DIE OR DIE?
1084 Words
April's heart pounded as she tried to make sense of the situation. Jane got hit?
Ruffling her hair, she stood up from her desk and went outside to catch some fresh air. Each person passing by her sent chills down her spine.
“What’s going on? I just saw her a few hours ago!” she yelled, desperate for answers.
After finding a sense of stability three years ago, she had lost it all in a matter of hours. Was there any hope? Jane was the closest family she’d had in a long time. Am I just bad luck?
Trying to calm herself, she leaned against the wall of the restaurant and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the ground.
“Why is this happening to me?” she murmured. “If I didn’t work here, she wouldn’t have been hit. Or…is it because I insulted the queen?” A pang of guilt laced her words.
Then, her eyes widened. “Oh my God! I forgot to ask which hospital she’s in!” She scrambled to grab her phone and tried Jane’s number again, but the call didn’t go through.
“What do I do? How can I reach her? Should I quit or keep working here?”
**The Next Morning**
April arrived at the office first, clinging to the hope that Jane being hit was just a cruel prank. But as the hours passed, Jane didn’t show up—and neither did Ace. Maybe he’s gone to be with her.
While serving a client, she leaned against the reception desk, lost in thought, until someone startled her.
“You’re Jane’s friend, aren’t you?” a woman asked.
April stammered, “Yes…do you know where she is?”
The woman bit her lip, shaking her head. “I’m not that close to her, but I wish I knew.”
April sighed in frustration, turning away. “How convenient. No one knows where she is!”
But the woman’s next words made her freeze.
“What’s the rush? I’m sure she’s fine…and you’ll probably be finishing her job.”
“What job?” April asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Oh, her secretary work. Since you know her, maybe you’ll take over. Mr. Ace isn’t too gentle about filling positions.”
April’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of becoming Ace’s secretary. "That can’t happen. He knows about the curse. He wouldn’t risk killing me by making me his secretary…would he?"
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Ace standing beside her until he gently tapped her shoulder. She flinched at his touch, then backed away.
“Stay away from me!” she shouted, startling the woman nearby.
With a calm tone, Ace said, “I need you in my office. Now.”
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**A Few Minutes Later**
After gathering her composure, April approached his office door, took a deep breath, and went inside.
Ace was seated, focused on the papers in front of him.
“I’m here, Mr. Ace.”
He held up a finger. “Hush.”
When he was finished, he threw a stack of papers onto the floor. April frowned, glaring at him.
“What is this?” she asked.
She picked up the papers and felt her hands tremble as she read them. It was a contract assigning her two roles: hotel attendant and secretary.
“What is this, Ace? I can’t be your secretary. Do you know how hard it was for me to come work here?” she yelled.
Ace smirked. “Then use that courage to be my secretary. You know I have something of yours—something precious to the world. This isn’t a request, it’s an order.”
April pressed her hand to her forehead. “Do you want me dead?”
He leaned back with a dark grin. “Trust me, this is just the beginning. Be ready tomorrow at 7. Someone will drive you to my house to retrieve my files.”
A cold lump formed in April’s throat.
This is the end of me.
**The Next Morning, 7 AM**
April stood on the balcony of Ace’s mansion, nervously waiting to be called inside. Her fingers tapped anxiously against her purse as she tried to keep her distance—she still didn’t fully understand the curse’s rules.
But her anxiety turned to anger when she saw Queen Fiona approaching.
With her arms crossed, Queen Fiona glared at her. “I see you’ve come to work as a secretary.”
April scoffed, retorting, “Queen Fiona, it wasn’t my choice. Isn’t that what your son always says, with no remorse?”
The queen chuckled. “Of course. He takes after me. He’ll make you pay for what you did to him, you cursed wolf.”
April’s eyes narrowed. “Are you pretending you don’t know what happened three years ago? You bribed my aunt and cursed me! I can’t believe I’m standing here face to face with the person who cursed me. If I were anything like your son, I’d have torn you apart by now.”
Queen Fiona sneered. “And then what? You’d steal my son and force him to love you?”
She stepped closer, her voice a harsh whisper. “April, he’s not the Ace you once knew. Charming? Sweet? He’s none of that now. You’ll never have him back—he has a new lover.”
He has a new lover? The revelation hit April like a punch to the gut.
Before she could process it, a book came flying in her direction. She looked up, her gaze softening when she saw Ace. Has he really forgotten our bond? Should I risk dying for love?
Ace descended the stairs, his tone dark. “Let’s go to my office. Now.”
She gathered the papers he had thrown and started walking away. That’s when she realized—Ace was no longer the man she’d known. Why did he treat her like this?
But before she could take more than a few steps, someone pushed her into the pool. She didn’t know how to swim.
Ace watched her struggle, chuckling. “Now you get to choose your way out. Let me save you and die, or drown on your own.”
“Ace!” she gasped, fighting to keep her head above water.
“What’s it going to be, April?” he said, his voice cold. “Like I said—it’s your choice.”
- Writer
