Chapter 5: So Dead

Chapter 5: So Dead

Ember Corbin

The situation at the kindergarten was insane when I arrived.

After earning a glare from Ms. Sophie, I engrossed myself in taking care of the kids. Apparently, they were running around because one of them had brought a fake cockroach.

"Peter, if you do this again, I will double your Math homework. Do you want me to do that?" I asked a five-year-old student of mine. He was the one who had brought a fake cockroach, scaring the entire class.

He shook his head quietly. Lowering his gaze, he said, "Sorry, Ms. Corbin."

I ruffled his hair with a smile and said, "It's okay. Now, go back to your seat."

After that incident, I started taking the class.

###

It was a really busy and bothersome day. All I could think of was what had happened in the morning. Even though it was a misunderstanding, I was still abducted. The horrific part was the small claustrophobic room. Did the Mafia leaders have such scary cells to capture their enemies?

Gosh, that was so scary.

I knew I needed a break from everything that was going on. These two days were too much for me to handle.

I closed the novel I was reading and took a sip of my hot chocolate while sitting on my couch. Taking my phone, I decided to call my best friend, Candy Dallas. She was a bartender at one of Lance's casinos—see? Lance and I were always fated to cross paths. I had never been to her workplace before, maybe which was why I had never met Lance before; not that I think Lance would be strolling around leisurely inside his own casino.

Candy picked up the call on the second ring and greeted, "Hey, Em. Sup?"

A bright smile formed on my lips hearing her voice. "Hey, Candy. I am great, and you know what? I have never been so much better," I replied, not wanting to let her even get a hint of what was happening with me. She would be worried about me for no reason.

"That's awesome. I am currently going to work now. You know, my shift starts from the evening till five in the morning," she informed me.

I hummed in response. "Yes, you do a few hours extra for more money."

She would get paid hourly depending on her work. It was actually nice and tiring at the same time.

"Money is life, Em."

I chuckled. "Candy, I am so bored these days. I need a hangout."

"How about we go to the mall tomorrow after your work? Then, I will head to my work after shopping," Candy offered.

Shopping seemed like a great idea. I could be distracted and stop thinking of what has been happening to me for these two days.

"Sounds great. So we will meet at the big mall near Happy Kindergarten?" I asked her to be sure of the location.

"Okay, let's meet at the entrance tomorrow," she confirmed. "I just arrived at the casino. Talk to you later then." With that, she had cut the call.

I heaved a sigh and finished checking the test copies of the kids before my eyes started feeling heavy. I didn't realize when sleep engulfed me.

###

I was waiting for Candy at the entrance of the mall. After teaching the kids, I walked here straight as per the plans I and Candy made together. It was afternoon, and I was glad that half of the day passed without seeing Lance. Maybe, today I wouldn't bump into him or get shot by mistake.

However, only half a day passed, and there was an evening and night as well. So I still couldn't label this day as a perfect day until the clock hit twelve. Who knows, I might just get stabbed by one of Lance's enemies and then meet Lance in the hospital after regaining consciousness?

My heart leaped in fear when someone placed a hand over my shoulder. I turned around at that instant, only to find a familiar blonde smiling brightly at me.

Putting my hand over my chest, I said, "Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack, Candy."

Candy pulled me into a hug. "It's been a week since we had our last hangout," she mumbled.

"Well, we were busy, I guess," I mumbled and broke the hug. "By the way, Candy, we better follow a budget. If we spend it all at once on shopping, my world tour will remain a dream forever." A frown appeared on my face.

I didn't want to spend all of my savings on shopping, but Candy was a shopaholic, so I always ended up spending more than usual because of her. She would insist on buying more things for me, and I would end up getting convinced.

"Fine, we will buy limited things," she responded. "But mostly, we will see new stuff and make a list to buy later when we become a billionaire."

I nodded my head. "May we be so rich that we can buy the entire mall," I said mockingly, and she laughed. I ended up laughing with her too. "Now, let's go inside and roam around till we can find something affordable."

We entered the mall and started looking around for different clothes and accessories. We tried some sunglasses just to click nice pictures to post them later on social media. I really enjoyed spending time with Candy because our mindset was the same.

"I have been going on dates with this awesome hot guy," Candy informed me as I stepped into a shop of watches. The wristwatches seemed very nice and classy.

"Send me his picture, and we can judge together whether he's good enough or not," I answered and looked at a beautiful wristwatch, which was obviously beyond my budget. I could only afford to look at it from afar. "Did you like anything from here, Candy?"

"Not yet. I am still looking, but what about you?"

I pointed my index finger to the beautiful wristwatch. "Just look at this beauty," I mumbled, wishing I had enough savings to even afford this wristwatch.

"Oh, this is really nice, but—" Candy stopped midway and was looking at the other side. I followed her gaze. "Oh, my God. Look at that watch, Ember. This is so cool. I want to buy it." When our eyes fell on the price tag, she uttered, "Well, maybe I will tell someone in the future to give it to me as a gift."

I felt bad after hearing it. Candy never asked for anything as a gift from me. If I had enough money to buy the wristwatch, I would've bought it for her since her birthday was around the corner.

"Let's go, Em. I heard there is a sale," Candy informed me and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the shop.

