“Crash!”
Across the street, the girl finished her drink and chucked the bottle onto the ground. The bottle rolled away for a bit.
Monica eagerly bent down to pick it up, but a swanky car sped by, drenching her with filthy water from head to toe.
Flora fought back her tears.
Amid the commotion, nobody noticed the scene. Folks waiting for the bus merely stepped back in revulsion, hoping not to be affected.
Monica stashed the bottle in the trash bag, wiped the grime off her face, and retreated to the back of the platform.
Tears in her eyes, Flora yearned to approach her but stopped herself.
Right now, the last person her mom would want to see was her.
Flora bolted from the scene, her heart a whirlwind of emotions—bitter and sharp.
Had winter come early? Otherwise, the rain wouldn’t be so frigid.
Back home, Flora hastily showered. Her pale face turned slightly flushed after washing, and her delicate, fair body was wrapped in a towel.
Flora leaned on the sink with both hands, clearing the steam off the mirror. She gazed at her reflection with misty eyes.
“Justin used to say I had very pretty smiling eyes.” Flora forced a wry smile while thinking to herself, “I’m not sure if I can see any smile from my eyes from now on. But that’s fine, because without Justin, my smile would be meaningless. My smile is just for him.”
“I’m sorry, Justin. I’m going to do things that I’m not proud of later, and I hope you can forgive me because I don’t have a choice.”
Water droplets slid from her damp hair, following the elegant curve of her neck and into her chest. Flora stared at her reflection, her eyes growing resolute.
Fairness was like a joke in her world now. She finally realized that rule-followers would only be trampled at the bottom, struggling to survive. Even with her college degree, she was backed into a corner. Fate was the spinning wheel in the hands of the wealthy. They dictated the games, and she had to play along until the end.
She had made a choice to give herself away, and once the decision was made, her heart ached for a moment.
Her hand reached for the nearby phone. As she started dialing, she realized she had memorized Dylan’s number written on her leg.
Dylan’s office was on the top floor of La Comte. At that moment, he had his legs kicked up on the large desk, sipping some coffee freshly transported from Africa.
As the phone rang with a vigorous vibration, it lit up, just as he had anticipated.
Dylan glanced at the screen, hit the answer button, and his sinister smile widened slightly, “Hello…” His voice booming was alluring.
It wasn’t until the call connected that Flora realized she didn’t know what to say, “I…”
A long silence ensued. The man didn’t utter a word, as if waiting for Flora to continue.
“I want to ask you for a job,” Flora said without hesitation when she spoke again.
“A job?” Dylan put his legs down and lightly tapped his fingers on the mahogany desk. “Sure.”
Everything was under his control.
There was no need for much conversation.
Dylan leaned back in his chair, the smile on his lips lingering.
“Also, I need you to help me with the contract at Desire. You should have no problem dealing with Desire’s boss with your influence and methods,” Flora said. She had thought it through, and reasoned that her priority was to get her contract cancelled.
“Fine, I’ll do it mainly because I don’t have the patience to wait for you. You should understand.” Dylan agreed to her request quickly. Flora didn’t know whether to answer him directly or she should beat around the bush for a bit. When she finally spoke, she said only two words, “I understand.”
“See you tomorrow, then.” Dylan’s voice was surprisingly gentle, like a whisper to a lover.
Flora loosened her grip and closed the phone.
On the other side, Dylan tossed his phone aside, a faint smirk of mockery on his lips.
He had thought she was different, but it seemed she was just another boring game.
When Flora walked out of the bathroom, Monica returned, soaked from the rain. Flora hesitated for a moment before approaching her, saying, “Mom, why are you so wet? Did you forget your umbrella?”
“Um,” Monica closed the door with a slightly unnatural expression, the plastic bag from earlier gone, “The rain came so suddenly.”
“Mom,” Flora forced a smile despite her heavy heart, trying to sound upbeat as she placed her hands on Monica’s shoulders, “Starting tomorrow, you don’t have to go to work anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because I found a job.”
Monica didn’t look as happy as Flora had expected. Flora knew what worried her, so she explained, “A friend introduced me to this job. It’s a big company, and I can sign a contract right away.”
“Really?” Monica turned her head and patted Flora’s hand, “Just… don’t get them into any trouble.”
“Mom, don’t worry,” Flora thought of Dylan’s arrogant face and blurted out, “If anyone gets into trouble, it’ll be karma practicing itself.”
“What?” Monica thought she had misheard.
Flora changed the subject and pushed her towards the bathroom door, saying, “Mom, you go take a shower first. I’ll get you some clothes and leave them by the door.”
Monica hesitated while walking. “Okay, I’ll keep working for now, and when your work gets stable…”
“Mom!” Flora raised her voice to interrupt her, “This time, just listen to me.”
Monica said nothing more. She had been drenched in the rain, and her rheumatism flared up again, making it difficult for her to stand up straight.
The rain kept coming and going, and when Flora woke up in the morning, she could still hear the soft pitter-patter on the window.
The sky outside was all doom and gloom, and a chill breeze had snuck in. Flora curled up in her blanket, flipped over, and tried to catch some more Z’s.
She couldn’t nod off but didn’t want to get up either.
It wasn’t till noon, after chowing down, that she made up an excuse to go out and grab some clothes, and Monica finally let her hit the road.
She went in through the back door of Desire. After spending the whole afternoon cruising the streets, evening had rolled in.
Since it was still early for nightlife, the club was as hushed as a snoozing kiddo. Flora found Tina and filled her in on why she was there.
“Oh, the contract’s with the big boss. He said you should head to the third floor to find him,” said Tina.
Flora’s heart did a little flip-flop, not knowing if Dylan had already sorted everything out. But going by Tina’s tone, it should be all good.
After rounding a corner, Flora looked ’round and didn’t see anyone else.
The door was still shut tight. She looked for something like a doorbell but came up empty, so she rapped on the door with her hand.
After two knocks, the door swung open real quiet, like it had been waiting for her.
The room was still pitch-black. Flora closed the door behind her, blocking the only weak light from the hall.
The room’s AC let off a faint light from its little indicator. The feeble air brushed Flora’s face, but it felt cold.
The sound of running water came from inside, messing with Flora’s nerves through the slightly open door.
Flora took a few careful steps. It seemed to be a big room with nothing in the way in the middle.
As her nerves got the best of her, the sound of water stopped. The bathroom door slid open, making a soft noise.
It was dark inside, Flora could only guess by the footsteps that he had come right up to her.
“I’m here to get the contract back,” her voice was steady and cool. It was nuts that she had been duped into signing the contract in the first place, and now she had to cough up a pretty penny for it.
The guy didn’t say a word. Flora tightened her grip on her purse, feeling uneasy in the dark.
After a long pause, a sudden burst of cold wind blew in, followed by the man’s frosty, creeping voice, “Here.”
The contract scattered on the floor, and Flora scrambled to pick it up.
“Accepting help from another guy so easily, Flora Jones? you really think the dead won’t be watching?”
