Steffany'S pov
>S&J coffee and ice cream cafe<<
The ride was fast and short, because I wouldn't stop urging the driver to drive faster, nanny Grace kept demanding for the delicious food I promised her.
"Thank you" I thanked the driver after paying him, he eyed nanny Grace disgustingly before driving off.
He must be wondering why I would help someone like her, well, she's the mom I didn't have and I can't abandon her on the streets, right?
"Come on, there's food inside" I told her.
"There's food?" I nodded. "Delicious food?" I nodded again.
She grinned widely, then started jumping and clapping her hands in excitement, like a 2 years old kid that was awarded a candy after getting a quiz right. Oh, nanny Grace, what happened to you?
"Alright, nanny Grace, come on, let's go inside" I told her.
She stopped clapping, but didn't stop grinning. Then she walked in with me.
Divya's right, the cafe is packed to the extent that some customers had to stand while drinking their coffees or eating their ice creams -who eat ice cream in the morning?
I guess only weird people like me!
Few heads turned and glanced at nanny Grace as we entered the cafe, but I ignored their stares and headed towards Divya at the cashier desk, she's busy with calculations.
I cleared my throat to get her attention.
"You're finally here and..." she trailed off.
Her eyes zeroed on nanny Grace who held my hand tightly, she wasn't grinning any more and her expression has changed, she's looking around in fear as if someone's gonna grab her or something.
"Whoa, who's she?" Divya asked, with her eyebrows knitted together in a confused frown.
"She's nanny..."
"Quick, get me outta here, get me outta here, get me outta" nanny Grace chanted in a panicked voice as she tugged my arm.
Her eyes were frantically looking around, there's an obvious fear and...is that guilt I see in her eyes?
"Nanny Grace, are you ok?" I asked.
"Get me out, out, get me out" she was hiding behind me at this moment.
Her action has started drawing more attention towards us, I smiled apologetically at the customers and turned back to Divya.
"I should take care of her first, I'll tell you everything later" I told her.
Divya simply nodded. I grabbed nanny Grace's hand, then pulled her with me towards the backwards and whispering soothing words in her ear along the way.
>><<
>>30 Minutes Later<<
"She's finally asleep" I groaned as I pulled out a stool and sat next to Divya at the cashier's desk.
Divya tilted her head and saw nanny Grace sleeping on a bed, there's a small room attached to the cafe.
My intention of renting a shop with an attached room was simple, I'd spend the night there whenever it's too late and I can't get a cab home -but I haven't used the room since I started my cafe.
"The morning rush is over" I stated as I looked around the cafe.
My fully packed cafe is now looking like a deserted island, it seemed like everyone's gone to their various workplaces or schools.
"Yeah" Divya answered. "Alright, can you tell me who she is now? How did you encounter her?" she asked nodding towards nanny Grace.
I briefly glanced at nanny Grace too.
"That's nanny Grace, she was our matron at the orphanage... "
"What?!" she exclaimed with her eyeballs almost bulging out. "Nanny Grace? Isn't she supposed to be dead?!"
Her reaction is understandable, after all, I told her about i and Justin's story of our lives at the orphanage and how we lost nanny Grace.
"I mean, you told me she's dead, why is she alive now?" she asked again.
I shrugged my shoulders cluelessly.
"I don't know what's going on too" I coughed lightly. "We all thought she died in that earthquake, but apparently she's didn't die and she's been living in chicago all these years" I sighed deeply.
Silence fell on us as I was deeply lost in my thoughts,Divya on the other hand was just staring at nanny Grace.
"I don't think she's been living fine, she looked kinda traumatized and mentally unstable" she said.
I nodded in agreement with her words, nanny Grace seemed to be scared of people staring at her and judging from her frightened expression earlier, I can tell someone's after her.
"Come to think of It, there's more to the earthquake that happened back then" I said.
"What do you mean? Aren't earthquakes natural occurrences?"
I shook my head.
"Yeah, but not this one" I paused. "I believe it's man made and someone must have done it to cover up a secret"
"A secret?" she chuckled as if she doesn't believe my logic. "What secret can possibly be in an orphanage?"
I shook my head again, but narrowed my eyes as a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
"I don't know what they're trying to hide, but it must have something to do with my husband, and nanny Grace knows something about it too" I nodded to myself. "She must know a lot about it, hence they wanted to silence her" I added.
Divya cleared her throat dramatically loud.
"Your husband, or you mean, your ex-husband?" she asked, placing her hands on her waist.
My brows furrowed as I tried to find words to defend myself, then I opened my mouth and started spouting whatever that came into my mind.
"He's not my ex-husband yet, he hasn't not signed the divorce papers, so, in other words, we're still legally married" I smirked victoriously.
