Returner Fantasy-Chapter 155: Photoshoot - Part 6 (Violence)
Going back a week ago at Jess’s last photoshoot, the day after Jeff and Veena returned to the Capital City:
"Hmm... Something is definitely missing..." Mira murmured, looking at the series of photos she took of Jess modeling different spring-themed women’s outfits.
The trio went around Central City early in the morning, with Mina driving a rented van, choosing different spots as backgrounds for the PoruMerc Women’s Fashion Magazine Spring Collection, which Jess would be added to for its second release by the end of April.
After they got back to the studio at the main office of PoruMerc Women’s Division by the end of the day, Mira uploaded the pictures to Mina’s laptop to check on them.
The photos weren’t bad, of course, despite Jess’s inexperience as a newbie model. However, Mira couldn’t get her mind off the feeling that something was missing compared to Jess’s photos during her first photoshoot.
"Jess wasn’t seductive enough," Mina said as she sat beside Mira before clarifying what she meant. "She wasn’t giving off that enticing aura, like she was inviting the photographer into bed."
Mira quickly understood what Mina was talking about—they were identical twins for a reason. The problem was that the one taking the photos wasn’t Jeff, which was why Jess wasn’t acting lewd and naughty like she did when she modeled in erotic nightdress during her first photoshoot.
It was a problem that could only be solved as Jess gained more experience as a model and learned to express herself, even if Jeff wasn’t the one holding the camera and taking her photos.
Regardless of the lack of seductiveness and enticing aura, the photos they took and would submit were good enough to be added among the veteran models’ photos in the first release of the Spring Collection magazine.
However, there was one more problem they needed to solve.
"Hmm... Something is definitely missing..." Jess murmured the instant they entered the room reserved for their group.
She arrived a little late compared to Mira and Mina—who went straight back to their room—due to a short gathering for all the newly hired models.
Jess, however, instantly realized that not only was something missing from their room, but something was off as well.
"Take the laptop and hurry up," Jess said, pulling Mira and Mina from their seats, then dragging them out of the room before locking the door with the three of them outside.
"What was that for?" Mira asked, looking a bit scared at Jess’s serious and angry expression—her fangs grinning and her eyes flaring with rage.
"Why are you acting weird, Jess?" Mina added, asking for an explanation, though she already had an idea of what might be happening.
Something was missing, and something was off.
What was missing was the source of Jeff’s lingering scent inside their room—his jacket that he was wearing during their trio date with Veena, the one Jess didn’t give back so she had something to cuddle and smell to help her endure the week they were apart, until Jeff returned by the weekend.
What was off was a new lingering scent of a woman she didn’t recognize, someone who had probably entered their room less than an hour ago.
Jeff had always warned her about possible ways a pervert could mess with her, making up scenarios of what Jeff would do if he were the pervert after her. And two of those scenarios were possible now.
First, someone entered their room and planted a wiretapping device and a hidden camera to listen to their conversations and record her while changing.
Second—though a bit ridiculous but still possible—someone planted an encryption device that would steal data from their devices: phones, tablets, and laptops.
"That’s really ridiculous," Mira said after listening to Jess’s reasoning.
"It’s still possible," Mina added, suggesting they go to the security room and check the studio’s camera footage to see who broke into their room.
Jess, however, was already on the move, tracking down the scent tied to Jeff’s jacket.
"Where are you going like that?!"
That was how Mira described it—a murderous look in full contrast to the flowery-themed dress Jess was still wearing.
"Wait! Don’t respond with violence, Jess!"
Despite her plea, Mina knew Jess wouldn’t hesitate to punch someone in the face for stealing Jeff’s jacket, even if it was another model.
And as Mira and Mina feared, before they could catch up to Jess, she opened the door to another room in the studio and rushed inside without warning.
"GYAAHHH~!"
A terrified, girlish scream rang out from the room Jess had entered.
When Mira and Mina reached the door and saw what was happening inside, a man was already down, squirming on the floor, vomiting whatever he had for lunch, while Jess held Jeff’s dark gray jacket and was about to punch a blonde-haired model in the face.
