Chapter 3: Stranger talk

Chapter 3: Stranger talk

Eltan Storm

"Capo, you can't lock yourself inside your room forever!" Denver hollered from outside my bedroom.

"Tell me to come out once you have located those bastards," I replied, my eyes fixated on the canvas in front of me.

After two whole years, I had taken out my painting kit. I couldn't stop thinking about Faith. I wanted to go see her. But I knew I shouldn't. I needed to stay away from that girl for my own sanity's sake. Because if I saw her beautiful smile with dimples one more time, I would be a whipped man. And I couldn't afford that. I had more important goals.

Since I couldn't go meet her, the next best thing was to paint her. My fingers were itching to pick up my brushes for her, but I resisted. However, I finally gave in to the temptation on the third day.

Since I remembered every detail of her perfectly, I had been busy stroking colors on the canvas for two days, trying to create a perfect masterpiece of Faith.

I smiled to myself in satisfaction when I gave the finishing touch to the art piece. Seemed like two years weren't enough to dull my skills as an artist. Her painting looked perfect.

A yearning tugged at my heart.

'See you again.'

I wanted to see her. I thought painting would help, but it seemed to have made the urge even worse.

"Capo, will you please come out? It's an urgent matter!" Denver hollered for the umpteenth time.

I groaned and got down from the high tool. I put everything inside my art room and covered the easel with Faith's painting with a white cloth so that Denver wouldn't know what I had been up to.

After that, I opened the door and asked, "Okay, now tell me, what's your urgent matter?"

"You have to go to the port tonight. I think there's something suspicious going on under our nose," he stated.

I clenched my jaw. "Does there seem to be a traitor?"

"There are high chances. Not to mention, there's a traitor among us—the one who warned them about the bomb blast," he added.

"Dig them out and make sure you don't kill them. The traitors should die by my hands," I told him, and he nodded. "And don't worry, I'll go to the port tonight." I couldn't brood for a girl for that long. "For now, I'm going outside for lunch."

I needed some fresh air to forget about the beautiful bartender who was occupying my mind more than she should have.

###

I was sitting at a rooftop restaurant, staring at the busy cityscape with the sky being a warm shade of blue.

This has always been my favorite place in Nevada. I loved the little details in the restaurant's aesthetic decorations and its view—it was an artist's heaven. There weren't a lot of people at this time as it would get too hot on the rooftop during the afternoon, so they tended to eat on the floor below, but I still liked it here, especially sitting at the open counter.

See, I wasn't thinking about Faith anymore.

Shit, I just thought of her again.

I sighed and was about to take another bite of my cheese pasta when I noticed a girl trying to climb on the high stool beside me. She was having trouble rising on it, given her height, but she managed it soon enough.

That's when her red hair came into my view.

My eyes widened, and my first instinct was to hide. So I turned my face away and grabbed the gray mask I always carried from my pocket and put it on. But I felt pretty stupid the next moment when I realized I wouldn't be able to eat anymore.

Oh, well, the damage was done already. Maybe I wouldn't just eat anymore.

I was about to stealthily leave when I heard her talk, "Yes, I know, right? What's with him? He came to the club after two years. I expected him to be serious this time, but look at that. He ghosted us again!"

That was... me she was talking about, right?

Instead of getting offended at her talking behind my back, I decided to stick around to eavesdrop on what else she had to complain about me. I would leave after she hung up the call.

"Lance used to come to the club every day, and he would check up on everyone. He actually acted like our boss. Meanwhile, Eltan Storm is just our boss in the name. Is it too much to expect that Lance's brother will be responsible like him? He should come to the club more often, not show up his handsome face after two years and ghost us again for another two years," she blabbered nonstop, but I couldn't stop the tiny smirk that appeared on my face from hearing her call me handsome.

"No, Candy, I'm not asking him to be Lance. But the least he can do is try, and look after us, right? We are his employees, after all. Even slaves deserve care. He's treating us worse than that."

That wasn't my intention, but I could see where she was coming from. I, perhaps, have been too busy in my own pain to notice the discomforts of my employees.

