41Betcha all 10 bucks you thought I gave up on this story :)
WELL I'M BACK!
I'm not going to give any excuses as to why I haven't been updating, but I AM going to say it is extremely frustrating when you write a couple of chapters…. then your hard drive fails…. so all your material is gone… and non-retrievable (now I keep all my chapters on google drive!). Along with other stuff in my life, it was not fun to rewrite the chapters and provided as a lack of motivation to continue the story. BUT you guys left reviews! And those were my inspiration to not give up.
Anyways, (if you're still reading this), enjoy the 6th chapter of The Millionaire with the Crimson Eyes.
***IMPORTANT NOTE: if you read this previously, I would highly recommend going back and reading the previous chapters. I made some edits to the story. It didn't change the plot much and isn't totally required, but the tone Maka has towards some characters did change a bit. It's completely optional, but recommended.
*all edits made July 12th, 2017*
It was only yesterday that Soul came millimeters away from my lips, millimeters from kissing me, and it was the only thing on my mind.
There should have been a hundred other things on my mind. The IVC was coming to a close, so the cleaning staff and all of the other employees at the Crimson Cosmo's hotel were working day and night to clean up. Guests of all sorts were coming, but mainly going, from the hotel.
Everything seemed to be getting back to normal, but my life was evolving to anything but normal.
The incident from yesterday had left me in a haze, questioning everything about Soul and I's relationship. Of course, it consisted only of hate, anger, and questions from my side, but what left me confused was how he felt about everything, about me.
"If this makes you nervous, you're going to have a rough road ahead of you," he had said to me. But what exactly did that mean?
Everything he had done was for the media and so Asura would know of our relationship. What was tugging at my mind was the fact that all the little things he did last night happened solely in the penthouse, and obviously none of those things would occur in public.
So the only question running through my head was… why?
"Maka!" Medusa calls out, breaking me from my trance, "this is nearly the hundredth time I've called your name!"
I realize that I had completely disregarded the fact I was at work, cleaning the guest rooms. Sadly, Kim was not working with me that day. Since the hotel had so much to be done, I was stuck cleaning a select number of guests rooms on my own. However, I got so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize Medusa was standing in the doorway, holding a clipboard.
"I'm sorry, I've got a lot going on in my mind right now," I say, half-heartedly and irritated.
"Well, while you are working, those things don't concern me." She struts towards me and forcefully pushes the clipboard into my hands. I look down at the board and see what seems like hundreds of tiny boxes with little blurbs written next to each one.
"There is a group of businessmen staying on floors 9 and 10 that were going to come in later tonight, but it turns out they're going to be arriving sooner than expected. Your job is to go prepare their rooms before they arrive."
"That's not a problem," I reply, "what time will they be arriving?"
"1 pm. It's an early check in. Make sure you get it done by the time they get here."
I stare at her, realizing how cold she is, "it's already noon. You expect me to clean all the rooms on two floors by myself and within an hour?"
She crosses her arm, "well Ms. Albarn, everyone else is busy cleaning up after the IVC," she gives me a death glare with an evil smug, "and since you enjoyed the party so much, you should be working harder than anyone else… so go ahead and take care of it yourself." I could tell she was thoroughly enjoying punishing me.
Out of nowhere, my cell phone vibrates in my pocket.
What a relief… I think to myself. I grab the phone and see Soul calling me.
I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see his name pop up on my cell….
I answer the call, "Hello?"
"I need you to come up to my room within 5 minutes. We've gotta get ready."
"Get ready? For what?" I hand the clipboard to Medusa and start making my way to the elevator, walking past her, as she scowls.
"Where do you think you're doing?" she blurts out.
With Soul still on the line, I take the phone down from my ear for a moment and turn back to her, "I've got something important to attend to, you're going to have to find someone else to clean those rooms."
"Not under my watch," she marches over to me and shoves the clipboard into my chest, making me nearly drop my cell phone, "you were out partying the last couple of nights while the rest of us were working. You of all people have no right to be dilly-dallying and taking breaks."
"Maka, who is that?" Soul asks through the phone.
I put it up to my ear, "A coworker of mine, she's just-"
"Put me on speaker. I wanna talk to her."
I do as he says, indicating to Medusa to listen in. She sees the caller name as I put the phone on speaker, making her eyes going wide.
