It was her day off.
Missy lingered behind the door for a moment, peeking out first—like she was testing the morning itself—before finally stepping into it.
Raven was already there.
The kitchen.
As if it belonged to him more than the house did.
Or perhaps… the other way around.
He stood by the counter, beating eggs with a calmness that made everything else feel slightly louder just by existing.
Missy approached slowly, a little unsure of where she fit into this scene.
"Umm… is there anything I can help with?" she asked softly.
"You know, I can cook too… even if it might not be as good as yours."
Raven didn't answer immediately.
He turned.
And for a brief moment, he just looked at her.
Fresh. Bare-faced. Hair tied up carelessly.
Too simple... for someone who seemed to belong anywhere she stood.
He couldn't quite look away.
"Just tell me what you like," he said at last.
"Oh… I like everything," she replied, blinking her doll-like eyes, wide and honest.
That made something faint shift in his expression.
"Hmm, do you prefer being helped… or left alone when you do things?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "I can sit quietly too. Or… follow orders."
"You're free, Hart," Raven said, almost amused.
"Use the kitchen however you want."
Missy nodded, suddenly more alive.
"Okay. Juice."
She moved to the fridge, a small, almost childlike bounce in her step.
But halfway through, her hand paused.
A box of sliced fruit.
Her fingers hovered there.
A memory flickered—too brief to hold properly.
Raven. The kitchen. Last night.
"Umm… warm drink instead," she murmured, almost to herself.
Raven didn't comment.
He simply continued cooking, as if he had seen the thought but chose not to touch it.
Soon, there were two drinks on the table.
One warm for her.
Coffee for him.
"What are your plans today?" he asked.
Missy tilted her head as she ate, thinking slowly.
"Relax, I guess."
"There's a laundry service coming today. Mrs. Myers. Once a week… or whenever I need her."
"I wash my own clothes upstairs," Missy said, pointing casually toward the upper floor.
The area that had a reading room, TV room, laundry, and rooftop.
"I know," Raven replied, faintly amused.
"Let her handle it. She runs a boutique nearby. She knows fabrics better than most people know names."
Missy paused.
"Alright… but I'll still wash my personal ones."
She was careful now.
Too aware of the weight of what she was wearing.
"Go out. Shop. Do whatever you want."
Missy blinked.
"Shop again? I haven't even returned your card yet."
"And there's already so much…"
"Money is meant to move," Raven said calmly. "Not sit still."
Missy hesitated.
"Am I really allowed to just… use all of that?"
"You are my face," he replied simply.
That sentence settled between them.
He continued.
"There will be times you accompany me. Events. Appearances. You're my assistant. Use the card."
Missy tried to lighten it.
"What if I end up buying a house or something… or maybe tempted to buy things that have nothing to do with work or..."
"Then buy it," he said.
That made her stop completely.
Blinked again.
"…wait, are you serious?"
Raven's expression didn't change.
"In the garage, there are three cars. Take one. If you need a house, I already have several and..."
"Wait... wait," she whispered.
Silence.
Then—
"I was joking, Raven," Missy finally said, breathless with disbelief.
"Oh my God, you almost stopped my heart." She laughed in amusement.
Raven looked at her.
"Hm. I don't like that part."
Missy softened instantly.
"Sorry…"
"You sometimes feel too serious for someone your age, you know?" she muttered.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you look too composed for a day off. Who even cooks in a white shirt like that?"
"Aren't you afraid it gets stained with oil? At least wear a t-shirt or… or… oh, you look like a noble or something, I even feel awkward wearing loose clothes near you," she rambled casually.
It was... unexpectedly cute.
That time, Raven actually smiled.
Not the polite kind. Not the controlled one.
Something lighter.
Almost real.
"So you want me… less like this?" he asked.
"I mean… just a little more relaxed," she said quietly.
"Like what, Hart?"
