Chapter 8 #2
I opened the podcast app on my phone and listened to my favorite true crime show.
I was intrigued at how addictive these podcasts were.
At first, I was kind of against the idea of it – listening to the details of people getting murdered – it really didn’t sound very appealing.
Once I started the first episode, I couldn’t stop.
I even used it to fall asleep like a bedtime story.
My family probably thought that I was some kind of psychopath.
Loud and urgent ringing made me jump. Then I remembered what that sound was – the new doorbell I’d had installed not too long ago.
Some fancy bell where I could see the person at the door from my phone.
I felt old for falling behind on the gadget trends – I simply did not have time to play or explore.
Who would come by at 6:30 in the morning? I put on a robe and turned on the doorbell app on my phone. I wasn’t going to answer the door without knowing who it was at this time of the day. My new doorbell gave me the option of doing that. One point to technology.
Then I saw him, Kai waving at the camera, holding a paper bag up and grinning like an idiot. I had a strange feeling inside me, butterflies in my stomach I think, or perhaps I was having a heart attack, just at the sight of him.
I checked in the mirror quickly, no bed hair. Then I headed to the door. I couldn’t help but curse him for visiting at this time of the morning, me without my makeup and pretty clothes on.
“What are you doing here?” I asked through the app as I rubbed some Vaseline on my lips.
“Let me in. I brought breakfast.” Kai showed me a brown paper bag.
Sex with Kai – even if it was just a dream – followed by breakfast. Would that count as a win for the day?
“It’s 6:30. Go back to your own house.”
“Jet lagged.” He begged again, this time whining like a little bitch. No one could resist a puppy whine. But I was going to let him in sooner or later anyway.
“I’ll be right out.”
I decided to let him wait as I got dressed.
Turning around back to my bedroom, I quickly changed into comfortable loungewear.
Although leaving my pajamas on was very tempting, especially after what happened (or didn’t happen) last night.
But I wasn’t really convinced it would work with my Hello Kitty pajamas.
Kai walked straight past me like he was the master of my home.
Playing with switches to turn on the lights he preferred in my apartment.
Touching things as he walked past every piece of furniture.
Was he examining my place for its cleanliness?
Or was he plotting to buy my place? Both thoughts were ridiculous, I needed some coffee.
His formal attire of suit and tie was gone.
He wore only a simple t-shirt with a designer logo across the chest and a pair of blue jeans.
It made him look younger and boyish. Like many businessmen that I knew of, Kai was one of those people that rarely dressed down, unless you caught them at the gym or a sporting event.
In which case, they would dress like they had been sponsored by some fashion company for a magazine shoot.
“Do you know how early it is?” That was my hello. I couldn’t afford having him know how much I had missed him.
I grabbed a Starbucks coffee cup and started sipping like my life depended on it even though I had no idea what was in the cup I had just picked up.
“Yes, Dave told me you were up,” he said nonchalantly.
“What?” I nearly spat out the sweet tasting caramel flavored latte.
“Yeah, he said your light was on. So, I came.”
What did he mean by that? I needed my coffee to kick in right now to make sense of his words. I downed another large sip of the sweet coffee and pulled a face as the hot liquid flowed down my throat. “You mean you have him watching me?”
“No, not right now, silly. He’s gone to rest. Clare is watching you now.” I spun around but there was no sight of Clare. What was he talking about? “She’s across the road.”
Did I hear him right? I rushed and stood by the large window in the living room, whose curtain was automatically drawn open every morning at 6 by another smart gadget that my assistant had helped me set up.
There.
In the apartment across from my building, I saw a female figure with binoculars waving at me. I didn’t wave back.
“What happened to the people living in that apartment?” I had heard about Kai’s security team – that they were a little bit unconventional and over the top.
“They moved out of course.”
“How?” His words didn’t make sense. This Starbucks coffee was either very mild or decaf or I had turned really stupid overnight.
“Easy. Just write them a check for twice the amount of what their home is worth, and people will move right away. I was ready to triple the payout, but they took the first offer. Wasn’t that easy, Silly?”
I had no idea when he started doing it, but at this moment I wasn’t a big fan of the nickname Silly.
“Why would you do that? Are you crazy?” I opened my mouth and hoped that a series of very rude swear words would flow out of me effortlessly like some gangster, but nothing happened. I stomped on the floor instead. “You–you idiot.”
“Look! I had a dream about you last night.”
No! Did he mean ‘you had a dream about me last night’? Can he read minds?
“What are you talking about?”
“In my dream.” Oh god, please tell me we shared the same dream. “You were shot by that bastard.”
Oh. Different kinds of dreams.
“I would never forgive myself if I let something happen to you. So, I sent Dave to sort out your neighbors. Wait, can you still call them neighbors when they live so far away from you now?”
Gosh, he seemed very chatty this morning. And I was in no mood to answer him.
“What happened to them?” This was the most ridiculous thing that had ever happened to me.
I knew that some crazy rich Asians behaved in a certain way that my western ass could never understand.
But I never thought that I would see it happen firsthand, right in front of my eyes. “Is this how you do things back home?”
“Oh, I have no idea what happened to them. Knowing Dave, he would have allowed them fifteen minutes to pack and leave before the deal expired. My guess is that they would either go stay with friends and family or go to a hotel.”
“And what about their stuff?” I demanded, wondering if Clare was over there digging through their things. When she didn’t have the binoculars trained on me, that is.
“Wait, I haven’t answered the second part of your question.
Yes and no, that’s not how we usually do things back home.
Usually, we would have more time to plan.
” I stopped caring about the answer, but he didn’t seem to be able to shut up.
“But if we were desperate, then yes, that’s how we work.
As I see it, staying alive and being safe is the most important thing in the world. ”
He tip-toed lightly next to me and gave me a hug. “I know you don’t approve of the way I do things, but I was worried sick about you all night.”
My heart melted the second I was in his arms. Was I touched by his crazy and unreasonable behavior?
“What about their stuff?” I repeated.
“Dave offered to have it all shipped to their new address, but they didn’t want it. I guess their stuff wasn’t all that valuable or precious to them.”
“I guess. It is just stuff at the end of the day.”
“Yeah, just some Ikea rubbish. Nothing is more important than your safety.”