"Who is this?" he asks, quite irritated.
"Medusa," she states in a overly formal, proper tone, "VIP maid of the Crimson Cosmo's hotel, highest status there is," she says in a voice making her title sound only worthy for a king.
"With all due respect, Mr. Evans, Maka here is an employee at the hotel. Therefore, she is obliged to work since she took a few days off to spend it with you…sir," she adds at the end.
"Look lady," he says, "I'm not sure if you can put two and two together, but my full name is Soul Eater Evans, emphasis on the last name Evans." After hearing that, Medusa's face turns to the color of printing paper. She seemed terrified.
Is she…. Trembling? I think to myself. Why in the world would she be so scared talking to him?
"So unless you want to lose your job, I recommend that you let Maka attend to that very important matter, regarding me. Got that?"
She nods her head, unaware that Soul can't see her doing so.
"O-of course, sir." He hangs up the phone right afterwards. Medusa avoids making eye contact with me as she says, "I'll take care of the 9th and 10th floors. You go ahead to… whatever it is you're doing."
With no objection, I make my way out of the room and to the elevator, slightly confused as to what had just happened. On my ride up, I contemplate what Soul had said over the phone to Medusa. Why was it that she was so scared of him over the phone after mentioning his last name? On top of that, how was it that he was able to threaten the loss of her job? Was it because he had a lot of money or influence?
As the elevator door rang and I make my way up to Soul's bedroom, I decide I would ask him about the whole event once I saw him.
However, I wouldn't have time to ask him about anything once I entered his room. He handed me an outfit, told me to get dressed, and we left to the hotel casino straight away.
"There are still guests from the IVC staying here," Soul tells me on the elevator ride down, "there aren't nearly as many reporters or people as before, but it is still a perfect place for us to show off our relationship to Asura. Remember what I told you last night."
My heart skipped a beat when he said that. That night, he had told me if I were to make his business deal with Asura go smoothly, he would let me go.
But that was also the night he came close to kissing me….
The elevator made a little ding! noise as we arrived to the casino floor.
Soul's hand slips around my waist and his cold expression from earlier melts away to reveal a gentle one.
"After you, Maka," he cooes.
Upon entering, we were not mobbed by reporters or fans like before, but rather we just strutted into the casino. It was much less overwhelming, considering the previous nights we were attending the biggest party of the year.
Soul had me wear a short, wine red V-neck dress with a pair of tight black over the knee boots. The boots were rather comfortable, considering they had no heels. He was wearing a simple black suit with a white tie, a much less dressy outfit than the one he wore to the IVC. He didn't even bother buttoning up the suit, yet he still managed to look as sharp as always.
"Just remember to stay alert and keep your eyes on me," Soul whispers to me after getting our chips, "don't have your eyes wandering around like last time. Asura's probably somewhere in the casino, so whether we can see him or not," he smiles pleasantly, "we gotta play it cool."
We walk towards the center of the casino where there was a big wheel, about fifteen feet in diameter and surrounded by flashing lights. Above it is a golden chandelier, along with a small slide where a worker at the casino would place a marble to go on the wheel. Next to the wheel was a table where many people were crowded around.
We approach the table and make a spot for the two of us in front of the table with numbers.
"Do you know how to play Roulette?" Soul asks me.
I shake my head, "no… I don't."
I've never betted at a casino in my life, let alone know how to play Roulette. You have to either be filthy rich or be stupid to waste your money at a casino.
He smiles, "Thanks okay, I'll teach you." He leans over and gives me a light kiss on the temple in front of everyone at the table. Despite me knowing he was just pretending, my pulse quickens and my face flushes to a tomato red out of embarrassment.
I know we're supposed to be dating, but isn't that a little too much? I debate in my head.
Although the people around us were attempting to be secretive, it was quite obvious they were staring and talking soley about us.
"Roulette will be easy for you, especially since you have such a good memory. You'll pick up in no time. It's pretty self-explanatory, so how about you watch me play a round then you place a bet?"
"...s-sure!" I say, giving a false sense of enthusiasm being I wasn't all that excited to be here. I'd much rather be at home, snuggled up in layers and layers of blankets, reading a good book. Instead, I was snuggled up against Soul's side, while he was teaching me the basics of Roulette.
