Villainous Mafia Boss Next Door

Chapter 4: Bitter Sweet Chocolates

Chocolates.

White, milk, brown, black.

And there are still a lot more different varieties which you could greatly enjoy. They are also famous and overused flavorings to many delicacies.

They are also famously used worldwide by a lover to please or pursue his/her love.

Also, kids simply love them because of their sweet tooth.

And the favorite brings home for anyone who arrived recently from other places or countries.

Celene was also fond of them when she is still somewhat free. They are even her favorites.

Who doesn't like them? She guessed everyone does love chocolates.

But can anyone still like chocolates if the cause of their suffering is about them?

Celene couldn't find any more reason to eat chocolates after being brought to a certain place.

One month had passed since Celene, Liza, and Carlo started their work on the cacao plantation. Liza was the little girl, who still thought that she was still being kidnapped. While Carlo was the sarcastic boy who always argued before. The two five-year-old kids that were with Celene.

Celene found this kind of plantation from the man who beats her when she committed any mistakes.

As she looked at her hands, it was full of wounds and blisters now both old and new.

From what she observed on the plantation, kids of every age are working non-stop here. They just kept swinging their machetes here and there all the time. They are expressionless and almost blank, and they really rarely talk. The only sounds in the still air that she could hear are from the blades. They slice through the tall grass and the metallic pings as they make contact with something harder.

From 5:00 am 'till late at night around 10 pm, harvesting, smashing, and cutting beans is all they do. Now Celene knows why the place they are staying is not maintained well.

Who has the thought and time for that? When their small bodies are already dead tired from work and most of the time they were hungry and starving too. The only food they got is a few bananas if they are lucky and sometimes they got nothing.

"I don't want to stay here anymore. This is not the life I want. I missed my home" Liza cried as soon as they finished their work late that night.

Celene didn't know what kind of crazy thing made her think like this but for the second time, she is the one who spoke first to Liza.

"Let's escape from here," Celene said in a soft voice so nobody could hear her aside from the two that are with her now. But it's still useless since most of their roommates still heard them.

Both Liza and Carlo looked at Celene.

"E-escape?" Liza asked as she looked confused at Celene.

"How? The place is very guarded." Carlo also asked while raising his right eyebrow.

Liza and Carlo, both looked so weary and very thin compared to the first time they arrived here. Maybe that is also the reason why Celene for the first time in her life, wants to do something for herself and for others. Plus unlike the orphanage, aside from slaving to work, they could move more freely outside rather than being confined in a metal room.

"This past two weeks, I've memorized the night shifts of guards here. Here is my plan and I absolutely need your cooperation." Celene then came closer to them as she whispered her plan.

Unbeknownst to them, there were also others who heard them and started listening to them. It was no other than their roommates.

There were around fifteen children here of different ages ranging from 8-12. And the three could not see them clearly at night because there is no decent light in this place.

The older ones who heard them just ignore it. And thought that someone will get a harsh beating soon. Since when they are new here, they also tried to escape but they always got caught up so it's all useless. They just finally give up in the end.

A boy whose eyes are closed and leaning on the wall, carefully listened to what the three new arrivals are talking about. Though even if they talk very quietly but still since this is a closed space, some of their words could still be heard especially by those that are near them.

'It's a unique plan from all the things he has heard and seen before.' He thought.

Celene being a bookworm since she was much younger than three since that's what her father always wants her to do and her grandma pushed her. Even if she couldn't understand many words in her young mind she still does her best because she wants her father to praise her and gets his attention. Just like the time when her father sees her reading some complicated book like the encyclopedia. Added to that some little knowledge now was her past life.

Her father thought that she was reading it but in truth, she was just looking at the pictures.

"Incredible. My daughter, you are reading some complicated books there. Great! That is what every child should do." Her father said as he patted his head off Celene and then went back to his room after that.

Hearing those words the once naive young Celene was so delighted to hear her father's first praise and finally took a real interest in reading so she literally read every book on the bookshelves of their house and watched on Youtube those she couldn't understand. Sometimes she also asked their house cleaner for help. She hopes that her father would praise her again and give her some attention.

All of this was when she was three. But the praise and attention she wanted to get never happened again. A fire erupted in their whole house one night. She managed to get out. But her father who is still in his room never made it out alive.

When she lived with her aunt, reading books has already become her hobby. 'If I think about it, my mind is quite something being able to study at a such young age even without my past memories.' Celene thought in wonder.

Since she never went to school too unlike her cousins she focused on learning from every book that her aunt has in their house. She even taught her cousins and do their homework sometimes because of her intelligence. Now with some knowledge, she gained plus her past life memories, and how they could move more freely around the plantation.

This was the chance that Celene was looking for.

"A fire... We will set a fire here."

Celene said finally. Liza and Carlo look at her more confused.

The boy who was listening to her opened his eyes in surprise.

Celene just looked at them and then continue to speak her plan. After a few minutes, of explaining her plans, Liza and Carlo looked at her in confusion. Though it was more like Liza was the one confused, and Carlo seemed to get the gist of it. Seeing that they were just five years old, Celene even tried to explain it, in a simpler way than they would get.

"What? if you have much better ideas than that then speak." Celene sighed, seeing there was no response to all the things she had said.

But both Carlo and Liza just shook their heads.

"No. Let's do that." Carlo spoke.

Liza nodded her head to Celene too.

"Then that settles, we will escape from here tomorrow night."