Divya scoffed and waved me off.
"So, are you gonna tell him about her?"
"Uh..."
"What do you mean, uh? Don't tell me you're intending to keep her existence a secret from your husband!"
I rolled my eyes.
"Of course, not. I'll tell him, but it's gonna depend on if he's willing to let me in completely" I said.
"And when is that gonna be?"
"Maybe tonight" I replied.
Divya nodded.
Then she suddenly threw an arm around my shoulder, I groaned as she accidentally hit my chin and she muttered a quick sorry.
"I have good news, girlfriend"
"Oh?"
"I'm going on a date tonight" she said and giggled excitedly.
I shrugged her arm off me and walked towards the coffee machine to pour myself a cup of coffee.
"Tonight's date will make your fourth date this week, yet, you aren't satisfied with any of the guys" I grumbled.
"That's because my Mr Right isn't among them, I'll keep on searching until I find him" she said.
"You're just being a playgirl by doing that"
She laughed at my comment, but it's true.
Divya is worse than most playboys, she changes men as if she's changing her clothes and she's happy breaking their hearts. Like seriously, I don't understand how I managed to make friends with someone as heartless as her.
"I'm not a playgirl"
"You are"
"I'm not"
"You are"
"I'm not" I guess we're gonna keep arguing about this until a customer will come in.
♣♣♣♣♣
THIRD PERSON'S pov.
>>An isolated estate<<
Justin drove into a compound, he stopped the car right in front of a big mansion and quickly alighted to get the door for Mr Bieber.
Mr Bieber alighted the car too, he looked at the mansion standing proudly in front of him and released a sigh.
Looking at the mansion made his mind flashed back to the first time he was brought here, it was after he had just signed a contract with Norman's record and he was brought here to show him to the real boss.
Another scene also flashed back to his mind, it was the second time he came here, that was after his first mission and although it was a successful operation, he was completely soaked in blood and was scared of going home to face his wife, he could only come here for shelter -that was his first kill.
"Mr Bieber, are we going inside?" Julius asked, interrupting his flashbacks.
Mr Bieber cleared his throat, adjusted his suit and nodded.
"Let's go" he said.
>><<
Mr Bieber smirked when he entered the living room and saw the big boss standing by the window, Mr Bieber's let his eyes roam around and they landed on the small pistol Mr Liam was holding and his smirk widened.
He looked around, Mr Liam's men stood attentively as though they're ready for anything.
"I heard you wanted to see me" Mr Bieber stated.
"I heard you're planning on quitting" Mr Liam replied..
Mr Bieber chuckled, he showed himself to a sofa and dipped his hand in his pocket.
"I have quitted" Mr Bieber corrected him.
Mr Liam turned and aimed his pistol at Mr Bieber,but before he could pull the trigger, Mr Bieber's already pulled out his own pistol and fired at Mr Liam's right thigh.
Mr Liam's men quickly reached for their guns and was ready to fire at Mr Bieber, but Mr Liam stopped them and slightly leaped towards a sofa.
"You're still three points faster than me" Mr Liam said.
"You're still three points slower than me" Mr Bieber replied tauntingly and kissed his pistol.
Mr Liam popped a champagne, he poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Mr Bieber.
"I'm afraid you can't quit yet" Mr Liam said.
"Oh? Really? Don't tell me I've made a deal with the devil"
"Of course, not"
"Good then. I can quit and I have quit" Mr Bieber smiled tightly.
Mr Liam took a sip from his wine.
"Then what if I tell you we've found the person you've been looking for, are you still gonna quit?"
Mr Bieber stared at Mr Liam who was smirking, then Mr Bieber suddenly burst into fits of laughter, he laughed loudly as if he's just heard the funniest joke of the year.
"Don't worry, seal your lips and don't give me a hint who he is, I'll search for him myself and I will find him and end him!"
"Justin, you're making a big mistake by quitting and..."
"I didn't come here to negotiate with you" Mr Bieber interrupted him. "I just wanna make myself clear, I've left your organization and I'm not gonna come back, it's better you stop disturbing me and my wife!"
That being said, he got up and headed towards the door, but suddenly stopped.
"Right, don't forget to treat your wound" then he head out.
Mr Liam clenched his jaw and glared at the door, with his fists balled tightly.
"Are you just gonna let him quit just like that, Mr Liam?" One of his men asked.
"No" he reached for a photo under the table and stared at it with a smirk. "Arrange some men, they should act like a rival organization and attack him"
"Sir?"
"Yes, make the attack real, I want a real gun battle and a few wounds on him, that would make him willingly come back to us"
"Yes, sir"
♣♣♣♣♣
Steffany'S pov.
