Angel vs Demon

Not wanting to think about the situation any longer, she walked to the female changing room.

She opened her locker and placed the contract inside, and the business card in her tote bag.

"Let's not think about it for now," she said to herself, "I'll figure this out once I'm home."

She closed her locker and walked back to the counter.

"So?" she heard Wen ask with an excited gaze in her eyes.

"So he is not a secret admirer," Lai spoke, preparing a customer's order of two cups of Chai tea.

Wen pouted.

"Bummer."

Lai laughed and gave the customer his order.

"You watch too many romantic movies and series," she told her best friend.

"And I'm still single and growing old," Wen added, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"We're only 23," Lai said, rolling her eyes, "Don't be so dramatic."

Wen laughed.

"Well, 23 is close to 30, so...I need a man," Wen mumbled as she waited for a customer to scan their QR code.

"But you're never serious when you're in a relationship," she said, shaking her head.

Wen nudged her side, and they both softly sighed. Lai checked the time and saw that it was almost time for their lunch break.

"Besides," Wen heard Lai add, "Don't you have a boyfriend?"

Wen groaned.

"We broke up this morning," she sighed.

"Oh," was all Lai could say as she knew Wen had terrible luck when it came to picking men.

The café employees had their lunch at 1 PM, and during that time, they would not let any new customers in until after 2.

The customers who were already inside would be attended to before having their lunch break.

"We are about to go on our lunch break," Yu declared to the customers in the café, "so if you need anything else, please let us know now so that we can attend to you before we eat."

The customers nodded, and some got up to order more drinks and food before the employees' lunch break.

"If not, you will have to wait until after 2 PM," Zhou added and then walked outside to change the café's sign which was written 'Now Open,' to the sign in his hand, which said 'On Lunch Break.'

When the café employees finished attending to the customers, they walked to their lockers to grab their lunch.

Lai grabbed the business card from her tote bag to show her collegues.

They then walked to the corner of the café, which overlooked the rest of the café, and sat together, placing their lunches on the table.

"And?" Wen asked Lai, opening her lunchbox, which contained curry.

Wen was a big fan of hot and spicy food, as was Lai.

"What is it now, Wen?" Lai opened her lunchbox, which contained a chicken and mayo sandwich.

Ren and Yu laughed simultaneously at how inquisitive Wen was.

"She probably wants to know what you two actually spoke about?" Teng said, taking a sip of his cola.

Zhou was busy scrolling on his social media, not paying attention to the conversation at hand.

"A job offer," Lai said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"H-he offered you a job?" Wen asked, almost choking on her curry.

Lai nodded, placing the business card in the middle of the table for her colleagues to see.

She heard Ren gasp, and she raised her eyebrows upon seeing his shocked expression.

"N-nero Incorparated? As in Nero Inc.?" Ren stammered, his gaze fixed on the business card.

Disbelief was written all over his face. Lai nodded, confusion on her face at the shocked expressions of her colleagues. Was it that shocking?

"Yeah-"

"You got offered a job by Mr. Bai Ying!?" Ren cut Lai off.

She stared at him, wondering what he was getting so worked up about.

What was the big deal about her being offered a job by this 'Mr. Ying' person?

"Wait," she heard Zhou say as he put his phone on the table, "The Ying family? As in the 'mafia' Ying family?"

"What do you mean the mafia?" she asked him as he emphasized the word 'mafia.'

Zhou sighed causing Teng to stare at him.

"You really need to read the news on famous people," the red-haired guy told her, his gaze now fixed on Teng.

He smiled at him. She waved her hand at him so that he could explain what he meant by the mafia Ying family.

"Mr. Bai Ying is the owner of Nero Incorporated or, as most people call it, 'Nero Inc.' for short," Zhou began to explain, his gaze now fixed on her.

"I know that part," Lai said, biting her sandwich.

"He also belongs to the mafia," Zhou added, "His family is part of one of Cedorian's mafia families."