He places a few of his chips on the spot labeled '3' and a few other chips on the '19' spot as all the other gamblers place their chips on other numbers. Once all bets are placed, the man standing at the top of the wheel places a marble in the slide while the wheel begins to spin.
"Number 15!" the man announces as the wheel stops spinning.
With many sighs of disappointments and a few cheers, the worker collects many chips placed on the table, while the lucky few recieves chips in return for making the correct bets in the game.
"So basically if my choice is selected, I win money?" I confirm.
He smiles, "see? It isn't that hard."
He gently grabs my hand and places a few chips in it. With a soft smile and a wink, he looks at me and says, "how about you give it a go? Make yourself a few dollars, will you?"
I go to the table and scan over my options. I decide to go big and place all of my chips on number 35, my lucky number.
It's not like he doesn't have money to spare, might as well show him I'm no good at this game, I think as I place about 15 chips on the number 35.
After all bets are placed, all gamblers eagerly turn their heads to the Roulette wheel as it is spun and the marble bounces around on the numbers.
Gambling is worthless, I think to myself, what's the point of throwing away money like this when you know you're not going to win? It could be used on something so much more important, like-"
My train of thought is interrupted as the worker announces, "number 35!"
"W-what?"
I am left in a daze as I realize my useless bets had just won me a lot of money.
I turn to Soul, "I actually won?" All of the gamblers begin to give me dirty looks as the dealer hands me the loads of chips I earned from my win.
"I told you," he smirks, "Roulette is easy, maybe you can be my good luck charm from now on, place bets for me here and there." He puts his arm around my waist and pulls me close to him, "the closer you are, the luckier I get," he whispers in my ear, making me stir a bit. His lips brush slightly against my cheek, making me both uncomfortable and causing me to pull away slightly.
He's WAY too close…
"Soul…" I say, quietly, feeling stares so intense they might as well have been pointing lasers in our eyes, "everyone's watching us…."
He always acts so intimate and nice when we're in public, pretending to be a couple. His tone and facial expressions are like night and day when in public versus private. From an outsider's perspective, we would look like an intimate couple, not afraid of showing any public displays of affection. But what they didn't know was it is all an act to make a big business deal go through.
"My dear, Soul, you're such a showoff!" Soul and I turn around to see the Italian mob boss Asura approaching us, hands overflowing with chips. He was wearing an outfit as odd as the day before, a red suit with the white scarf still tightly wrapped around his neck.
"Asura!" He keeps his arm around me as we both approach him, me with my newly-won chips in hand.
"By the looks of it, you've been quite lucky," Soul says, "are you enjoying yourself?"
Asura sighs, "somewhat. It gets boring winning all the time… I was just looking for someone to entertain me, right when I came across you two lovebirds."
Soul chuckles, "well... Maka and I were just getting bored ourselves. How about I tour you around the hotel?"
"That would be delightful," he turns to me, "and you'll be accompanying us as well, won't you, my dear?"
A nervous sweat begins to form down my back. These moments with Asura determine my fate, as well as my safety. Although I am on the side of Soul and the others, it was still extremely nerve-wracking talking to the Italian mob boss, Asura Kishin.
"Of course I will!" I say with a bit too much enthusiasm, "it would be my pleasure."
"Maka knows the hotel like the back of her hand, she'd be cool with helping us with the tour." We began to walk out of the casino and through the hotel as Soul and Asura continued their small talk. However, my mind was racing with thoughts and questions.
Why was it that we were giving a tour of the hotel to Asura? It would make much more sense to give a tour of the city, or possibly show him around the penthouse, but the entire hotel? Along with that, the conversation with Medusa earlier still continued to bug me. Nothing was adding up, and none of it made any sense to me.
It wasn't until late at night that Soul and I complete the tour with Mr. Kishin. We return to the lounge, completely mentally and physically exhausted. Once we arrive, we see Black Star, Kid, Spirit, and Stein all sitting on the couches with paper scattered everywhere. Soul and I plop down on the couch next to everyone else, drained of energy.
"Welcome back!" Spirit exclaims once we enter the room.
"What's everyone doing here?" I ask, "did something happen?"
"We're reviewing the last auction," Stein responds. "we have to make sure nobody was selling under the table or doing anything without our knowledge. So we're reviewing all the things that were shipped in, sold, profits made... things like that."
Spirit leans in to us, "did you two have a good time? Make any dollars?"
