I slapped him.
Then I spat on his face.
"I will never talk to bad luck like you. I don't want to see your face for the rest of my life," I said, poking him hard with my finger.
Anger flashed across his face. He grabbed my wrist and gripped it tightly.
"What the hell did you just call me?" he asked.
"You are bad luck!" I shouted.
With my free hand, I pulled out my gun and pointed it at his head.
"I will shoot you if you don't leave me alone."
What he did next shocked me.
"Go ahead," he said calmly. "Pull the trigger if you want the so called bad luck to die."
My hand trembled slightly.
He suddenly pulled me closer. One of his hands wrapped around my waist while the other gripped the hand holding the gun, forcing it harder against his head.
"Go ahead and kill me," he said quietly. "This might be the last chance you have. But I would like to know what I did that deserves death. If you won't tell me, then go ahead. Kill your bad luck."
Before I knew it, I bit him hard on the chest.
"Just get away from me!" I screamed. "I don't want to see you again."
Then I pushed him away.
"You should thank your lucky star. I promised myself never to use my gun on innocent people. Now get out of my sight."
Elvin POV
After meeting Mason, I contacted my hacker and asked him to get Catherine's number so I could reach her. Once I had it, I sent her a message asking her to meet me at the restaurant not far from Mo Company.
I arrived before she did, but I stayed inside my car. I wanted to delay a little and observe her reaction first.
When she arrived, she didn't enter immediately. She checked through the glass first, scanning the place as if she was expecting danger.
That surprised me.
After a few minutes, she finally went inside.
From where I sat, I could see her sitting in a corner with a glass of juice. Her eyes were closed as she slowly savored the drink, almost as if she was studying the taste.
When I walked up to her table, her eyes were still closed. For a moment I wondered if she was enjoying more than just the juice.
So I cleared my throat.
Her eyes flew open immediately.
I saw the surprise on her face and also noticed her left hand gripping a gun. She tried to hide her reaction, but I caught the slight change in her expression.
Her attempt to act casual amused me.
When she called me handsome and asked if I was trying to buy her loyalty, I almost laughed.
Then she stood up and tried to leave without even letting me speak.
That was when I laughed.
Darkly.
She was the first person who had ever dared to behave like that in front of me. If it had been anyone else, they would not have survived long enough to walk away.
She stopped walking when she heard my laughter and turned back, trying to understand what was funny.
Then she said, "Why are you laughing like someone about to run mad? Just state your business. I have something I need to do."
She was clearly trying to hide how surprised she was.
My harsh words made her choke on her drink and spit it out on my face.
Damn.
I inhaled deeply, trying to control my anger.
Despite that, I still patted her back and offered her my handkerchief as she kept coughing.
Then suddenly she looked at me with pure hatred.
The kind of hatred that made it seem like she wanted to kill me immediately.
That confused me.
In the five years I had been searching for her, we had only crossed paths two or three times. I had even helped her during those encounters.
I knew she didn't recognize me.
So why was she looking at me like that?
Before I could ask anything, she snapped at me to get away from her and ran off.
I paid for the second juice she ordered and returned to my car.
Then I followed her.
I wanted to know where she was going.
While trailing her, I noticed something strange. She slowed down for a moment when she saw someone.
It was Elorah.
My stepmother's niece.
Catherine looked like she was struggling to control herself before she started running again.
That made me wonder.
Was Elorah the reason she hated me?
Regardless, I continued following her until she stopped on a bridge, staring at the ocean as if she was trying to calm herself.
But I was still angry.
And curious.
I needed to know why she reacted that way.
And I also needed to know what Elorah had done to her.
Then after sometimes of observing her, I went to meet her and I asked her in a feigned angry voice, why she would leave without hearing my side, without knowing the reason I wanted to meet her.
But what I least expected happened.
She slapped me.
This time, I was truly angry.
A bad luck? How? How was I a bad luck to her?
Seeing the tears in her eyes softened my anger, and I drew her closer to me. Her body was damn soft. I've been with girls before, but hers was different.
What amused me was that she pointed a gun at me. I even forced her to shoot me, to shoot her "bad luck" to death. Deep down, I knew she would never do it. If she could, she would have done so when she saw Elorah. But she didn't. Besides, her facial expression said it all.
So I pushed her once more, at the same time asking her why she would want to kill me.
After telling her to leave, I released her. She walked down the path where we could see the sea. Then she removed her shoes, dipped her legs in the water, and sat on a compartment, crying.
She looked empty as if the only thing she was holding on to was revenge.
That intrigued me even more.
Had Mr. Mason done something wrong?
Was she a friend or a foe?
Notwithstanding, I was going to support her. I couldn't deny the feelings I had the very first time we bumped into each other. She was the reason behind my wealth and fame, and I wouldn't want her to suffer.
For five years, I had been looking for her to no avail. She must have gone through a lot, and I would help ease her pain.
She kept crying from evening till dawn. I stayed with her, sitting on a walkway chair.
All of a sudden, she stood up, put on her shoes, and prepared to leave. That was when she saw me. She looked shocked to see me there.
"Hi, Miss Catherine. I'm here to know the reason behind the name bad luck," I said.
She yawned, looked at me from head to toe, and spoke in a flat tone, as if she were talking to an enemy.
"I feel the reason why you wanted to meet me is important. Why not state what you want? If it's something I can do, I'll. If not, let's part our ways."
I replied, "I'm going to state my business on one condition, if you tell me the reason you call me bad luck."
She replied, "You don't have anything important to tell me. Scram off."
She turned away and started to leave.
Before she could go, I grabbed her hand and dragged her back to me. This time, I held both her hands with one hand and pressed her chin hard with the other.
Since she proved to be stubborn, I decided to return the same vibes to her.
"I want to know the reason you call me bad luck," I said.
She looked at me angrily and spat at me.
"You're a bad luck. What will you do to me this time? kill me? Go ahead and kill me. Anyway, your bad luck already took my mother away from me."
Then she went quiet, closing her eyes.
I was shocked to hear that I had taken her mother away from her. I seriously didn't understand what was going on.
Was that the reason she paused when she saw Elorah?
"What did Elorah say about me?" I asked.
She looked at me with wide eyes.
"You know Elorah?"
Now I was confused. Something must have brought Elorah and her together. But why that expression when she saw Elorah?
What exactly was going on?
Instead of answering her question, I asked one of my own.
"What business do you have with Elorah?"
She replied with another question.
"Who is Elorah to you?"
It was difficult for her to speak because I was still holding her chin forcefully, but I understood her well enough.
I increased the pressure on her chin.
"Why did you call me bad luck? If you won't tell me anything about Elorah."
Then I noticed blood dripping from her mouth. She still refused to answer me.
Out of anger, I made a fist to hit her, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Instead, I punched the tree she had been pinned against.
I kept punching the tree again and again while holding her, asking her one last time:
"Why did you call me bad luck?"
What I saw in her facial expression only increased my anger to the fullest, it's as if I should strangle her to death.
But could I really bring myself to do that?