7. Aries & Cara in Love?

Keith drowned himself at work. It was past the time for him to get off work, but he still overloaded himself with work to forget about his cheating girlfriend. One of his colleagues and close friend, Janet, appeared and peeked inside his cabin.

“Keith! What are you doing?” She asked, and his bloodshot eyes shot up at her. “Hey, what’s wrong?” She walked in.

“Nothing!” He opened the next file, but she closed it.

“Tell me!!”

Keith sank into his chair. “I’m fucking loser, Janet!” He said, throwing his head back and closing his eyes.

“She is a fucking loser. She couldn’t recognize a gem like you. Stop blaming yourself!” Janet said. “That fucking bitch needed to exit so that the right one could enter.”

“I don’t think I can trust anyone from now onwards!” Keith rubbed his face and focused on the file, but Janet closed the file again. “What?” He groaned in frustration.

“There is this new club in the town I’m going to. Join me!” She offered. “Who knows? You might end up finding the right one for you?”

Keith declined. “I don’t want to go!” He said but Janet was adamant and finally dragged him out.

The night was young again, and the club was filling up with the crowd. Cara got ready in her waitress uniform and opened the first two buttons of her white shirt when the manager glared at her.

She doesn’t like the lustful gaze of drunk men on her cleavage and closes the two buttons whenever the manager disappears in the crowd. “Cara!” Jasper called him to the bar counter and pushed the tray full of drinks in her direction.

Janet and Keith settled at the bar and ordered drinks. “This place is so good!” Janet looked around the wild crowd, and Keith bottomed up his drink. “Let’s dance!” She exclaimed, pulling Keith to the dance floor.

Cara joined Jasper behind the bar counter. He was busy entertaining the other guest and Cara stood in the corner watching him making drinks when his eyes fell on the manager who was glaring at her.

Cara quickly opened the first two buttons of her shirt and watched him disappear into the crowd when her eyes met with electrifying blue eyes pinned at her. She watched Keith taking steps in her direction and gulped in nervousness.

“Get me a drink!” He asked rudely, sitting on the high-rise bar stool. Cara, biting her lips, served him a drink and stood rooted in her place instead of walking away. “I want to talk to you!” She said, “Please hear me out!”

“Not a fucking single word!” He glared at her. “I know the girls of your standard very well. Cheating, scheming, and lying are some of your traits to trap men. I just saw what you did when that man was staring at you. You tried to lure him! But it won’t work on me!”

“Please listen to me once!” She pleaded, but Keith was in no mood to give her room for an explanation and turned to leave.

“Cara!” The manager appeared and gestured to her to follow him into the kitchen. “Dump this garbage!” He pointed at the big black garbage bags.

She nodded, dragging the garbage bags to the trash bin in the dark alley, and stood against the wall, covering her face to hold back her tears when she heard loud gunshots, followed by the loud cries of a man. Her heart raced as she stood motionless in the dark alley.

The sharp sound of gunshots and a man’s anguished cry filled the surrounding air, sending shivers down her spine. As she took a step forward, she caught a glimpse of a violent scene where three men were brutally assaulting an old man.

The man in charge brandished a gun and shot him in the knee, causing him to howl in pain. The sight before her was so gruesome that she had to cover her mouth in shock. “I should do something!!” The first name that came to Cara’s mind was Keith. She cautiously took a step and rushed back inside.

Suddenly, Janet appeared and aimed a gun at one of them. “Don’t move or I’ll shoot!” She said in a high-pitched voice. The leader smirked and stepped towards her. “Officer Janet, it seems you have a crush on me,” he said. “You’re always following me!”

Janet glared at him. “I’ll be in love with you until I kill you, Sebastian!”

“I wish I could fulfill your dreams!” He winked at her and the next moment, he twisted her wrist to take the gun from her.

Pushing her way through the crowd, Cara’s heart raced as she searched for Keith. A flash of his shirt caught her eye, and she hurried after him. “Keith, listen to me!” She held his wrist, and he glared at her.

“I can’t believe how shameless you are!” With a sharp jerk, he pulled his hand away from hers and strode into the men’s restroom.

Cara followed close behind. “It’s something important. I need your help!” she shouted, beckoning the other men to look her way. Keith’s clenched jaws caused Cara to gulp nervously. “Ple-please listen to me!” she stuttered.

“Do you realize where you are or is this your other trick to lure men?” He raised an eyebrow and Cara looked confused. Slowly, her eyes traveled around and she realized she was in the men’s restroom. “Show yourself out!”

Cara held his wrist again. “Please, someone needs you right now! I heard gunshots and they are trying to kill a man!”

