. Why are reapers so dramatic? And they called her dramatic? Honestly. Warning shwarning, who fishing cares, she thought.
"Just. Check. Your. System," Ari said through gritted teeth.
"Fine, fine, what's the big deal, honestly, what? She's gonna cut my pay? Oh wait, nope, I AM NOT GETTING PAID to do this shit," she said.
Still, she called up her system and statistics.
Powers:
1. Unhindered access to souls
2. Strength - 3% (reap more natural death souls to increase)
3. Float - 1% (deliver souls within an hour to increase)
4. Healing rate - 2% (reap more violent death souls to increase)
5. Special eyesight - 3% (increases at every soul reaped)
6. Immortality - 0% (reap more than 1000 souls in 3 months)
Functions: Change appearance, voice & identity (only for one day at a time)
Power up to extend it, catch an evil escaped spirit to power up
(redeem more appearances by completing weekly tasks)
Reaping instrument: 98 nos.
Soul counter: 3
Warnings: 1
(10 warnings will deduct 10 reaped souls from soul counter)
She stared at the new line titled warning. Deduct 10 souls from her counter??? What the fish sticks in stinking fishy hell, she thought. So looks like getting a warning is a big deal. But she has only got 1 so maybe it's not such a big deal.
"Oh well, I will make sure not to get any more warnings, how hard can it be? Just reap and deliver, easy peasy," she told Ari.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Ari drawled.
Her stomach growled at that inopportune moment. She has not eaten much the whole day, so it is time for some sustenance. Reaping souls and taking revenge can be quite draining. She went outside in search of a convenience store while Ari stayed behind in the headquarters. She is thinking of getting an onigiri, a sandwich or a bento. She is not in the mood for instant cup ramen. She found a convenience store a few metres from the Zen Soul Headquarters.
After getting an onigiri and a sandwich, she walked back to the headquarters, unwrapping her sandwich and biting into it when a car suddenly screeched to a stop next to her. Startled, she almost dropped her sandwich and onigiri.
What damn asshole drives like that? She thought. She turned to look and it was her husband, Mark Brinstrone. He got out from his car and walked towards her. Panic rose within her. What does he want? Is he going to attack her? Slap her?
But his mother was the one who kicked her out. Surely he doesn't want anything to do with her anymore. Her mouth still full of sandwich, she quickly chewed and swallowed it before turning to him. She squared her shoulders, drew to her full height and looked at him with as much fake confidence as he can muster. Surely he will not slap her in public?
"Miss! You ran off so fast earlier, I didn't even manage to get your name and number," Mark said when he reached her. He gave her a warm charming smile.
For a moment, she was stunned. What is wrong with him? Why the heck is he asking for her name and number? Can't he recognise his own wife of 15 years?
Then she remembered. Right. She is still wearing her reaper disguise, a hot strawberry blonde with bright green eyes. Of course. He is talking to this hot strawberry blonde with her creamy fair skin, svelte figure and large pert breasts.
"Oh, you," she used a cold, haughty tone, looking at him as if he is nothing to her. She turned to walk away from him, dismissing him.
He looked taken aback by her cold behaviour towards him. But that did not deter him. The womanising asshole that he is. He rushed to block her. He turned on his charm by flashing her his signature, charming smile that will have most women falling all over his feet. But not Valeria. She knows what he is now. She merely stared at him with a bored cold expression. The one he often used on her, Valeria, at home in the past 10 years.
"So, what happened at the hotel?" he asked. He looked at the sandwich in her hand. "Sandwich? Aww…you, my beautiful lady, deserve a proper meal, I know of a really good restaurant near here, I can take you there now, my treat," he offered.
Well. He is really trying so hard to get yet another woman under his clutch. Not for the first time today, Valeria wondered how many other women he has on the side. She shuddered at the thought.
Ugh. It is a good thing that they've not had sex for many years…possibly over five years. Who knows what sort of diseases he had picked up from all these women he sleeps with. Disgusting, she thought.
He reached towards her, presumably to put his arm around her shoulder, but she sidestepped him and took a step away from him.
"What are you doing? Look, I don't even know you, leave me alone," she told him haughtily.
"Come on, you don't mean that…I thought we had a connection back at the hotel," Mark said, ever as charming. But all Valeria sees now is a lecherous womanising asshole.
"What? You're looking for a one-night stand? You were already going to the hotel room with that redhead you were with, didn't get enough from her?" she asked sarcastically.
If she had asked this as his wife, he would have slapped her. She had suffered so many slaps from him over the years for saying the wrong thing or for asking him anything that can be perceived as 'meddling in his business'.
"Oh, you are terribly mistaken! She's my secretary, there's nothing between us, truly," he said. He sounded so sincere, an unsuspecting woman would fall for his lies.
"Right. And you were all lovey-dovey going to a hotel room, I doubt that it's 'nothing' as you claimed," she retorted. She is relishing the freedom in talking to her abusive husband this way without fearing repercussions.
"Oh, no no no…I was just accompanying her to…ah…catch her boyfriend cheating on her," he said.
Valeria wanted to roll her eyes. How lame is that lie? Why is he trying so hard to try to get this woman whom he thinks is someone he doesn't know? Just because she has potential for a new sexual conquest?
"Let me introduce myself again. I am Mark Brinstrone, the CEO of Brinstrone Holdings. You are?" Mark offered his hand.
She looked at his hand as if he was offering her poison.
"Am I supposed to fall all over you because you are some big shot CEO of some unknown company?" she sneered.
She is really enjoying this. How nice to insult your abusive husband out in a public place too without worrying about being slapped or kicked till he cracked your ribs. She has had one too many fractured ribs to count over the past 10 years.
"Hahah…you are feisty, I like it," Mark chuckled. "At least give me your name," he put on a charming friendly expression.
Valeria wondered if she could take this game further. Since he is so desperate to get this woman whom he thought is just a young beautiful woman he met in a hotel.
"My name is Ripley Rose but no, I am not giving you my number, nor will I join you for dinner," she said haughtily. She must stay on character. Looks like he likes a good challenge.
"Where are you headed? I can drop you off," he offered, gesturing to his car.
She laughed. "Not falling for that either, please leave now and if we are fated to be, maybe we will meet again, then and only then, I will consider giving you my number," she said.