Lost Charm and Bargains: The Desperate Pursuit of an LXX Smartphone

I watched Michelle sway slightly, my outstretched arms instinctively moving up to catch her wrists just as she was about to send the LXX flying. Our faces were inches apart. She looked at me, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "Michelle, how about you throw it gently?" I whispered in a pleading tone.

Her eyes flashed with fury, "No! I want to smash it and stomp on it, just like he shattered my heart into pieces!" I winced at her words. If the LXX simply fell, it might still have a chance - surely such an expensive device was built to endure a fall. But to be shattered like Michelle's heart? There was no saving it from that.

(You imbecile! This LXX smartphone is completely innocent!)

My hands instinctively moved to cradle the doomed LXX, drawing us even closer together. I could smell her - the intoxicating scent of her perfume. "Michelle," I whispered softly, resorting to my final strategy. I was insatiably curious about what was on this elusive device. "What if you simply gift the LXX to me instead of gifting it to this ugly concrete?" I held her gaze, hoping my charm still had an effect on her. Michelle went silent for a moment, her gaze flitting between me and the concrete below us, and then...

"No!! I want to smash it!!!" She began to fight, her hands squirming, forcing me to rethink my approach. My heart sunk - apparently, it was more appealing to gift the LXX to the concrete than to me. Perhaps my charm had indeed failed. Worse yet, maybe all this while I had believed myself to be charming, but in reality, I was less appealing than a patch of concrete.

(Was my face less appealing than concrete? She had glanced between my face and the ground before deciding to still destroy the LXX.)

"Michelle," I called out to her once more, my voice as deep and soft as I could muster. I tried to infuse a magical, intoxicating charm in my tone, to draw her attention. I couldn't just give up. I refused to accept defeat at the hands of concrete.

(My male pride wouldn't allow it.)

"Michelle, I will do anything for you if you cancel your plans to destroy this LXX and cause yourself further pain?" I declared firmly, my resolve unwavering, as I maintained eye contact with her, "For your sake, darling, I will do anything," I whispered quietly, adding as I locked onto her beautiful eyes, my sincerity undoubted.

(I genuinely wanted to help her.

Selfish: "Let's hope she thinks that way too.")

My offer to do her house chores, buy her meals, replenish her drinks without protest, even to do her office work or eliminate someone she despised — anything for the LXX.

My strategy seemed to be working. Michelle's violent movements ceased, her body slackening in my arms. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. "Trust me," I whispered, brushing a stray hair off her face. She looked at me, shocked, like a young girl receiving a heartfelt confession.

(She must have been captivated by my irresistible charm.)

"Die with me?" Michelle's soft whisper cut through the silence.

"Huh???" I choked, eyes boring into hers. "Commit suicide with me," she said, her gaze serious. "I will give it to you if you do it."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise

(If I die, who would get her smartphone then?)

I swallowed hard, shaking my head to signal my disagreement. Michelle tensed again, her hands squirming, ready to destroy the LXX. "Michelle, calm down first. Aside from my life, I will do anything for you."

Michelle's movements ceased, her voice barely a whisper, "Then love me!" she pleaded, her hand clutching the precious LXX smartphone. I swallowed, feeling my throat dry up. Closing my eyes, I shook my head slowly, indicating a 'no'.

(I'm not that desperate.)

I knew my answer would break Michelle's heart, so I immediately enveloped her in a gentle embrace. I whispered into her ear, "I won't love someone because of their wealth or possessions, but I do care about you, trust me." Michelle shivered in my arms, tears streaming down her face. "You...you and he, you both deceived me, let this thing be destroyed to accompany me," she whispered, clutching the LXX smartphone tightly.

"Michelle," my arms tightened around her, my hand soothingly rubbing her back, "Love cannot be forced, and I won't love you because of this device. You deserve more than to be loved for a mere object," I whispered. "Tell me your other request, I will try my best to fulfil it," I murmured.

Her response sent chills down my spine. "Kill Andreas!!!" she shrieked.

"Aren't we going to kill him right?"

"No, not like we usually do. This time I want you to open his heart and let me see the color of the heartless bastard." Michelle was so adamant, her resolution startled me. I could only gape at her demand.

"Michelle, we will expose him, we will reveal all his hidden dark secrets to the public. Living that way will be a punishment far worse than death. It's what we always do."

Killing someone for the LXX smartphone? That could be a subject for negotiation, but that's not the problem. The real problem is that Andreas is a superhuman and I'm just an ordinary human.

(This isn't a matter of killing, but of being killed.)

"But once, you were ready to kill for me."

"True, but it was only a mosquito I ever killed for you."

"Still, you killed the mosquito because it was causing me pain. Jaime, I'm in pain now."

I sighed. She was too drunk to think straight.

