Villain MMORPG: Almighty Devil Emperor and His Seven Demonic Wives - Chapter 1567

Chapter 1567: Smudged Lipstick [Part 1]
Villain Ch 1567. Smudged Lipstick [Part 1]

The music was soft but rhythmic—just enough to drown out wandering thoughts, unless someone had a mind that spiraled like Sophia’s. Unfortunately, she did.

The mat beneath her felt warm from her body heat. Her arms held steady, extended perfectly as she hovered mid-plank. Her breath flowed with control. Form clean. Core engaged. She looked straight ahead. A mirror reflected back a line of focused women in tight leggings and sports bras, synchronized in their slow, methodical burn of movement. And right at the front?

Larissa.

Commanding. Precise. Silent.

“Hold it… hold… now extend—core tight,” Larissa instructed, her voice clear and clipped, walking between rows of mats like a general inspecting her soldiers.

Sophia copied her movement exactly.

To the second.

To the breath.

She held the pose. She made it look easy. Beautiful.

And best of all?

Larissa hadn’t said a word to correct her the entire session.

That was rare.

Not because Sophia was bad—she wasn’t. She worked hard. She practiced. She adjusted after every critique. But Larissa had a habit of finding her. Calling her out. That subtle scorn in her tone like she just knew Sophia was here for reasons other than fitness.

Which, fine. She wasn’t wrong.

Sophia didn’t come here to sweat. She came to win.

And today?

Today felt like a victory.

For one thing, Larissa had been late. Not by much—maybe three, four minutes—but late enough that it turned heads. Her classes were known for military punctuality.

And when she did arrive?

She was clearly flustered. Eyes sweeping the room fast. Shoulders tense. Jaw tight. And—god, Sophia could barely contain her glee when she noticed it—her lipstick. Smudged. Just slightly.

A single corner of her mouth.

Not ruined. Not smeared. But… worn.

Sophia had seen enough dates, enough magazine shoots, and enough mirror selfies to know what that meant.

It meant a kiss.

A fresh one.

And it wasn’t her imagination.

Larissa entered that class like someone trying not to look different. Like someone trying to reset her vibe fast before people noticed.

Ha.

Sophia noticed.

Her mind did a quick scan, rapid-fire like a computer pulling data.

Allen wasn’t here today. She’d checked. She always checked. He didn’t usually come on this day.

The only one she did spot earlier was that weird guy, his gym bro. Gerry. What a name. What a face. What a… strange creature.

He was doing some kind of performance stretch. One leg up, arms twisting like he was trying to summon a thunderstorm. Looked like he was about to break into a Broadway dance solo. And he did it right where people would see.

“Attention seeker,” she whispered under her breath when she saw him.

The kind of guy who knew he looked ridiculous and doubled down. Sophia didn’t bother letting him see her. She watched from behind the squat rack mirror wall. He didn’t spot her. Good. She didn’t need to be part of his cartoon.

And Allen? Nowhere. She even did a walk-by. Just in case. Nothing. Not even his bike was in its usual parking spot.

So if Larissa’s lips were smudged… and Allen wasn’t here…

Sophia’s stomach turned. Not out of surprise—no, this was expected. Allen was too trusting her.

And now? Larissa was cheating.

Had to be.

Why else would she walk in late, clearly kissed, and avoid eye contact with half the room?

Sophia smiled. It was small. Tight. One of those ‘just wait, sweetheart’ smiles.

Allen would find out eventually.

And when he did?

Oh, it would break him.

Not that she wanted him to hurt. Of course not.

She loved him.

Still did.

Even now, after all the silence, the ghosting, the ignored messages. Even now, after he told her they were done—that she needed to “let him go” or whatever poetic line he dropped like he was in a drama.

Let go? Please.

She’d never held on tighter.

She shifted into the next position, copying Larissa’s movement with such surgical perfection that she could’ve been her shadow. Except prettier.

Fingertips pointed the exact same way. Chin lifted the same angle. Legs aligned.

Only difference?

Sophia did it better.

Her skin glowed. Her form was elegance and fire.

And she knew it.

She caught her own reflection in the mirror again—then flicked her eyes sideways, watching Larissa. Watching the slight frustration in her mouth.

Oh yeah. She saw it.

Because Larissa knew.

Knew that Sophia had seen the lipstick.

Knew that she noticed the late arrival.

Knew that she was being copied, movement for movement.

But Larissa didn’t say a word.

And Sophia? She smiled. Not with her lips. But with her entire aura.

She didn’t need to say it.

She already won this round.

The music faded into the final cooldown sequence. A soft lo-fi beat hummed through the room as Larissa moved toward the front, lowering herself onto her mat again.

“Breathe out. Inhale. Reset the body. Let the muscles cool,” Larissa instructed, her voice calmer now.

Sophia followed. Matched. Everything in sync. But her eyes didn’t close.

No. She was watching. Calculating.

Because today was a small win. But she needed more.

She needed to be perfect.

Fitter. Sharper.

More beautiful than ever before.

Because when the truth dropped—when Allen’s heart cracked open again…

She’d be ready.

To hold him.

To save him.

To remind him who actually loved him before the fame. Before the power. Before the spotlight.

Not because she was petty.

Because she was right.

Larissa was just a phase. A storm.

Sophia?

Sophia was inevitable.

And as the class exhaled together in a unified stretch, Sophia tilted her chin ever so slightly.

‘Watch yourself, Larissa. You might’ve kissed someone this morning. But I’m about to take everything else. Especially him.’

Sophia rolled up her mat with controlled grace, every movement purposeful, like even the way she folded nylon into foam told a story. Most of the class had started chatting, some wiping down their mats, others snapping quick selfies with their flushed post-pilates glow. The mirror caught everything—sweat, smiles, egos—and Sophia made sure hers reflected only poise.