Lily lay sprawled on the cold floor, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Every muscle in her body ached, her limbs felt like lead, and her stomach grumbled loudly in protest.
Ugh… I need food.
With great effort, she pushed herself up, her arms shaking from exhaustion. Her legs felt weak, but she forced herself to stand, dragging her tired body toward the kitchen.
The dim light flickered on as she reached for the instant noodles in the cupboard. The familiar rustling of the packet, the rhythmic bubbling of water, and the soft clatter of chopsticks against the bowl filled the quiet kitchen.
A few minutes later, she walked into the living room, a steaming bowl of noodles in hand. The couch creaked slightly as she dropped onto it, her legs curled up beside her. With the remote, she flipped through channels until she settled on a superhero movie—one of those typical stories where the hero fights for justice, never wavering, never questioning.
She lifted the noodles to her lips, blowing gently before taking a bite. The warm, savory broth slid down her throat, easing a fraction of her stress.
Why do superheroes always act like they’re the only ones who know what’s right?
Her gaze remained fixed on the screen, watching as the hero—strong, determined, unwavering—faced the villain with righteous fury.
"Justice will always prevail!" the hero declared.
Lily scoffed.
Yeah, sure. As if justice was that simple.
She slurped another bite of noodles, resting her elbow on the armrest.
They never listen. They’re always so blinded by their ideals that they ignore everything else. Do they ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, the world isn’t black and white?
On the screen, the villain laughed, taunting the hero. Something about how the world wasn’t as straightforward as he thought.
Lily paused, chopsticks hovering over her bowl.
Maybe villains aren’t born evil. Maybe they just got tired of being ignored.
Lily’s chopsticks hovered over the bowl, her gaze still fixed on the screen. The villain, with a smirk stretched across his face, spoke in a slow, deliberate tone—one filled with frustration rather than madness.
"You heroes are all the same. So blinded by your ideals, so deaf to anything outside your narrow sense of justice."
The hero, as expected, gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
"Justice will never bow to the words of a villain!"
Lily exhaled sharply through her nose, stabbing her chopsticks into the noodles before taking another bite.
"Tch. How predictable."
She chewed slowly, her thoughts drifting.
Why do heroes never listen? Why do they always assume they know everything?
She had always admired them growing up—those larger-than-life figures who stood tall against the darkness, unwavering in their beliefs. But as she got older, she started seeing things differently.
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They never questioned their actions.
Never doubted their own righteousness.
Never stopped to ask if they were truly the "good guys."
And the villains… weren’t they just people who had once believed in something too? People who had been pushed aside, ignored, or broken down by a world that refused to hear them?
Lily sighed, setting the bowl on the coffee table. The heat from the soup had fogged up her glasses slightly, so she pushed them up and rubbed her eyes.
She wasn't sympathizing with villains, was she?
No. It wasn’t about taking sides. It was about… perspective.
Heroes, villains—weren’t they just two sides of the same coin?
She leaned back into the couch, her gaze unfocused as the movie continued playing.
"Maybe justice isn’t about being right… Maybe it’s just about who shouts the loudest."
The thought lingered as the hero delivered his final, triumphant blow. The villain crumpled to the ground, defeated, his words lost in the echoes of the hero’s victory speech.
Lily stared at the screen.
Was that really a victory? Or just another voice silenced?
Lily was about to take another bite when her phone vibrated beside her. The soft glow of the screen caught her eye.
She reached for it lazily, expecting… nothing. But the moment she saw the sender’s name, she straightened slightly.
Alice.
Her personal assistant.
Lily’s thumb swiped across the screen, unlocking the message. Instantly, a long block of text filled her vision.
Alice:
"Miss Lily, I’ve compiled today’s report for you. Here’s a summary of the crucial updates:"
- Company Status: Profits remain stable. No major fluctuations.
- Investments: The deal with GreenNova Technologies is finalized. Expected returns look promising.
- Projects: Three major proposals landed on your desk. One requires urgent review.
- Other Matters: The shareholders’ meeting is in three days. Your presence is requested.
Lily exhaled through her nose, resting her phone on her lap. Even though her body ached from exhaustion, she scanned the message again.
Work. Business. Responsibilities.
It was always like this—one moment, she was drowning in personal turmoil, and the next, reality came knocking, dragging her back into the world that never stopped moving.
She lifted her phone again and typed a quick response.
Lily:
"Noted. I’ll review the proposals tomorrow. Anything else?"
A reply came almost instantly.
Alice:
"Nothing urgent. Just rest well, Miss Lily."
Lily stared at the words for a moment before locking her phone and setting it aside.
Rest well?
She scoffed lightly, picking up her chopsticks again.
As if her mind would let her.
Lily slurped the last of her noodles, her mind drifting between exhaustion and obligation. The glow of the TV screen flickered in her peripheral vision, but she barely registered what was happening in the movie anymore.
Work.
It was always waiting for her, no matter how she felt. No matter what storm raged in her personal life, the world of business didn’t care. The company, the investments, the projects—they would keep moving forward, with or without her.
She leaned back against the couch, tilting her head to stare at the ceiling.
Three proposals to review, a shareholders’ meeting in three days, and yet… here I am, stewing over betrayal like some tragic heroine in a cheap drama.
A bitter chuckle slipped past her lips.
It was pathetic.
Not the heartbreak itself—pain was real, emotions were real—but the fact that she had let herself be consumed by it. She had survived worse things in life. Being abandoned, being ridiculed, being underestimated. This? This was just another lesson.
People change. Promises break. Love fades.
She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.
Alright, enough sulking.
With renewed determination, she grabbed her phone again and opened her emails. If she couldn’t sleep, she might as well be productive.
The first proposal was from a rising tech company, looking for funding on an AI-driven cybersecurity system. Promising, but still in early development.
The second was a logistics firm seeking to integrate her company’s blockchain tracking solutions. Practical. Reliable.
The third…
Lily frowned slightly.
A biotech startup—something about genetic enhancement and "unlocking the full potential of human abilities."
Her fingers hovered over the screen as she skimmed through the summary. It was ambitious, almost bordering on science fiction, but if they truly had the technology to back their claims…
Her lips curled into a smirk.
"Tch. Now this is interesting."
For the first time that night, her mind shifted away from the betrayal, away from the pain.
Because if there was one thing Lily excelled at, it was turning the unexpected into an opportunity.
To be Continue...
Lily’s journey has only just begun. A heartbreak, a realization, and now… an opportunity. But is it truly a chance for something better? Or just another trap waiting to be sprung?
Find out in the next chapter. Until then, stay curious. ;)