The Pride Game

Chapter 8

"What's in your hand?" asked Samuel in a curious voice. He had twice seen the same thing as the one in the woman's hand. The woman's face was pale; she squeezed it so it was smaller and out of sight, but Samuel urged her. "Tell me, why did you come here! I know you didn't come here by accident. Could you explain to me your real purpose? Do you want to talk about the envelope you brought with us?" asked Samuel; he cornered the woman until the woman's body continued to walk backward, and finally, the woman's back was pressed against the wire gate of Samuel's alley. The woman turned her head not to meet Samuel's face directly. "Am I right, Miss Alena?" asked Samuel. She hadn't even told him who she was and what her real purpose was there. Alena gulped fearfully, and she had found out where Samuel was; she searched and kept looking. Alena knew Samuel had been dishonorably expelled from the CDA. The writing on the envelope was an invitation to all CDA employees, which meant Samuel was also one participant someone had invited. Previously, Alena thought that this invitation was just a joke. Still, when she saw the reaction of Samuel and Jonathan wasting also surprised by just seeing the envelope in hand, Alena immediately knew that this invitation was severe. "There is someone who has invited us," replied Alena. Samuel smiled. The woman in front of him was not stupid, and everything she did was to cover up who she was. "I won't tell you where this venue will take place and when the event will start if you don't tell me what your real purpose is in coming here," Samuel said with a smile.

Not only was Alena surprised by this news, but Jonathan was just as shocked as Alena. Jonathan immediately grabbed Samuel's collar and shouted, "You bastard! Why didn't you tell me earlier if you knew that shitty place!" Alena approached the two, and she pleaded with a very hopeful face, "Please tell us where it is." 

"Don't worry, and we still have three of our other friends coming," Samuel replied with a grin. "Don't play with me, and I'm asking where it is now! And I want to beat up the one who started this game!" Jonathan said it earnestly; he felt like he had been tricked, he didn't like the challenge. This game looks very silly and tedious.

Just as Samuel said, from afar, suddenly an old man was walking by, looking left and right as if he was being followed; he quickened his pace, then he walked straight ahead again. However, the old man repeatedly stopped, and he held his chest; he looked back again. "Who's he!" Jonathan asked, feeling that the person heading for them was strange. "He got an envelope just like us," Samuel replied, and Alena took a closer look at the old man. She saw that the person was carrying the same envelope as her in the old man's hand. "Why did you know that he would come here?" Jonathan asked, frowning; he watched the old man. Samuel folded his arms across his chest, and he said, "I saw him when we were on our way, I saw the envelope in his hand, he kept his cell phone open and seemed to be looking for the address. I knew he was going to my house to ask if I also got the same envelope with him." And a few minutes later, the old man had stopped in front of them. He was a little surprised to know that his arrival had been awaited by the other three. "Did you guys know that I would come here?" the man asked, his face red with exhaustion. Jonathan snorted; he turned his head the other way. He still thinks that the envelope is child's play; there is nothing special about it. The woman beside Samuel also did the same; she took a deep breath and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Not us," the woman said. "But he was." She was pointing at Samuel. "He's the one who just said that three more people are coming to see him here--" 

"Yes, our former detective has been proven to have misanalyzed, not three but one came. So, it's best if whatever he says from now on, don't believe it," said Jonathan feeling played by Samuel.

However, just as Jonathan said scornfully, the other two walked hurriedly towards them. "Are those two people you mean?" asked the old man pointing at the two people who were heading towards the four of them. Jonathan blinked, and Alena opened her mouth. "Who are they?" asked Jonathan. Samuel scratched his head, and he said honestly, "I don't know, there's no clue as to who they are, but I only saw the envelopes that were on their bodies. Jonathan and the old man together looked at the hand, but they didn't find the envelope there. "No kidding, they're just passersby who will come in front of us and ask where the restroom is," Jonathan said with a bored face. Samuel took the cell phone, then he spoke to himself, "Now the time, the game will be played." Everyone's eyes widened sharply as if everyone was asking, "What do you mean?"

"The two people came in a hurry, and they knew that the event would start soon, so they rushed here to ask if I also had the same invitation as them. When they saw the invitation was addressed to all the former members of CDA, the first person that came to their mind was me. It's possible that the news of me being dishonorably released in the CDA caused an uproar and tarnished the good name of the CDA so that the incident made an imprint on the memory of every CDA member. That's the reason they're here."

However, there was still something stuck in Jonathan's mind, and he quickly asked, "Then how do you know that the time is almost around the corner?" Alena and the old man looked at Samuel. "These two people," Samuel pointed at the Old Man and Alena alternately, possessing a strong intuition, they knew that they were the last to receive the invitation, therefore after calculating carefully, they knew that the time was near." Jonathan sighed. He looked very disappointed. "So this isn't a bullshit game. This sender promised us a good name. If we win this match, then our reputation will be restored. I'm sick of living under this curse!" said Jonathan. The other two stared at the empty street in front of them. Two other people were already standing in front of them. Samuel looked at the contents of his cellphone screen, and he read the message that a few hours ago came to his cellphone. "Five o'clock this afternoon." Damn, he cursed in his heart.