Luna's Payback: Claiming My Fate!

33:

Javier brought her to a fine dining restaurant. Just from the ambiance alone, she could already feel a sense of dread building inside her. She was certain this was another expensive place. Well, she wasn't entirely clueless about these kinds of places. Her family did eat out occasionally at restaurants, but not at places with exaggerated prices.

Besides, they always split the bill as a family. But now, what could she possibly contribute? She didn't have any money. She couldn't even work. She was totally dependent on Javier now.

So, before he could order, she leaned in and whispered to him. “Let's go to another restaurant. I’m sure the food here is super expensive.”

“Veron, I'm really starving. I don't have the energy to search for another restaurant. Besides, Beatrice loved the food here. This way, you can get an idea of what she liked, which might come in handy in the future if anyone doubts that you're really Beatrice,” he said, pouting like a child who didn't want to leave his seat.

But she just widened her eyes at him. “I don’t care. I’m sure there’s a more affordable restaurant than this. Why are you rich people like this, huh?”

“I’m really, really hungry. Please, let’s just eat here. I promise, the prices aren’t that bad. Besides, you wouldn’t want me to start biting people and eating them, right? When I get really hungry, I suddenly turn into a werewolf and start attacking the customers,” Javier tried his best to make his story sound convincing.

And because Veronica was so quick to believe and had no knowledge about werewolves, she immediately fell for it. Her eyes widened, and she gently tapped Javier's mouth, as if she were a child trying to stop him from eating.

She sat beside him without thinking. "Really? My God, Javier! Have mercy. Don’t do that! Don’t ever eat a person," she whispered, her voice trembling as she tried to keep it down.

Javier struggled to keep himself from laughing. He forced his face to look even more serious. "Well, if you insist that we move to another restaurant, I might not be able to control myself and I could end up eating the customers."

Like a defeated child, she nodded in agreement, though beads of sweat were forming on her forehead from the tension and fear. "A-Alright. Fine. We won’t leave. We’ll eat here, just please don’t eat anyone, no matter how hungry you are. Control yourself. That’s a huge crime and a sin, Javier. Please, get a grip," she pleaded.

Javier couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter. Other customers even turned to look at them, puzzled by his behavior. But he really couldn’t stop laughing. He was thoroughly entertained by Veronica’s reaction. She was so innocent, so quick to trust and believe. Now, he understood why Angelo had chosen her as his victim. He had taken advantage of Veronica’s gullibility.

"Why are you laughing? What’s so funny?" Veronica asked him softly but firmly.

He wiped away the tear that escaped from his eye from laughing so hard. "Sorry. I was just joking. I didn’t think you’d actually believe me. What did you think I was? Someone who actually eats people? We don’t eat humans."

The woman bit her lower lip in frustration. “I believed you because you said it’s bad when you’re hungry. You are a werewolf, right?"

“But that doesn’t mean we eat people. We are the protectors of humans. The evil werewolves, they kill other humans, but they don’t eat them. There are ancient packs in rural areas and wildlife that don’t eat human food; they eat animal meat. But because our pack is modern and our beliefs have evolved, and I grew up in the city, of course, we eat human food. I’m not crazy enough to eat humans, Veronica.” He explained with a laugh.

She let out a sigh of relief. At least her mind was at ease. She didn’t like the idea of Javier potentially doing something harmful or eating or hurting humans.

She smacked him on the arm and rolled her eyes. “You’re so annoying. Don’t joke around with me like that! You know I don’t know anything about your species.”

“Sorry. It’s actually fun to tease you. But kidding aside, you should start learning and understanding things about us. Remember, Angelo is your enemy. And he’s a werewolf. You’re using Beatrice’s face now, and Beatrice was also a she-wolf. You can’t face the pack and Angelo’s people without knowing anything. You need to prepare.” His voice had a warning tone.

She paused, realizing he was right. She couldn’t afford to be ignorant. Their plan needed to succeed. He searched for the waiter with his eyes and called him over.

“What would you like to eat?” he asked her.

She didn’t know anything about the menu here, so she decided to let him order for her. “You can choose my order.”

Javier dictated their order to the waiter. The waiter said it would be about twenty minutes before their food arrived.

She rested her two hands on the table and placed her chin in her palms. “Oh, I thought you were starving? It’s still going to take a while, thirty minutes.”

“If the food is f*****g good, I’m willing to wait thirty minutes. You’ll understand what I’m saying once you taste their dishes,” he taunted.

