When the Billionaire Meets Heaven

Chapter 5: Grind

BONNIE

I woke up to the sound of loud train whistles.

Living in a small shabby room next to the train tracks since I was 10 years old, I have gotten used to the noise it makes in the morning. For what it's worth, it even helps me wake up early regularly, so I don't have to bother setting the alarm anymore.

Careful not to bump into things, I got up in a place that looked more like a box where all activities take place like sleeping, cooking, and dining. But for a particular reason, they've placed the comfort room outside for everyone's use.

As part of my everyday routine, even though it was hard to cook here in the squatters' area with everything that was happening around like barking dogs, crying kids, husband and wife yelling because of infidelity, I started preparing lunch for everyone in the headquarters. This includes Ayesha, Reginald, Joselle, Sheen, our accountant, and other ELITE group members.

Reginald Zheng is the leader of the Zheng Gang in Luzon. He is the most notorious out of the three Zheng brothers handling the gang in Visayas and Mindanao. Since the Zhengs are very cryptic and vigilant, I don't have other information about them yet.

The Zheng Gang commits criminal acts to gain more money. It has this obsessive need to control others, be identified as the most powerful organization, be feared by everyone – perhaps to be indomitable, which I still don't understand why.

It doesn't matter what your gender, race, or age is to be a member. You just have to undergo and pass its series of initiations which may or may not include the following: beatings, robbery, shoplifting, stealing a gun, murdering (for some), drinking alcoholic drinks to death, drug trafficking, and the like to prove you're qualified.

Those who usually sign up to be a member have an unpaid debt (mainly with the gang), have experienced bullying and want protection, or are mere psychopaths.

Zheng Gang members are classified into three groups: the ELITE, the Middle Class, and the Working Class. It usually takes five years to be part of the middle class and ten to fifteen years to be an ELITE. But some members can climb the ladder faster than others, just like Joselle, who became part of the ELITE group right after she joined the gang when she was 25 years old. She was open to doing s****l acts to steal from influential people. After five years, it has become her area of expertise.

On the other hand, I'm the youngest female member of the ELITE group. I got an unexpected promotion when I saved Ayesha's life when she was just 5 years old. I was 20 years old then when she was kidn*pped by a group of foreigners, and I did my best to save her even if that almost cost me my life. I remember getting stabbed and the pain that came alongside it, but what surprised me the most whenever I look back at that time was the fact that I managed to steal fifty million pesos from the foreigners.

After all the tasks that were assigned to me, my remaining debt with the Zheng Gang now amounts to 100 million pesos. And I'm not planning to spend another five years paying it off.

When I finished packing our lunches, I brought my netbook, a new book, and other writing materials before leaving the apartment.

Upon arrival at our headquarters, I saw that they had just opened the building for customers. To hide the gang, they've disguised the first floor into a lending company, and the ELITE group is also the one handling it.

At the entrance, I greeted Sheen, who, as always, didn't even bother to look at me. She has always been this terrifying. Maybe because she carries an enormous amount of money on top of her shoulders, that could eventually cost her to lose her head. I just gave her a packed lunch before I moved forward.

"What a beautiful morning indeed!" Tristan tried to steal a kiss from me, but I dodged – I didn't know if that was only my instinct or because he had already tried to pull this stunt several times. He's the male version of Joselle, so it's best not to get involved with him. 

Giving him their lunch, I walked past Blade, who was sleeping soundly on top of his table, while Ryder immediately asked me for a high five. Both of them are in their early 30s, and I think it's just right to consider them as my seniors since they've been part of the gang for more than twenty years now.

"You're still working at the boutique?" Ryder asked. Out of all the ELITEs, he's the only one I can tolerate. He helped me a lot when I first joined them, and he also saved me a couple of times.

"Yes. I'm assuming the boutique hasn't fired me yet."

"And you still do that writing stuff?"

"Yes! Wait- Is this a job interview? Or just for your slambook? Cause I can also tell you that gold is my favorite color and that love is an open door."

He laughed heartily, looking at me like I'm some sort of a sitcom show he's been watching for quite a while now.

"Why do you still do those things when we have a vacancy here? And if you use the money we stole-"

"I only use the money I worked for, and unfortunately, that excludes money from stealing."

He shut his mouth when he saw me crossing my arms. Knowing me well, he raised his hands in surrender.

"Perfect," I left before we even started a debate.

When I reached the end of the wall, I turned right and went into the common restroom. I walked towards the last cubicle, got inside, and pressed the tile behind the toilet bowl. There on my right side, the wall automatically opened.

I stepped inside and walked down the dark stairs until I arrived at the underground bunker, the real head office of the Zheng Gang.

Reginald has his own office here, and it's surrounded by several workstations equipped with computers - where infinite streams of numbers and letters kept on scrolling across the screens. They say it's the language being used by hackers. We can also see the CCTV cameras in different areas and make changes.

Feeding these gangsters has long been part of my responsibilities. It has become my lifeline so that they would allow me to take my time in paying my debt.

