The sound of the alarm pierced through the early morning silence like a shrill cry for help, jolting Katherine awake from her slumber. She sprang from the bed, the covers falling away as she flung her feet over the edge, her toes sinking into the plush carpet beneath them.
"Shit!" she muttered, realizing she overslept. She hastily ruffled her hair, her eyes flitting from the clock to her friend's still-slumbering form. "Mia, wake up!"
"Geez, keep it down," mia mumbled, "haven't woken up yet" as she shuts her eyes.
"Shit!, you set your alarm to an 8:30, 8:30-"
"what's so bad about that, pretty face doesn't come that easily, I need sleep"
"great, I'm late-" Katherine says as she rushed to the bathroom
"And I'm jobless, have fun-" her words was cut short when Katherine threw her flip-flop on her "ow, what was that for, that's bullying and unfair"
"if I get to work late, I swear-"
"And I love you too Trina"Mia said smiling at her.
The sun's rays flooded the apartment, casting warm, golden light across the room. Katherine emerged from the bathroom, still toweling off her hair, and was greeted by a delightful aroma that wafted through the air. Her stomach rumbled in approval, but she tried to ignore it, attempting to maintain her stern front.
"Mia, if this is another one of your--" she started, pausing abruptly as she caught sight of the kitchen table. There, Mia sat, with a steaming pot of coffee and an impressive spread of breakfast foods.
"I made breakfast, to apologize, you know cause-"
Katherine faltered, her eyebrows knitting together in surprise. As she begins to dig in.
"you sure do know how to say 'I'm sorry' in the most delicious way possible," she said, reaching for another strip of bacon.
Mia grinned, her eyes dancing with mischief. "I figured I'd hit you where it counts: plus, it's 9:15 and....."
BOOM realisation hits her, "Gawd I hate you," as she rush to dress up.
"If you don't hurry up and get to work, we'll both be jobless," Mia teased, her tone playful yet still carrying the weight of her jobless predicament
***
Two weeks had passed since the dreadful encounter with Jonathan, and Mia's life had returned to its usual routine.
Like a stubborn stain that fades with time, the whole issue seemed to ebb away. Mia breathed easier, enjoying the carefree days that followed. Her mornings were filled with watching movies from the one thousand and one list of movies she has, while looking up online for a day job, and her evenings were at the red club where she works night shift.
It was as if Jonathan had never existed.
***
Mia, alone at the apartment, was happily curled up on the couch messed up with snacks, engrossed in a drama-filled movie marathon. The house was silent except for the soft sounds coming from the TV, the blissful peace interrupted only by the occasional crunch of popcorn and giggle.
But her moment was cut short when Mia's phone vibrated noisily beside her.
"Ugh, what now?" she groaned, rolling her eyes, as she lazily picks it up, but there was no voice heard making her to check who the unknown caller was
"Emilia", the familiar voice said
The familiar voice seemed to reverberate through Mia's skull, each syllable of her given name slicing into her soul. She froze, the world around her grinding to a halt as she registered the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Emilia?" she echoed in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "Gabriel"
For a split second, all she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears.
As the initial shock subsided, a wave of emotions began to wash over Mia like a tsunami. Fear, and confusion all battled for dominance in her mind, leaving her struggling to form a coherent thought.
"Gabriel?" she managed to stutter, her voice hoarse and shaky. "How did you get my number?"
The silence that followed seemed to stretch on for an eternity, until Gabriel voice finally emerged from the other end of the line.
"That's not a way to talk to your uncle, milia, where's the respect-"
"you ceased to be my uncle after what you did to me," mia Said, with hurt and anger in her voice, "and now you talk about respect, what do you want from me Gabriel, I have nothing left to give you"
"Don't be so dramatic, girl," Gabriel snarled, " you have a lot to give milia, and you should be grateful i took your sorry ass in after your parent left this world" he said making sure it sinks deep into mia, "now why don't you meet up with me this afternoon, and listen to what I want from you, I'll text you the address" he saids hanging up, giving her no room to object.
As Gabriel hung up, the silence in the apartment suddenly felt suffocating. Mia's blood boiled with fury, but beneath that anger, she could feel the icy tendrils of fear wrapping around her heart.
She sank onto the couch, feeling the weight of the world crushing down on her
Time seemed to stretch and slow, each second feeling like an eternity as Mia sat frozen on the couch, her mind racing through a thousand different scenarios.
She knew that going to meet Gabriel would be walking right into the lion's den, but she also knew that defying him would likely have catastrophic consequences.
She looked down at her phone, as if it were some kind of enemy, and then glanced at the clock. Her phone buzzed indicating a notification, which she clicked on, it was an address to a restaurant, an expensive one which confused her as to why her uncle booked a place like that.
Time flies as Mia got ready for her meeting with Gabriel in a daze, moving as if she was in a trance. She's dressed in a ripped out jeans, a lose shirt and a face cap, trembling with fear and nerves. But she knew she had to face whatever was coming her way, whether she liked it or not.
The sun was still high in the sky, but the afternoon heat was beginning to fade as Mia sat in the back of the cab. She gazed out the window, watching the city fly by in a blur of colors and shapes.
Despite the busy streets and the buzzing of the city around her, Mia felt completely alone. Her thoughts were a tangled web of questions, each more ominous than the last. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
As the cab pulled to a stop outside the restaurant, Mia was hit with a wave of reality. This was really happening, and she had no idea what to expect.
She paid the driver and stepped out into the street, her heart racing faster than the cars zooming past. The restaurant was a fancy, upscale place, with a doorman dressed in a tuxedo waiting to greet her.
Mia straightened her posture, taking a deep breath to steady herself as she approached the door. The doorman smiled at her, holding the door open as he said, "Welcome, madam.
As Mia walked into the restaurant, her eyes darted around the room in shock. The restaurant was completely devoid of customers except for her uncle, who sat alone at a table in the center of the restaurant.
Mia's heart raced in her chest as she approached the table.
"You look well," Gabriel said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he watched her carefully.
Mia only glared at him in annoyance, taking a seat across from her uncle. "I'm here now, what do you want Gabriel." she asked, doing her best to hide the fear and anger bubbling just beneath the surface.
Gabriel leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving her face. "why the haste, little niece, you know you've grown so well since the last time I saw you, and you look even more prettier" he said lustfully "just like your mother, God bless her soul" he ended doing the Catholic cross sign as mia stares at him in disgust.
"Cut the act, Gabriel," Mia said, her voice cold and controlled. "What is it that you want from me?"
Gabriel smirked, as if he could sense her discomfort. "Straight to business, I see, but the thing is I'm not the one who wants to meet with you-" his words was cut short when the door to the restaurant opened revealing Jonathan walking in with his PA Brandon and a lawyer.
"oh, you've got to be kidding me-"