Lunessa's lips trembled in frustration.
'If she pays double, that would be forty-six thousand… who the hell would pay that much for a single dress?'
Her fingers tightened around the counter.
'And I—I…'
Her chest felt tight.
The number hit her like a punch.
Forty-six thousand dollars.
She wanted to curse out loud at the woman, at the dress, at herself for even standing here instead of putting it back on the rack.
Her heart pounded as thoughts crashed over one another.
'I can't spend that much. That's insane.'
Then the hologram flared into existence right in front of her vision.
[NEW MISSION: USING MONEY RECKLESSLY]
Her head snapped up.
She stared at the hologram that had disappeared just minutes ago, now back as if it had never left.
[OBJECTIVE: OUTBID THE COMPETITOR]
[REWARD: ONE LUCKY WISH]
Her brows knitted together, "One lucky wish?"
The words barely left her mouth before she felt the shift in the air.
Both the cashier and the woman turned to look at her.
"I really don't want to play my card," the woman said coolly, clearly misreading Lunessa's silence. "But I assume you've already given up on this dress, right? If so..." She looked straight at the cashier, "Swipe my card now."
Lunessa stood there blankly, her mind still stuck on the system's words.
'A lucky wish…'
What kind of wish?
How far did it go?
The cashier hesitated, then slowly picked up the black card.
"Okay, Miss…" She moved to tap it against the card reader.
"Wait—" Lunessa's hand shot up.
The word came out sharper than she expected.
Everyone froze.
The cashier paused mid-motion.
The woman turned back toward her, clearly annoyed now. "What is it?"
Lunessa swallowed. Her heart was pounding so loudly she could hear it in her ears.
She looked at the dress. Then at the black card. Then, briefly staring at nothing, as if staring straight through the system.
"I didn't say I was giving up on the dress," Lunessa said slowly.
The woman scoffed. "Do you even know what you're doing?"
Lunessa lifted her chin.
"Of course," she said, her voice steady despite the pounding in her chest. "I'll pay fifty thousand for that dress."
The boutique fell silent.
For a heartbeat before the woman burst out laughing, loud and sharp, like Lunessa had just told a joke.
"Fifty thousand?" she repeated mockingly. "That's just four thousand more than double."
She shook her head, amusement dripping from her tone. "If you're going to pretend to be rich, you should at least say triple. What? Running out of money already?"
A few heads turned. The cashier stiffened.
Heat rushed to Lunessa's face.
"Still," she said, forcing her voice to stay steady, "it's more than your offer."
She blinked a few times, trying to calm the frantic pounding in her chest. Then she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the card Julian had given her, placing it firmly on the counter, "Swipe mine."
The woman let out a short laugh. "Swipe mine," she echoed coolly, sliding her black card forward again. "I'll pay triple."
The cashier froze completely, eyes darting between the two cards like she'd been dropped into a battlefield. "Miss, I really—"
"Triple?" Lunessa repeated softly.
The woman's lips curved into a thin smile.
"Triple," she repeated lightly, as if daring her to bid higher. "Go on then."
Lunessa's fingers tightened around the card as she took it back, the edge pressing into her palm.
Her heart was still racing, but the fire in her chest slowly dimmed before she finally exhaled.
"Never mind," she said suddenly.
The cashier blinked. "Miss?"
"I'll pass on the dress," Lunessa said quietly. She reached forward and pushed the other clothes she took earlier. "I'll just take the other items."
The woman scoffed, clearly satisfied.
"Wise choice," she said. "Some things don't suit everyone."
Lunessa didn't respond.
"These," she said calmly and placed the card near the cashier back. "Please."
The cashier nodded quickly, relieved, and reached for the card Lunessa had placed earlier. As she picked it up, her movement paused.
Just for a second, before her eyes widened the moment she flipped the card over, checking the front. "Ah…"
The cashier straightened immediately, posture snapping into place.
"Yes, Miss," she said, tone noticeably more respectful now.
The woman frowned. "What is it?"
The cashier didn't answer her as she focused only on Lunessa, hands suddenly careful, "I'll process this right away."
The woman glanced down at the card in the cashier's hand. Her expression changed.
"That's not a standard black card," she said slowly.
Lunessa followed her gaze. She hadn't looked closely before. The card was heavier than normal, matte metal, no flashy logo, just a name etched cleanly into the surface.
Julian Hale.
The woman's smile finally disappeared.
"Wait." She suddenly snatched the card from the cashier's hand and stared sharply at Lunessa. "Where did you get this card? Did you steal it?"
Lunessa's brows furrowed, a wave of exhaustion washing over her.
All she wanted was to finish her shopping mission and go back to rest. How had it turned into this?
'What the hell did I do to deserve dealing with a crazy woman like you…?' she thought bitterly.
"That's my card," Lunessa replied flatly.
The words had barely left her mouth when a sharp slap landed on her cheek.
A loud smack turned the boutique into a deep silence again.
Pain exploded across her cheek. Her head snapped to the side, ears ringing violently.
Gasps erupted around them.
The woman glared at her as if Lunessa had stolen more than a card, like she had stolen something precious.
"You lying bitch!" the woman screamed. "That's Julian Hale's card! And you dare say it's yours?!"
The ringing in Lunessa's ears hadn't even faded when a sharp tug yanked her head back.
Her scalp burned.
The woman had fisted her hair, pulling hard.
"Thief!" she shrieked. "How dare you?!"
Lunessa staggered, one hand instinctively reaching up to clamp around the woman's wrist. "Let go," she said hoarsely.
The woman didn't.
Instead, she yanked harder, pain ripping through Lunessa's scalp, forcing a sharp gasp from her throat.
"I said…" Lunessa gritted her teeth, trying to pry the fingers loose, "let—go."
Her shoes scraped against the floor as she was dragged half a step back. Her vision blurred, half from the pain, half from sheer disbelief.
"Security!" someone shouted.
"Miss, please stop!" a staff member cried.
The woman only laughed, wild and furious. "You think you can touch what belongs to him and walk away?!"
That sentence snapped something.
Lunessa's grip tightened around the woman's wrist, nails digging in this time. She twisted sharply, using her weight, forcing the arm down just enough to breathe.
"What does that have to do with you?" Lunessa said, her voice shaking in anger.
"Because I'm his future mother," the woman spat, glaring straight into Lunessa's eyes.
Lunessa frowned, her hair still painfully clenched in the woman's fist. Then she laughed softly, incredulous.
"Future mother?" she echoed. "Is that even a thing?" She lifted her chin despite the pain.
"Then let me break the news for you," Lunessa said calmly, "I'm Julian Hale's future wife."