Before leaving the headquarters, I visited Reginald in his office. He was still sleeping on the couch when I came in. Still, he immediately woke up as if I suddenly got on his nerves because he was overly sensitive.

"What?" He sat down, looked at me with his eyes still half-closed.

"What's my next assignment-"

"Sleep."

"Reginald, seriously?"

"What? I'm asking you to sleep. That's it. If you can't do something as simple as that, then you failed again in your task."

"So that's it? Just because I failed once, apparently from a 'sting operation' that you didn't know beforehand, you're not gonna let me do anything else aside from being your caterer?"

"It's too early for this Bonnie-"

"No, it's not early! As a matter of fact, I've already brought your lunch, so you could eat it now, and we can say that it's lunchtime," I sighed, paused for a second to wash out the sarcasm in my blood. "Look, Reginald, I'm sorry if I failed you once. But just give me another chance, and you won't regret it."

He looked at me like he was about to say something I would like to hear, so I waited in too much anticipation.

"Rest today. We'll talk tomorrow," Reginald went back to sleep.

I groaned and left his office, slamming the door behind me. It's not like I'm asking him for a favor. I'm just asking him to give me an assignment, so I can pay my debt as soon as possible.

And I can finally fight them fair and square.

***

It was already late in the afternoon when my shift at the boutique ended. I went straight to Coffeezilla to catch up with my reading and, of course, complete my articles so that I could finally submit them and earn real money.

I sat on my usual spot at the back corner table of the coffee shop near the window. Aside from being a regular here, I love this coffee shop the most because they sell cheap yet delicious coffee and pasta. Although there are many coffee shops around the area, especially in this city, Coffeezilla can surely beat them all.

Taking out my netbook, I opened it and checked my email. My eyes widened when I saw that I had several unread messages and one was from Madame Sylvia!

I clicked her email right away. I was happy at first, but it faded immediately when I realized I failed to attend the script reading that she mentioned. I didn't even give her my number, so she has no other means to contact me. I was so busy with my last assignment that I didn't have the chance to go online. 

So I decided to write her back instead. I told her that I hoped she finds my email well and that I was sorry for not responding to her email. I explained that I suddenly became so busy with my' other commitments' and finally gave her my number.

I worked so hard in writing the movie script "Pinnacle" over these years, and out of all the people she could have chosen, she picked my work. It was hard to convince her why she should choose me, and I didn't want her to give up on me.

At the end of my email, I asked her if we could meet each other. I have a lot to tell her, and other means of communication could just lead to a misunderstanding. So I think we should talk to each other face to face.

After responding to my emails, I started revising my articles, read them a couple of times more, then sent them to my clients. 

I took a sip from my cup of coffee before I started reading this book I borrowed from Ayesha. And I was only reading for about 10 minutes when I decided to look at the window.

I didn't know why… but a man sitting inside Coffee Haven, just right across the street, seemed to be staring in my direction. I felt uncomfortable being watched, so I decided to leave earlier than I planned since I was almost done.

What if he's one of the police officers looking for me? Not that they've identified my face though. Ryder already took care of the CCTV footage, and they left no trace of me in the area.

I walked out of the back door instead and tried my best to go as far away as possible from the coffee shop when all of a sudden, I bumped into someone causing me to drop all my things.

"Look who's here," Joselle said, emphasizing every word as if it was supposed to turn me on.

I fixed my things before facing her. Although she's smaller than me, probably 4'11 or so, she really has the guts to bully a 5'6. Maybe because she's five years older than me? Or perhaps because she has more experience? Either way, I couldn't really understand her, and I'm not planning to.

"Excuse me," I was about to leave her alone when she grabbed my arm. I pressed my lips together and watched her. "What?"

"Do you have anything to do tonight?"

"Is it a party night?" I asked, and I meant it sarcastically.

"Yes, actually."

I couldn't understand if she was being serious or not, but I listened anyway.

"I know you'll hold it against me but, I just need a substitute for my task tonight. I accepted it before, but I just remembered that I had this very important prior commitment. And now I just couldn't cancel it-"

"Just cancel it," I knew all the assignments being given to her. I'm not selling my body like her just to steal something, so I turned my back on her.

"We're talking about a diamond ring worth one hundred million pesos!" She got me there. "That's why I couldn't cancel it. It is an easy task and a big catch!"

After tonight, by doing this task she was offering me, I could finally get my freedom. It's just one night, and everything's over.

"Deal. What's the plan?"

***

The first time I walked into a bar, I was with the ELITE group. It was the initiation I had to take, as suggested by Ryder. They ran out of options to test me because I was only 10 years old then, and Reginald was so unreasonably meticulous. In the end, they decided to settle in making me drink a gallon of different kinds of alcohol: beer, wine, cocktail, and other drinks which names they didn't mention at all.

It was worse than water torture. I got really drunk that night that I ended up vomiting almost half of my existence on my way home. The next thing I knew, I was rushed to the hospital because of alcohol poisoning.

But thanks to that experience, I became part of the Working Class when I finally recovered.

