She knew what her statement would do.
When Steve jerked and the driver almost slammed the break, she was not surprised. Although they are living in the twenty-first century, "big" families had strict restrictions on who their children can love.
What she said will be interpreted as a slur and the punishment is— death.
Sweet, sweet, death!
'Come on, Lion Man! Get offended!'
She waited.
But Leander was not reacting to it.
'Come on! Use your gun! Pull the trigger right between my eyes!'
She leaned closer to him. "Your brother was an easy target. But…"
She smiled seeing his jaws clenching. With an annoying smirk, she waited for some more time hoping he would get angry.
But the slow passage of time only made him relaxed and not angry.
"Did you fall for me at first sight just like your brother did? Is that why you are protecting me?" She spoke. This time her tone was laced with impatience.
But he was looking ahead with no ripples on his face.
He was receiving a lot of phone calls. And yet he didn't even move an inch. He stayed silent, like a statue.
She knew she was losing to him. She had lost precious time. They've already left the city.
The child lock was on and there is no possibility that she could open the door or the window. The only weapons that were visible to her are the blade that was stuck on his shoulder and the gun Leander was having on his lap. Steve and the driver will be having weapons too.
'Think… How can you escape in this situation?'
The blade is useless. It is stuck. She didn't think she could get the gun from Leander's hands.
But she can cause a distraction.
She can make the car swerve and cause an accident. But this car… she knew the safety precautions would be top-notch, especially for the back seats.
It won't work out.
She could see the Neolith Bridge right up ahead. She didn't have much time. She refused to get r*ped. Her heart pounded.
"Ugh!" she clutched her chest. Her breathing got labored. "I can't breathe… I can't breathe…" she tapped the driver's seat.
A layer of perspiration formed on her forehead as she grabbed her throat. "The window…open… please…" she said amidst panting for breath and coughing. Her voice was coarse and she wheezed as she spoke.
The car slowed down. And the driver looked at Leander. Steve saw the unwavering look on Leander and gestured for the driver to keep moving.
"Please… Please…"
Leander answered a call. "Then stop it from going viral!" he shouted and ended the call. He then punched the seat in front of him.
Viviana, unfazed by the frightening roar, patted the window and the back of the driver's seat. She was coughing incessantly and even in that situation; she smiled knowing that the picture of Evander stuffed with his d*ck in his mouth is going viral.
But her smile did not last long.
Her face became red and then turned to shades of blue. The frequency of her cough increased, and a gurgling noise was heard from her throat. She sounded like she was suffocating.
Leander turned to look at her. Her face was wet with tears and snot. He clenched his fists. "Do it," he commanded the driver.
The window near Viviana's side rolled down immediately. A happy glint shone in Viviana's eyes.
"No, not her side! My side!" Leander shouted and tried to grab Viviana who jumped on the seat.
The driver panicked and before rolling up the window by Viviana's side, he rolled down the window by Leander's side.
That little confusion was enough for Viviana to jump out of the car.
"No, stop!"
Leander could only grab the tie of her robe before she leaped out of the car like an arrow released from a bow. The car came to a sudden stop, and he hit his shoulder on the front seat as the inertia hit him.
His grip loosened because of the pain.
He tried to hold on to the tie of her robe, but he let out a howl as it slipped through his fingers.
His heart pounded on his fingertips. And with his eyes wide, he watched the woman with the most bothersome eyes he has ever seen leaving his grasp.
*Ding*
He heard her head hit on the metal railing of the bridge and she fell down the bridge.
"No!"
He screamed and alighted from the car. He ran to the railing and peeked down. Like a ragdoll, she was falling freely into the gushing river fifty feet below. With her white robes fluttering, she looked like a falling angel.
He looked closely to see if she had fainted. She won't survive the fall if she has fainted. She might get seriously injured falling from this height. The river is cold, and she would drown or die of hypothermia.
Steve followed his boss and he saw the falling woman.
"Capo, what should we do?" Steve asked.
Leander stood straight and looked at Steve. He was holding a gun rather nervously in his hand. Leander searched for his gun. He was not having it. He must have dropped his gun and run to the bridge.
All his life, he never forgets his gun. It is mandatory for his protection, and he made it a habit to hold a gun all the time.
But now…
He cleared his throat.
"Let's go…" Leander got the gun from Steve's hand and walked to the car.
Dangerous…
That woman is dangerous…
-------
Viviana only remembered that she jumped out of the moving car. And then there was a sharp pain in her head and then she remembered the rushing river. She couldn't move her limbs.
But that doesn't matter because she was not planning on using them once she reached the river. Plus, this river is toxic as f*ck. She won't survive.
She didn't know if it was luck or what but something heavy fell in the river breaking her fall. And thus, she escaped breaking bones from a fall that high.
*Gasp*
As she came in contact with the cold water of the river, she gasped, and without knowing she breathed in water. And then she sank.
She saw the blurry surface of the water that reflected the rays of the beautiful sun. Around her was a mist of red. She figured that the wound in her head must be bleeding. She was washed in the current of the river. It was oddly satisfying, the gentle rocking.
Water is indeed motherly for she felt wrapped in the river.
Submerged in the river, she vaguely saw the bridge she jumped from. On the bridge, she saw a screeching owl. And that owl charged straight at her.
Finally! Death!
She closed her eyes and thanked the people who made her stay in this world worthwhile. She had no regrets. She was happy to leave the earth. She was so happy that the burning feeling in her chest felt like nothing.
It should have been the end of it all. She was never an ardent believer in the concept of life after death, but she always comforted herself that she will one day see Lucifer in person.
So maybe she will wake up to getting burned in hellfire...?
But what she couldn't figure out was the prickling pain in her back. The screeching owl she saw sometime before was sitting on her. And then there was a bright streak of a blue light ray.
'No! It can't be...'
She was told by someone that whenever archangel Michael appears, there would be a streak of the blue light ray. And St. Michael will appear to aid those who are in need of protection.
'I don't need your protection, Michael! Go away!'
She tried to sway her hand. But she couldn't move. Her vision blurred to nothing. She could not bear the burning feeling in her chest.
"Come on, breathe… Breathe…"
She heard a low rumbling voice in her ear. On her lips, she felt something soft and warm. And there was excruciating pain in her chest cavity.
She should be dead! Why is she feeling…anything?
*Cough* *Cough*
She started coughing. Her head hurt and so did her entire body.
"That's it… that's it… breathe…"
The same voice that was filled with desperation and care, kept on repeating.
'The owl… where is it? Come on, take me, death! Leave me alone, Michael!'
A tear drop rolled from the corner of her eye. She blacked out once again.