Lucas Bai was insufferably smug.
Unfortunately, he was also right.
Ava sat stiffly in her chair, arms crossed as Lucas twirled the fixed circuit board between his fingers, his golden eyes practically glowing with amusement.
"You're full of surprises, Zhang," he mused, his voice smooth and unbearably self-satisfied. "Here I thought you were just another scavenger."
Ava scowled. "I am just another scavenger."
Lucas tilted his head, studying her like she was a puzzle he enjoyed solving. "No. You're more than that."
Heat crept up her neck. She looked away, frowning. "I just don't like starving. If being useful keeps me fed, I'll take it."
Lucas tapped the board against the table, his gaze never leaving her. "You know, I like you, Zhang."
Ava blinked.
What?
Before she could demand clarification, he continued, "You're efficient. Fast. And you don't ask stupid questions."
She straightened her back, clearing her throat. "That's just called having common sense."
Lucas smirked. "Is it?"
Ava's fingers curled into fists in her lap. He was enjoying this too much.
Lucas leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand. "You remind me of myself."
Ava stiffened. "What, arrogant and annoying?"
Lucas grinned. "I was going to say sharp and resourceful, but sure, let's go with that."
Ava huffed, looking away. "Whatever."
Lucas chuckled, clearly entertained. "You don't take compliments well, do you?"
She clenched her jaw. "I don't need compliments. I need working parts."
Lucas shook his head, still smirking. "Shame. You're actually kind of cute when you get flustered."
Ava's breath caught.
Oh, he did NOT just—
She shot to her feet so fast her chair scraped against the floor. "I am NOT flustered!"
Lucas laughed, rich and amused. "Sure, Zhang. Whatever you say."
Ava turned away, arms crossed tightly.
She was going to kill him.
The next morning, she found a crate of high-quality parts sitting outside her apartment.
Ava stared at it, then at Lucas, who was casually leaning against the counter inside, sipping
actual coffee.
Her eyes narrowed. "What the hell is this?"
Lucas took another slow sip, entirely too pleased with himself. "Parts."
"Yeah, I can see that, genius.
Why
do I have parts?"
Lucas set his cup down, golden eyes gleaming. "Because I'm a generous man."
Ava scoffed. "Try again."
Lucas sighed, like he was indulging her. "Fine. Consider it an investment."
Ava crouched down, pulling out a circuit board in
pristine
condition, bundles of clean wiring,
fully functional
power cells—this wasn't scavenged junk.
This was
real
tech.
Her stomach twisted.
He was giving her good materials. That meant he wanted something.
Ava inhaled slowly. "You want results."
Lucas smiled, stepping closer. "Of course."
Ava rolled her shoulders, tilting her head. "And if I just... keep all of this for myself?"
Lucas chuckled, closing the distance between them until she had to look up at him. "Then I'd be very disappointed, Zhang. And trust me—you don't want to disappoint me."
Ava swallowed. His voice had dropped just enough to send a shiver down her spine.
She crossed her arms. "That a threat?"
Lucas smirked. "A promise."
Ava
definitely
wasn't blushing. It was just
warm
in here.
She turned away, focusing on the parts instead. "Fine, Bai. You want results? I'll give you results."
Lucas's smirk widened. "That's what I like to hear."
Ava cracked her knuckles.
She'd show him exactly why investing in her was the
smartest
move he'd ever made.
But first—
She grabbed a worn-out tactical watch from the pile, flipping it over. The casing was reinforced, military-grade, but the display was glitching, and the interface wasn't responding.
Ava raised a brow. "This yours?"
Lucas, lounging lazily on the couch, didn't even look up. "It was."
Ava turned it over in her hands. "Not anymore."
Lucas finally glanced at her, golden eyes curious. "You think you can fix it?"
Ava didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed a small screwdriver, pried open the back panel, and let her
Blueprint System
do its thing.
[ANALYZING DEVICE...]
[Tactical Watch – Model: X-09]
[Power Failure Detected]
[Interface Corrupted – 74% Repairable]
Ava clicked her tongue. "This thing's been through hell."
Lucas smirked. "So have I."
Ava
absolutely did not
find that cool.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, tragic backstory. I'm working."
Focusing on the system overlay, she adjusted the wiring, reconnected power circuits, and cleared out the corrupted data.
Minutes later—
[REPAIR SUCCESSFUL]
The watch blinked back to life.
Ava smirked, tossing it at Lucas. "There. Good as new."
Lucas caught it effortlessly, spinning it in his hand before checking the interface.
The moment the screen lit up properly, his brows lifted in
genuine
surprise.
Ava crossed her arms. "What? Expecting me to fail?"
Lucas chuckled, strapping the watch onto his wrist. "No. Just impressed."
She scoffed, looking away. "It was easy."
Lucas smirked. "Still. You might actually be worth the investment."
She whirled around. "Just keep the parts coming, and I'll keep proving it."
Lucas leaned back, golden eyes gleaming with something she didn't quite trust.
"Oh, don't worry, Zhang," he murmured. "I plan to."
Ava
ignored
the way her stomach flipped.
She had
work
to do.