Winow lost her appetite. She was extremely shaken to core by Hunter's antics . Suspicion begun to seed in her .
What if he had poisoned the dishes?
Winow didn't dare to touch the dishes. Her stomach churned. She was scared by Hunter's unpredictablity. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with such a madman .
" I have to go... it's getting time for my upcoming classes" Winow said , getting up from her seat .
" What about the lunch then ? " Hunter asked suddenly.
" I..I am fine...I will skip it . Bye " Winow hurriedly reply before exiting the VIP room .
.
.
The smile on Hunter's face quickly fell off as if it was never there , replacing with frown of disgust.
His change of expression was so quick that it scared the security guards who were were watching him through the security cam , standing behind the devil himself, Deon Cosmov.
" GUARDS!! " Hunter yelled startling everyone. The room started to flood in with the bodyguards wearing all black outfits , entering through the door Winow exited by .
" Throw all this away. Sanitize the room . And burn the car . Prepare a new outfit and room where I can take bath. " Hunter commanded , his voice deep and serious.
The bodyguards couldn't believe what they were hearing. Did their boss just said to burn the 80 million dollars car out of nowhere? But who were they to question. They obediently followed his commands.
" Seems like your act has fallen, Hunter . Weren't you acting all friendly and nice to her ? " Deon smirked approaching Hunter who was feeling all dirty and unhygienic.
" Roaches like her deserved to be crushed under my boots . I am just tolerating her because of our bet and the project. Otherwise, I would have skinned her alive and dumped her into acid tanks , from a long time ." Hunter replied getting up from his seat.
" Once I am done with this bet , I will torture her to the point she will be begging for death " He let out a maniacal laugh. Deon too joining him in his wickedness .
The guards who were busy doing the job felt shivers deep down their spines ,hearing their master's laughter. They could only prey for the victim in their heart . Poor soul.
****************
'Mall is less crowded today' – that was the first thought which came into their mind when they entered the mall . Usually, Explacza Mall is packed with people, but today it's surprisingly empty. Very few customers are seen buying products today.
" Well , this is unexpected. Never thought, I will see Explacza Mall this desolated ". Winow exclaimed.
" Maybe it's because we have come here at school/working hours or since today is last day for tax filing. " Bella replied. Winow nodded remembering how their classes were called off abruptly, since professors and staffs had to file taxes .
" Let's quickly grab you, your gown " Winow nodded , both hopping onto the escalator.
Standing infront of ' Glamentine ' the clothing store , Winow pondered if she should go in or not. Since she doesn't fall into category of Glamentine's targeted customers. But she was dragged in by Bella .
" I still can't wrap my head around what you just said ." Bella stated trying to find a good looking blue gown . " Hunter isn't a very forgiving person. There must be something fishy. I will advice you to be careful around him" Bella adviced.
Winow nodded. She too felt unsafe around him . He was like wolf in sheep's clothing with extreme mood swings. Who knows what he might do when he grows bore out of her presence ? Winow decided to do her best to avoid him .
" LOOK! This looks gorgeous. Go try it ."
The gown was a striking royal blue evening dress with an off-shoulder neckline, featuring pleated draped fabric that highlights the shoulders. The fitted bodice was adorned with shimmering floral embellishments cascading down one side, adding elegance and sparkle. The sleek silhouette hugged the figure before flowing into a smooth, floor-length skirt with a subtle train, crafted from luxurious fabric.
It was indeed one of the most beautiful gowns, Winow had ever seen. It suited her aesthetic very much . But with beauty comes the price too . Inspite falling in love with the gown, Winow couldn't control her desire to check the price tag .
$2845.94 . The price almost increased her blood pressure. She had never bought such an expensive outfit before but she was going to buy it since she had to ace her job and not to disappoint her client.
Taking the dress ,she went into the trial room to check if it fit her or not. But she found it difficult to put on , she attempted but she failed to manage the zipper . She tried calling her friend for help ,multiple times but got no response in return.
With no other options, Winow cracked the door open, reached out her hand, and gestured for her friend to come in and assist her with zipping the dress.
***************
??? POV
I knew this was never a good idea. I shouldn't have listened to my brother. Disguised as someone, hiding my real identity, I have to go around searching for that man and drag him to my brother. I wish , I could just kille him here only.
While searching, I came across a trial room with slightly opened door from which a hand was extending out motioning to come forward.
WHAT THE?
Me ?
Are they calling for me ?
I look around but there was no one. With cautious steps, I moved forward. Slowly pushing open the door, I saw a woman facing the wall , her unzipped back exposed to me .
!!!!!
It seemed sultry.
Is she trying to seduce me ?
" Help me with the zipper ."
I gulped as I closed the door softly behind me. Her back was a canvas of grace, the gentle curve of her spine accentuating her elegance. It was spotless, without any freckles. Almost enchanting me to kiss her back .
What the fuck I am thinking?
I quickly shook away the absurd thoughts. But her back was too mesmerizing , making it harder to concentrate on the zipper.
" Hurry up with my zipper !!"
I shooked my head , trying to maintain my composure but failed when my hand touched her back.
