Lunessa stared at the car across the road. She didn't quite believe herself. After hearing the briefing from the system, insisting she call it "GD", here she was, actually thinking about how to make Julian Hale notice her.
But how?
She shouldn't believe the system. She shouldn't believe this madness at all. Still, trying wouldn't hurt… although she was fairly sure she had already reached the edge of her sanity.
"If I manage to make him notice me, how fast would I get the money? Cash or bank transfer?" she asked, even though she wasn't sure GD was still there with her.
[INSTANTLY, MISS LUNESSA. BY BANK TRANSFER.]
The hologram appeared right away by her side.
Lunessa flinched but didn't move away. At this point, she was too tired to be startled by floating screens.
"Can you tell me where he is?" she asked quietly. "I mean, his whereabouts. I can't exactly make someone notice me if I don't even know where he goes."
The hologram blinked once.
[TARGET TRACKING AVAILABLE.]
[LIMITED ACCESS ENABLED FOR FIRST MISSION.]
Her eyebrows lifted. "Can you track him?"
[PUBLIC MOVEMENTS ONLY.]
[PRIVATE LOCATIONS RESTRICTED.]
"That figures."
She exhaled slowly. "Fine. Then show me. Where is Julian Hale right now?"
The light shifted, lines rearranging themselves.
[TARGET LOCATION CONFIRMED.]
[CURRENT LOCATION: HELIOS PHARMACEUTICAL — MAIN BUILDING.]
Her gaze lifted instinctively.
The building across the road loomed tall and cold, glass reflecting the afternoon sun. The logo at the top was impossible to miss.
"So, he's still at his office…" she muttered.
Before she could process it, the screen updated.
[STATUS CHANGE DETECTED.]
[TARGET IS MOVING.]
"What do you mean, moving?" Lunessa frowned. "Can you detect that too?"
[TARGET HAS EXITED HIS OFFICE.]
[LIKELY EN ROUTE TO VEHICLE.]
Her stomach tightened. "How do you even know that?"
The hologram turned slightly toward her, as if confused by the question.
[DATA ACQUISITION IS SIMPLE.]
[TARGET UTILIZES A SMARTPHONE. GPS ENABLED.]
"That's a data breach," she said flatly. "That's illegal."
The hologram didn't even flicker.
[DATA WAS NOT STOLEN.]
[DATA WAS MADE AVAILABLE.]
Her frown deepened. "That's the same thing." She then raised her hand, stopping the system from its robotic instruction and continued, "Now… let me cross the road first before I missed him."
Lunessa crossed the road before she could talk herself out of it.
The Helios Pharmaceutical building was even colder up close. Glass walls. Polished floors. The kind of place where people like her were meant to pass by, not walk into.
She stepped into the lobby.
Immediately, she felt it. The stares. The quiet judgment.
"Miss," the security guard called out before she even reached the desk. "Do you have an appointment?"
"No," Lunessa said honestly. "But I need to see Julian Hale."
The guard frowned. "I'm sorry, miss… Then you'll need to leave. No one can ever meet our CEO without an appointment."
"I just need five minutes." She insisted, raising five of her fingers.
"That's not how this works, Miss." The security's eyes already changed, they became more alert and stern.
She tightened her grip on the plastic bag. "I'm not here to cause trouble."
The guard's expression said he didn't believe her.
"Who are you?" he asked. "Do you have a name, a department, anything?"
Lunessa opened her mouth but nothing came out.
What was she supposed to say?
A nobody from a village?
A girl with no money and a sick sister?
The guard stepped closer. "Miss, if you don't cooperate, I'll have to force you out."
Two other guards shifted nearby.
Her chest tightened. This was a mistake. A stupid, desperate mistake.
Then sudden movement caught her eye.
The elevator doors opened. The lobby changed instantly. Voices lowered. Backs straightened.
Julian Hale stepped out. The figure who she needed desperately at that moment.
Black suit. Calm expression. The same face from the billboard — flawless, distant, unreal. He was surrounded by assistants, already speaking about something Lunessa couldn't hear.
He was walking away.
'Lunessa, now or never.' She thought in her head as her heart slammed against her ribs.
"He's my boyfriend!"
The words left her mouth before her brain could stop them.
The lobby froze. Julian halted mid-step.
Lunessa swallowed hard and crossed her arms, "Julian Hale is my boyfriend." Then she raised her chin, trying her best to look confident.
Julian looked at her.
She didn't look back.
Lunessa kept her eyes on the security guard in front of her, jaw tight, fingers still curled around the plastic bag like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
"I already told you," she said, voice steady despite her heartbeat going wild. "He's my boyfriend. So, can you tell him… I am here."
She gulped big, praying hard in her heart.
The guard hesitated. "Miss, this isn't something you can joke about."
"I'm not joking."
Behind her, the air shifted.
Footsteps approached. Slow and unhurried.
Julian stopped a few steps away from her. Close enough that his presence was impossible to ignore.
An assistant leaned in, lowering his voice. "Sir, should we—"
Julian lifted a hand and walked closer, leaving barely an inch between him and Lunessa.
The assistant fell silent immediately.
"Brave," Julian whispered, so close that she felt his breath. "And very unwise. Lies tend to end badly around me."
Lunessa took a deep breath, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might explode. She closed her eyes for a brief second, then turned to face him, switching her expression instantly and forcing a bright smile.
"Honey!"
Julian's icy gaze remained on her, his head tilting slightly, amused. "Ho… ney?"
"Hm…" She pressed her lips together, steadying herself. "I tried calling you, but you didn't pick up. So I came here… but they wouldn't let me meet you." She pouted, hoping it looked convincing, even though she could already imagine how awkward it probably was.
Julian raised his eyes from her and shifted them to the security guard, who was already fidgeting where he stood, clearly convinced by Lunessa's act.
"Why didn't you allow… her?" His voice was low and cold, sending shivers through everyone who heard it.
The guard gulped instantly, his jaw trembling as he spoke. "S-sir, I didn't know she—"
"From now on…" Julian cut him off. He bent slightly, lowering himself to Lunessa's height, his gaze locking onto hers. "Remember my girlfriend's face."
"Eh? Excuse me?" Lunessa blinked in disbelief. But before her mind could wander too far over why he was going along with her lie, she was suddenly lifted off the ground and slung over his shoulder.
"H-Hello, sir? Wha—what are you doing? Put me down…" she whispered in panic.
Julian's voice remained calm.
"I'm just bringing my girlfriend home…"