Seized Container

“No way in fucking hell?”

The voice came from the doorway.

Then another voice joined in.

“Who is your father?”

“How the hell did this happen?”

“She must be a daughter of some hot shot.”

“Someone needs to go ask Madam Florence. This has to be a mistake.”

In just twenty minutes, the entire mansion was upside down.

Girls kept appearing at the doorway of Room B just to see for themselves.

Some walked in boldly.

Others peeked their heads through the door.

A few came in groups.

Some came alone.

All of them wanted to see the same thing.

Emily sat quietly on her bunk bed, watching the chaos unfold around her.

The room that had been empty less than an hour ago was now packed with curious faces.

Some looked jealous.

Some looked angry.

Some looked confused.

A few looked like they wanted to personally strangle whoever had assigned her to the casino.

Emily honestly didn't know what to do.

So she simply sat still and watched them.

Eve was standing near the center of the room holding the file like it was some priceless treasure.

Every few seconds another girl would try to snatch it from her.

Every few seconds Eve would slap their hands away.

“Back up.”

“Read from there.”

“Use your eyes.”

“Stop breathing on me.”

At one point two girls started arguing over whether the file was fake.

Then another accused Emily of bribing somebody.

Another claimed Emily was secretly related to Ghost.

That started an entirely new argument.

The room became louder and louder.

Emily almost got a headache.

“I'm telling you this is impossible.”

“Only people who have been here for years get casino assignments.”

“Not even Sandra got one.”

“Exactly.”

“Then how did this new girl get it?”

The questions kept coming.

Eventually they stopped talking amongst themselves.

And started directing everything toward Emily.

“Do you know Ghost?”

Emily looked up.

A dozen eyes stared back at her.

“What?”

“Do you know Ghost?”

Another girl folded her arms.

“What did you do for Ghost to even know you exist to the point he is giving you such a position?”

The room immediately became silent.

Everyone waited.

Even Eve.

The questions actually made sense.

More sense than they realized.

She did know Ghost.

Or at least she knew Damien.

The man who smiled and joked with her.

The same man who turned out to be the most feared man in the country.

There was only one answer to all this….ghost saw her, he remembered her.

She had saved his life.

And now he had quietly pulled a few strings to help her.

That has to be it

She couldn't exactly stand up and announce that though.

The room would explode.

So she simply shook her head.

“I don't know.”

A wave of disbelief swept through the room.

Nobody believed her.

Emily didn't blame them.

Inside though, she was secretly happy.

Ghost remembers her.

The realization made something warm settle inside her chest.

When she first arrived here she had been worried about how difficult it would be to get close to him.

She had planned dozens of possibilities and schemes in her head….Different methods of gaining his attention.

Now things suddenly looked easier.

Ghost already knows who she is.

He remembers her.

That means she won't be starting from zero.

Maybe getting close to him wouldn't be impossible after all.

“Alright, everybody out.”

Nobody moved.

“Out.”

Still nobody moved.

Then Eve started physically pushing people.

“Move.”

“You too.”

“Get out.”

“You smell weird.”

The room erupted into protests.

“This isn't even your room.”

“Why are you acting like security?”

“Girl, leave me alone.”

One girl from the third floor folded her arms.

“This is not even your room, Eve. Why are you asking us to leave?”

Eve pointed toward the door.

“Because I'm tired of looking at all of you, plus this is my friend's room”

Emily raises a brow at Eve who wasn't even looking her way.

The argument lasted another few minutes.

Eventually Eve won.

Mostly because she was louder than everyone else.

One by one the girls finally left.

The door closed.

Silence settled in the room.

Emily released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

Her actual roommates were still here.

Vera, remy and three other girls

The atmosphere felt strange now.

Like everyone was trying to figure her out.

“Girl, you just made more enemies.”

One of the roommates said while applying lip gloss.

Emily looked toward her.

The girl shrugged.

“I'm just saying.”

Emily honestly wasn't surprised.

She had practically become the mansion's biggest mystery overnight.

Eve walked back toward her bed.

The file was still in her hand.

She sat down slowly.

Then looked at the file.

Then at Emily.

Then back at the file.

Then back at Emily again.

The look on her face made Emily nervous.

“You're telling me you've never met Ghost?”

Emily stared at her.

Her heart skipped slightly.

She shook her head.

And maybe she wasn't entirely lying.

After all she had met Damien.

Not Ghost.

Eve continued staring for another few seconds.

Studying her.

Eventually she gave up.

“Fine.”

She looked back down at the file.

“Your shift starts by five today.”

Emily straightened immediately.

“A bus will be in front of the mansion by five. Make sure you're out there early.”

Emily nods.

“What about you?”

She looked at Eve.

Eve chuckled.

“I work at Club Nine.My shift starts by three.”

“A bus will come to carry you too?”

Eve laughed.

The sound echoed around the room.

