3 A kidnapping!
"What??" Zi Mei spluttered in surprise and took a step back from Thorin Loong. Is he kidding her? What is wrong with this man? Is he hitting on her with his wife sitting there? She looked at his wife. Jessica was not even looking at them, she was looking down at her phone and swiping it with a bored expression on her face.
"Come, sit down, we have much to discuss," Thorin said. He pulled up another chair and placed it between him and Jessica.
"Oh no, I am still on duty, I can't sit down," Zi Mei turned him down. He may be the most good looking man she has ever seen in her life but his sudden offer of "how would you like to make a few million dollars" was suspicious as heck. For all she knows, he could be a big time scammer. She may be desperate for money but she's not so naive as to fall for such an offer from some random stranger.
No matter how good looking he is.
"What time do you get off duty? We will wait," he said smoothly, looking at her intently. His deep brown eyes boring in hers. She flinched at his intense gaze and turned away.
"Whatever it is you are offering, I am not interested, now enjoy your drinks, thank you," she said and quickly walk back to her counter. Her heart was beating at triple the rate, almost jumping out of her chest.
Behind the counter, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
"What's with the gorgeous couple? Do you know them?" Her colleague, Alfie, came up to her and she almost jumped out of her skin. She was so strung up from the tiny encounter with the handsome man.
"Er. Nope, don't know them," she shrugged and put on a nonchalant act despite her racing pulse and his deep voice still ringing in her head. "Lets switch Alfie. You take over the counter and I'll clean up," she said. Alfie happily agreed. He hated the washing up.
She let Alfie take over the counter while she started washing the cups and plates piling up at the sink. She kept herself busy clearing the tables and washing the cups and plates, careful to avoid going near the strange couple who remained seated at the corner.
The couple was barely talking and didn't look like a married couple at all. In fact, they look so distant, it was as if they were mere acquaintances. They were each looking at their respective phones and barely talking.
At the end of her shift, Zi Mei was tired from the countless washing and wiping of tables. She took off her apron and went to get her backpack from the staff room. She hoped the couple has left by then. It was way past eight and she was hungry.
The only reason she had stayed on in the cafe was because their meals are covered. The cafe owner made sure that all workers get to eat two meals at the cafe free of charge. She went to the pantry and grabbed one of the sandwiches there. The "free" meals for employees are usually unsold sandwiches and pastries from the day before. She doesn't mind leftover food as long as it is still good to eat and not mouldy.
She sat down and groaned, her back and legs are aching from all that walking and standing the whole day through. She had worked throughout her shift and even worked an extra hour or so without resting or taking breaks.
She needed the extra overtime pay. She unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. It was a ham and cheese sandwich. Still, better than starving with no food at home. Her fridge is empty and she has only a few packets of instant noodles left at home. After she finished the sandwich, she got up and went out, hoping the couple had left by now. She had taken as much time as possible to eat her sandwich, hoping the couple will get tired of waiting for her and leave.
She looked at the corner where they had sat and the table was empty. One of her colleagues must have cleared the cups too. She sighed in relief. They must have left as she had hoped.
She was wrong.
They were waiting for her outside. No, he was waiting for her outside. Alone. His wife was no where in sight.
She gasped when she saw him outside. Her pulse quickened again as she looked at his handsome profile. She just could not get used to his dazzling good looks.
"Now, you are off duty, can we talk?" he said to her, his deep voice sliding down her spine, causing little hairs on her body to tingle in anticipation.
"Look, Mister…er…Loong, I have nothing to say to you, I am not interested in your…er…whatever it is you are trying to push," she said.
She quickly turned and walked away. She realised the street is unusually quiet that night. There are barely any other people around and it was not even nine o'clock yet. The street was dark with only puddles of yellow light from the street lamps to light the way as she hurried down it. She needs to walk fast to get away from that strange handsome man.
"Zi Mei, I can offer you a solution to your loanshark problem," the man had followed her. He was striding next to her effortlessly. She almost stumbled at his mention of loanshark. How did he know? Who is he? She stopped in her tracks and turned to him.
He, too, stopped and waited, a small smile curling his lips. Gorgeous inviting lips that she had a sudden urge to reach up and kiss. She shook the thought away. What is wrong with her?
"Who are you? What do you want from me? Did my dad borrow money from you too? Is that why you're stalking me?" she asked.
He didn't look like a loanshark. But one never know. He could be one for all his debonair dashing good looks and style.
He chuckled, an oddly seductive sound that curled her toes and made her senses tingle. He reached out to touch her. She flinched and avoided him defensively. Noticing her wariness, he withdrew his hand.
"Dont' worry Zi Mei. I am not here to harm you. In fact, I have a proposition for you, one that will solve all of your financial problems and you will never have to worry about money ever again," he said.
"How do you know my name? Why are you doing this?" she asked, suspiciously.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her chest. She automatically crossed her arms over her ample chest. What is he now, a pervert?
Her name tag scraped her arm as she crossed her arms and she realised he was looking at her name tag. Of course he knows her name. She was wearing her name tag. She was so embarrassed by her own stupidity. She cleared her throat.
"Ahem. Well, how do you know about the loansharks and my financial problems?" she raised her chin defiantly.
"I think we should find a more private place to discuss this, will you come with me?" he said.
A dark luxury sedan stopped next to them and the door to the back seat swung opened. He gestured to it.
"Come with me," he said.
She backed away from him. She is not stupid. She may be an adult now but she knows all about what happened to girls getting into cars with strange men. They will likely get robbed, raped and murdered and then dumped by the roadside like yesterday's trash.
"Nah uh, no way," she said, backing away more.
Jessica alighted from the car.
"Darling, it's obvious she won't come with us, why don't we just take her along whether she wants to or not?" she said. She glanced at Zi Mei cursorily and then got back inside the car. A burly man came out from the front passenger seat and stood next to Zi Mei.
She was trapped between Thorin Loong and the burly thug-like man who could be his bodyguard. She stepped back instead but they would not have it. The burly man caught her arm and she instinctively kicked his shin but he did not even flinch.
"No! No! I'm not going with you! Help!!!" she screamed as the man dragged her to the car. She pulled and struggled but she was no match to his vice grip on her arm.
Thorin Loong merely stood there as his bodyguard threw Zi Mei into the car. She was kicking and struggling as he pushed her inside. Then he was gone and Thorin slid in. She kicked at him but he reached out and held her arm. An electrical current coursed through her and suddenly her world went dark. Her body slumped against the seat as darkness rushed up to her.
