Chapter Two – the dead girl.
Outside the house, his car engine was revving. Nathan sighed, walking towards his driver, Whistle, who gave him a knowing look.
“I saw Stephanie storm out, you under estimated her. Your plan failed, didn’t it?” Whistle smirked.
“Rub it on my face later. Now, drive to Daisy street at Lock Chain estate. It’s time to execute my backup plan” Nathan shoved an address on Whistle's face.
The middle aged driver sighed tiredly and began driving. He arrived in front of the estate and Nathan jumped out of the car before he began receiving lectures.
“This plan would work. I’d get Stephanie. And I’d get the cash” Nathan said to himself, bouncing to the estate manger's office.
“Hello, Mr. Nathan” the estate manager, Chess, greeted with a ninety degrees bow. Nathan flung his hair dramatically but didn’t greet back.
“What do you need, sir?” a female secretary asked Nathan as he sat on her Manager’s chair.
Nathan rolled his eyes. She must be new here. If she knew who he was, she’d scamper anyway to ensure she didn’t get fired.
The manager, closing the office door Nathan left open, made a waving, signaling the secretary to leave. With that, she briskly walked away.
“How much is this estate?”.
The manager, taken aback, repeated Nathan's question, “How much is this estate?”.
Nathan looked up at him.
“Oh” the manager gasped. He began scratching his head nervously.
“You can’t… I mean, do you want to buy it?” he stammered, “It’s not for sale now as some folks plan to partner and buy it, sir”.
He stopped scratching and consciously avoided Nathan’s glare.
“And so?” Nathan sounded calm. Despite the intensity of his glares.
“Well,… I can’t really turn them down. But you can bid for the property. Pay double the price” the manager had just remembered that.
Lucky him that he came up with such an idea because no one tells CEO Nathan a flat no with no other options.
One can as well say bye-bye to big connections as he’d spoil your business image as incompetent. He was that powerful.
Nathan sat in silence. If his father knew that he wasted the company’s money buying an estate just to get a girl for a bet, he’d skin him alive.
Either ways, didn’t his father always say buying houses were investments? An estate should be an even bigger investment.
“Triple it. I’m buying” he slammed his hand on a table, jolting Chess. The small man nodded continuously, a greedy grin playing on his lips.
Nathan strutted out of the office and walked into his car. Whistle raised his brow at him from the rear mirror.
“What?”
“Should I drive you somewhere? From your facial expression you have done something you’d regret” Whistle smirked.
Nathan pouted, slowly closing his eyes. He pointed ahead at the road. Whistle started the car and drove ahead.
“Stop at house 46. Where Stephanie lives”.
Whistle frowned. Was he still going on with the bet? He watched him from the rear mirror again and found Nathan smiling to himself.
The elderly man smiled, perhaps the young man was going on with the bet for other reasons.
~~~
Stephanie found herself threading down a dark road. She struggled to take herself out of the dream but she couldn’t.
It always ended the same way, seeing a dead child. She ran to the door knob and tried pushing it. It was warm as if someone had walked in.
It was the first time she was running down the road, she usually just strolled. She peeked in and saw something she hadn’t seen before.
A woman strangling a little girl. The girl kept fighting and fighting, dragging the woman’s hands off. “Leave her alone” Stephanie yelled.
She seemed to be a ghost from another world as she could barely hear her own voice and the knocking on the door didn’t make a sound.
The girl stopped fighting, letting her hands fall. The woman then uses a knife and slits her throat. Stephanie is shuddered by the sight.
Why does she always dream of this? Why does it ways end like this! She came earlier but couldn’t do anything.
She felt herself returning to consciousness. She waited, looking back at the girl. She never looked back before. And saw something strange.
The girl rose her head, holding her neck in pain. She jumped down from the bed she was on and wiped off her bloodied neck, wincing.
Stephanie was astounded. She expected the girl dead after the strangles and cut on her neck. The girl fell on her bed, curling herself, crying.
Stephanie tried again bursting into the room but it didn’t open. That child needed help. She not dying only meant she was a survivor.
She was the same age as Stephanie's younger twin siblings and it bothered Stephanie. A bang on another door made Stephanie jump.
It was coming from outside her dream world. She didn’t want to leave just yet till she, at least, spoke with the child. But she was drawn out.
She yelled out of her dream, frustrated and sprang from her bed to her door. It better not be the newspaper man or the milk delivery boy.
Coming closer to the door, she felt her knees weakening. What were they scared off? She reached for a bat and held unto it.
Slapping the door open, she saw Nathan outside of it. She raised her bat to hit him but he fell backwards to the ground.
She was confused but amused, so much for his strong demeanor. Suddenly, a flash of memory came to her.
The same way that Nathan fell was how the little girl in her dreams died. And with the bloody slit on her throat had Nathan’s own scar!
She stumbled backwards as Nathan stood up. “Woman! Don’t do that again! I almost died” he barked. His forehead creased in anger.
Whistle stifled in his laughter watching them, he stopped laughing seeing Stephanie’s scared and shocked expression.
Nathan noticed it as well and cleared his throat, “Yes, I bet you’re surprised to see me” his voice was deep with rhythm, “But I’m here anyways”.
Exhaling and inhaling twice, Stephanie adjusted her stance, holding her bat firmly, “Are you really a business owner or pervert?”.
Nathan scoffed but he deserved it. He brought out his personal card void of his CEO status but it had his family name.
“Nathan Squeal. Fine, you’re for real but are you a business owner?” Stephanie asked again, “And why’d you ask me to sit on…”.
“I’m sorry. It came out wrong. I still have a job offer for you. Can we walk to my car?” Nathan interrupted, pointing at his car, parked.
She swallowed her remaining words, put on some slippers and shuffled towards the car. The car looked expensive.
Was it going to trap her in? Then she gets driven to a slaughter house. She gave him a threatening look but somehow, she trusted him.