[Location: Lu's Sweet Stop, Pinheiros]
For fully fifteen minutes after hanging up the video call, Luciana "Lu" Santos was in a state of spiritual disassociation.
She mechanically stirred the pot of condensed milk, her mind consumed by Lucas Silva's damnably handsome face and that teasing remark: "How about packing yourself in the bag too?"
"Lu, get a grip!" She patted her burning cheeks, trying to force herself to cool down. "He is a capitalist! An exploiter! He is... he is the Living King of Hell who just happens to be ridiculously good-looking."
Just then, the wind chimes above the shop door rang out—a sharp, urgent sound.
Usually, the people pushing through that door were motorcycle couriers in helmets rushing for orders, or noisy students after school. But this time, the air in the shop seemed to freeze instantly.
A sleek black bulletproof sedan had pulled up on the curb, blocking half the sidewalk. The door opened, and a long leg stepped out, followed by a perfectly tailored dark blue suit.
Lucas Silva walked in.
In person, he was taller and more imposing than he appeared on video. The cozy, noisy shop fell silent immediately. A few high school students eating cake widened their eyes, staring as if an alien had just landed.
Plop.
The wooden spoon in Lu's hand slipped and fell into the pot of milk.
"Mr... Mr. Silva?" she stammered, instinctively hiding her flour-dusted hands behind her back.
Lucas walked straight to the counter. He ignored the surroundings completely, his gaze locked tightly on Lu's face. He had already dropped the hint of a smile from the video call, reverting to his legendary persona: the "Iceberg CEO."
"Miss Luciana," his voice was deep, carrying an undeniable pressure. "Due to your 'excessive service,' I had to come personally."
Lu's heart began to pound traitorously. She lowered her head like a schoolgirl caught passing notes, staring at the tips of her shoes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stuff so much bread in there... If you can't finish it, I can give you a refund..."
"A refund?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.
Suddenly, he leaned over, closing the distance between them across the counter. It was dangerously close.
Lu could even smell his expensive cologne—a cold, crisp blend of cedarwood and citrus.
"I don't need money," Lucas's voice dropped lower, laced with a barely perceptible temptation. "I came to verify that 'note'."
He stared at Lu's pale wrist exposed outside her apron, which radiated the scent he had been craving—the pure, sweet smell of vanilla and cream. As a severe sugar addict, this scent was practically lethal to him.
Driven by some unknown force—or perhaps his hypoglycemia had finally snapped his rationality—Lucas did something very un-CEO-like. He reached out, grabbed Lu's wrist, and lowered his head, leaning in to confirm that scent.
"Is this the 'chef's scent' you mentioned?" he murmured.
Lu's mind went blank. At this distance, she could see every eyelash framing his deep eyes. The overwhelming masculine aura enveloped her instantly.
Thump-thump!
Her heart felt like it was about to batter through her ribcage.
[System Triggered: Heartbeat Rewind]<< REWIND 5 SECONDS <<
Lu blinked violently.
The scene cut instantly. She found herself holding the sticky wooden spoon again. Lucas was standing outside the counter, just preparing to lean in.
"Eh?" Lu froze. Another hallucination?
Before she could react, Lucas leaned in again, his movements as fluid as a movie replay.
"I don't need money," he said again, his voice just as magnetic. "I came to verify that 'note'."
He grabbed her wrist again. He lowered his head. The scent of cedarwood hit her again. Lu's face exploded into red once more. Shame and heart-pounding attraction mixed together, erupting like a volcano.
Thump-thump!
<< REWIND 5 SECONDS <<
The third time. Lu felt like she was going crazy. She stood frozen, watching Lucas approach her for the third time.
"I don't need money..."
But on the other side of the counter, Lucas Silva felt something entirely different.
As someone who possessed the "Active Rewind" ability, he was acutely sensitive to the flow of time.
In that split second, he felt that familiar, nauseating vertigo—the sensation of time being forcibly torn apart.
Once. Twice.
"What is happening?" Lucas's pupils constricted. He hadn't used his ability, yet time was flowing backward?
The little woman in front of him was blushing like a tomato, her eyes full of panic. Every time he leaned in to smell her wrist, time reset.
Lucas instantly realized two things: First, this harmless-looking little baker was also a "Time User." Second, she was... shy?
And after experiencing the perspective loop twice, Lucas finally realized how inappropriate his current behavior was.
"What am I doing?" he cursed himself internally. "Sniffing a woman I just met like a creep? Is my brain clogged with sugar?"
If this continued, she would loop this moment of embarrassment infinitely until her heart (or his sanity) collapsed.
Just at the critical point where Lu's heartbeat was about to trigger the rewind for the fourth time—
Lucas moved.
He closed his eyes and mentally pressed that golden switch.
[System Triggered: Active Rewind]<< REWIND 3 SECONDS <<
The world flickered again. But this time, he was in control.
Time jumped back to the exact moment he was about to grab Lu's wrist.
Lu was looking at him nervously, her heartbeat teetering on the edge of acceleration.
This time, Lucas did not reach out to grab her wrist. He forcibly stopped that "creepy" motion, his hand turning stiffly in mid-air, transforming the gesture into a polite, professional extension toward Lu.
"...I came to verify that 'note'."
Lucas continued his line without missing a beat, but his tone shifted to be strictly business-like, as if discussing a multi-million dollar contract.
"I mean, your marketing strategy is interesting. I am Lucas Silva. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Luciana."
Lu froze.
The anticipated intimate contact didn't happen. That long, elegant hand simply hovered politely in the air, waiting for a handshake.
Her heart, which had been about to explode, slowly calmed down.
"Ah... huh?" Lu was dazed. She blinked her big eyes, then carefully extended her flour-dusted hand to shake his. "H-Hello, I'm Lu."
The moment they shook hands, Lucas felt the warmth of her fingertips.
At the same time, a sharp migraine stabbed into his temple like a needle—the price of wasting a precious "3-second" use just to fix an awkward moment.
"Damn it," Lucas gritted his teeth internally, while maintaining a high-class smile on the surface. "This is absolutely the most wasteful three seconds of my entire life."