Black Auction House
The large entrance doors opened wide, revealing Nova. Dressed in a black hoodie and black baggy pants, with a stylish black mask hiding her face, she stepped inside.
Beside her was Cassian, dressed all in black as well with a half-mask on. He gently held Nova’s hand as he led her toward the VIP seats at the front.
"The auction hasn’t started. Darling, instead of waiting here, how about we stay in the private room?" Cassian suggested.
Nova shook her head and was about to speak when her gaze snapped in a certain direction. "Wait for me here, I’m coming," she murmured and stood up, taking the opposite hallway.
In the grand hallway, a middle-aged woman dressed in a maid’s uniform was lying on the floor. Not far away from her was a shattered vase, and standing tall beside her were two young women. The middle-aged woman’s face was bruised and swollen from a severe beating.
"You old thing! Look at what you have done! This vase you broke cost millions! It was supposed to be auctioned today, and now you have broken it!" one of the ladies shouted.
The middle-aged woman lying on the floor shook her head. "I wasn’t the one who broke it," she cried, tears escaping her eyes.
"Not you that broke it? Was it me, then? You won’t admit you broke it, right? Let’s see how I’ll break you with a beating today!" the second lady shouted, raising her hand high to continue striking the middle-aged woman. But suddenly, something hit her sharply on the wrist, paralyzing her hand in the instant.
"She said she didn’t break it. What? You did it but want her to take the blame for you? It seems like you were raised without a mother at home, otherwise you wouldn’t have the guts," Nova’s cold voice echoed from a distance, grabbing everyone’s attention.
She slowly approached them, her blue eyes fixed on the two ladies.
The first lady glared at Nova, taking note of her attire. "Mind your own business! Dressed so strangely, you aren’t even fit to be here!" she snorted coldly.
Nova nodded. "Mhm," she breathed. Suddenly, she appeared right in front of the ladies, grabbing them by their necks and lifting both of them off the ground. "Yep... I’m minding my business," she whispered.
The severely injured woman forced her body to stand, staring at Nova’s back. "Thank you for helping me, but you can’t hurt them. This is Mr. Drake’s territory. If they notice you injuring their people, they will come after you, you don’t have to offend them because of me" she said, worried for Nova’s safety.
"Come after me?" Nova murmured. "They were bullying you," she said.
The woman chuckled weakly. "It’s nothing. They are young and don’t understand things. She’s probably just scared of being fired, that’s why she acted like that. I completely understand," she replied.
Nova was silent for a while. Her gaze fell back on the ladies who were struggling to breathe. Then, her eyes glowed softly, staring deep into the ladies’ eyes until they reflected her glowing blue gaze.
The two ladies suddenly stopped struggling. Nova released them, letting them fall to the floor like lifeless dolls.
"Fine then... why don’t you pack up this shattered vase and go ahead to report yourselves? Explain in detail exactly what you have done," she said, her voice sounding more like a hypnotic order.
"Yes," the two ladies replied like puppets. They packed up the broken vase, stood up, and walked away.
Nova’s glowing eyes reverted back to normal. She turned back and stared at the woman, who seemed to be in complete shock at what had just happened.
"They..." she couldn’t finish her statement before Nova passed a small bottle to her.
"You should take the pill inside. You are badly injured," she said, her eyes scanning the woman’s body.
[Ding!]
[Body scan completed.]
[Several internal and external wounds, old injuries left unattended, multiple infected scars, and wax poison detected on Mira Halka’s body.]
Nova’s brows narrowed slightly as she noticed her clothes, which were no different from a lowly cleaner’s uniform. "Interesting," she thought, her eyes flashing with danger.
Mrs. Mira checked the bottle before staring up at Nova. "Little girl..."
Nova’s eyes narrowed a little as she pulled down her hoodie. "I’m not that little. You look at me and sound as if I’m fourteen years old," she stated, her voice sounding slightly displeased.
Mrs. Mira laughed. For the first time in years, she let out a sunshine-like laugh that had long vanished since she married Mr. Halka.
"You are eighteen?" she asked, finally gaining control over her laughter.
Nova nodded. "You have so many injuries on you. You should see a doctor," she said.
Mrs. Mira lightly shook her head. "It’s nothing. This old body of mine will heal on its own," she assured.
Nova stared at her for a long moment and lightly shook her head. "It’s fine if you don’t want to see a doctor. After all, they will only tell you what you are afraid of hearing," she said.
Mrs. Mira remained silent, staring into Nova’s deep blue eyes. "Your eyes... are so much like my son’s eyes. Really beautiful," she smiled warmly, trying to shift the topic.
Nova stared at her before lowering her head a little. "Not every pain is worth hiding... I can treat you. You can reach out to me when you come around," she murmured. Then, she turned around and walked away.
Mrs. Mira remained silent for a long time. Taking another glance at the bottle in her hand, tears escaped her eyes. "But the pain comes from the man I have always loved and couldn’t let go," she murmured, sliding slowly down against the wall.
...
Nova was just about to re-enter the main auction house when she bumped into someone. Her mask hooked onto the young man’s shirt button, pulling it right off her face as she jerked her head back to see who she had bumped into.
Just as she raised her head, ready to attack, a familiar blue screen appeared before her.
[Ding!]
[Target information downloaded]
[Name: Alan Halka]
[Age: 18]
[Other information: other information unavailable
A low smile appeared on Nova’s face immediately. "Oh... it’s my little devil husband. Other information unavailable, huh? It seems like you aren’t as simple as you look," she thought.
Alan, dressed in his faded school uniform, who had just accidentally bumped into Nova, was completely shocked upon seeing her face. His heartbeat quickened immediately.
He was just about to apologize and unhook her mask from his shirt button, but he completely forgot how to speak. In that moment, his heart wouldn’t stop racing, and he found it impossible to tear his gaze away from Nova.
Noticing him staring at her without blinking, Nova smiled. "Never seen such beauty before?" she asked.
Alan nodded immediately. At this moment, he completely forgot the reason he was there and where he was even going.
Nova’s smile widened as she took a step closer to him. "Don’t fall for beauty, it’s a deadly trap," she chuckled. She untangled the mask from his shirt, put it back on her face, cast him one last glance, and left.
Alan’s heart quickened even more. A low smile appeared on his face as he stared at Nova’s retreating back, touching his racing chest. "She smells so good," he murmured. But then he suddenly recalled the reason why he was there and shook his head vigorously.
"It’s a trap indeed, what a stunning temptation! Better to look for my Mum first," he thought. He took one last glance in Nova’s direction before running off down the hallway.