"I guess you could say that," I reply, "I won a couple hundred dollars my first try at-"
"You are seriously useless."
The whole room quiets down, refraining from any side talk, and focuses in on Soul and his frustration. He was massaging his temples as he slouches on the couch, seeming to be at a defeated state. Everyone's somewhat upbeat mood disappears and instantly turns serious, revealing the effect Soul had on the small group.
"Excuse me?" I blurt out, irritated. It totally astounded me how much he could change from nice boyfriend Soul to his cold, rude persona.
He stops massaging his temples and looks at me straight in the eyes, casting a cold and almost angry glare at me. "You totally clammed up when Asura asked us how we met!" He yells, "You almost gave us away!"
Not able to hold my tongue anymore, I stand up and hold firm ground, "well, I'm sorry! It was all so sudden. I wasn't sure how to respond, so I looked to you to tell the story!"
He stands up, "you didn't just look at me for a response, you stuttered and got all nervous!" He takes in a deep breath, cooling himself down. He puts his hands in his pockets and sits back down on the couch, "but if you do that again. He's going to find out we're lying. And if that happens…."
I didn't need him to finish the sentence to know what he was going to say. A million things could happen to not only me, but him as well. If this deal didn't go through or if Asura found out we were lying about our relationship, he would most likely do something irrational.
More importantly, I would be stuck with Soul for who knows how long.
Stein huffs, "you gotta give her some slack, boss. How else do you expect the kid to act in front of a mob boss? It's not like she's an actress or anything."
Soul crosses his arms, "I don't care. What I say goes."
"Asking some normal girl to pretend to be your girlfriend was your first mistake!" Black Star blurts out, "you should have just hired a prostitute or something, that would be more believable."
I clench my fist, "well it wasn't like he asked me to do this! Against my will, be bought-"
"Do you also remember if I didn't buy you, you'd probably be dead right now?! So shut up and be a bit grateful for once!"
I get ready to yell back at him, but then proces his words. Although I had the right to be mad about these things, I would be in a terrible situation if it wasn't for him. He has the option to let me go free, but 20 million dollars is a lot of money to waste, even for a millionaire. So I cool my temper and keep my mouth shut for once.
He takes in a deep, frustrated breath and turns to Black Star, "Asura would be able to spot a prostitute a mile away," Soul states, "he probably hasn't seen many girls like Maka. If I make him believe she's a normal girl, he won't suspect a thing."
Soul gets up from the couch, making his way up the stairs. But before leaving, he turns to all of us, "I'm exhausted, I'm gonna go crash in my room. I recommend you do the same, Maka." With that, Soul disappeared down the halls to his dark and dreary bedroom.
Spirit stands up from the couch and stretches, "I'm starting to get a bit sleepy. It's getting pretty late, I'm gonna call it a night as well." He approaches me and winks playfully, whispering, "but since Soul isn't here, you wouldn't have to worrying about spending the night with me… if you'd like."
I stand up and make my way up the stairs, "Wouldn't dream of it," I bluntly state without looking at him.
He shrugs, "you're the one missing out."
I say my goodnights to the lot and retreat to my little penthouse prison for the night. But before going to bed, I lay in bed, tossing and turning about the events that had occurred and what was to come. After debating for a bit, I collapse in exhaustion and fall into a deep sleep.
The next morning, I wake up well rested with the sun shining on my face. It was probably one of the best and relaxed nights of sleep I have had in awhile.
However, my relaxation goes away when I look at the clock and realize what time it was.
My shift started 45 minutes ago!
I jump out of bed, all my time to get ready for the day gone. I quickly rush to the bathroom, throw my hair in pigtails, rapidly brush my teeth, change into my maid's uniform, and bolt down the hallways to the penthouse elevator.
"Where are you in a rush to?" I hear as I pass the living room.
I slow down and peek my head in the living room to see Soul at his usual place, seated at the dining room table typing at his laptop with a coffee in hand. He was still in his pajamas, a simple white shirt with grey joggers and a black headband holding back his untameable white hair.
"Going to work," I say, slightly out of breath, "I'm already 45 minutes late, so-"
He raises an eyebrow at me, "you do realize it's Sunday today, right?"
"What does that mat-" I stop myself out of stupidity, mentally slapping myself across the face and realizing my anxiety was for nothing.
