My Anti-hero Fairy System

"No, thank you. I don't need anything from you. I don't know where your hands have been," Cara said with a calm yet cutting tone as she sat across from Rudy, fixing him with a steady gaze.

The maid, whose name flashed immediately into Cara's mind, was about to leave when Cara added, "Lucrecia, please wash your hands and bring me a cup of coffee and some muffins."

"Yes, ma'am," Lucrecia said, bowing slightly before leaving the room. Cara's eyes involuntarily followed her as she turned to exit. The maid's curvaceous figure, particularly her round ample behind, commanded attention. It was, as Cara thought wryly, a "bright future" a show-stopping ass reminiscent of Jennifer Lopez's.

Why would Arlene hire this walking, breathing mass weapon of distraction to work in her home? Cara mused.

Her wandering thoughts snapped back to Rudy, who was fidgeting under her scrutinizing gaze. He cleared his throat before declaring, "I don't know what you think you saw, but nothing happened between me and Lucrecia. I am a respected gentleman and a pillar of this town. I won't belittle myself by having anything sexual to do with my maid. Do you hear me?"

'Wow, all this defensiveness for someone supposedly doing nothing wrong,' Cara thought.

[It's hard not to notice the stench of his bullshit,] Hagrit chimed in, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Cara allowed a knowing smile to cross her lips as she replied, "I heard you. You're a pillar of this town, and you shouldn't belittle yourself by doing anything sexual with your maid. Loud and clear."

Rudy's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Good. We're on the same page."

Cara leaned back in her chair, her tone casual yet pointed. "But that's not what I saw. No need to convince me otherwise—I have no proof, and no one would believe me anyway. So, rest easy."

The silence between them thickened, only to be broken by the sound of Arlene entering the room. She wore a loose yellow blouse and black pants, her movements graceful as she waltzed in with a warm smile. "Cara! I was just in your room looking for you. Wow, you're already up and ready for the day? This is so unlike you."

'Hmm, it seems Cara wasn't much of a morning person,' Sylvester thought.

[Apparently not,] Hagrit agreed.

"Well, Mom, I guess I'm a changed person now," Cara said, her voice light but deliberate.

"You can say that again. I'm still in awe of how you handled Ashley last night. For a moment, I thought we'd end up fighting as usual, but you put out the fire before it turned into an inferno," Arlene said, her smile widening with pride.

Only if she knew what actually happened after, Cara thought, suppressing a smirk.

"Speaking of Ashley, where is she this morning?" Cara asked, her curiosity genuine.

"She should be in her room, which is unusual," Arlene replied.

"Why unusual?" Cara pressed.

"Ashley's an early bird, always the first one up. I guess you two have switched roles today," Arlene said with a chuckle.

From the corner of her eye, Cara noticed Rudy's expression shift. He looked both surprised and suspicious as he observed her discussing Ashley without contempt. Clearly, this newfound civility was out of character for the Cara he knew.

"So, you're a peacemaker now?" Rudy asked, leaning back in his chair with a smirk that barely concealed his skepticism.

Reading his thoughts, Cara caught his internal monologue: *What is this bitch angling at? I don't trust this one bit.*

Cara returned his smirk with a serene smile. "I guess I am. The new me just hates chaos. Speaking of which, I'd like to visit the diner after my doctor's appointment today."

"Why, honey? You ought to be resting. You literally came back from the dead," Arlene said, her concern evident.

"Mom, I know, but I need to be in familiar places to jog my memory. I read somewhere that it helps with recovery. Also, I need to work. I can't rely on anyone else to take care of me," Cara explained, though the latter was only partly true.

Sylvester had no intention of sitting idle; he needed to explore this world, gather information about everything, especially about the "vampire chick" Farrah had mentioned, and piece together the larger mystery.

"Alright, honey. Have you had breakfast yet?" Arlene asked, her tone softening.

Before Cara could answer, Lucrecia returned, carrying a tray with coffee and muffins. She set it down on the small table in front of Cara and asked, "Do you need anything else, ma'am?"

"No, thank you, that'll be all," Cara said. But as Lucrecia walked past Arlene, a stray thought from the maid filtered into her mind: Soon, I'll replace you as the woman of this house. Soon, very soon.

'What a delusional bitch,' Cara thought. 'She really thinks this slimy bastard would leave Arlene for her?'

[You don't think it's possible?] Hagrit asked.

'Oh, Rudy might end up leaving Arlene, but not to settle down with someone like Lucrecia.'

[So, you're saying Rudy's interest in her is purely… physical?]

'Bingo. Men like Rudy don't marry the maid. Men like I used to be, nice, hardworking men—end up with women like Lucrecia. While men like Rudy just end fucking them behind our backs.'

[That is just… bleak.]

'What can I say, Hagrit. It's just the circle of life,' Cara concluded, taking a sip of her coffee.

—-

Cara finished her breakfast and joined her mother in the driveway. The morning sunlight reflected off the polished SUV as they both climbed in. Arlene started the engine with practiced ease, and the vehicle hummed to life as she steered it toward the gate. Standing by, ready to open it, was Max. In the clear daylight, his broad, muscular frame was even more striking than it had been under the shadows of the previous night.

As the SUV approached, Max flashed a charming grin, leaning slightly against the gate. "Hey, Cara, how was your night? Did you dream of me?" he asked, his tone teasing but clearly laced with a hint of hope.

Cara gave him a cool, raised eyebrow, her expression unimpressed. "Why would I do that? Is that something people do, dream of the guy who mans their gate?" she replied, her words sharp and deliberate, aimed at dousing any fantasies Max might be harboring.