Michelle noted my stunned reaction and knew I would not grant her request, so she struggled to break free from my embrace.

"Hoeks…."

I jumped back as Michelle bent over and vomited onto the concrete. My gaze immediately darted to the LXX she was clutching as she retched. It was still safe. I soothed her back, feeling her body trembling as my other hand reached for a tissue in the car to clean the vomit off her face. Michelle was now clutching the LXX tightly to her chest, her arms crossed protectively over the smartphone. I continued to clean her face, wiping away the remnants of her sickness from her lips and chin.

"Lift me into the car," she commanded, her eyes piercing into mine.

(This girl!!!)

The car was only a few steps away, but she still demanded to be carried. Nonetheless, I tossed the empty drink bottle from the car seat, lifted Michelle in my arms and gently placed her on the plush seats. She seemed to relish the attention. I closed the car door with a sigh of relief, happy that the precious LXX hadn't ended up on the asphalt. But my sigh deepened as I circled around to the driver's seat. Perhaps my hopes for the LXX were in vain; there was no feasible way for me to acquire it.

Settling into the driver's seat, I pulled the door closed and my hands made contact with the steering wheel. I'd never driven such a luxury car before. The comfort, the perfect fit of the seats, the exquisite and elegant interior - all of it exuded a feeling of exclusive luxury.

(When I get to heaven, I'll definitely get a car like this. I've heard everything's free up there.)

"You can have this," Michelle's voice cut through the silence.

"Huh?" I glanced over at her, noting that she looked considerably better after emptying her stomach.

"Tomorrow night, accompany me to the masquerade ball. Andreas was supposed to be my partner, but he dumped me!"

Accompany her to a party for LXX? What could be easier? "Agreed."

"If you back out, I will genuinely kill you, then kill myself."

"Don't worry, I will fulfill your wish."

"Now tell me your plan for killing Andreas?"

"I've already asked DEA. It's infiltrated his personal smartphone, computer files, bank accounts, everything he possesses. It's unearthed files that can turn his life into living nightmares."

Every human being appears clean and untainted on the surface. But if you're brave enough to delve deeper into their hearts, you discover the hidden darkness they've buried. When unveiled, it's a horrifying, nauseating sight. I'd seen it too many times before.

"But before that," I continued, my voice growing colder, more resolute. "I want to slaughter his dignity first as his birthday gift."

I took a deep breath, the cool air of the car filling my lungs as I gripped the steering wheel tighter. My eyes flickered to the LXX smartphone nestled in Michelle's hands, then quickly away. This wasn't about the smartphone. It never was.

Turning my gaze back to the road, I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "This isn't about the LXX smartphone," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "This isn't about acquiring something valuable or satisfying a petty desire."

I looked at Michelle, her grey eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears in the dim light of the car. "This is about you, Michelle," I admitted, my voice trembling with a fervor I didn't know I possessed. "This is about making things right for you. It's about seeing justice served."

It was as if a weight lifted from my chest. Saying it out loud made it feel more real, more tangible. This wasn't about a phone. This was about standing up for what was right, about defending someone I cared about, about seeking justice where justice was due.

(This was a fight for justice. And I was ready to fight.

Selfish : "Yup it totally about LXX smartphone, but you know, I know, don't let her know."

Love: "You really help her, because you love her."

All advisors go down to the core of the earth.)

I put a wire from LX laptop to the Bugatti system, "DEA, control Buggati's all system."

"Control, Done," said DEA from the laptop.

"Command, show the race time of BtP Luminescia member." A small screen in the middle of the car dashboard blinked and a woman's voice was heard saying, "Command shown." The screen instantly shows the results and race times of all BtP Luminescia members. Michelle immediately pointed her finger at the screen.

All members of BtP were required to have communication tools like the one currently seen in each of their personal vehicles. A computer screen provided by BtP Headquarters for various information purposes, but some BtP members also use this device as a tool to record the speed of their cars from BtP Headquarters to the city center of Melodistria, about 55 km away. They compete to be the fastest. Information about each vehicle that dared to participate in this speed race could be directly captured by satellites and then stored for access by everyone.,

"Andreas," I whispered. Hmm... it makes sense... his car is also a Bugatti... obviously Michelle followed him. "The first place in the car speed race among all BtP Luminescia members. Dea, play his video."

(All of BtP Luminescia? Among all superhumans with strange abilities. Yeah, right!!)

Andreas' latest post about the party had him yelling pridefully "If anyone can beat my speed record, 16 minutes! before my birthday. I'll run naked in the middle of BtP Headquarters on my birthday!!! Good luck losers!"

"And as a bonus, on my birthday, I will reveal the real face of Michelle 'The Coyote Ugly'.

This part is what I really angry for.

Show the real face of Michelle?

"Does he really have a photo of your real face?"