Keith stiffened. “Where?” He gazed at her and she asked him to follow her. “Be quiet, okay?” She whispered.

“I am a cop. I know!” He said in a high pitch and Cara gestured for him to lower his voice. She took him to the wall and Keith heard an ongoing argument peeking from behind the wall.

Cara clutched his jacket and Keith watched in shock as the three men overpowered Janet. He took out his phone to call for a backup. “You need to go!” He turned to Cara. “Leave the place!”

“But what about you?”

“You don’t have to worry about me!” Pulling out a gun, Keith walked out in the open and shot a gang member. Janet escaped their clutches when more men arrived and fired shots. They dodged the bullets and took cover behind a parked car.

The man shot in the knee was howling and trying to drag himself away when Cara stepped into the scene to help him. Janet watched one of the gang members aiming at her, and while rushing to save Cara, she got shot in the arm and fell on the road in front of her.

“Janet!!” Keith rushed to her as the police arrived.

Shocked, Cara apologized. “I am sorry!” She assisted Janet until emergency help arrived, who then took both Janet and the man to the hospital.

Keith watched them leave and turned to Cara. “Are you a fucking idiot?” He growled in her face and the latter gulped. “I told you to fucking leave!”

Before Cara could speak, he dragged her inside the club through the back door. “Stay clear of this issue!” He exited the club with a stern demeanor.

***

At the Police Station,

“Crime rates are climbing in this city.” The Chief was visibly stressed over the matter, insisting that they take action. “How’s Janet?”

“She is in hospital,” Keith answered.

“And the man they shot?”

“He is in an emergency! Chances of his survival are less,”

“He must survive! He is the key to reaching Sebastian!” He said and Keith nodded his head. “Oh, but how did you and Janet get there?”

“We went to the club for a few drinks and then she suddenly vanished. While searching for her, a waitress informed me about the gang war and led me to the location.”

“A waitress?” The chief lifted his eyebrow.

“Yeah, a stupid waitress!” Keith clenched his jaws.

“Is she the prime witness?” Keith had an epiphany as he looked up at the chief’s question. “Where is she now? Sebastian might try to harm her!”

***

Cara was trembling slightly, overwhelmed by everything she had witnessed. “Are you okay?” Jasper handed her a drink.

She shakes her head in refusal. “Chill, it’s on me! Loosen up!” He smacked her and walked off.

Cara was saddened by Keith’s rude behavior and her father’s words echoed in her mind. “Not every good-looking face has a good-looking heart! Looks can be deceiving. One should always look for a kind heart.”

She finished her drink and headed to the bar to bring drinks to the wild crowd. When she turned around, she found herself face to face with Keith, who took the tray from her and returned it to the bar counter.

He held her wrist and pulled her out of the club. “What are you doing?” Cara struggled against his powerful grip and he left her. “What do you want?”

“Leave this city for a few days!” He ordered her, and she stared blankly.

“And who are you to decide?”

The men you saw today are dangerous! They’ll go to any extent to harm you. Leave the city for a few days. “Go on a holiday,” he said nonchalantly, and Cara chuckled.

“I don’t have money to book a cab back home and you want me to go on a holiday?” She arched an eyebrow, and Keith remained quiet. “Gotta finish my shift! Stop disturbing me.”

Someone in the dark bore witness as she made her way past him into the club.

***

At the Hospital,

“You’re getting angry as if she had purposely tried to kill me!!” Janet rolled her eyes. “Come on, Keith!”

“She is a dumbass! Despite my instruction to leave, she jumped into the crossfire.”

“Humanity is rare these days! That girl jumped in only to help the man. She is courageous.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Let’s not talk about her!”

Janet stared at him for a few minutes. “What is wrong with you, Keith? Natalie has completely fucked up your brain! You can’t see good in people now. Why?”

“All women are the same!” He sneered.

“Great!” Janet rolled her eyes. “You date the wrong women and we’re to be blamed!” She negated with a headshake. “Everyone said Natalie wasn’t right, but you were head over heels in love with her.”

“Will you stop taking her name?” He shrieked.

Janet twitched her mouth. “You’re acting unreasonably! She was a nice girl. What’s her name?”

The door opened before Keith could reply, and a nurse entered with a gigantic bouquet of white roses. “Someone sent this to you!” She smiled and placed the bouquet next to her bed.

Janet snatched the white envelope from Keith as he tried to read the note inside. “Okay, I am sorry!” He raised his hands. “Is that from someone special?”

“Get out! Visiting hours have closed.” She gestured to the door and Keith huffed.