For all the time I've worked at the hotel, Sunday was always the day I looked forward to, because I didn't work on Sundays.
I scratch the back of my head out of embarrassment, "I've had a lot going on… I've been a bit forgetful lately."
"Well, it kinda seems like you're in the need of a break." He places down his coffee and huffs, "I guess you can have the day off, we won't do anything public today or anything involving Asura, so go enjoy yourself."
"Really?" I say with a bit of disbelief, "you're actually letting me have the day off?"
I mentally smile with glee at the thought of being able to do whatever I pleased.
But the pleasure in the moment doesn't last for long as I process it. There has to be some kind of catch, I contemplate, there has to be some loose strings, or something.
"Do I have to stay in the hotel?" I ask, my happy thoughts slightly disappearing as I say this.
He thinks for a few moments, then cooly replies with, "I'll let you have some freedom today. You're going to need a true break if you're going to do your job correctly…"
I smile, content with the fact that I was able to do whatever I wanted to do for an entire day without worrying about him. But a few moments pass, then his cool stare turns into a serious one, "...but if I call you, you have to be here within 30 minutes. No exceptions."
I stare at him for a few seconds, waiting for him to change the time limit. But his facial expression stays the same, and so does his response.
Is he being serious?
I raise my voice, surprised, "you're actually going to wait 30 minutes for me?"
He stares at me, surprised, "you're actually grateful for having to stay within 30 minutes of the hotel?"
My whole face flushes pink as I realize the truth behind that statement. Soul had just made me realize how much he's got me under his thumb. I couldn't believe myself. At a loss of words to say, I just stand there, waiting for him to say something.
Soul stands up, with hands in pockets, and makes his way out of the room, "I've got things to do, just do whatever you want and don't get yourself into any trouble. Come back tomorrow with a new attitude." He leaves the room and heads down to the lounge.
I stretch my arms up high above my head and look out the window in the living room.
It's such a beautiful day, and I get to spend it outside of the hotel! I go over to the window near the dining table and open it, inhaling some fresh air while admiring the sounds of the busy city. I close the window and notice the glass reflection.
On the table, I notice an empty pitcher of milk along with a dish of sugar packets beside Soul's empty cup of coffee. There were two empty packets of sugar.
That's strange, I think to myself, two empty packets of sugar and an empty pitcher. I wouldn't have expected Soul to like such sweet coffee. He seems like someone who would like black coffee or prefer espresso….
I shake away the thought immediately in my head. I didn't want to waste my day off thinking of him, so I toss the thought aside and make my way out of the hotel, wondering what I could do to make the most out of my day.
I spend the day wandering around Death City, browsing around the stores and small boutiques, admiring the cute articles of clothing displayed in the windows. Although none of the items were nearly as expensive or as high of quality as when I shopped with Soul, they were still all unique and beautiful in some way.
However, the store that I looked forward to visiting the most was the book store. Being that I finish books so fast, I always make it a habit to stop in in order to buy a new book, along with donating the one I had just finished. I drop in, grab the first book I see on the shelf, purchase it, and continue to explore the streets.
After I continue to stroll the city for about an hour, I was lucky to stumble upon my favorite café, Aloha!. It was a small, Hawaiian café that usually has a line winding out the door, but I was lucky to come across the restaurant when lunch hour was over.
Since nobody is here, I might as well grab a bite to eat for lunch, I think to myself.
I open the door and walk into the café where a hostess greets me. She gladly guides me to a table and offers for me to take a seat. My table sat right next to the window with a marvelous view of the people walking around in Death City.
A waiter approaches my table with a cheerful attitude, "afternoon, miss," he says with a fluttery voice, "can I get you something to drink?"
I smile, "Just a hot tea, thank you."
He nods then wanders away. It was good to know that some people in this disgraced city would actually act nice out of the goodness of their heart, versus just to those with millions of dollars.
The atmosphere in the café was very relaxing. With the soft lighting and carmel colored walls, the mood of the establishment was both Hawaiian and similar to that of a coffee house. All of the tables and chairs were made of bamboo, with the lights that hung over each table having the same makeup. There are paintings on the walls with Japanese characters portrayed in artistic manners, each painting with positive messages. Along with that, surfboards were hung high above on the wall.
