Crashing into trash

"Grab that penguin." Ziana said pointing at the soft baby blue penguin in the center of the machine.

Zayden glanced at the toy and scoffed in disbelief. Was she looking down on him?

"That one is very easy to catch." One of the kids murmured and the grim reapers looked at the penguin. It was right in the center, floating above all the toys, and looked like an easy target. Even a first-time player could catch it with some luck and Lia smiled at Ziana.

She was indeed a brave little raccoon.

"What if I catch it on the first try?" Zayden asked Lia. And when she raised her brow, he continued, "How will you decide the winner?"

"Let's discuss it if you win." Lia replied pressing on the if word. She sweetly smiled as Zayden stared at her in shock.

"Pfft." Ziana laughed as Zayden's face stiffened while Xavier bit his lower lip to control his laugh.

"You should play." Lia gestured towards the claw machine as Zayden glared at her. If he loved playing with Ziana, she loved teasing him even more. And such opportunities to roast him came only once in a lifetime.

Zayden gritted his teeth and stepped forward. He glared at Ziana who moved back and smiled at him. It was all because of this stupid woman and he needed to teach her a proper lesson. And winning this children's game would be a slap on their faces.

Taking a deep breath, he examined the penguin inside the machine. It was cute, but its smile reminded him of someone and Ziana flashed in his mind.

There was a striking resemblance between the penguin's face and hers. Even its twinkling eyes matched hers. A sudden urge to rip it into pieces burned inside him and he grasped the joystick.

'I am blocking your powers so don't try anything stupid.' Lia popped into his mind and he ignored her.

'You aren't completely healed yet so don't you dare.' She warned again and he gritted his teeth. She was supporting the wrong side and would pay for her disloyalty.

"All the best." A girl from his little cheer squad said, and Zayden came out of his thoughts. He smiled at the girl who raised her thumbs and focused on the stupid penguin.

He started the crane and slowly moved it to the center. While everyone worried about his performance, Ziana was calm. She even lazily looked at her nails, confident that this pompous prince would fail at the first attempt.

The crane stopped and Zayden clicked the drop button. The kids moved forward as it slowly moved downwards and the grim reapers leaned closer in excitement.

Fortunately, the crane grabbed the penguin and everyone smiled except Ziana. Lia blinked in surprise while Xavier was proud of his brother's victory. He was at least good at something without his magical powers.

Zayden smirked as the crane lifted up the stupid penguin. He glanced at Ziana who looked shocked, a frown settling on her face in displeasure.

"That's why you should never look down on your opponents." Ivan who had been a silent observer commented and Zayden smiled. He was smart unlike his dumb, bratty sister.

Ziana ignored her annoying brother and focused on the crane. His movements seemed naive to her as he carelessly moved the joystick. He was playing out of pure luck.

Everyone was happy, celebrating his victory as dropping the toy was easy. It was just a matter of being careful with the crane control button.

Zayden smiled as the gantry reached the drop area. This was such an easy game and Ziana would pay for mocking him.

But he pressed the drop button too early, and the penguin fell inside the cabinet again instead of the collector box.

Silence filled the room as everyone looked at the penguin in shock. It rolled inside the cabinet and blended with the other toys. Did he fail?

"Tch Tch," Ziana's voice brought everyone back to reality. "Maybe you should try again." She mocked with a smirk.

Zayden's fists clenched tightly as he stared at the penguin. He failed to grab such a silly thing. That was incredibly infuriating.

"Wait, does that mean he lost?" Ziana wondered, feigning innocence as she looked between Zayden and Lia.

"Yes, he lost to you." Lia replied, holding back her chuckle. Xavier turned around and bit his lip. It was difficult to resist laughing at his defeat.

"Wait, does that mean he will buy me everything I touch?" Ziana asked again, blinking in confusion. "That was our deal." She added turning to Lia.

"If that's the case, he needs to buy everything you touch." Lia declared, emphasizing her last words. This was getting more interesting than she imagined.

"Sis, should we visit that new mall?" Ivan asked excitedly and jumped to grab his sister's arm.

While Ziana frowned, Zayden's face paled in shock. This guy needed to be a chameleon rather than a human. How could he suddenly change sides?

"I heard there's a huge sale today." Ivan grinned, ignoring the man glaring at him.

"Hmm." Ziana thought and nodded. "Yes, let's go."

Ziana and Ivan turned around to leave and the grim reapers smiled as the siblings happily left.

"Come." Lia said as Zayden stood with a grim expression. With a smile, she added, "You need to spoil your wife today."

Xavier couldn't hold on any longer and broke out. His eyes teared up as he tried to suppress his laughter at Zayden's glare. Their prince had finally found someone very compatible and they couldn't wait to see his patience thin out.

Zayden gritted his teeth and huffed in frustration. But it was all his fault and he needed to pay for it.

---

[Westland Mall.]

"Yes, this one."

"Yes, please pack this one."

"God, this dress is so cute."

Ziana was living the best day of her life. Marrying such a grim disaster finally paid off and she loved to swipe his cards.

"It really looks great on you." Lia commented as Ziana walked out of the dressing room.

"Right?" Ziana grinned and looked at her reflection. She liked half-shoulder dresses and this one was beautiful just like her.

It was black, sleeveless, and had a deep plunging neckline that showed off her curves. The hemline was long with a high slit in the skirt that showed off her long legs. And this dress was definitely made for her.

"Should we pack everything, Miss?" The worker asked in glee. They would get a huge bonus today because of this kind lady.

"Yes! Please do it." Ziana replied without hesitation. The worker happily nodded and rushed to her manager. He would be so happy tonight.

"Are you done?" Zayden asked, his patience reaching its limits. They had been shopping for several hours, and this crazy woman had been spending money like water.

"We need to visit gaming stores. I need to buy a PlayStation." Ziana answered, admiring her reflection in the mirror. This dress looked stunning and she didn't want to take it off.

"Yes. Yes. We need to buy a new PlayStation." Ivan squealed and shut his mouth when Zayden glared at him.

Xavier patted the poor guy's back and smiled at his brother. "We will get it for you."

"You guys should finish here soon. Let's meet in the parking lot." He added and Lia nodded at him. Zayden had been through enough today and needed to stop Ziana. He might demolish this whole mall if his inner demon charges out.

"But I still need to buy some heels." Ziana mumbled with a pout. She needed matching accessories for these outfits.

Crossing his arms, Zayden asked, "How about a necklace?"

"We can use it to choke you out."

Ziana's smile turned into a frown at his second statement. But before she could snap at him, a familiar voice echoed behind her.

"Oh my god, it's Ziana!" A woman exclaimed in surprise. The guy standing beside her stiffened and looked in Ziana's direction.

Lia and Zayden turned around to look at them. But Ziana stood like a rock, not daring to greet her ex.

Yes, her ex-boyfriend was here with his girlfriend. His fiancee, according to rumors, who was once a close friend of hers.

"Ziana, it's really you." Karina greeted excitedly as they approached them.

Zayden observed Ziana's body tensing at her voice and she took a moment to greet them. She turned around and forced a smile.

"Shit. What's this bastard doing here?" Ivan was the first to react and the grim reapers blinked in confusion.

"It's her ex." He murmured as they all looked at him.

Zayden glanced at the guy, carefully this time. And what caught his attention were his steel-blue eyes.

Humans never had such rare eyes. But was he a human? He needed to figure it out.