CHAPTER 14
1162 Words
For several days, Keith was missing. I couldn’t contact him when I needed him the most. I regretted not signing. Where are you, Keith? Somehow, there was something about him that troubled me and I needed to know what’s disturbing my peace.
Just like the usual, I got earlier than my alarm clock. I did my routine and by six-thirty in the morning, I joined my Mom in the breakfast nook. She had her cereals and I had my hard-boiled eggs, banana, and milk.
“Mom, is there something going on with you?” I asked when I noticed that she put on red lipstick. It shouldn’t be an issue but she stopped wearing the red color after knowing that it’s Rachel’s favorite color. Her cheeks turned crimson red and my eyes became round when a realization hit me! “Are you dating?”
“Will you be mad if I’ll date someone?”
My brows automatically lifted when she responded with a question instead of providing an answer, a good answer actually. “Are you serious?”
“Yes! He made me feel whole again and even if he didn’t say the word yet, I knew that I’m special to him,” she responded.
“Isn’t it too soon to be attached to someone? I’m sure that you barely knew each other so it can just be an infatuation,” I explained that it’s not possible to fall in love easily.
“He’s different, Cassie,” she championed the unknown man but whoever it was, he was not allowed near my mom.
“Just be careful, Mom,” I warned her and she nodded her head in agreement. “Wait, why don’t you invite him for dinner?”
“Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Of course it is!”
Adrianna excused herself to call him and I shook my head in disbelief. She promised not to fall in love again but in the end, she did. I was slightly disappointed but I couldn’t confront her without knowing the guy first.
I saw her laugh while talking to him on the phone and I should be happy that she’s happy. How come it wasn’t the case?
I was annoyed and disappointed!
As soon as I got inside my room, I stripped off my clothing and proceeded to the bathroom to shower. The dust from the warehouse made my skin itchy and I had to feel clean again. Since dinner would be served at seven, I had a limited time to take a bath. Instead of relaxing in a bathtub full of scented water, I opted for a quick shower instead. I just scrubbed my body with the milk salt from Thailand and I felt clean after rinsing it with water.
Whenever there’s a visitor for dinner, I had to dress accordingly, and it had been a rule ever since. The pink satin gown with a long slit that would almost reach my V-area caught my eye. I took it from the closet and placed it on top of my bedding.
Layer by layer, I applied the skin moisturizer before spraying my favorite scent. After blow-drying my long and brown hair, I began to apply some make-up. Just a simple make-up would do but I tend to overdo it.
All of a sudden, the door opened and I jumped on my toes when I saw Keith coming inside. The shock of seeing him inside my bedroom was overwhelming that I completely forgot about my nudity. I strolled towards him and glared at the man for trespassing!
“You have no business coming here, Keith!”
Keith looked up to the ceiling before opening his mouth to speak. “The dress will look good on you,” he said and that’s the time I remembered I had nothing on!
“Get out!”
Keith chuckled at my reaction and I didn’t care! In the first place, he had no business coming to my room. “Get out right now or you will regret it big time,” I warned him.
“Okay, but please hurry up. Dinner is ready,” he replied.
It was at that moment when I realized that he was the guy whom my mother spoke on the phone. “Who invited you? We have a visitor and you are not welcome here, Keith.”
“I am the visitor,” he replied.
When my suspicion was confirmed, I retrieved the bathrobe I used earlier and put it on. “Why are you doing this, Keith?” I asked in frustration.
“If I can’t get your help, then maybe your mother can.”
“So it’s about the contract!”
“Now you know,” he answered.
“What do you want from me, Keith?”
“I’ve already told you that I need your help in solving the murder cases,” Keith replied. “Do you like to sign the contract now?”
For a moment, I stared at the document, and then I looked up at Keith. He didn’t move an inch. “I had no that you can be ruthless and a bully. How dare you bully a twenty-one-year-old woman into helping you? Do you want to destroy my life?”
“Look at the brighter side, Cassie. With your help, we can prevent another murder from happening. Aren’t you worried that your mom can be the next target? Take a look at that,” he shoved a folder into my hand and I was confused!
“What is this?”
“Open it,” he ordered.
My hands fumbled in opening the folder and I was surprised to see several photos of dead women. “Can you explain this s**t right now?” I demanded an explanation after he forced me to watch those horrible photos.
“A serial killer is roaming around and that person’s target is a young woman like you! After seeing those photos Cassie, didn’t you feel bad for those girls?”
“Do I have to feel bad?” I replied with a question. After all, I had no idea who those girls were. Yes, they were all dead, but it wasn’t my fault that they died. I wondered why he glared at me.
“Are you that heartless that you can’t feel anything for them? “
“Correction, Keith. I’m not heartless, I just don’t care about them. Can you tell me why should I care about those girls?”
“Because they’re all members at The Perfect Mistress,” he said.
- Writer
