𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃

Mrs. Lozero

On my way out of the company, utterly drained and mentally checked out, I text Uno. The towering glass structure behind me, all sleek and imposing under the setting sun, feels more like a prison than a workplace. The streets are still buzzing with post-work traffic-cars honking, bikes weaving through, and pedestrians rushing home, the air filled with a mix of exhaust fumes and food smells from the nearby stalls.

I had Uno track the movements of all the key players, just in case something interesting happened. Turns out, the female lead has officially set her sights on Caden. Looks like my arrival in this world has shifted the timeline a bit-she's completely ditched the innocent white lotus act and is now laser-focused on bagging him. The clip Uno sent me last night? Priceless. She was literally trying to take advantage of Caden. Hehe. This is fun. It's not every day you get front-row seats to a scummy female lead chasing after an equally scummy male lead to sleep with him-and the scummy male lead straight-up rejects her. Though, to be fair, if I hadn't... ahem... kicked his family jewels, he probably would've given in, and we'd have the cliche plot of a pregnant female lead after just one night of unprotected sex. A classic.

But the change in the female lead's development with the male lead isn't even the main issue right now. No, the real issue is that Wilde didn't show up at school today. Not that I'm shocked-honestly, I called it. Why else would I have Uno tail him? I mean, you can't exactly be a regular student balancing homework and managing a billion-dollar empire and plotting the world's doom. Unfortunately, the guy Uno put on him lost track of Wilde, so now we're flying blind on Villain Sama's whereabouts. Fantastic.

I finally reach the company's entrance, where the narrow street is dotted with parked scooters and the occasional food cart, vendors shouting out their daily specials to workers trickling out of their offices. The glaring neon lights from the nearby stores reflect off the wet pavement from a recent drizzle, giving the whole scene a kind of grimy city glow. With Wilde MIA, I decide to grab a taxi. There's no way I'm waiting around for him to pick me up. Plus, I've got his apartment's passcode memorized by now. Funny, I never imagined I'd get so cozy in someone else's home, but here we are. First time for everything, right?

Just as I'm scrolling through my phone, waiting for the taxi app to give me a time estimate, a sleek, black Mercedes screeches to a halt in front of me, its polished surface reflecting the faint streetlights. The driver-dressed in a sharp suit, typical chauffeur style-jumps out and quickly opens the back door. And out steps none other than Mrs. Lozero. Ugh. Perfect. Just the person I've been dying to see after a long, soul-sucking day of work and babysitting uncontrollable main characters. (Note the sarcasm.)

She takes one quick glance at the group of employees still spilling out of the building behind me, her face contorting into a mask of disgust, like the mere sight of them offends her senses. Her gaze snaps back to me, cold and calculating. As she steps toward me, I notice her hand instinctively rest on her stomach-and stay there. Ohhh. So all those late nights with Mr. Lozero finally paid off, huh? Mental note: find out if it's a boy or a girl. There's no way I'm letting them take the original Faye's fortune if it's a boy. As long as I'm in her body, no one's pulling a fast one.

Of course, that's the self-righteous version of the story. In reality, it's just because I'm still obsessed with money-doesn't matter which world I'm in. Some things never change.

"Sup?" I greet her casually, watching her face twist with disdain. Her perfectly groomed brows shoot up, and her lips press into a tight line like she's just smelled something rotten. Oh, she's seething.

"Are you planning to rub the Lozero family's name into the dirt?" she snaps, each word dripping with disgust. "Come home and stop this childish behavior."

I lean back, arms crossed, already bracing for the lecture. "Childish? How so?" I ask, knowing exactly what's coming next.

She huffs, her eyes narrowing like I'm the biggest inconvenience she's dealt with today. "You're an unmarried girl, living with a man-do you even understand how this looks? How damaging this is to our reputation? People are talking, Faye! And not just that, the Lozero family's shares are plummeting because of this scandal you've caused! It's reckless!"