Reporting for duty

Nova had a plan, and that was to spy on Georgina and Xander so Luca would have more cards up her sleeve. Luca thought it was a good idea. Hence, she took Nova to the penthouse floor before waving the sassy cat goodbye.

Inside the elevator going down, Luca chuckled. Her cat was a genius, recalling how excited Nova was about the plan. She glanced at the numbers above the shut door. She was almost on her floor, but Luca didn't plan on stopping there. Around this time, Georgina or Xander would have to leave their room.

If they saw Nova, they would surely take her to Luca. Obviously, Luca shouldn't be in her room since there was no excuse for how her cat wandered off with Luca inside. Thus, she planned to take a quick jog by the beach.

DING!

Luca snapped her eyes when the elevator stopped at a floor below the floor of her room. She squeezed herself in the corner, staring at the door as it parted. She first caught a pair of slippers, moving her eyes up. The man was wearing a simple beach short that was slightly above his knees, paired with a loose tank top.

'Uh oh.' Her heart thudded, looking away immediately when she saw his defined face that was akin to a model. 'I didn't know he stays in the same hotel.'

Luca gulped, almost fusing against the wall as the man stepped in. He stood in the middle, pressing the ground floor, making her wince.

'Great,' she thought while secretly grinding her teeth. 'It'll take us some time to reach our destination.'

Luca closed her eyes in distress, scratching her forehead in a fragile attempt to hide. Deep in her heart, she wished this man wouldn't recognize her… which turned out to be just a wish.

"I didn't know you're staying in the same hotel," the man spoke, making her ground her teeth. He looked back, smiling charmingly at her. "I thought I wouldn't see you again."

Luca flashed him a smile, showing no trace of awkwardness. "Sucks." She clicked her tongue, causing his brows to raise. "I thought I wouldn't see you again too. That would be better."

"What?" the man frowned, walking toward the wall. He leaned his back against it, eyes fixed on her. "That's disappointing. Here, I thought we had a connection."

"Connection…" Luca let out a dry laugh, flipping a switch in her head to shun the embarrassment of meeting the man she left last night in the bar. "I thought so too, but then… I realized it wasn't a connection."

"Then what is?"

"It was the alcohol." She shrugged, folding her arms under her chest.

The man chuckled with his lips closed. "It was… I guess."

Luca smiled, glancing at the numbers lighting up above the door. The lift seemed to have moved slower, burning Luca's patience bit by bit. Thanks to being in the entertainment circle for a decade, Luca was able to maintain her composure in an uncomfortable situation. She arched a brow, glancing at the man as he kept his eyes fixed on her.

"I will melt if you keep looking," she quipped before her smile faded, sporting a brave front to intimidate him in case he was planning something silly in his head. "Stop looking… or just say what you need."

The man's smile stretched. "Man… you got me." He scratched his head while chuckling. He then glanced at the CCTV, before his smile faded, replaced by a solemn front.

She jolted when he pulled his back from the wall. Watching him cautiously, Luca was ready to throw her fist and let him have a taste of what she learned from her self-defense lessons. To her surprise, the man suddenly saluted like a military man.

"Agent Rex reporting for duty. Chief, the higher-ups are calling you to the headquarters regarding the case you are working on," said the man solemnly as soon as he dropped his hand, looking at her with respect. "There seemed to be a problem since there was an emergency meeting this morning."

Her mouth fell open as a gigantic question mark hovered over her head. Was he pranking her? Luca glanced at the CCTV on instinct, only to hear the man speak once again.

"RR is currently controlling the cameras. Don't worry." Luca looked back at him with pure confusion. "Only for a few seconds, though."

The man glanced at the number above the elevator, seeing that they were five floors before the ground floor. He then set his eyes back on her.

"The Kane's had made their move. Be careful about dealing with them," he reminded her solemnly. "Someone will pick you up in the bar where we met last night. The usual time."

When they were on a floor before the ground floor, the man returned to his relaxed persona. He leaned back, smiling coquettishly at her.

DING!

"I'll see you tonight." He winked, pulling his back from the wall as if nothing had happened. Without looking back, the man sauntered off just like that.

Meanwhile, Luca opened and closed her mouth, in utter disbelief at what the hell had just happened. She looked at the open door blankly, and she only snapped back to reality when the door was closing. She hurriedly lurched forward, pressing a button to open the door.

Luca hurriedly rushed outside the lift, looking around to find the man but to no avail.

"Hah…!" she huffed. "What the hell did he say?"

The lines between her brows deepened, bothered by how the man went from this flirtatious Casanova to a military man on duty, and then back to that first persona. If the man was acting, Luca was impressed.

But what did he say?

"Is that a new way of flirting?" she muttered, scratching her temple. "What a weird guy. Good thing I chickened out last night, or else I ended up screwing a weirdo."

Luca shook her head, dragging her feet away, weirded out by that guy she met and flirted with last night. Little did she know, her life was about to spiral from this moment on.