"Um… maybe wearing comfortable pants, a casual shirt, hair without gel, eating ice cream while watching movies?"
"Hm…"
He paused for a moment.
"Is that your fantasy about me? Like last night?"
Missy blinked.
"W... what?
The words could be misinterpreted. She was sure Raven was teasing her now.
Judging from how he looked at her—waiting for her reaction, as if holding back a smile.
"Wait... are you teasing me?"
"Yes," Raven answered with a wider smile.
A bright gentle smile revealed his hidden dimples.
Handsome...
Missy froze.
Her cheeks warmed.
For the first time, she saw Raven laugh—and it made her almost forget to breathe.
And just like that—
The morning became something softer.
Something that felt like it could last.
She felt like she had found her comfort.
A place.
And him.
----
And somewhere far from that quiet morning... night had already begun.
In a luxury hotel room. Just outside the city port...
Soft moans and low gasps melted into the thick, heated atmosphere.
"Baby… what are you looking at?" a hoarse male voice broke through, followed by a small, breathy sound.
Olivia flinched.
Not in shock.
But in amusement.
"Myself..."
She smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
She kept moving.
Swaying up and down, watching how her bare body reacted in rhythm.
Up.
Down.
Bouncing.
Look at that…
Her chest moved beautifully with each motion.
Her waist.
Her neck.
Her hair, messy now as she sat above the man beneath her.
It didn't matter who he was.
She was a goddess.
"Yeah… keep going, baby… mmmh, like that," the man groaned beneath her, gripping her hips tighter.
"Baby… oh… so deep… your movement…"
Olivia didn't answer.
Too focused on her reflection.
She let out a soft chuckle.
Still moving smoothly.
Giving exactly what the man wanted.
Easy.
Too easy for her.
"Feels good?" Olivia sighed, soft as honey.
"Yes… I... I think… I'm close…"
"Of course you are…"
A faint smirk curved her lips.
She sped up.
Again, her eyes drifted to the mirror.
"Ah… look at that… yes… yes…"
Faster.
Wilder.
Her reflection began to blur with her movement.
"Aah… finish it… come on, baby…"
The man moved with her from below.
"Yes… yes… more… more… baby."
She watched herself move faster.
Faster.
Faster.
The reflection shaking now.
Unstable.
Her body jolting without rhythm.
And then—
For a fraction of a second—
Her reflection flickered.
Her face distorted.
Not fully.
Not clearly.
Just a wrongness.
A split-second break in her beauty, like something inside the mirror didn't fully recognize her anymore.
But Olivia didn't care.
Didn't stop.
Didn't even register it as strange.
She thought she was just pushing herself further into the pleasure.
Enjoying herself more.
Happier like this.
Until finally—
A long breath filled the room.
Hot.
Heavy.
Until—
climax.
Olivia collapsed.
Falling onto the sweaty chest beneath her.
The man—whoever he was—was left breathless underneath her.
And after tonight… her bank account would be heavier.
Lust.
Satisfaction.
Money.
Easy.
Too easy for her.
"Baby… you're incredible," the man murmured.
A wealthy man she had met at a club.
"Of course…" Olivia whispered.
"Ready for another round?"
A small laugh escaped him.
Their bodies still warm.
Still tangled.
"Give me a moment, darling…"
Olivia smiled faintly.
Yes… just like that.
This was how it should be.
What man wouldn't fall for her?
She was not just any woman.
Soon…
He would be the one beneath her.
Moaning.
Begging.
Worshipping her.
Saying her name.
"Mmmh, Raven… you're next," she whispered.
-----
Far away from the city… in a room…
A soft but thin voice echoed faintly.
Like singing.
A calling song.
Seductive…
Hypnotic…
"Olivia… oh Olivia…"
The voice lingered.
Stretching.
Creeping.
Then—
A faint black mist began to coil around a standing mirror inside the room.
The mirror stood silently in her apartment.
Watching.
Waiting.
***