4. Ruining The Atmosphere

Oh, why does my head keep spinning like this? Why is there glue in my eyes? How do I open my eyes?

"I told you, this is a terrible idea; it's like throwing fresh meat into a tiger's cage. Luckily the tiger is full; otherwise, we'd never see that stupid piece of meat again!"

I heard it, even though it was faint; it was Bastian's voice.

"You're wrong; I could see Nicholas' interested gaze. Did you see him smile before he left? That man is very cold; he never smiles, and he smiles at Jasmine. I don't think our plan completely failed," Jaden replied.

"I warn you, I don't care what your plan is; if anything endangers Jasmine's life, I will not stay silent!" Bastian snapped.

Ah, hearing their argument made my stomach feel like it was churning. Nauseous, as if my stomach was filled with strange liquid and wind that kept swirling around.

Nicholas?

With all my strength, I opened my eyes, straightened my body, and looked around. There was no Nicholas here. There was no handsome man, and only Bastian and Jaden were there. This room... how did I get here?

"Oh, the princess is awake, it seems," Bastian said as soon as he saw me.

"What happened last night?" I glared at Bastian.

"Last night? What do you think happened?" Bastian was still looking at me sarcastically.

Ignoring him, I turned my gaze towards Jaden. The man was sitting casually on the sofa while looking at me.

"Don't you know how much alcohol your body can tolerate? You only took a sip and passed out. For whatever reason, you should have seen how terrible you were at that time! I who only saw it felt embarrassed," Jaden said casually.

Is it true?

I guess so. I don't remember anything after drinking. What would Nicholas think of me? Let alone being interested, he would think that I'm just a nerdy girl who's good at bragging. How could I charm him after this?

"After I passed out, what did Nicholas do? Did he help me or something? He saw a girl pass out in front of him; there's no way he didn't do something," I asked hopefully.

Jaden took a deep breath, then shrugged his shoulders slowly.

"Do you think he'll help you? You're so naive. Nicholas laughed at you! After he was satisfied laughing, he just left without looking back at you," said Bastian while looking at me in annoyance.

Laughing at me? Where's his conscience? Ah... not only embarrassing, I'm a complete failure.

"You've failed, so let's end it here. I'll find another way to investigate further about those killers. And you... just live your life like before. Do you know what your father's wish was all this time? He wanted you to live a peaceful life as an ordinary rich girl, not part of a dark mafia group!" Bastian lectured me. I don't know why he's been so talkative lately. And for some reason I prefer him being quiet.

"Bastian... how can I live my life like before? After I saw both of my parents die horribly, how can I live my life like before?" I stared at Bastian with a blank stare.

After such a big tragedy that has destroyed my life, how can I give up and end it just like that? No, I haven't failed yet, and even if I have, I will keep trying. I am Jasmine; there is no man I can't conquer if I want him.

Bastian was speechless, while Jaden just smiled thinly after glancing at me. The man glanced at the watch in his hand, then straightened his back while looking at me.

"Every morning Nicholas always makes time to come to a coffee shop not far from his apartment; you can meet him there again," Jaden said quickly.

"He's a boss; why doesn't he ask his men to deliver coffee to his room? Why does he have to bother coming to the coffee shop?" I asked casually.

"Do you think people who come to coffee shops just want to drink coffee?" Jaden said while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, coffee shop, Jaden. If they don't want coffee, what do they want?" I put my hands on my hips and looked at Jaden in annoyance.

Ah, whatever, my head is still spinning right now.

"Seriously, doesn't anyone have any hangover medicine? How long are you guys going to let my head spin?" I shouted in annoyance.

***

"Oh, we meet again!" I snapped as soon as I stood in front of Nicholas, who was sitting, enjoying the aroma of the cup of coffee he was holding.

He didn't drink it. I've been standing by the door watching him all this time, and he really didn't drink the coffee. All he did was keep inhaling the aroma. What a strange man.

Nicholas slowly opened his eyes and then looked at me reluctantly. The atmosphere became very awkward for a moment until he smiled sarcastically and put his coffee cup on the table.

"What is it this time? Do you want to try my coffee too?" he asked in a mocking tone.

No, this is wrong... I should be creating a sweet and romantic atmosphere; I should be charming him, ensnaring him in my charm, instead of arguing with him.

"No, don't get me wrong; I just came here to have a cup of coffee with milk, and since I saw you here, I came to say hello," I said and sat down without asking permission on the chair in front of him.

Nicholas didn't say anything else until the barista came and gave me my coffee.

"You know, I came here to enjoy this scent of tranquility, and you've tarnished it," he said sarcastically.

Wait, what?

"I'm spoiling the scent? I took a shower before coming here, and the perfume I used smells quite nice; this is expensive perfume!" I said annoyed.

Nicholas smiled lopsidedly.

"So, you knowingly came in here wearing perfume, and then you wonder how you can tarnish this scent? Don't you know that entering this coffee shop is prohibited for wearing perfume? Are you blind? Didn't you see the sign on the cashier's desk? Oh, the quality of the coffee shop here is really bad. How could they let you in?" After ranting at length, Nicholas immediately stood up and walked away just like that, leaving me behind.

Oh, God... why is nothing working out? Why is there no romance between us?

I pulled my wallet out of my bag, took out a few bills, and left them on the table as a tip. I felt bad for the barista for not drinking the coffee.

After I got into the car, Bastian immediately smiled sarcastically at me.

"I thought you would charm him with your charm, but what's this? You just annoyed him instead," Bastian said with a strange, very annoying smirk.

"Sorry, I tried to be sweet, but do you know what he said to me? He said I'm tarnishing the aroma of the coffee shop! If you were me, wouldn't you be angry?" I said quickly.

"You have to restrain yourself; after all, he is the key to our revenge mission," Jaden warned me.

Yeah, I know ...

"There's a charity event at a church tomorrow; Nicholas and some of his colleagues will be attending. Since it's a public event, you can meet him there," Jaden showed me a message on his phone.

"Why would a mafia want to set foot in a church? Do they believe that God exists?" I snapped.

"This idiot, do you think he's there to pray and do charity? Church is one of the best places to launder money, you know that?" Bastian interrupted.

Laundering money in the church?

"I'll find out what he likes and dislikes, so you don't make another mistake and upset him," Jaden joked while busy with his phone.

Good idea. I don't want to make him even more upset with me. I'll make sure he starts to take an interest in me tomorrow. We'll see!