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Chapter 44 - Return of the Queen

—Nova York—

The clear sky, glass buildings reflecting the sun like divine blades.

And in the middle of the urban jungle, a roar broke the methodical routine of traffic.

Vrrrrooom!

A Ferrari Fenice GT-Z, an exclusive model with gold details and interior upholstery hand-embroidered by artisans, cut through the avenues like a bored goddess at high speed.

No steering wheel, Luna.

Dressed in a Chanel tailored suit, her hair pulled back in a messy bun, and sunglasses that cost the average CEO's annual salary.

 "Another meeting of starched gentlemen discussing innovation as if they had discovered the wheel... I deserve better, New York."

The surrounding cars literally pulled away from the track, as if recognizing the "zero patience, infinite wallet" energy Luna exuded.

At the intersection of 5th Avenue and 57th, the light turned red.

She let go of the steering wheel with a yawn, leaned back, and picked up her iPhone 19S Ultra that had just been released in the United States.

Group notification:

@ Nikoly: "Luna... You're there hanging out while we're like CLT, staying up all night and sniffing spreadsheets."

@ Victória: "If you show up in Phoenix with that American tan, I'll give you a volcanic lava scrub myself."

@Lumine: "You burn gas instead of calories… and you still say you suffer. Oh dear."

Luna bit her lip, holding back a laugh.

With one touch, he typed.

@CheiroDeTerraPósChuva: : "Letting you know that I'm returning to Império Fênix next week... if the Wall Street sharks stop inviting me to dinner."

Instantly, more messages of indignation mixed with envy came in.

@Victória: "You're different from that supreme AI we released! At least she's responsible."

@ Nikoly: "Do you think marketing sells itself, rich witch?"

@Lumine: "I'm crying into spreadsheets while you speed down 5th Avenue. You know that's a jail sentence, right?"

Luna laughed loudly. 

A laugh worthy of a drama villain, the kind that irritates just because it's naturally beautiful.

 "Oh, what delicious envy… my favorite type of entertainment."

The light turned green.

And without wasting time, Luna stepped on the accelerator as if New York were a racetrack. 

The roar of the engine echoed between the buildings like the call of a lioness in full control.

Pedestrians snapped photos, drones followed her, and a notification popped up on the car's dashboard: "You're in 7 viral videos on TikTok in real time."

Luna responded with a click of her tongue. "Less than 10? Failure."

She continued through the streets of Manhattan as if it were a private catwalk of luxury and speed.

"Vrrrrooomm...

 Piii

Luna braked sharply when she saw the blue reflection in the rearview mirror.

A police car with its lights flashing pulled her over.

"Oh, there you go," he muttered, turning off the K-POP music he was playing and placing his sunglasses on top of his head. "Here comes karma... uniform version."

A stern-looking police officer, with mirrored glasses and a voice like she hadn't smiled since the last century, approached the Ferrari's window. "Miss, do you know how fast you were going?"

Luna gave her best diplomatic smile. "The speed of emotion, officer."

Silence. 

As cold as the Cryon Empire.

The police officer simply held out the tablet with the holographic ticket glowing vampire red. "Sign it. And be careful, next time your emotions will be driving you to jail."

"Noted, Sergeant... and thank you for your community service," Luna replied, typing with her fingernail and leaving with her pride hurt—and 3 points on her license.

Upon arriving at his mansion, the gate opened automatically, and the thermal sensors identified their arrival as if they were royal servants.

Entering the foyer, Luna kicked off her shoes and threw herself onto the living room sofa, sinking into cushions that felt like clouds with a degree in comfort engineering.

"No more meetings. Finally. Let the CEOs of the world explode in endless meetings... without me."

She stood there for a few moments, silent, enjoying the echo of her own peace.

Until…

 Ping!

 "Urgh…" She rolled her eyes without even moving. "If it's another meeting notification, I'm running off to Japan with Nikoly."

But the name that appeared on the screen made her heart do a micro-pirouette of anticipation: Matthew 

Luna straightened up like a rocket, nearly tripping over her own feet as she jumped onto the couch, cell phone in hand. "What does the prince want, huh? An invitation to dinner? A secret request? A..."

She slid her finger in eagerly.

Lev.

And he buried his face in his hands with a guttural sound of defeat.

@Matthew: "Hi Luna. My father wanted to thank you for your support in the project to build 10 schools and universities in the Phoenix Empire territory. He said your help was crucial in speeding up the bidding process. The Crown's gratitude."

Silence.

Luna stood there, staring at the screen for five seconds. 

Then ten. 

Then... she whispered to herself. "I'm an idiot. A deluded diplomat. Damn it, Luna, he has the EQ of a rock and here I thought he was going to say something sweet."

She rolled onto her side on the couch, still staring at the ceiling, huffing and puffing like a tragic Broadway diva.

Picking up his phone again, he muttered, "A school? A building? At least compliment my hair, you walking freezer."

She typed, thought, deleted.

Typed again. Deleted again.

Finally, he tossed his phone to the other side of the couch and hugged the cushion, looking bored and romantically frustrated. "Damn Matthew and his ability to make me hopeless..."

She then blinked and muttered, "But at least his father thanked me. Hopefully, I can influence Phoenix... Oh, my life has become an emotional spreadsheet."

After taking a nap, Luna now finds herself in her mansion's gym.

Dressed in tight black shorts and a white top that highlighted the symmetrical perfection of her body, Luna had been running on the treadmill for exactly two hours, a K-pop playlist blaring from the speakers at a volume that sounded like someone who doesn't respect neighbors—after all, she had no neighbors. Just acres of gardens.

Sweating? No.

Can't wait? Pfft.

Sweating like humans? No way.

She just existed in absolute fitness rhythm, with a steady heartbeat and a serene expression.

 "Only two hours and not even my metabolism has threatened to respect me yet…" she murmured, jumping off the treadmill with the lightness of a royal elf.

As she passed the giant mirror on the side wall, Luna stopped.

And he smiled.

Her body looked like it had been sculpted by an alien sculptor in love with female deities.

Abdomen with abs starting to form, not exaggerated, but defined.

Shapely arms, delicately marked.

Legs? An ode to beauty. Toned, symmetrical, and with curves that defied human architecture.

 "Okay. I'm the hot one. Period." she said with that self-proclaimed tone of divinity.

Luna turned slightly to the side, ran her fingers through her hair, looked at her reflection, giggled, and pulled her cell phone out of her side pocket.

Took a selfie.

Perfect angle.

 Natural background light.

Casually lethal pose.

"Oops, I didn't even notice I'm beautiful" look.

Without thinking too much, or thinking exactly enough, she hit "send" and sent it to Matthew.

Two seconds passed.

 She smiled sideways.

Three seconds.

Typed.

@CheiroDeTerraPósChuva: "I sent it wrong. Hehe."

But, of course… he didn't delete the photo for him to see.

Never. 

 "Let's see if the frigid one feels the ice melting now…" he said, twirling the cell phone in his fingers.

She took another look in the mirror and winked at herself. "Thank you, Academy. Thank you, Tycoon System. And thank you, Matthew, for being slow enough to make me play with your sanity."

Placing a small bottle of water to her lips, Luna walked towards the living room, cell phone in hand, waiting for his answer.

She could have sworn the prince's heart would freeze for 0.5 seconds... before catching fire.

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