"You mean this country actually has the mafia living in it?" Wen asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

Ren sighed.

"The mafia are all over the world, Little Wen," Ren teased her, "You of all people should know that since you love watching romantic movies related to crime and reading celebrity gossip. Mafia bosses are always on the news and magazines."

Wen kicked his leg under the table, earning an "Ow!" from him. She smiled, feeling satisfied, and continued eating her food.

"So, let me get this straight," Yu said, causing everyone to pay attention to him as they ate their lunch, "The man you saved two years ago happened to be the billionaire mafia boss and CEO of Nero Inc.?"

"Wow, he's even a billionaire," Wen mumbled, "No wonder he looked filthy rich. The air around him smelled different too."

"Well, I didn't know he was part of the mafia at that time," Lai blurted, taking a large bite of her sandwich.

"Even if you knew he was part of the mafia," Teng said, "We all know you would have still saved him."

Lai pressed her lips together, and Ren nodded. That was true.

"Yeah," Yu agreed, "You're just that kind of person. Not prejudice and can't bear to ignore someone in need. It's in your blood."

Zhou leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands.

"So, is this his way of thanking you for saving him that night?" he asked her.

Lai bit her lip and shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Wen squealed, causing some customers to turn their attention to her for a few seconds, wondering why she squealed.

"This is the perfect premise for an unpredictable love story," she told Lai, grinning from ear to ear.

Lai sighed.

"Please don't use me as a character in your romantic fantasy scenarios," she told her best friend, "Hearing that he's in the mafia...I guess it may explain why he was stabbed that night."

"Funny how that was not on the news though," Zhou added.

"Guess his family shut the media up and warned them they would sue if anyone published that story," Ren added.

"Oh maybe it had nothing to do with the mafia," Teng softly chimed in.

Lai had finished her sandwich and leaned back on her chair, tilting her head up to look at the café's white ceiling.

As she stared at it for a minute, two miniature, floating versions of herself appeared.

'What the-?' she widened her eyes in shock, 'What the hell is that?'

One version wore an angel outfit while the other a devil. She was seeing a shoulder angel and demon version of herself.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Lai," the shoulder angel said, "This is a good opportunity for you-"

"No, no, no," the shoulder devil interrupted the shoulder angel, "What if he kills her when he gets angry because she didn't do her job right? Everyone knows that nothing good comes from the mafia!"

'Ah,' Lai thought, 'I am so bothered by Mr. Bai Ying that I'm now hallucinating like they do in movies and comics.'

"No!" the shoulder angel placed her hands on her tiny hips and fixed her gaze on the shoulder devil, "Not all mafia are bad, and if she takes this job, she'll be able to set herself and her mother free sooner."

The shoulder angel then turned her attention to Lai, who tilted her head to the side.

"Don't you want to be set free from your suffering?" it asked her, "You barely live your life or have time to go on dates or outings because you work yourself to the bone every single day because of your father."

"Oh shut up!" the shoulder devil yelled, pushing the shoulder angel and causing her to lose her balance and fall on Lai's lap.

"Ow!"

Lai stared at the shoulder angel. The shoulder devil ignored her and flew closer to Lai, floating in front of her face causing her to look at it.

Her colleagues watched her but did not utter a word. They just thought she was in a daze because of the mafia CEO. They had no idea she was currently having an internal conflict.

"Listen here, Lai!" the shoulder devil said, "This guy is bad news! Bad news, I tell you! Besides, you don't have the necessary qualifications or a degree-"

"That man told her she doesn't need to have that," the shoulder angel chimed in, now floating in front of Lai's face as well, "He said she's the one he needs. Don't mess this up for her."

Lai shook her head, and the shoulder angel and devil disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She sighed. Half an hour later, everyone stood up as it was now time for them to get back to work.

"I have to weigh the pros and cons of this job offer when I get home."

She stood in front of her locker, putting her lunch box inside.

'Do I really want to associate myself with this dangerous man just because of money?' she asked herself, staring at her now-closed locker.