Sitting at the café was one thing I had been looking forward to all day, but what I had truly been looking forward to was reading. I pull out the book that I had bought at the store earlier in the day and admire the book's cover. The title of the book, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, was printed in big, bold letters, along with an image drawn beneath. The image consisted of a man voyaging on a ship across the sea, while what seemed like a bunch of little people were crowded around on a small island the voyager was heading towards.
Right as I am about to open up to the first chapter of the book and read the first couple sentences, I am interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice.
"Maka! What are you doing outside the hotel?" I look up from my book to see a man wearing thick sunglasses, a large hat, and an oversized coat standing in front of my table.
I look up at him, trying to recognize his face. "I'm sorry," I inform him, "but I don't know who you are. Maybe you have me confused with someone else?"
"Oh, that's right," the man lowers his sunglasses ever so slightly to reveal glowing, yellow eyes. After studying them for a few seconds, I realize who it was.
"Sorry, Kid!" I blurt out, "I didn't realize at first that it was-"
He quickly hushes me by waving his hands at my face, "shhhh!" He pulls up a chair and sits across the small, round table, leaning in close to me, "I wear a disguise so nobody can recognize me in public, yelling out my name would defeat the purpose of the whole trench-coat thing. This outfit is dreadful… I've added my own touches, but there's only so much you can do to make a baggy coat like this perfect."
Chuckling, I reply, "I would have to agree with that, that outfit is pretty ugly. I almost forgot that you're a pretty famous model, you probably get pestered all the time if you don't wear a disguise."
I used to be one of those people…. I recall, pestering Kid about being famous. I remember how the first time I met Kid, I called him by his full name for quite some time. I was so nervous being in his presence since I was talking to a celebrity. Now, those things seem so silly to me.
The waiter from earlier returns with my hot tea. After placing it on the table, he turns to Kid, "do you want anything to drink, sir?"
Kid quickly puts a menu up to his face and replies in a deeper than normal voice, "just a water, thank you."
The waiter goes off and Kid puts the menu down.
"What are you doing out here anyways, Maka? Does Soul know you're here?"
"He let me have the day off. Since I don't have work today I decided to get out of the hotel and explore the city. I bought a book at the bookstore and wanted to order my favorite meal here. I was probably going to go home and read afterwards."
"That sounds like fun. I have a photoshoot later today so I was going to enjoy my favorite pastime around town before having to work later." Kid picks up the menu, barely glancing at it, before looking up back at me, "what's your favorite meal here?"
"Easily the pineapple grilled pork chops."
The waiter returns with Kid's water and asks us what we'd like to eat. Kid orders the same as me, the pineapples grilled pork chops. The waiter takes our orders then leaves.
"So Kid, what is your favorite pastime?" I ask him, "you mentioned you liked doing something around town."
"But of course," he reaches into his oversized coat pocket and takes out a tape measure, "allow me to demonstrate." Kid stands up and makes his way around the table. I look at him, confused. What's he doing?
He takes out my hair ties, undoing my pigtails, and starts to measure my forehead. He pulls out a comb and begins to adjust the part in my hair, along with combing my bangs.
"Um… Kid? What're you doing?"
No response. He just continues to fiddle with my hair.
This is…. Weird, I think to myself.
He slowly puts my hair back into pigtails with complete silence, making the experience a bit awkward. To Kid, however, he seemed very focused on what he was doing. After about fifteen minutes, he goes back to his seat.
"Your hairstyle has simply bothered me since the auction, it didn't suit my taste. I'm relieved that I was able to fix it."
I look at him, both weirded out and confused.
"So… you like doing peoples hair?"
"Of course not," He takes out a small mirror from his coat and hands it to me, "just look at your hairstyle! The perfection! The symmetry! The grace and elegance in your new look! Isn't it just beautiful?" A bright smile was plastered on his face. You could see the bright sparkles in his eyes, even through the thick sunglasses.
I look into the small mirror and don't see any differences in my hairstyle right away. After a few moments, I realize what Kid had done to my hair. He had measured my forehead precisely so my pigtails were completely aligned to each other, along with splitting my hair directly down the center.
"So you like making people's hairstyles... even?"
"Not just hair… everything! This city must be in perfect balance, not just the hairstyles of those in it. It is my duty to travel around the city and to fix those things that are asymmetrical…. Just the thought of imperfections disgusts me. That is why this coat must never be associated with me. It is inconsistent… diabolical… and should be regarded as scum."