My fingers quivered as they found the zipper resting at the curve of her back, the metal glinting softly in the room's light. As I guided it upward, my knuckles brushed against her bare skin, and the warmth of her body sent a shiver through me . Her back was impossibly smooth, the curve of her spine leading my eyes to linger longer than they should. The fleeting touch awakened something primal—a quiet yearning that I never thought would built in me .
I had a sudden desire to kiss her smooth back and worship her greek goddess like body . So enchanting...so beautiful.
" Thanks Bella"
My eyes widened. She wasn't calling for me rather for her friend who has gone somewhere.
Shit ! I have to leave before she turns around and panicks seeing me and accused of harassment.
While she was focused on adjusting the front part of her dress . I quietly sneaked out of the trial room . Making sure no one was around, I bolt out from that area as fast as I could .
End of ???'s POV
.
.
******************
.
.
Winow's POV
After fixing my dress, I turned to show it to Bella, hoping for her opinion since the trial room had no mirror. To my surprise, she was gone.
Weird.
Wearing the dress, I came out of the trial room to see Bella looking for some more blue gowns.
" Bella , how do I look ? " I asked spining around to give her a proper view.
"Gorgeous. If I were a man, I would've gotten down on my knees to propose you right this second," Bella said with a playful smile, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
I chuckled slightly blushing in the process.
" By the way , thanks for zipping my dress ". I again thanked her .
" HUH !? .... Zipping your dress ?!! I never did . I had gone to washroom." Bella said with confusion and shock .
I stiffened.
What did she just say ?
She didn't....
" The who zipped my dress? " I asked in pure disbelief.
" I don't know....maybe the staff ." My eyes widened in disbelief.
No way ! What if a man—
" Maybe a female staff . Aren't normally female staff present in female corner of the shops ? " Bella explained noticing my expression.I finally sighed in relief , nodding my head .
End of Winow's POV
*********************
After billing the outfit, both were on their way to the jewellery store , to find a jewellery piece that will compliment Winow's outfit.
[ BREAKING NEWS: The trial of the maid who stole the queen's forefinger ring has ended . The judgement is she will be guillationed today at 6:15 pm. ]
The sudden flash of news on the televisions displayed on the electronics store , captured everyone's attention.
" I don't understand this rich and powerful people. The ring was an ugly thin rimmed gold ring with few carvings on it . It will worth few bucks. I don't believe the maid will risk her life for such a small amount. But let's say she did so , why it matters ? It's not like the queen is attached to the ring . The royal family could always order for new one or make new one . Why bother chasing the maid , if after recovering the ring , the queen will toss it into the river claiming that it has became impure and infected by the maid's touch . Now , the death sentence to the maid . This rich and powerful people only love to bully the poor and middle class people, either by rules or taxes . I hate the way our government works . I hate constitutional monarchy ". Bella ranted out .
The customers passing by or nearby couldn't help but to nod in agreement .
Everyone was fed up by this rich and powerful people's antics.
But they have to remain silent. They can do nothing about it . If they dare , they won't be alive to see the sunrising of next day .
Shrugging off, everyone went on their own businesses.
********************
" Such a huge line " Winow groaned looking at the long line infront of her . Even though she wasn't standing in the back , still more than 15 people were infront of her , waiting to bill their products. The billing was very slow and tedious, Winow was loosing her patience.
To keep herself busy , she begun looking around until her eyes landed on a man . The man was behaving very weirdly, constantly looking around as if trying to hide from someone. He had shoulder length brown hair messily tied together. He was tan skinned with a long beard . His disheveled appearance resembled a hobo . Not trying to be judgy, but this type of people are generally not allowed into Explacza Mall. You have to be extremely well maintained to enter into the mall .Does that mean he is a spy ?
" Bella, look at that man ! " Winow said nudging her friend who was standing beside her .
" Huh ? Where ?" Bella's eyes followed the direction, Winow's fingers were pointing at .
" Yeahhhh...what about him ? " Bella asked confused.
" Doesn't he seems suspicion"
On closer absorption, Bella found his behaviour rather strange and weird than suspicious.
" He does behaves weirdly but rather than that I don't find anything suspicious about him ".
" I think he is a spy."
" Why do you think so ? " Bella looked at her confusedly .
" Because —
* THUD *
Winow was interrupted by the sound of loud thud followed by ear- splitting scream of a women.
" AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
* Blink *
* Blink*
Winow was trying to process what had just happened.
The peculiar-looking man was seized by a figure dressed entirely in black and violently thrown to the ground with a resounding thud. He landed near a woman's feet, prompting her to let out a piercing scream. Without hesitation, the man in black launched a relentless attack on the fallen stranger, striking him with punches, kicks, and slaps, showing no hint of mercy.
Everyone watched in dismay and terror. Even the staff observed the chaos with uneasy glances, their faces pale with apprehension. No one dared to intervene, intimidated by the bloodthirsty look in the attacker's eyes. And even if they had the courage to step in, it would have been impossible—towering, imposing guards stood around the fight, forming an unyielding barrier.
Suddenly the attacker pulled out a black mentallic object from his pocket and aimed it at the victim.
* BANG! *