“Of course.”

She stood up.

“It's not like we can go there by ourselves.”

Emily nods again.

That made sense.

Considering the amount of security surrounding this place.

Nobody was casually walking in or out.

Eve looked at her one final time.

A strange expression crossed her face.

Curiosity, confusion, suspicion?

Maybe all three.

Then she held out the file.

Emily accepted it.

“You're a mystery, Emily,” Eve said as she walked out.

____

Ghost closed his eyes and leaned back against his office chair.

He was troubled.

His container was supposed to have arrived two hours ago.

Two hours.

That might not seem like much to ordinary people.

But in his world, two hours could destroy deals worth millions.

Two hours could start wars.

Two hours could get people killed.

His fingers tapped slowly against the armrest.

Across from him, Sam stood quietly.

"She got into a fight this morning. But it was nothing. Also she spent the night at the dungeon."

Ghost remained silent.

The office fell quiet.

The air itself seemed heavier.

Ghost still didn't say anything.

His eyes remained closed.

He had no idea why Sam was telling him this.

Was he interested in the story?

No.

His mind was occupied with something far more important.

His shipment.

The package inside that container was worth far more than whatever chaos was going on in his mansion.

He needed those packages.

Every hour of delay irritated him further.

A muscle ticked slightly in his jaw.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

His gaze shifted toward Sam.

The man immediately straightened.

Ghost studied him.

Did he, at any point in his life, somehow give Sam the impression that he cared about daily updates regarding that girl?

Did he accidentally say something?

Was it because he assigned her a better job?

Because he moved her from the strip clubs that she was supposed to start from to the casino?

Did that somehow translate into…..Please report every single thing that happens in her life.

His expression remained unreadable.

But his stare grew colder.

Sam visibly stiffened.

The poor man looked like he wanted to disappear.

Ghost simply continued staring.

Like a predator examining his prey.

He wasn't making any effort to hide the threat in his silence.

Sweat slowly appeared near Sam's forehead.

The office suddenly felt too small.

"Sam."

The name left Ghost's mouth calmly.

That was somehow worse than shouting.

"Yes Ghost," Sam answered immediately.

His voice came out slightly shaky.

Ghost folded his hands together on the desk.

"Can you tell me why I need an update on this?"

Silence.

"I... I'm sorry Ghost."

Ghost continued staring.

His expression never changed.

"Do you have a pact with death today?"

Sam's face paled.

"No sir."

Ghost raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

Sam shook his head immediately.

"I'm so sorry sir. It won't happen again."

Ghost studied him for another few seconds.

Long enough to make the man miserable.

Long enough to make him regret being born.

Then finally-

"Get out of my office."

Relief instantly flashed across Sam's face.

It lasted less than a second.

"And if you have nothing to do, I'll gladly assign one for you right now."

Sam nearly choked.

"No, please, Ghost. I'm sorry."

He turned around so quickly he almost tripped over his own feet.

A second later he practically ran out of the office.

The door slammed shut.

Silence returned.

Ghost stared at the door.

Then looked away.

His phone rang.

His attention snapped toward the screen instantly.

For the first time all day, something other than irritation crossed his face.

He grabbed the phone.

"Hello sir."

"Crude?"

"Sir, we have a problem."

Ghost's expression didn't change.

"What is it?"

Nothing in this life can faze him anymore.

"The container was seized in Japan."

Ghost remained completely still.

Waiting for Crude to continue.

"Akatsuki said you have to come down and get it."

Ghost's eyes narrowed slightly.

Now that was annoying.

He immediately knew what this was about.

The deal that fell through last month.

The Japanese side had clearly decided to make things difficult.

Not surprising.

Business partners became enemies every day.

Enemies became business partners the next.

That was how the world worked.

Especially his world.

He ended the call.

The phone landed on his desk.

For several seconds he simply sat there, thinking and calculating.

A trip to Japan wasn't impossible.

It was just inconvenient.

And Ghost hated inconveniences.

A knock sounded on the office door.

His jaw tightened.

Right now he genuinely wanted to shoot someone.

Just one person.

Maybe two.

The door opened cautiously.

Sam stepped inside again.

Fear was visible in every part of his posture.

He was trying desperately not to show it.

Ghost looked at him.

The urge to throw him out the window increased.

"Mr. Collins just called. He is asking for more time-"

Ghost didn't respond immediately.

He simply stared at Sam.

The mention of Collins only worsened his mood.

His shipment was delayed.

Japan was becoming a problem.

And now this idiot wanted more time.

Everyone always wanted more time.

More time to pay.

More time to fix mistakes.

More time to run.

More time to lie.

His eyes darkened.

All he wanted right now was to put a bullet between Collins's eyes.

The man was becoming a nuisance.

A very expensive nuisance.

Ghost slowly leaned forward.

His voice remained calm.

"Take men to that man's house and break his fucking legs.”