DAMON "You have never heard of us?" The middle of his forehead quickly wore a frown before he sharply pulled his hands off the chair and stood upright. My nose scrunched in reaction to his disturbing perfume. After making a clicking noise with his mouth, he folded his arms, gazed right into my eyes, and asked, "How could you have never heard of The Pretties? We made quite an entry this year." "What do you guys do? Put on dresses and try out new lipsticks? Are you a fashion company of some sort?" My voice was so calm and I became worried for myself. Excusing the flamboyant appearance of the man in front of me, it was clear that they were one of the gangs that bothered the streets of the country. But, no, I have never heard about them. The name 'The Pretties' didn't sound familiar. But then, I don't exactly pay much attention to the affairs of the nation. I have enough problems to deal with. My ears caught the stifled chuckles from one of the men at the entrance. Mr. Pretty was
DAMON Miss Selena made clicking noises with her mouth as she tapped the wooden arm of the couch she was seated on. I narrowed my eyes as her response rang in my head a hundred times over. There was something about the word, 'father', that almost made me believe her but, I could not afford to fall into any trap. Especially if that trap is laced with lies. I won't let anyone use my late brother as a means to get me to do something terrible. "What do you mean by my brother was killed because of my father? How do expect me to believe anything you are saying? What?" My frown deepened. "My brother was killed? Please... it was clearly an accident." "The Pretties masterminded his accident. They made sure it was impactful enough to kill him. So yes, they killed him." Selena exhaled hard as I glared at her. As she scrunched her lips while her mind seemed to calculate things, I went to take a seat opposite her. "Prove it. I won't believe you until you do so," I dared her. "Gladly." Her li
DAMON "If you work for me. I will ensure The Pretties doesn't touch your family, otherwise, terrible things will start to happen,” Selena said. "Is this fun for you? Do you think I am a charity case? What do you hope to get from me in return for this protection?" I asked after her words sank in. Honestly, a part of me was already considering her deal. I don't take my family's safety lightly. They are all I have. So, if I have to dine with the devil to have them protected, I will do so. But... I still had so many questions. Selena nodded as my eyes questioned her further. "As you know I have been watching you. What you don't know is that I have been watching you ever since your brother died. I have watched you suffer at that vain job of yours. I have seen how you love your family. I know you are good at what you do. So, I want you to consider my proposition as a simple deal. Take my words as the truth that they are. If I say I will protect you, I will do so. Work for me while us
DAMON I watched as Miss Selena's lips grew into a smile. My response seemed to delight her greatly. "This is awesome," she said excitedly. "We should celebrate." "What's there to celebrate?" I grumbled from where I was. "I am not doing this because I find your offer interesting. No, working with a gang leader has never been my plan. I am doing this to protect my family." "You might as well think that you are doing it for the money," Selena spoke. "You don't have to be so hard on yourself especially now that you have two good-paying jobs." "Isn't my life so great?" I asked, a sarcastic tone in my voice. "Damon Jones," the thickness of her voice snapped me out of my complaining state. "I gave you a choice, so stop making it seem like I forced you to do this. You can decide to change your decision now before we sign a contract." "There's a contract?" My brows lifted accordingly as my nagging side disappeared instantly. "Why?" She crossed her arms. "Did you think you would work for
DAMON "Damon," Selena's feminine voice penetrated my sleep. I was dreaming about my brother and the life he could have had with his daughter and wife. "We're here," I heard her say as I blinked the sleep in my eyes away. While stifling a yawn, I managed a stretch that left me satisfied. I was about to ask Selena a question when the door on her side was immediately shut. She had left the car. I soon did the same. As soon as I stepped out, my sight landed on a huge mansion and the scenery surprised me greatly. Honestly, when she mentioned that we were going to the main base, I imagined a dirty, old-looking, almost rusted factory. But the building I was presently staring at... By God, it was magnificent. At that moment, I felt the ache of not having my camera with me. Everything about the building was glorious. From the well-permed lawn to the exquisitely designed lamp stands which had gold-colured stripes on its pole, everything was indeed gracious. As the car behind me was d
DAMON It all happened so fast. One minute, Selena said something about rules. The next, Camilla was being dragged out of the door by a hefty man who rushed into the room like he had been set ablaze. "Follow me," Selena had ordered sternly and I had no choice but to do so. Even if I wanted to resist, the look in her eyes and the firmness in her voice was enough warning for me. So, as I tried to remain calm, I followed Selena whose sight was trained intently on Camilla. Camila was so close to being dragged on the floor like a dirty rag as the tall, buffy man pulled her along mercilessly. I felt bad for her for a minute but when I recalled how forceful she was earlier, I just hoped that moment wouldn't escalate into a rigorous and bloody one. Soon, after many steps were taken, we were far into the exquisite building and away from the noisy party on the ground floor. My steps soon came to a halt as I watched the man open a door on the right. It was one of the many doors on the lon
DAMON My mother was glad to hear I had gotten a job at TIANOR. Of course, I didn't tell her about the other one, but it gladdened me to see her so happy. As she smiled graciously, prayers wouldn't stop falling from her lips. When I left her house the previous night, I told her I would come later to show her my employee card. Truthfully, I can't wait to see it myself either. For so many nights I dreamt about having one. Ever since my online photography business failed, I decided to cling to my original plan of working for a company. I applied to so many companies and each time I was rejected, I wondered if that was how my life would continue to be. Even when I managed to find a job at the sweet factory, I wondered the same. It bummed me that my life wasn't moving at all. I was just there, living like I was being forced to do so. So, now that I will be getting an employee card, I will stare at it and be more than certain that my life was no longer stagnant. Perhaps for once, life
DAMON If we were in an amination, my feet would have probably made a screeching sound as I suddenly halted my steps. My eyes widened instantly as Selena’s statement sunk into my mind. What? A mission in an hour? Whatever happened to being a Mafia Photographer? Right… This is why one shouldn’t trust any mafia leader, pretty or not. They are all full of deceit. At least, she could have mentioned my full job description before waving the ‘another gang is after your life’ card in front of me. As I sighed deeply, I decided to say something. But, before I could utter a word, Miss Selena got up from her seat and said, "You will be going to Poblacion’s east dockside. We have received information that one of our rivals Malik, is getting a consignment of gold next week. I need you to fetch information from the executioner of this plan." See… Never trust a mafia leader. “Uh… Selena…” I watched as she grabbed a remote from her desk. “We didn’t talk about this. You never mentioned-” A whi