The Wrong Kid

Chapter 4.

It was a fine Saturday morning.

A sudden knock on the door was heard, and as it repeats like echoes, Strawberry irritably opened her eyes.

Strawberry gets to her feet as he simultaneously stomped, throwing a tantrum like a kid, on her way to her room’s door.

“It was just morning, for pete’s frickin’ sake!” she exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

But the person behind the door, did not even blink at that.

“Your father wants me to wake you up, Ma’am.” Harper said.

“Damn! What is it about this time?!” She continued yelling.

“He did not say a thing, ma’am.” Harper told her.

Strawberry continued cursing under her breath before she slammed the door closed, leaving Harper behind.

Her elongated eyes shortly rolled as she murmured, “Brats things.”

Soon, she made her way down and went straight to the boss’ study room.

All eyes on her when she opens the door, including the boss and his leader killer; Crazy Rome.

They are the Blood N’ Berries mafia group, run and organized by a certain politician named Otto Milan, the biological father of celebrity kid, Strawberry Milan.

Blood N’ Berries are composed of street kids who generally picked and trained by an old gangster Milan had known from the past years. Unlike String 99, it was a newly established gang group under Milan and might have fewer members than them, they are more used to gunfire weapons than the String 99.

And the two leads, Crazy Rome and Harper, is not just an easy person to deal with.

“What did she say?” the boss asked.

“She slammed the door, boss.” She honestly said.

“I was expecting that.” Crazy Rome said.

“Ugh.” The boss groaned distressed.

“She’ll surely get shocked when she knew about what happened to her friend.” a member said.

Just as at that moment, the door behind Harper opened and Strawberry showed up.

“Daddy?!” Her voice rang around the study room.

Crazy Rome catch cold gazes with Harper.

“Morning sickness, Strawberry?” the boss smiled.

“I am not happy with this, Dad.” She finally calmed down.

“Well, you could go back to your room after I told you that your friend, Andrea Contis, was found dead just lately. Approximately killed two days ago. Have you guys go on a date out that day, or she told you something like a prob—“

“Andrea’s dead?!” Strawberry cried in shock.

Everyone in the room glanced at her, looking at the face of jolt.

“Calm down, sweetheart. Your brand company’s photographer, Caleb, was in custody since last night because reportedly he was the last person she was with before her estimated death.” the boss told her.

“N-no way!” Strawberry squeaked.

“I think it was bad that we told her this ear-“

“No! I mean, we never had a fight with her last time and all I know was she was not going to school because she was having a migraine. Like, she also issued an excuse letter, that was signed by her doctor.” Strawberry explained.

“Excuse letter?” Harper asked.

“Yes.” She answered.

“I guess, darling, you need to have your breakfast first. Your boyfriend is coming in an hour to check on you.” the boss said, trying to get her out the room and so the young woman did. But he could not keep himself from being worried about his daughter, especially it was her friend.

And a familiar cause of death.

“I could say that the Strings had climbed into the media. How can they manipulate the news about this girl?” His secretary, Mr. Andrew Gibbs, said.

“They could. But they could not change the fact that it was obvious that they were trying to scare everyone with that signature murder. That Evil Orthodox clearly knows what he is doing.” the boss said.

“But if it is that the case, why would they manipulate the media and news? Strings are not scared people, they are so expert at hiding their real identities. We don’t even know whether we are dealing with a female or a male killer.” Harper barged in.

“We are not guessing the gender of that monster. We need to get its head off before it could find us, and my heiress.” The boss said.

In a sudden, he became so silent and his memory of his late wife— including that look of fright in her eyes when she’s found dead, flashes in his head.

He clenched his fist in anger.

“Boss.” Crazy Rome’s voice gets him back from reverie.

“We had to kill him. You are going to hunt that monster down. Before he gets back and takes Strawberry away from me.” He said.

After the death of his wife, he went very frightened about his daughter, and was frightened more when the mafia boss, Sr. Roman Valerio told him through an emailed letter.

“Someday, you will plead on me to spare your little girl’s life.”

He could not afford to lose her. He is the only reason now why he recruited many men to be a gang, to protect her.

Furthermore, he tried to do plenty of things to find and execute Sr. Roman, but when Evil Orthodox introduced himself through his strangulation killings, he knew that that old man was not the big fish that needed to be caught.

“And Harper …” he gazes at Harper, staring back at him.

“I need you to watch over my daughter at school as they hunt down that evil orthodox.” He continued.

“Yes, boss.” She obediently replied.

In a sudden, a knock on the door came in, making them all glance back to that. Harper reached for its knob and opened it, and Strawberry’s driver, Mr. Cruz, was holding a piece of beige envelope in his hand as he said, “A letter addressed to your name, Sir.”

The boss beckoned Harper to get it for him, and so she did shortly. She went to him and gave it to him personally, and Otto loudly read it out, “A letter for the Vice President of the Philippines.”

He lifted his right hand as he said, “This has to do something with politics and the Country’s Economic Crisis, so I think you can go now.”

Soon, everyone left him, including Harper and Crazy Rome.

He took a deep breath first before he ripped the side of the envelop and took out the letter inside.