Chapter 6:
1039 Words
Evelyn returned to the casino, where Aliva and her husband were chatting.
New tables, chairs, and repaired walls adorned the casino. The owner felt better, ready to reopen for business, setting the opening date for the weekend.
The owner, revitalized, went to make tea, calling Evelyn to steam some buns for Aliva, who hadn’t had lunch yet.
Evelyn brought out the hot buns, hearing Aunt Susan say, “Maybe you didn’t give enough, so they didn’t take it?”
Aliva replied, “Not enough? A bunch of liquor, cigarettes, and ten thousand dollars in gift cards—totaling tens of thousands. They still refused!”
Aliva ran a three-star hotel near Tumessa. Recently, she heard the police department wanted to hold a banquet, but because of delays from holiday renovations, the guesthouse wasn’t ready, so they opted for a hotel. Extravagant hotels weren’t chosen. Coincidentally, a classmate of Aunt Susan held a prominent position in the department. Aliva hoped to leverage this connection but found the official unimpressed by bribes. Aunt Susan, puzzled, said, “Wasn’t he honest before? Years ago, I gave him a lot to get a promotion for my son. Now he refuses money!”
Evelyn listened quietly, pouring tea and occasionally doing the books, thinking about delivering food to the old house that night and feeling a headache. When had she become a cook?
Outside the old house, a man kept watch. Hearing Jayce was in the gym, he waited in the living room for half an hour before Jayce came downstairs.
Jayce sat on the sofa, lifting his shirt to change the bandage, and asked, “What’s the matter?”
The man with glasses replied, “Today, there was news about that rival service company.”
Jayce nodded. The wound on his abdomen was healing. As he toyed with the bandage, he gave a few low-voiced instructions.
That night, a heavy rainstorm hit. It hadn’t rained in nearly a month since the end of the previous year. Thunder rumbled incessantly, and Evelyn, cursing the weather, walked to the old house with the food container. The kitchen smoke frustrated her, feeling more burdened than when serving tea at the casino. Lost in thought, she pondered ways to escape the task, but then the power abruptly shut off.
In the darkness, with the storm howling, all of Tumessa was plunged into complete blackness. Evelyn couldn’t see anything. It was rare to experience such darkness in the city. It’s pitch black in this old, seemingly moldy place. When a flash of lightning lit up the sky, she saw the empty road ahead. Biting her lip, she clutched the food container and umbrella, pulled out her phone, which had no flashlight function, and struggled to make out anything in its dim light.
Evelyn heard the power lines crackle, understanding the outage was widespread. Struggling against the rain, she shouted, “Help!” Searching for signs of life, she found none. Suddenly, headlights pierced the storm, and she recognized the license plate. Three curtained cars were parked in the old house’s yard, a tight squeeze. Evelyn, delivering food twice daily, had memorized the plates. One of those cars was now here.
Evelyn had experienced a blackout when she first arrived in Tumessa, because of road repairs. Power had quickly returned. Tonight’s lightning likely struck a power line. She cursed her luck, remembering the call from the old house asking her to deliver food an hour later than usual. Had it been the regular time, she’d already be home. Evelyn trudged on, hoping for light.
A glimmer appeared ahead, blurry in the rain but unmistakably flashlight beams. Despite the downpour’s roar, she heard voices. Overjoyed, Evelyn quickened her pace. The flashlight's beams hit her face, making her squint. As she adjusted, she heard excited shouts and footsteps rushing her way. She saw three men’s faces vaguely and instinctively knew something was wrong. Remembering the aggressive men from New Year’s night, she turned and ran, hearing curses confirming her fear. She sprinted harder.
The heavy rain and strong wind made the umbrella cumbersome. Evelyn realized she couldn’t outrun the three men chasing her. The rain pelted her face and body, so she threw away the food container and the umbrella, ignoring her blurry vision, and kept thinking about how long it would take to reach safety. Their umbrellas and flashlights hindered the three men, shouting threats and increasing their speed,, preventing them from catching up to Evelyn. Seeing her discard her items, they did the same, raising their flashlights and yelling angrily, “Stop, or I’ll kill you!”
Evelyn heard them clearly, but couldn’t waste time wiping the rain from her face. She struggled to run through the downpour, her mouth open, letting in icy wind and rain. She shouted, “Help!” continuously looking back, hoping someone would hear her, but there was no one. In her fear, headlights suddenly illuminated the storm. She recognized the license plate. In the old house’s yard, three curtained cars were parked, making the small yard crowded. Evelyn, delivering food twice a day, had memorized the plates, and now one of those cars was here!
Feeling like she found a lifeline, Evelyn sped up, not realizing the headlights had suddenly turned on rather than approaching from afar. She reached the car, panting, and wiped her face, seeing Jayce in the driver’s seat.
Jayce had arrived along this road, waiting for a long time.
Yesterday, Jayce received three pieces of information from the man with glasses. Firstly, there will be a blackout at 6:30 PM tonight.
Norman believed the previous negotiation made the opposition retreat, but Wei Tong Tao disagreed. They dared to target Evelyn. After the previous humiliation, they wouldn’t let it go. They cleverly chose a rainy night for their move, causing a blackout, making it dark and rainy, faces unclear, and no evidence. This service company could do anything!
Jayce watched Evelyn knock on the car window, the beautiful girl now soaked, her face covered in rain, even her small lips wet and miserable.
"Mr. Smith!" she shouted, trying to open the rear door, finding it locked. She knocked on the front door, urgently saying, "Someone's chasing me, let me in!"
- Writer