She didn’t respond, as she was also hungry. She’d just wait for their food.

He was still looking at her. She wished she could become self-conscious about the way he was staring at her. “Even now, I still can’t believe I’m staring at my wife’s face again. Thank you, Veronica. You’ve brought light back into my life. This means a lot to me.”

She was touched by his words. They had different experiences, but both were painful and bitter. She understood how painful it was to lose a loved one. So she was happy that, even in this way, she could offer help to Javier.

“You really love your wife a lot. She’s very lucky to have a man like you who is faithful and truly loves her,” she said, feeling a pang of envy because her own marriage had failed.

He also felt the weight of what she was carrying. “Let’s say that all our plans against the Fuentebella family were successful. Of course, Angelo will be exposed. What’s your plan? Are you going to divorce him?”

It was only then that it occurred to her that they didn’t have a concrete plan for how to bring down the Fuentebellas. But then again, they had been busy with her surgery and recovery time. However, she knew they would get there eventually; for now, she needed to master Beatrice Romanov’s movements and habits.

“The truth is, if you hadn’t asked me that, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind. I’ve been so fixated on getting revenge that I didn’t think about what the outcome would be if we’re successful.”

His face became serious. He looked at her with intense eyes. “I hope you’re not thinking of getting back together with him, right? I mean, with all that he and his family have done to you,”

She laughed. “Of course not! I’m not crazy. And I’ve woken up to reality. That’s exactly what I’ll do, I’ll divorce him. In the first place, I think our marriage should be void because he concealed his true identity. He didn’t tell me he wasn’t human. So I think that’s grounds for divorce right there. But I doubt we’ll even get to that point because once the whole world finds out that your kind really exists, he’ll be killed on the spot.”

“He deserves to be gone. Creatures like him have no place in this world,” she saw him clench his fists, and also saw the anger in his eyes. It was burning.

Their conversation only stopped when the waiter arrived and served their food. Just from the aroma and food presentation, she was already impressed.

There was so much food in front of her, including dessert. She didn’t know where to start. Javier thanked the waiter before he left.

“What do you think?”

“Hmm, the food looks yummy. The presentation is also beautiful, very creative. But we’ll see if it’s really worth the money in terms of taste,”

“Then, let’s eat. I’m soooo hungry,”

She was surprised when Javier even served her the food, including the spoon and fork. Her cheeks flushed. “Y-You don’t have to do that.”

Why did he have to be so sweet? It made her compare him even more to her worthless and demonic husband.

He just smiled and gestured for her to start eating. And since it had been a long day and she was starving, she took a bite of the meat in front of her with thick mushroom gravy sauce.

She felt like she had entered a restaurant in heaven when she tasted the first bite. It was incredibly delicious!

Javier laughed again at her reaction. “Based on your reaction, I don’t need to ask if you liked the food. I know you liked it,”

“Heh!”

They laughed lightly together. Their conversation was enjoyable while they ate. She had never felt this light before. She had never felt this respected before. Her husband had never taken her to a restaurant; whenever they ate out, it was because she had invited him and paid for it. He had never treated her like a woman. She just wanted to be loved by her husband. She just wanted his attention. But even that simple thing was denied to her.

But Javier was different with Beatrice Romanov. He treated his wife like a queen. It seemed that’s how it really is when a man loves you deeply. He would reach for anything for you. Unlike when a woman loves a man more. Because women are more needy and emotional. They need assurances.

She wasn’t a love guru, and she only spoke from personal experience. She might be right, or she might be wrong. Who knows?

Time moved like a feather, light and effortless. Soon enough, they were back at the Villa.

Nick and Jordan, along with the housemaids, greeted them. The two men were stunned when they saw her new “look.”

“Goodness! Veronica, there’s no doubt, you are indeed Luna Beatrice!” Nick exclaimed in awe.

She just smiled quietly. Javier stopped in front of Jordan. He patted him on the shoulder. “Jordan, we have something important to do tomorrow. Call Lucy and have her come here. She’ll help Veronica. You know what to do,” he ordered authoritatively.

“W-Who is Lucy?”

“Lucy will be your personal trainer. Now that there's no doubt you’re physically Beatrice, we need to step up. She will teach you all the information you need to be Beatrice. In business, behavior, the way you speak, about the pack, in everything. Lucy will teach you how to be my wife.”

“Can she be trusted?”

“Yes, Lucy can be trusted. Don’t worry.”

But she couldn't shake off her trust issues. What role does Lucy play in their lives? Is she an ally... or an enemy?