"Wait! Stop! Don’t kill her!" Mira shouted exaggeratedly, only scaring the other model more.
"Do you want to get fired and slapped with another charge of physical injury?!" Mina followed, lunging at Jess at the same time as Mira to pull her away.
Other models came out of their rooms upon hearing the commotion. Not long after, the staff arrived to intervene before Jess could break free from Mira and Mina’s restraint.
Mira and Mina explained to the staff the possibility that someone had broken into their room, and just as Jess suspected, the staff found a wiretapping device and a hidden camera inside.
However, there was no sign of forced entry on the door lock, and when the staff checked the camera footage, the video went blank for a few minutes, making it impossible to tell who entered their room.
Regardless, with Jeff’s jacket being found in the other room, the blonde model—Cyndi—or her photographer became the suspects. But Cyndi claimed that the jacket belonged to her new boyfriend.
"Do you even have proof this was your boyfriend’s?" Cyndi said with a smug yet tense grin, unable to hide her fear under Jess’s murderous glare.
Jeff’s scent alone wasn’t enough to prove Jess’s claim, and it wasn’t like Jeff wrote his name on his clothes. However, Jess wasn’t out of options yet, since Jeff was the type who never removed the tags from his clothes.
Jess knew that Jeff’s jacket wasn’t bought from just any store—it was given by Nubia.
"Then check the jacket tag in the company system," Jess said, betting that Nubia had the jacket’s tag recorded as company property.
Jess’s remark left Cyndi speechless with a terrified expression, especially when the staff confiscated the jacket for investigation.
The commotion should have ended there, but Jess went into a rage again after hearing Cyndi’s remark.
"You leech, sucking up to the daughter of the VP Executive. You’re really like your mother—EKK!"
Jess didn’t hesitate to rush at Cyndi the instant she dragged Nubia into the conversation, throwing a punch straight at her face even before Cyndi could blabber whatever insult about Jess’s mother.
Mira and Mina were already watching Jess closely, grabbing her to pull her back—not to stop her, which was impossible even with the two of them, but at least to make her punch miss.
Jess’s punch barely missed Cyndi’s face, stopping just a centimeter short of grazing her right cheek. The fear, however, landed full force, making Cyndi tremble and lose the strength in her legs as she collapsed onto the floor, even wetting herself and leaving a visible stain on her dress.
Before Jess could throw a second punch, the staff intervened and ended the commotion by separating both parties.
---
Going back to the current event at the viewpoint on the mountain road peak:
"In the end, I didn’t get to punch that bitch," Jess said, ending her story long before she had finished her lunch.
"Why did no one tell me about that?" Jeff said in shock, clearly worried about the incident Jess, Mira, and Mina were involved in.
The Returner Fantasy System didn’t give any quest regarding the incident, but Jeff could already foresee brewing trouble involving the model Cyndi.
"You’re worrying too much, idiot." Despite her harsh retort, Jess was genuinely happy seeing Jeff worry about her.
"We could handle ourselves," Mira said, consoling Jeff, followed by another reassuring remark from Mina.
"Besides, Jess pretty much scared that bitch so badly she didn’t dare do anything else after that incident."
That probably wasn’t the case, Jeff thought, trying to clear his worries, heaving a heavy sigh to calm himself before asking his next question.
"So what happened after that? About the jacket and the investigation?"
"Of course I got your jacket back," Jess said proudly, as if that was the most important part of the conclusion.
However, Jeff understood that if Jess got his jacket back, then Cyndi should have been found guilty of trying to mess with Jess. But from their previous conversation, Cyndi hadn’t been fired yet and was still working as a model for the PoruMerc Women’s Division.
Seeing Jeff’s confused look, Mira and Mina gave him the answers he was looking for.
"Cyndi actually filed another serious physical injury charge, since Jess punched her photographer and claiming Jess hit her face."
"So the PoruMerc lawyers settled by not firing her in exchange for withdrawing her charges against Jess."
Their conversation about the incident concerning Cyndi ended there, followed by finishing their lunch and continuing their travels toward East-Coast City for Jess’s photoshoot.