“Call me for anything you need. I’ll pick you up tomorrow!” He said and closed the door on his way out. Janet opened the envelope and read the note.

“Hey, love! I trust you are doing well. Please forgive me. One of my men tried to act smart to impress me. The moron thought, I’d be impressed if he kills you, but don’t worry, I’ve put him in the right place and also cleared your hospital bills. Just take a good rest. I’ll come to see you tomorrow. Don’t miss me much! Xoxo,”

Janet gritted her teeth and crumpled the note, tossing it into the corner.

***

Cara made it to the club just in time for her shift the following evening. To avoid recognition, she donned her uniform and heavy make-up and stepped out of the restroom when Jasper appeared. “Manager wants to see you!” He said and quickly left.

Cara turned to the staircase and walked up to meet the manager in his office. She tapped on the door and heard a faint call to come in. Upon entering his cabin, she was taken aback to see Keith lounging on the sofa.

Her eyes danced between the manager and Keith as she pressed her lips in a straight line, and her heart was pounding in her chest. “Cara, do you know him?” The manager sneered.

“K-Keith,”

“He is Keith Wilson. One of the elite members and now the owner of this club.” The manager’s loud pitch caused Cara to part her lips. “How dare you misbehave with him?”

“Misbehave? I didn’t misbehave with him!” Cara retorted immediately.

“Oh? How are you going to explain?” The manager turns the laptop in her direction.

Cara frowned while watching the video of her chasing him to the men’s restroom. “What explanation do you have for your inappropriate behavior?” The manager glared at Cara, and the latter’s focus shifted to Keith.

“Sir, I wasn’t after him. I needed to inform him….” Before Cara could complete it, Keith interrupted her.

“Your explanation doesn’t excuse your actions. Save your energy for finding a new job.” He expressed disgust towards Cara, and she widened her eyes in response.

“W-what do you mean?” She stuttered.

“You’re fired!” Keith stood up from his seat and walked around the desk before finally settling down on the executive chair.

“You can’t do this to me!”

“Of course I can. I am the new owner of this club!”

Cara’s eyes filled with tears. “You purchased this club only to get me fired?”

“Don’t give so much importance to yourself!” Keith rolled his eyes. He felt a twinge of regret at the sight of her seemingly genuine tears but quickly masked his emotions by pulling a long face.

“Leave us alone!” He turned to the manager, who then walked out meekly, while Cara glared at him wordlessly.

Keith pushed a stack of money toward her. Her hazel eyes flicked to the money and back to his face. “Take the money and leave for a few weeks. I’ll get you this job when you return!”

“Why are you doing this? Have I harmed you in any way?” She questioned. “I understand you’re upset. But my friend needed a job too. She asked and I couldn’t refuse, that’s it! You fired her and now you fired me. What have I done?”

“I don’t owe you any explanation!” Keith countered. “Take the money and leave.”

Helpless tears escaped from Cara’s eyes, and she turned to walk out when Keith spoke again. “Why aren’t you taking the money?”

Cara looked over her shoulder. “I don’t owe you any explanation.” With that, she walked out of the office.

Despite her efforts to keep moving forward, the weight of her fate seemed to grow heavier as she made her way toward the back exit. Once there, she collapsed onto the stairs.

“What will I do now? The challenge appears to be unending.” She covered her face to suppress her tears when she felt someone sitting next to her.

“You can end all your miseries if you accept our offer. Give us the car and I’ll give two million,” Mike said and Cara looked up at him. “You don’t have to work in these bars and clubs. You’ll have a decent life.”

Cara’s face flushed with anger, and she got up from the stairs. “Why do you keep bothering me?” She asked, exasperated. “I don’t want to sell my car! How many times do I’ve to say the fucking same thing?”

Mike exuded an aura of calmness and patience. He allowed her to release her fury on him and extracted his card from his pocket. “Hey, that’s mine!” Cara shouted as she observed him picking up her sling bag.

Mike inserted his card into her bag and placed it back on the staircase. As he rose to his feet, he confronted Cara, causing her to retreat a step.

“I’ll make sure not to bother you anymore. You’ve fifteen days to hand over this car or….” Before he could complete it, Cara interrupted him.

“Or what?”

“Or my boss will come to take this car. And it will undoubtedly be more agonizing for you!” he said in a deep, ominous voice.

“Who is your boss?” Cara couldn’t resist asking.

“That doesn’t concern you,” he said. “Fifteen days!” With that, Mike walked away, puzzled by why Cara was so persistent and Aries was being obstinate over a mere car.

“Why are Cara and Aries so head over heels in love with the same car?”