After buying plenty of clothes and some extra stuff on sale, we were now sitting in a cafe inside the mall, waiting for our food to arrive. We needed to have a snack to raise our energy bar since we were so tired after shopping for so long.

We had bought plenty of stuff, still, I wished to buy that expensive wristwatch for Candy. She has been there for me all the time. That was the least I could do for her. I should spend all of my savings for the world tour on the gift. Yes, it was a nice idea.

"Candy, while the food is on its way, I realized that I forgot to buy something. So I am going to buy it," I told her. Before she could ask what I wanted to buy, leaving my phone on the table, I stormed off the café.

I took large steps towards the store and got in.

"Good evening, Ma'am. What do you want to buy?" the female seller behind the counter asked with a polite smile.

This was such an expensive shop. Even the female in front of me seemed like she earned more than me.

"Uh... Good evening. Can you show me that wristwatch? The one with stones," I told her.

Immediately, she took out the watch and showed it to me. "This is specially imported from Switzerland. It's only twenty thousand dollars."

As soon as she said that, I gave a tight-lipped smile. I didn't even have that much money as my savings. How would I buy it? But I really want it for Candy.

"Shall I pack it, Ma'am?" she asked me.

"Yeah..." I told her and looked around the shop. My eyes stopped looking around the room when I saw the familiar black-haired man. A smile crept on my face.

It was Lance, and he was a billionaire. Paying twenty thousand dollars was nothing for him, right? I could pay him back sometime in the far future; not like it would matter either way.

"Ah, Miss, you see. That's my boyfriend, Lance Storm." I pointed my index finger towards Lance, who was talking to the other person. He didn't notice me.

"Oh, my God. This is great. Is he really your boyfriend?" the woman urged me to continue.

Sucking in a deep breath, I replied with confidence, "Yes, he is my boyfriend. I am in a hurry, so he will pay for my bill. Just tell him that Ember Corbin told you about paying the bill, and he will do it without any hesitation." I was worried wondering what I would do if she wanted any proof. I had to show enough confidence so that she wouldn't have any doubts. "Kindly pack the wristwatch. I am getting late," I said.

"Yes, Ma'am. Wait." The woman handed me the bag with the wristwatch. "Here you go. Have a great day!" She bowed to me slightly.

I gave a nervous chuckle and fastened my pace while leaving the shop. As soon as I was out, I heaved a sigh in relief, placing a hand over my chest. Then, I ran to the café like a maniac.

Oh, my God. I just trapped Lance Storm.

If he saw me next time, he would definitely stab me to death and push my body off the bridge.

When I saw Candy waiting for me as the food was served at the table, I shrugged off all thoughts and approached her. I sat on my chair and said, "Before you ask what I went to buy, here is a gift for you." I kept the bag in front of her. "An advanced birthday gift for you."

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. "You went to buy a gift for me, Em?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Ma'am," I spoke up, while she opened the birthday gift.

A squeal escaped her lips after seeing the wristwatch. "Oh, my God, oh, my God. You bought this for me, didn't you? Oh, my God. I am... I don't know how to thank you, Em. I..." She was caressing the watch with her shaky hands. "This is so beautiful."

I grinned. "It's all for you."

"I… gimme a hug," she let out and got up, pulling me into a big hug. "Thank you so much for this. It must've been so expensive. How did you pay for it? Don't tell me you spent your savings."

"How I paid, is a surprise," I mumbled after we broke from the hug. As I was sitting, I took my chocolate shake in my hand. While taking a sip, my eyes fell on the entrance of the café.

I found a pair of green eyes throwing daggers at me, making me choke on my drink. I was coughing hard.

"Are you okay, Em?" Candy asked me.

I nodded my head, still looking at Lance who was watching me from a distance. I gulped some water in one go.

"I have to go to the restroom, excuse me," Candy told me and walked away, leaving me alone at the table.

As soon as Candy left, Lance started taking huge steps in my direction. I wanted to make a run for it, but I couldn't leave Candy alone. Besides, there were too many shopping bags that I couldn't carry alone—though the sight would be funny if I did.

Shit, Ember, it's not the time to think about that.

The blank look on Lance's face was scaring the shit out of me. Was he about to make me his slave till I repaid him the money?

Soon enough, Lance was standing near my table. I stared down at my untouched sandwich, not wanting to have eye contact with him. He pulled the chair Candy was sitting on and sat across from me.

Okay, you still have time, Run away, Ember, suggested my subconscious. 

Immediately, I stood up from my seat, preparing to run to the washroom and grab Candy before escaping through the window inside. The shopping bags were replaceable, not our lives. I was about to walk away, but a hand grabbed my wrist. I knew it was Lance, yet I didn't look down.

"Sit," he ordered, making a shiver run down my spine.

I listened to him quietly and sat back on my chair. This time, I met his gaze, but I couldn't read his face. It was still empty. I wondered what was going on in his mind.

I watched him getting something out of his pocket. My eyes grew bigger in terror at the sight of a pocket knife. Was he really going to stab me and throw me off the bridge?

"Lance..." I tried to talk, but I somehow lost my voice.

Lance held my right hand and placed it on the table. Opening the pocket knife, he started caressing its sharp edge over my soft skin. He murmured in a dangerous tone, "You are so dead, Ms. Ember Corbin."