Nova woke slowly, her body heavy and strangely itchy. Exhaustion clung to her muscles as if she had run a marathon the night before. She blinked several times, trying to adjust her vision while staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above her.
"Where am I?" she murmured, pushing herself upright.
The room around her was clearly not hers.The scent of expensive perfume mixed with hotel air freshener lingered faintly. Confusion settled in immediately.
"I'm pressed," she muttered under her breath.
She slid off the bed and froze the moment she realized she was completely naked.
"When did I start sleeping without clothes?" she asked herself, frowning.
As she walked past a standing mirror,something caught her attention. She stepped back slowly, eyes widening.
"Hickeys…"
Her skin was covered with them. Her neck, shoulders, chest, even her thighs bore visible marks of a passionate night.
She swallowed hard, suddenly aware she was inside a hotel room."What happened last night?" she whispered, forcing her brain to recall something but nothing came.
She knew one thing though. She had spent the night with someone. The soreness in her body and the marks on her skin made that painfully obvious.
"But who?" she muttered, running a hand through her hair.
She sat down on the bed, trying to piece together memories."Mike? Andrew? Jose? Peter? Cassius?" She shook her head immediately. "No… it can't be them."
Cassius wasn't the only man in her life.She loved him, yes, but being tied to just one person felt impossible to her. She hated routine, hated limits.
Just then, her phone beeped beside her.
Her heart skipped."Cassius… what am I going to tell him now?"
She picked up the phone and opened the message from an unsaved number.Pictures loaded onto the screen.Her breath stopped.
Shock flooded her entire body as she stared at them. Her teeth dug into her lower lip so hard it nearly bled.She stood abruptly and threw the phone back onto the bed.
"No… no!"
She grabbed her hair and rushed straight into the bathroom, turning on the shower as if water could wash away whatever nightmare was unfolding.
Across town, Cassius groaned as he sat up in bed, stretching lazily while scratching
his scalp."I'm starving," he muttered.
His gaze fell on his phone lying nearby. He picked it up and unlocked it, only to curse immediately."Oh God… I'm late for class."
Then Nova crossed his mind."Did she stand me up?"
He tried remembering the previous night. The bar,the drink and the waiting.After that, everything went blank."I got drunk from one glass of wine? Impossible," he muttered.
He was about to call Nova when a message notification appeared from an unknown number.
"Nova?" he guessed, opening it instantly.The moment the images appeared, his expression changed completely.Shock,disbelief and then rage.
He stared at the screen as anger surged through him. Without thinking, he threw the phone onto the bed."What the hell…"He ran a hand through his hair and stormed into the bathroom.
Morning sunlight filled Luna's apartment as Larisa greeted the girls cheerfully while placing plates of breakfast on the table."Good morning, everyone."Cora and Luna exchanged suspicious looks.
Larisa cooking was already a red flag.Luna sat down slowly. "Okay… what's the occasion?"
"Are you poisoning us?" Cora asked flatly while taking her seat.
"Fuck you," Larisa replied casually.
"I'm serious," Cora insisted.
"Stop interrogating me and eat," Larisa said.
Luna smirked. "Maybe last night's guy did a very good job."Cora rolled her eyes.
Larisa leaned back proudly. "Correction. I did a very good job."
Luna burst into laughter and lifted her glass. "Cheers to whatever that means."
"Cheers to the first day of my mission,"Larisa said confidently.
Cora hesitated. "What mission?"
"Seducing Dacio and making him date me."
"This is ridiculous," Cora muttered.
Luna watched her carefully. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you actually like him."
Cora glared before finally raising her glass."Cheers."
Larisa leaned forward. "And our real mission? The reason we're actually here?"
Luna simply smiled, saying nothing.
At college, Cassius immediately approached Dacio."Have you seen Nova?"
"No," Dacio answered.
He sighed heavily."I'll talk to you later," he added, turning away.
"Did you hear from Logan?" Dacio asked.
He stopped. "No. Why?"
"He said he had an accident last night and won't come today."
Cassius frowned. "Accident? He told me he was meeting a new girl. Sounds more like exhaustion than an accident."
He walked away before Dacio could finish speaking.
"Did you ask him what caused the accident?" a female voice interrupted.
Dacio turned to see Larisa walking toward him confidently, her outfit leaving little to the imagination.She stopped close enough for him to notice the deliberate flirtation.
"Who are you?" he asked calmly.
"Luna's friend. Larisa. I thought everyone knew me."
Dacio smiled faintly. "I don't. And I don't want to."He walked past her without hesitation.
Larisa watched him go, amused rather than offended."Hard to get," she murmured. "Day one."
Moments later, Cassius heard his name called.He turned and saw Nova approaching, fury written across her face.
They met halfway.Her hand struck his cheek before he could speak."You cheating bastard!"
She shoved her phone into his hands.Cassius scrolled through the pictures showing him in bed with an unknown woman. Her face was hidden.
He laughed bitterly."So you fabricate evidence to hide your own mess? Interesting."
He handed his phone to her.Nova checked it and froze.Images of her with different men filled the screen.
Her hands trembled."This… this isn't possible."
"It's over," Cassius said coldly. "I'm done with you."
"Fake!" she shouted. "You set this up!"
Students slowed to watch the argument."I don't want anything to do with you anymore," he said before walking away.
"Go to hell, Cassius!" she screamed after him, collapsing as tears finally broke free."What happened…?"
From a distance, Luna watched everything unfold with a satisfied smile before turning away.
Cassius walked toward class, still furious, but stopped when Luna approached him gently."Hi, Cassius. Are you okay?"
"Why do you care?"
"Because I want to be your friend."She touched his cheek softly.
He stiffened and removed her hand."I don't want a friend," he said before leaving.
The moment he disappeared, her worried expression vanished, replaced by a calculating grin.
Inside the lecture hall, students waited impatiently for the late lecturer. Murmurs filled the room until two security officers suddenly entered, silencing everyone.
A well-dressed woman followed behind them, authority radiating from her presence."Good morning, class."
The room answered nervously.
"Who is Cassius Isaac?"
Cassius stood slowly.
"You entered my office and stole my car keys," she said sharply.
"What?" he blurted out in disbelief.
Gasps spread across the hall.Larisa leaned closer to Luna and whispered quietly, "Is the game still ongoing?"