I was left in a daze. What he was saying was crazy and was a side of him that I had never seen before. Completely at a loss of words, I just continued to listen to him rant about his obsession with perfection.
The waiter returns to our table holding our meals and places them in front of us. I was so relieved as Kid stopped talking for a few moments when the food arrived. The food looked so delicious, especially since I was so hungry, making my mouth water.
Right before I take my first bite, Kid reaches out his hands and exclaims, "wait, Maka!" I stop myself and stare at him.
He was measuring out the length of the pork chops and pineapple on both of our plates with his tape measure. "Before cutting your food, you must make sure that each piece is cut exactly the same size. How else do you expect to enjoy a meal if it isn't perfect?"
"I think I can enjoy a meal without cutting it the same size, Kid." I say, a bit annoyed.
"I must beg to differ," he says, "but if you wish to not fully enjoy your meal, that alone is your choice. Let's see…. If this pork chop is 8 inches in length and… 4 inches wide… I can fully enjoy the pineapple grilled pork chops if I cut each piece 2 inches wide and long!"
I stare at him, eyebrow twitching and mouth slightly open.
This guy… is seriously weird.
While Kid is carefully measuring out each piece and cutting accordingly, I begin eating my meal. It was as tasty as I remember, with the sugary pineapple glaze perfectly contrasting the taste of the pork chops. It was the best meal I have had in a long time.
As Kid was cutting his meal, a waitress accidentally bumped into the table, making Kid slightly slice his meat in a not-so-perfect line.
I could have sworn at that exact moment, Kid had a heart attack.
He dropped his fork and knife and stared at his plate for more than a few seconds in silence. I stared at him, "Kid, are you okay?"
"...disgusting." He quietly mutters to himself.
"What did you say?" I ask him, not quite hearing him.
"Absolutely disgusting!" He shoves his plate off the table, breaking it, and slams his head on the table, along with slamming his fists. Tears were streaming down his face.
"I'm an abomination! Damnit, I should have been more careful! I don't deserve to live! Just kill me already!" He was starting to make a scene, other tables giving us looks.
I stand up and rush towards Kid, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "now there's no need to overreact," I say in quiet voice, trying to calm him down, "It's just.. Pork chops… It's not a big deal."
"But it is!" He practically screams, "How could I let a wonderful meal like this one go to waste?! Inconsistent… asymmetrical…. Dirty…. how am I supposed to become the perfect model if I can't even cut a piece of meat properly? It looked so wonderful, but now the delicacy is garbage, complete garbage!"
He's so dramatic…. I think to myself, is he always like this? Or have I just never noticed?
As I continue to attempt to calm Kid down, the waitress approaches, sincerely apologizing over and over. Then, my cell phone rings. I take out my cell and see that Soul was calling me. I take a break from the comforting and pick up the call.
"Now isn't the best time, Soul. I'm dealing with something right now." I say to him on the phone.
"Why? What's going on?"
"I ran into Kid and we were having lunch at a café, but now he's having a panic attack over him cutting his meat the wrong way."
"He gets those panic attacks pretty often over stupid things like that. Give him an hour and he'll be fine."
"An hour?!"
"Don't worry about it, he knows how to deal with these."
"He doesn't look like he knows how to deal with it," I glance over at Kid, who wasn't degrading himself anymore or slamming his fists, but rather just crying silently with his head on the table.
"He'll be fine. What you need to worry about is getting to the penthouse as quick as you can. It's important."
I sigh, "alright, I'll be there as soon as I can." I hang up the phone and put it back in my pocket.
Not sure if Kid would remember to pay for his meal, I take the check and go to the front desk to pay. The lady there decided to give us the meal for free, thinking that Kid had not liked the meal or got food poisoning of some sort. Instead of explaining the situation to the waitress, I simply accepted the gesture.
I go to Kid to say my goodbyes, but, to no surprise, he was still occupied by his worries. He hadn't moved from the table, head still down, and was still sulking about the stupid meal.
There's not much I can do now…. With that, I left Kid to his sulking and dashed out the café. I glance at the clock, reminding me I had to be back within a half hour. Since I didn't own a car, I had walked to the city, and now I was running back to the penthouse since I had spent so much time dealing with Kid after Soul called.