"Cheers!" We raised our glasses and drank them empty. The whiskey burned its way down my throat.

Tomas Morato is the home to plenty of restaurants, bars, and clubs here in Quezon City. Although I've been to several bars before, I've never been to NIX bar, and it sure looks like it's made for the rich.

Walking into it just felt different. Especially when I arrived on its roof deck to attend a short notice invitation for the VIP party.

The loud music was blasting off, and neon lights were flashing everywhere. Waiters were serving drinks to everyone as if they'd already been paid for. While some were openly making out on the couches, the entire dance floor was full of people dancing and grinding against each other.

Now I'm starting to have cold feet. It felt like I had this pit in my stomach. I've done a lot of criminal acts in my life, but I've never crossed a line like what Joselle's been doing.

But just as when I was about to back out, I spotted the man that Joselle described to me. It wasn't that hard to notice him in the crowd because as soon as he stepped in on the dance floor, girls were dying to dance with him, trying their best to please him. 

He has the looks, but seeing men with Chinese blood doesn't appeal to me since they all look the same. And I wanted someone different.

Ezra Phoenix. He is a Filipino-Chinese businessman, the heir of Phoenix Group of Companies, which has long been considered one of the country's biggest conglomerates. They have many properties and businesses.

Yes, he is intimidating, maybe because he's tall – probably 6'2, or perhaps just because I could see the ring I needed to steal on his index finger. 

But he's pretty easy to read. Even though he was dancing with those girls, he had this stone-cold stare as if he was trying to say they didn't have an effect on him. A typical businessman, of course. He couldn't see the profit of being here at the party. Based on his feet and other body parts that were pointing to the exit, it was as if he was dying to leave, so I'm assuming that he'd just stay for another five or ten minutes.

Ezra is not the type of guy who simply plays around all day long. He's self-absorbed and believes that only two things are essential in life: His pride and money.

So maybe I should use a different card this time, unlike what those girls were using on him since he found them boring.

A waiter walked past me, so I took one highball glass from his tray, drank the vodka straight before making my way to the dance floor.

The kind of music that the DJ chose tonight seemed like noise to me, but I still danced to the rhythm. I threw my arms over my head, jumped on the dance floor several times, shook my hair, and rocked my hips from side to side. I acted indifferent to the fact that I was near Ezra but could see him from my peripheral vision.

At first, he didn't seem to care. But I caught his attention when he realized that I was having fun on my own. He didn't want to be here at the party, but he yearned to get everyone's attention. The problem was, I was not giving him what he wanted.

I slowly felt someone's presence behind me. 3… 2… 1… I couldn't help but smile as I continued swaying my hips gracefully.

"So… are you enjoying the party?" Ezra asked. His voice was deep, but I didn't say anything and acted oblivious to him.

With his burning desire to prove to himself that he could get all the girls in this party, he moved closer to me and placed his hands on my hips a few seconds later.

"Did you come here alone?"

It felt like he was grinding against my butt, so I finally turned around to face him.

Even though it was dark, I was still afraid he'd remember my face, so I used my artistic skills to make me look more like Joselle. I even wore a long wig with full bangs to really copy her.

Moving my face closer to his ear, I spoke. "Hi! Were you talking to me? I'm sorry I was just-"

"No, it's okay. It is fine," Ezra did the same. He raised his hand to dismiss what I had just said while we were still dancing to the beat. "Is there anyone who'd get jealous to see me with you?"

Unlike his polite questions, his gestures were sending me a different message. While speaking to me, he kept placing a hand on my lower back. I guess it was the sign of attraction that Joselle told me.

Meaning, I got Ezra's interest.

To catch him off guard, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his. I'm not used to this, so everything's making me feel uneasy, but I was just following Joselle's tips.

"I think someone would only get jealous if we're this close."

My hands started exploring. From Ezra's hair down to his neck, I started sliding them down to the muscles of his shoulders. I saw him close his eyes for a moment, leaning against my touch. 

When I tried to move forward with my plan, his one arm circled around my waist. It was me who got lost when his hand started grazing the top of my butt. 

Joselle already warned me about this, but my mistake was not asking what I should do if this happened. So before things got worse, I decided to use my emergency card and wrap everything up.

I gently broke the embrace and gave us a little distance. Ezra was looking at me now seriously as I licked my lips and gave him a hungry gaze. It was then when he pulled me closer. I searched for his hands on my waist and helped him make our embrace tighter. 

His face was now so close to mine, so I automatically shut my eyes. I was already anticipating his mouth on top of mine when I felt him breathing on my lips instead.

"Where's Joselle?"

I opened my eyes in shock and met his, sending shivers down my spine. His eyes were furious. 

He was now holding my arm, tightening his grip. "Did she send you?" He was eating the space between our faces.

I was scared of him. I have no idea what he was talking about, but before further discussing the matter, someone grabbed my hand so fast and started dragging me off the dance floor.

It wasn't the time to fight back, though. In fact, I felt lucky that someone gave me a reason to leave.

Looking at my hand, I guess my job here was over because the single lady just got herself a ring!