>>S&Jcoffee and ice cream cafe, 06:30pm<<
We were getting ready to close, when the bells chimed and a man walked in. I can tell he's one of Justin's bodyguards.
"Good evening, Mrs Bieber" he greeted me.
"Good evening" I replied him.
"Mr Bieber assigned me to bring you to him" he said.
I scoffed mentally, he couldn't even come to pick me up personally.
"Mrs Bieber?" he called.
"Oh, uh... I'm still trying to..."
"You're not trying to do anything" Divya cut me off. "Go on" she snatched my bag from the counter and shoved it in my arms, then started pushing me towards the door.
"What are you doing? And where did you pop out from? Aren't you supposed to be in the toilet?"
"I won't be in the toilet forever, darling" she replied.
I rolled my eyeballs and shook my head.
"Don't forget to drop some food in her room, don't forget to lock her door from outside too and..."
"I know what to do, mom, now go on, dad's waiting" she said.
I sighed, but quietly followed Justin's bodyguard since I have no idea what to say to her at the moment.
>><<
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked as I alighted the car.
After driving for what felt like hours, we finally stopped but I realized we're near a big sea, and I couldn't help the silly scenarios that ran through my head.
What if this isn't Justin's bodyguard? What if he brought me here to kill me? I was panicking inside until...
"My Queen" I heard Justin's voice.
He snaked his arms around my waist and hugged me from behind, then kissed my exposed shoulder.
"What are we doing here?" I asked.
"To have a yatch ride" he answered.
"A yatch ride?" he nodded. "But I don't see one" I said looking at the sea.
"That's because you're not looking the right direction"
He turned my head right and I couldn't control myself, I released a loud squeal.
"A yatch!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Is it yours?" I asked, even though I already guess it belongs to him.
"It's yours"
"Mine?"
"Yeah, yours" he answered.
My eyes grew wide and my mouth fell open, I was so excited to the extent that I couldn't any sound.
But a thought crossed my mind, my expression changed drastically and I eyed Justin suspiciously.
"Hold on, are you trying to buy me off with this? Aren't we supposed to be talking about you?"
He laughed.
"Well, we're gonna be talking about me while riding on your yatch"
"Can't we talk on land? Why are we having this conversation on water?"
He unwrap his arms from my waist, took my hand and started pulling me with him towards the yatch.
"To make it easy for me"
"To make what easy for you?" I asked.
"I'm just gonna throw you into the sea, in case you overreact after learning the truth about me" he said.
I know he was only bluffing, but I couldn't help imagining the scene and scaring myself.
He laughed at my scared expression, which earned him a punch from me and he shut up instantly.
"Stop scaring yourself, my Queen, I wouldn't try that even in my most wildest dream" he said leading me into the yatch.
>><<
"Wow, a candlelight dinner" I smiled and nodded slowly. "It's quite romantic"
The atmosphere is very romantic and spectacular, it seemed as if the stars and moon are shining brightly above us, I don't know how Justin made it possible.
He pulled out a chair for me and I sat down, he followed suit, then handed me a bouquet of roses. Is this my Justin? Isn't this an indirect date?
I gasped mentally as a realization dawned on me, he's tricked me into going on a date with him.
A man who seemed to be in his early forties came to our service.
"Good evening, Mr and Mrs Bieber" he greeted us, but was mainly smiling at me. "I'm Edwardo Mills, and I'll be your butler tonight"
"Oh, thank you" I thanked him since I don't know what to say to him.
He simply smiled in return.
"Edwardo serve the food" Justin told him.
"Yes, sir" Edwardo replied then headed off somewhere.
Not up to five minutes, Edwardo came back pushing a trolley with different kinds of foods, meats and drinks. My greedy stomach growled at the sight, which made Edwardo sniffled a laugh.
"Don't tell me you haven't eaten since lunch"Justin said.
"I haven't" I replied licking my lower lip that suddenly went dry.
He glared at me before turning to Edwardo.
"Hurry, my wife's hungry" he urged Edwardo
I couldn't wait for Edwardo to finish serving the food before I started eating, Justin sighed and shook his head.
"Better stop starving yourself or you'll end up having stomach ulcers"
I ignored him and continued munching on the food.
>>Few minutes later<<
We're halfway through when I recalled the reason we're here, then I reached for a glass of water and took a few gulps before speaking.
"So...?" I trailed off, but he understood what I mean.
He stopped eating, reached for a tissue and cleaned his hands and mouth, then leaned back on his chair.
"Where should I begin?" he asked rhetorically.
"Let's start with...why did you come to our orphanage? Are you an orphan like me?" I asked.
He stared at me for a moment, took a deep breath and shook his head slowly.
"Originally I wasn't supposed to end up in the orphanage, it all started when.... "