Allure: Peerless Beauty

chapter 8

When Ada walked into the dressing room, Sherry was touching up her makeup in front of the mirror. As she looked up, she saw Ada leaning her face against her shoulder, exhausted like a bird without feet.

"Did he 'pick you up from school, have dinner with you, and quietly escort you to work' trilogy again today?"

"Yes," Ada replied.

"He's gone too far. What does he want?" Sherry was somewhat indignant.

Ada gave a bitter smile. "If only I knew. Perhaps he's trying to drive me crazy with this silent trilogy and then send me to a mental institution. Unfortunately, he doesn't know that I may look weak and easy to bully on the outside, but I'm incredibly strong-willed."

"Haha..." Sherry chuckled dryly. "Not funny at all."

Ada thought to herself, indeed, it was not funny, especially when you found yourself in the middle of this grim joke.

Suddenly, Sherry remembered something. "Ada, today is Lily's funeral."

Ada was startled. Yes, today was Lily's funeral, and they had pooled the funeral expenses together with a few other sisters. How could she have forgotten such an important thing?

"Where are her ashes?" Ada asked.

"They were taken by Mr. Pei. We couldn't reach her family. Mr. Pei just came back from an art exhibition in Pennsylvania and rushed over as soon as he heard. An old man, holding Lily's ashes, crying like anything, it was hard to watch."

Sherry lit a cigarette and rubbed her eyes. "When he left, he was crying and saying he would take Lily to Antarctica on an icebreaker, her biggest wish before she passed away. I never thought he cared so much about Lily. Unfortunately, she didn't have the chance..."

Sherry couldn't continue, she just smoked fiercely, the flame between her fingers flickering in the silent night, looking like a red tear.

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The night was deep, and the city sky remained devoid of stars. Ada, holding a garbage bag, made her way to the alley behind the nightclub. It was perhaps the darkest place in the entire city, where even the moonlight seemed reluctant to shine, aside from the occasional beggars huddled in corners and scavenging rats.

Dumping the trash into the incinerator, pouring gasoline, lighting a match and tossing it in—it was all routine for her, part of her job at the bar. As the flickering flames tinted her eyes red, Ada lifted her head, unsure of what she was looking at. Perhaps she wasn't looking at anything at all; the action had simply become a habit.

A habit to dispel sadness.

The night in this city was too long and dark. If you didn't light up the darkness for yourself, who else would save you?

She took one of Sherry's cigarettes, lit it, and took a drag, finding the taste even spicier than she imagined. Placing it on the west side, she then took out a stack of drawing paper from a bag, each sheet featuring a vivid and lively face.

Lily, COCO... and Sherry and herself. These were portraits she had drawn for every friend she made since starting work at "Allure."

The city night wind brushed past her fingertips with a cold touch. The crimson flames danced in the night breeze, the sound of the wind hoarse, and the ashes blown away by the wind seemed like black butterflies fluttering in the vast darkness.

She looked at the young and melancholic face of Lily on the paper. She was a beautiful woman, just like Sherry, always with a cigarette in hand. But her smoking demeanor was deeply sorrowful, an expression that didn't belong in this world.

So, there had been a premonition from that moment: a woman like her couldn't walk too far in this world.

Ada sighed softly and glanced at Sherry's cigarette. SEVENMILD, the only brand of Japanese cigarettes she smoked.

She remembered Sherry saying that cigarettes, like alcohol, could numb the wounds of memory at the moment of soul departure, if you didn't mind drinking poison to quench your thirst.

Was it really that effective?

Ada hesitated as she brought the cigarette to her lips, about to light it...

"Hey, are you trying to kill yourself?"

Before she could regain her senses, the cigarette at her lips was rudely snatched away.

Ada turned to look, but simply smiled gently at the intruder. "Is it really that dramatic?"

However, the unexpected guest only smiled back, without a word. His black coat casually draped over his shoulders, he shielded the pilfered cigarette with his hand and lit it. The crimson glow reflected in his finely scattered black hair and bright pupils, making his eyes seem reddish, almost inhuman, resembling a fallen angel from legends.

Ada was somewhat shaken; she had long known he was an exceptionally handsome man. Yet, seeing him in such a desolate night, against such a bleak backdrop, still stirred something within her.

He approached, standing beside her, both watching the roaring flames together. Beyond the smoke, Ada caught a hint of a distinctive and crisp scent, akin to deep earth. But as he turned his face towards her, smiling, there was something inexplicably sinister in his gaze and demeanor.

This man somehow embodied both cleanliness and menace simultaneously, truly puzzling.

"The person who sold you the cigarette must be a handsome guy," Leo remarked with a grin, revealing a set of snow-white teeth. In the daytime, he looked handsome and clean, tempting one to want to kiss him. But at night, he seemed like some predatory beast, sharp and menacing.

"Huh? How did you know?" Ada asked.

"People with asthma shouldn't smoke; you've known this common sense since you were young. If it weren't a handsome guy, why would you be so desperate?" Leo suddenly brought his handsome face close to hers, teasingly. "Am I right?"

"Completely wrong. Sherry bought the cigarettes. How would I know if the seller was a man or a woman?" Ada stepped back, accustomed to his teasing since the day they met. Although she knew his temperament was all bluff and bravado, it still made her heart beat faster to have such a pretty face so close.

"Oh, blushing?" Leo teased, moving even closer.

Ada hastily took another step back, "That's because you're too close."

But the more flustered Ada became, the more mischievous Leo became, insisting on speaking up close. "Looks even redder now."

Ada hurriedly took a big step back, but in her panic, she didn't notice the wooden block beneath her feet and nearly stumbled. Fortunately, Leo was quick to react, catching her just in time.

"You're getting too close," Ada said, shaken, her cheeks flushed.

"Alright, no more teasing. Made of glass." Suddenly serious, Leo let go of her and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out something and handing it to her.

"Here, this is for you."