Right in time and out of breath, I make it back to the penthouse. Black Star and Soul were seated on the couch with the television turned on to the news while Stein sat at a table, smoking a cigarette and typing at his computer. As I enter the room, Stein says, without looking up from his computer, "29 minutes… you just barely made it."
"Does it really matter if I'm here exactly within thirty minutes? Is timing me really necessary?"
"Well it works, because it got you here on time." Soul says, "Anyways, come take a seat."
I do so, taking a seat next to Soul. "So, what did you want?" I ask.
"I want you to take the day off tomorrow. Asura's daughter is arriving tomorrow morning, and you and I are going to show her around Death City."
He turns his head to the television, "as you can see, it's a pretty big deal that she's arriving. She basically a celebrity in Italy."
Looking at the television, I see that the news station was discussing how she was arriving tomorrow in town, along with displaying pictures of her face. The title of the segment was: CELEBRITY BLAIR KISHIN TO BE ARRIVING IN DEATH CITY TOMORROW.
She was beautiful. The girl named Blair was tall, had wonderful assets, beautiful purple hair, and a charming smile. Her outfit was stunning, making me more bewildered as to why Soul wasn't interested in her.
I thought Soul was a shallow person since he constantly hangs out with beautiful women… so why not her?
I turn to Soul, waiting for him to tell me to do something, but he says nothing. I grit my teeth, "all right, is that all you wanted?" I ask, a bit irritated.
"Yeah, that's it."
We sit in silence for a few moments, anger rising up within me. It irritated me that it was completely unnecessary to call me all the way here just for that. My eyebrow was slightly twitching, which Soul took notice of.
"You look like you've got something to say, what's up?"
I fold my arms and glare at him, "couldn't you have told me this over the phone? Or maybe when I got back to the hotel?"
He shrugs, and replies in a calm and collected tone, "I wanted to tell you now. Is that a problem?"
"It's not exactly a problem, but…" I stop and collect my words, careful of what I'm about to say, "but I wish you'd be more practical and consider my situation a bit more…"
"Who do you think you're talking to? Did your little day outside give your small brain amnesia?" His calm and collected tone melted away quicker than ice in boiling water. He was clearly irritated and frightening. He scowls and stares directly into my eyes, "no matter where you go, even if you have the day off, I bought you. Therefore, you still belong to me. Don't forget that."
He leans back into his chair and shoves his hands in his pockets, slouching in the couch. He huffs, "Black Star, I want you to come with us tomorrow."
"What? Why do I have to come?! I could be doing ten times better things than a stupid tour."
Soul stands up, "Blair's the daughter of an Italian mob boss. No harm in meeting her, right?"
Black Star crosses his arms and huffs like a child, "Fine then. I guess I'll tag along."
Soul stands up and makes his way toward the stairs, "if anyone needs me, I'll be in my room." But before he was able to escape, I remembered all the questions that had been bugging me the past two days. I rush up the stairs, stopping Soul before he can go any further.
"Wait, Soul!" I catch up to him and he turns around. "There's something that has been bugging me."
He tunes into what I'm about to say, "I'm listening."
"Yesterday," I say, "when you talked on the phone with Medusa, she seemed terrified of you after you mentioned your last name. You also threatened her losing her job, which I guess you could do if you complained about her to the manager. We also gave a tour of the hotel to Asura, which I couldn't figure out why we would do that. You were able to close down an entire floor all to yourself, and can host an illegal auction in a basement of a hotel without getting caught? Can you explain any of this to me?"
Soul just stared at me, completely dumbfounded. He goggled at me as if I were speaking gibberish, "you mean, you don't know?"
I raise an eyebrow at him "...don't know what?"
He continues to gaze at me with complete shock. Then, he laughs in disbelief, "you actually don't know!" He slips his hands in his pocket and leans on the staircase railing, "There's a company called the Evans Group that opens and manages big establishments, owned by my family. Currently, none of my family members are able to run it, making me the head of the company. One of the Evan's Group most successful establishments is the place we are in right now."
I gasp, realizing the truth behind those words. How was it that I didn't know this before?!
He crosses his arms and smirked, "I own the Crimson Cosmo's hotel."
That's the end of the chapter! I really hope you liked it…. I sure loved writing that Death the kid scene. The reviews you guys left made me want to continue writing chapters. So keep reviewing! I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'll go as quickly as I can.
I promise you, I won't abandon this story. It's too much fun to write!