“She’s heading to the restroom” the voice of a man dressed in black with a mask on his face, said in a hushed tone. His partner who was sitting right next to him in the car, nodded in agreement.
“I think her friend noticed us” the first man spoke again as he glanced at the window of the cafe, where Rachael was sitting. “Should we deal with her or what?”
The second man, dressed just like his partner, sighed in frustration due to the latter’s blabbering. He muttered with a bored gaze,” She’s not our concern, our target is the other lady. We get her then, we are out of here”
He paused, then added after a second thought, “Tell Empress she’s on the move, we need to act fast before her friend notices”
“Should I go join her?.. you know, to make sure things go well” the first man asked, his voice laced with a hint of caution, to avoid offending his unpredictable partner. “There shouldn’t be any problem if I go, right?”
“Do whatever you want”the second man replied curtly. “Just don’t mess things up”
“Alright, boss” the first man replied with excitement in his voice as he alighted cautiously from the car while searching around to make sure no one was watching him.
****
Isabelle walked sloppily to the bathroom, her mind constantly disturbed by Liam’s image and his harsh words to her. She pretended to act better in front of Rachael but she alone, knew what she felt in her heart.
As she searched for a cubicle to use, she heard the sound of running water from one of them and began to ponder on who it could be. The cafe was already empty, space, only her and Rachael remaining as customers. She walked into a cubicle after settling on the assumption that the unknown person was probably, a staff.
Isabelle stepped out of the cubicle and moved to the sink to wash her hands when her eyes caught sight of a platinum-haired young woman dressed fully in black clothing, washing her hands by the sink.
She felt a sense of foreboding in her heart as she stared at the figure of the woman, a part of her mind screaming at her to leave immediately, but she chose to ignore it. Maybe, she was just being paranoid.
As the water from the tap on both sides, kept running simultaneously, Isabelle felt a tap on her shoulder. She abruptly turned to see the same scary woman stretching forth her hands towards her with a tissue paper in it.
The bright and warm smile on the lady’s face made all her suspicions vanish into thin air. The woman seemed harmless, so she politely took the tissue from her and mouthed a thank you.
“You’re welcome” The lady’s voice sounded like that of a child that could draw people’s attention at any moment. She kept staring intently at Isabelle like she was searching for something.
Isabelle felt goosebumps on her skin and couldn’t help but ask the lady, “Is there a problem or do you need something?
“Nah. it’s nothing” The lady smiled nervously and then added, “I just noticed the puffy shades beneath your eyes.. have you been crying?”
Her words were like a sharp knife thrown right at Isabelle’s heart as it reminded her of her pain. She gritted her teeth to keep the tears from falling as she replied to the lady who seemed to mean no harm. “I just had a bad day, that’s all”
“A bad day??” the lady questioned, her voice laced with concern on the surface but contained a hidden meaning in it as she spoke. “I hope your bad day ends today”
Isabelle was shaken by her words as she felt something strange about it. “What do you mean by that?” Isabelle asked with a sense of apprehension in her heart.
“By what?” The lady asked back, feigning ignorance while avoiding Isabelle’s scrutinizing gaze on her.
Isabelle was confused by her actions but still decided to proceed further. “What do you mean by you hope my bad day ends today?”
“Oh! That” the lady exclaimed in realization before explaining. “You know people’s problems don’t end in a day, they continue for a long time and invite more problems into the life of the people concerned”
“I don’t get you, you mean….”
“What I mean is, your bad day might bring many more problems to you, so brace yourself up” the lady interrupted Isabelle’s words, a mysterious glint flashing through her eyes. “Don’t take my words lightly”
The hair on Isabelle’s skin stood up with anxiety as she was about to say something, but a knock on the door stopped her. The words of the person gave her the chills.
“Empress, are you in there?… Where’s our target?.. we need to move as soon as possible” the voice of man said, sounding impatient.
Isabelle gazed anxiously at the lady whose innocent smile had transformed into a mischievous one. The lady called Empress stared scornfully at Isabelle before replying to the man, saying “The target is here. She looks more appealing than I thought. you should come in, I’m sure you would like her”
Immediately she was done uttering those words, Isabelle took several steps back away from the lady, sweat beads trickled down her forehead as the feeling of fear gripped her. She gradually began to comprehend the whole situation when the man walked in, dressed in the same outfit as the lady.
“She’s the one right?” The man questioned with a scrutinizing gaze fixed on Isabelle.
The lady nodded in affirmation, saying” Yes, she is”
“Then, what’s taking you so long to knock her out” the man snapped. “I thought she would be down by now, so I could carry her to the car”
“Well, she’s right there. Do you thing” Empress yawned lazily as she rested her body on the wall, waiting for the man’s next line of action.
The man walked impatiently towards the lady squirming on the floor in fear. “Hmph… So weak” he snorted.
Isabelle was shaken for a moment but wasn’t ready to go down without a fight. She bolted shockingly from the floor, kicking the man in his groins, and causing him to growl in pain.
“Get out of the way” she yelled out as she bolted towards the door, hoping to get there in one piece, but her freedom was shortlived as she felt someone’s grip on her arm. Before she could attack, a handkerchief was wrapped around her nose, causing her to inhale a pungent smell that made her lightheaded.
“You can’t even handle a woman” were the last words she heard before she passed out.