Faith sighed. "Alright, fine. But just so you know, you owe me another lunch." She paused, then chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine eating here alone." With that, she hung up the phone and murmured a little sadly, "After all, I have always been alone."

My heart clenched from the sadness in her voice. It made me want to give her company, even if it was just this once.

I put my elbows on the counter and lowered my head to make my hair fall over my forehead, enough to keep myself looking like I could have conversations. I took out my phone and placed it at an angle so that I could look at her face through the reflection without having to turn her way.

"I couldn't help but overhear," I started a conversation with a fake croak voice, and from the reflection on my phone screen, I could see her looking up at me. "Your new boss sounds horrible."

Faith tried to peek at my face out of curiosity, maybe to see if I was talking on the phone or not, but I managed to keep myself hidden. She then let out a sigh. "I think you're talking to me. I wish I could tell you if that was true or not. But I don't even know him enough to affirm that."

"But I heard you saying you met him once?" I said.

"Yes, but I probably shouldn't judge a person on the first meeting, should I?"

"True. But you must have some sort of impression of him," I insisted.

She hummed while thinking, then an embarrassed smile appeared on her face. "I bitched about him to him without knowing that he was my boss."

And you're doing it again.

"So what was his reaction to it?" I asked.

"He was surprisingly cool about it. I totally expected a cut in my paycheck, or worse, getting kicked out of my job," she said, sounding immensely grateful that she got to keep her job and paycheck. "So I guess, yeah, his first impression was nice."

A small smile formed on my face. "I see."

"Now, I just hope that he doesn't ghost us for another two years. The current manager is a horrible guy. He's always shouting at us. Many of us female employees wanted to complain about him to our new boss, but sadly, our new boss just came to us and left in a short while."

I had no idea there could have been problems like that—that people were depending on me for help. I was disappointing all of them, just like I had disappointed my parents by letting their murderers get away.

Yet, I was sitting and chatting with the girl for whom I let those killers slip away.

But I couldn't seem to stop myself. She was like an addiction I couldn't stop myself from wanting.

"Well, hope for the best. Maybe he will surprise you," I told her, and she smiled warmly.

"I hope so, too." Her smile got wider. "Thank you for talking to me. This was nice."

Seeing her big smile, my heart reacted unusually again, and I knew it was about time I left. Or else, I was afraid my addiction might get worse.

Just as I got up, a waiter brought her food, and she asked, "Um, do you mind sticking around for just a little bit longer? Just until I finish my food? I'll be quick, I promise. It will only be two strangers talking. So please?"

How could I resist such an earnest request?

"Sure." I sat back down.

"I know it's none of my business, but why aren't you looking this way?" she asked.

"I have a cold, and it's infectious. I don't want you to catch it."

She smiled. "Don't worry about that. I don't really mind since you're already wearing a mask. But of course, it's your choice." She started eating her food and inquired, "So tell me about your life."

I gave it some thought before replying, "Not good."

"Why not? Is your boss giving you trouble, too?"

I chuckled. "No, I don't have a boss."

"So like... you don't have a job?" The way she asked, it seemed like she was asking me a very insensitive question. Well, I guess it would have been in case I didn't run the mafia 'Thunder' and Berserkers Storm Corp.

"No, I do. I'm a boss myself."

"I sure hope you're better than my boss," she joked, and I chuckled again. "Anyway, why is your life not going well?"

"I lost a very important deal because of my fault, and now I don't know what to do," I replied, trying to simplify my situation.

"Don't worry, things will get better. Nothing is unsolvable in the world, is it?"

"True," I hummed.

"Please don't think I'm just saying that to make you feel better. But you genuinely seem like a smart person, so I'm sure you will figure this out." She lightly patted my hand that was on the counter, without putting too much thought into it. But little did she know what effect it had on me.

Just her single touch alone reignited the faith I had lost in catching my parents' killers and my determination to be a better boss for her.

"Thank you, stranger," I mumbled.