The performance

Valeria has agreed to go back to Brinstrone Mansion to pretend to be Mark Brinstrone's happy wife and to pretend to be blissfully married to that cheating evil man. Of course she has other motives.

She went into the washroom and carefully applied 'natural' makeup. She wants to look her best when she walks back in to Brinstrone Mansion. This is her time to shine. And then to make her demands.

"I think it's best that you don't come, I need to do this myself," she told Ari.

He is lounging in his corner, reading yet another self-help book written in reaper language. This time, it was 'Reap the benefits of meditation'. Right. Talk about puns, she thought when she saw the title of the book. He looked up from his book.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said. He shut his book and it vanished. He jumped up lithely. She noticed he did not even wince. The wound is definitely healed if he could move so easily.

"I might bring popcorn for the show too," he added, almost gleefully.

Valeria gave him a look. "Haha. So funny. I am laughing my head off," she said sarcastically. "You don't look like you are injured anymore," she pointed at the site of his supposed wound.

"I am good at hiding my pain, that's all," he shrugged offhandedly.

"Stay here," she ordered him, like giving a dog instructions to 'sit and stay.'

"Nope, I am going and you can't stop me," he replied.

She glared at him and he returned her look insolently.

"Fine, whatever, please remain invisible, I don't want to explain who you are and why we are together," she told him. She flounced out of her room and headed downstairs to get a taxi.

Valeria has a plan. She will demand for a divorce and a generous settlement. She will demand for $10 million with no strings attached. With that kind of money, she could easily buy her own house and car and live the rest of her life comfortably without needing to work or beg from Mark Brinstrone ever again.

Also, it will allow her to continue to be a substitute reaper and maybe, just maybe, she can work towards immortality and increase all of her other reaper powers. She sure doesn't mind having the power to change her appearance into the young and beautiful Ripley Rose for longer periods of time. Or even power up enough to generate another appearance. The possibilities are endless.

When the taxi arrived, Valeria got into it without waiting for Ari to get in. But somehow, when the car started moving, she found him sitting next to her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She ignored him. She needed to put on a performance later so she needed to focus.

They arrived at Brinstrone Mansion to a media circus right outside its grand gates. The taxi driver was surprised.

"What's going on there? Some celebrity lives there?" he asked Valeria.

"Yes, definitely a 'celebrity'," she grinned. She paid him and got down among the journalists and photographers and Zarin city's news vans. She wondered if she should address the crowd and make her presence known but thought better of it. She might as well try to snuck in first.

The mansion has a back entrance that the servants use. Only those who lived there knows about it. She went around the media circus, easily moving past the hordes of journalists. She was glad that she was wearing a sky blue pantsuit. Most of the journalists are dressed similarly so they must have thought that she is one of them too. She made sure no one was looking at her as she snuck through a hidden corner covered by a tall hedge. She went down the narrow lane that led straight to the back entrance of the mansion.

At the back entrance, she found the door locked. But of course. She peered through the windows and noticed Penny sitting on a chair in the pantry. She knocked on the glass of the window that startled Penny. The housekeeper saw her and hurried to the door.

"Valeria! You came back!" she exclaimed in surprise when she opened the door.

Valeria gave her a smile. "I had to, I needed to do something for me for once," she told her.

She made her way inside. Ari had mysteriously disappeared. He probably got distracted by the hordes of journalists outside, she thought. All the better.

"Where are all of them anyway? Where is Mark?" she asked the housekeeper.

"Mr Brinstrone is in the library while Mrs Brinstrone and the twins are at the breakfast nook," she replied.

Valeria wanted to roll her eyes. Trust the Brinstrone women to prioritise their breakfast over the problems troubling the man who is basically their main breadwinner.

"Aren't they on some diet or other?" she remarked.

Penny merely shrugged.

For as long as Valeria has lived here with the Brinstrones, the three women are always on some sort of a diet. They had always watched Valeria scornfully whenever she eats anything. Of course they have always called her fat and pudgy because she has gained some weight over the years as she aged.

Valeria had intentionally refused to follow them in their countless diet programmes. She never wanted to be anything like them at all. She would rather have a softer rounder belly from food she loved than be thin, mean and cruel like her in-laws.

She made her way to the library, carefully avoiding the breakfast nook. She doesn't need a confrontation with the three women, especially not her monster-in-law. They didn't exactly part on good terms especially not with the older woman kicking her out of the house after accusing her of having an affair.

She found Mark pacing the library restlessly. He looked like he haven't slept a wink and he was still wearing the same suit from last night when he had accosted Ripley Rose by the roadside. She felt like slapping him but kept her cool.

"So, let's talk terms," she said when he didn't seem to notice that she had entered the library. He stopped pacing and looked at her, surprised.

"Val!" he exclaimed and pasted a smile on his face. His fake charming smile. He went over to her to hug her but she sidestepped him and held up her hands.

"Please, spare me the theatrics, don't touch me," she said coldly. Looking at him under broad daylight, she noticed the creases at the end of his eyes and the wrinkles lining his forehead and around his mouth.

So, the great Mark Brinstrone is also showing signs of ageing, she thought.

"Come on Val! I am sure you still love me," Mark said, smiling at her as if he had not beaten her to within an inch of her life a few years ago. As if he had not kicked her and slapped her every time she asked him something he doesn't like.

"Sorry, you must have mistaken me for your many mistresses, Sophie or that waitress…or that woman who committed suicide over you," she said.

"Sophie?! What are you talking about?? She's my secretary, nothing more and I told you, I don't even know that woman," he protested, sounding almost genuine. He is indeed an accomplished liar, Valeria thought.

"Just stop this already. I am here to negotiate a deal with you and if you agree, I will pose as your happy wife and tell the media outside that we are happily married and that those are just false rumours," she said.

His smile fell away, revealing a deep scowl. Now, this looks more like the Mark Brinstrone who had beaten her up so many times. She almost shrank away from him but she stood her ground. She is slightly stronger now thanks to her reaper powers.

"You want to talk terms?" he asked menacingly. He glared at her and she suddenly knew that he was going to slap her so she shifted just as he raise and swung his hand. He almost fell over when she moved away to avoid his hand. He quickly recovered and stood there glaring at her.

"I am not your punching bag anymore Mark, if you touch me at all, I will release a video of you fucking a young waitress in an alley way," she said. She was glad that Ari had taken the video of Mark with that waitress, although she didn't have the guts to watch it. This is one trump card she can thank Ari for.

"Why, you are quite welcome," Ari said behind her and she started. She swung around and found him lounging carelessly against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. She can only assume that Mark couldn't see him and that the reaper is invisible to humans at this moment. She quickly turned back to Mark before he suspect anything but he had caught her turning around. He was looking behind her puzzled.

"What were you looking at?" Mark asked.

"Nothing…I thought I heard someone at the door," she gave an excuse. "We can never be too careful, one of those reporters might find a way to snuck in here," she added.

Mark frowned at that. He strode over to the door and opened it, looking around outside. Then he closed it and locked it. He turned to look at Valeria with a dangerously intimidating look.

"You cheated on me and I have proof of that so you will get nothing in a divorce," he told her icily.