The bell rang loudly, signaling the end of another day. Children shrieked in delight as they packed up their things in their bags. Lillian took off her apron and addressed the class.
"Remember to turn in your assignments by tomorrow!" she told them. "I'll deduct points if I don't get them on time!"
"Yes teacher!" the children exclaimed before scurrying out of the class. They were squealing in delight, eager to go home after another long day at school. Lillian smiled and proceeded to pack up her things as well. She glanced at the clock.
"Oh shit!" she muttered. "It's three o'clock already!"
She quickly cleaned the room and picked up her bag before hurrying towards the exit.
"Lillian!" Hannah called for her. "What's the hurry?"
"It's my dad's birthday!" Lillian sighed. "And the preparations aren't complete yet! I'll have to pick up the cake, the food and ugh!"
She was cursing herself for procrastinating so much. Her mother had nagged her to manage the balloons for the past two days but Lillian assumed she had plenty of time. Hannah shook her head and sighed.
"Let's go and grab all the stuff," she offered.
"Don't you have a date with your boyfriend?" Lillian asked.
"I've got time to kill," Hannah shrugged. "Let's go."
"Okay!" Lillian exclaimed happily. Both of them left the building together, chatting as they hailed a bus. After twenty minutes, they got off at the stop nearest to the city's largest mall.
"Woah!" Hannah's mouth gaped open. "I didn't know the city had a mall like this!"
She was ogling at the silicon laded walls around her which glittered under the bright afternoon sun. The dome like glass ceiling showed a clear blue sky while several shops displayed the latest products and trends. From high quality branded firms to medium range affordable items, the shops seemed to be selling it all.
"The person who owns this must be rich!" Hannah remarked.
"Probably," Lillian shrugged. She was unfazed by the galore because she was a regular customer of the art shop there.
"I'll need to pick up the balloons and decoration items from the fourth floor," she said. "Let's take the elevator."
Hannah nodded and they headed for the elevator. The mall was always quite packed with people who were either shopping or dining at one of the cafes upstairs. Lillian and Hannah had to struggle to get into an elevator, pushing through many people.
"It's hard to breathe in here!" Hannah hissed. They had been pushed against the elevator wall, both of them suffocating under the large crowd which had entered. Finally, the elevator reached the fourth level. Lillian and Hannah had to fight their way out before finally, they could breathe in fresh air.
"City crowds are crazy!" Hannah winced.
"You shouldn't take the subway in the morning then," Lillian chuckled. "Come on!"
She led the way to the art store from where she bought colors and some party decor crafts. They also checked out some clothes on the window displays, giggling or gushing over the styles.
"I think this one will suit you!" Hannah pointed at a high waist pink colored tennis skirt with a cream top. "It'll show off your sexy legs!"
"Isn't the color too bright?" Lillian frowned.
"So? They go with your legs!" Hannah told her. "Go and try it on! It'll look really good on you!"
"Alright," Lillian conceded and they entered the shop. At that moment, Hannah's phone rang up.
"It's my boyfriend!" she said. "You go on. I'll catch up."
"Hurry up!" Lillian told her. Hannah went outside to pick up the call.
Meanwhile, a group of men dressed in plain black suits were walking in unison. They seemingly looked like ordinary businessmen but upon closer look, they had strict and impassive expressions. All of them wore bluetooth earpieces and were following one man, their boss Lucas.
They were there to meet with Andre Kim. Lucas was the owner of the mall but kept his link to it a secret. Other than his role in the underworld, Lucas had a few business ventures which acted as his cover to freely conduct activities of the blackmarket.
He wore a grey overcoat with a dark shirt and pants. Some of the women were ogling at him, whispering to themselves as he passed by.
"That guy looks like a celebrity!" one girl whispered to her friend.
"Just look at that sharp jawline!" her friend squealed. Thomas, who was also with his boss, cleared his throat upon hearing the embarrassing comments. Lucas ignored everything else, his mind focused on the task in hand.
"Where is he?" he asked his consigliere. "You said that Andre Kim will meet us here today."
"Sir, he is on his way," Thomas replied. "I think he's stuck in traffic. I'll call him again."
Lucas nodded and took out his own phone. It had a message from his grandmother's doctor. He had requested Alice's reports and the doctor sent all the required documents. After studying it, Lucas could tell that his grandmother did not have much time left. At most, she had six months to live.
He went through the reports carefully, Alice's words still echoing in his head. She wanted him to get married but it was impossible for him to even entertain such a ridiculous notion. Lucas was typing a message to the doctor, walking ahead as he did so when someone crashed into him.
"Oh no!" a teenage girl squeaked "Mister, I'm so sorry!"
She had bumped into him, spilling the juice in her hand on his coat. Lucas scowled at the intrusion.
"I am so sorry!" the girl kept on apologizing. But Lucas glared at her, making the girl yelp and walk away. He was annoyed by her act and was glowering at his now stained coat. One of his men came rushing forward.
"Sir, are you alright?" the guard asked.
"I'm fine," Lucas said curtly. "I'll go and buy a jacket for now."
He took off his stained coat and handed it to the guard before heading towards one of the clothing shops. Upon entering a salesperson greeted him but he waved her off and ventured on his own.
Lucas walked towards the men's section and randomly took out a black coat. He stood in front of a large mirror to try it on when someone spoke up.
"I wouldn't take that if I were you."
He frowned at his reflection as another person appeared behind him, studying him with her green eyes. She looked as if she was stifling a laughter.
"I wouldn't take that if I were you," Lillian said, pointing at the coat. Lucas was so shocked that he did not even stop her when she grabbed his arm and turned him around, trying not to laugh.
"Unless, you like to be called a 'Gangsta Pleb'," she said, indicating the writing on the back of the coat.