“Bea! Come out quickly and have some breakfast. I’ll drop you today.” Johan’s voice rang out from the kitchen, startling everyone. The family exchanged wide-eyed looks, jaws slightly open.
This wasn’t exciting…it was unsettling. Johan never offered favors. He was egoistic, distant, and rarely showed any understanding.
“Umm… Dad, I go by myself every day. And today’s first lecture is cancelled, so it’s fine. You can go…I’ll manage, don’t worry,” Bea replied cautiously. Something about his sudden kindness felt off. She didn’t want to accept it and tried to decline as politely as she could.
“Alright! I’m leaving, Daphne. See ya,” he said curtly and walked out without another word. His behavior was odd…too odd.
“Mommy, is Dad okay? He was being so nice today,” Julie asked innocently, her little mind unable to grasp the tension…only the change.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Daphne said flatly. Her tone gave her away…she wasn’t convinced. But she kept quiet in front of the kids.
“Eat your breakfast and get ready for school.”
“Mom, could you pass that slice?” Bea asked, already standing. She was in a hurry to leave, to shake off the strangeness lingering in the air. She grabbed the toast, stuffed it into her bag, and rushed to pack up.
“Wait…didn’t you just tell your dad your class is cancelled? Now you’re rushing out? What’s going on?” Daphne asked, eyeing her daughter suspiciously. For once, she was acting like a mother.
“Mom… I think he’s up to something. I’m scared. If he tries anything again, I won’t stay silent…not this time. I won’t tolerate it. Not for anyone.” Bea’s voice was steady, but her eyes betrayed her fear.
“Alright,” Daphne said quietly, watching her daughter gulp down the last bite. Her worry deepened.
“I’m leaving. Bye.” Bea swung her bag over her shoulder and left the table, half her plate untouched.
**************************
“Oh man, why is there so much traffic today? How am I going to reach on time?” Bea muttered to herself. She was one of those people who never cared for traffic signals or crosswalks.
Just as she stepped off the curb, she noticed a kitten stranded in the middle of the road. Cars zoomed past; people glanced but kept walking, no one stopped.
“Let me help you, lil’ baby. You’re so soft… little beauty,” she cooed, scooping the kitten into her hands. She forgot everything else…the road, the traffic, the world.
Then came the shouts.
She looked up, startled, then to her left…and saw it. A car, speeding straight toward her. The driver was glued to his phone. Without thinking, Bea threw the kitten aside to safety.
SCREEECH.
Beep! Beep!
She thought she was done for. But the horn snapped her eyes open. The driver’s hand was glued to it, his voice yelling at her through the windshield.
She stormed toward him.
“Get out of the car! It’s your fault and you’re blaming me? You’re not blind, are you?” Bea snapped, trembling with adrenaline.
“Oh, hello! You’re alive because I can see. Maybe you’re the blind one for not noticing a moving car. Now step aside,” he said coldly, eyes fixed on the back seat.
“I said get out and give me your keys! Clearly, you don’t know how to drive. What, you wear your eyes on top of your head?” Bea fired back, furious.
“Why would I give you my keys? I’ve got places to be. Move,” he said, still not meeting her gaze.
“You don’t deserve a license. How do people like you even pass a driving test with zero understanding of road safety?” She was on a roll now, forgetting completely that she was the one who’d stepped into the road.
“And you don’t deserve to be outside. Stay home, girl,” he muttered.
“Throw the keys away and walk to wherever you’re going. Maybe then you’ll learn,” she barked.
“What is it with you and the keys? You don’t even look needy….spare me the drama,” he snapped, finally glancing at her.
He paused.
Long coat. Long black curls falling gently around her face. Tawny skin, deep eyes…something about her caught him off guard. His thoughts tripped over themselves. He looked away, flustered.
“But you look poor, even with four eyes,” she said, pointing to his glasses with a smirk.
“You have time to waste. I don’t. Now move, I’m in a hurry,” he said, glancing again toward the backseat.
“What if I don’t?” Bea challenged.
He clenched his jaw. “Alright. Here….take the keys. Get him to the hospital. Go!”
“Wh…what happened to him?” Bea blinked, stunned. How had she missed someone else in the car?
“He passed out. He’s not okay. If we don’t get there fast, he could die. And you…you’re arguing while a life’s on the line,” the driver said, calmer now, but firm.
“Oh… I…I’m sorry.” Bea stepped aside, suddenly speechless.
He jumped back into the car, slammed the door, and sped off. Bea stood frozen, watching until the car disappeared.
Another horn jolted her back to reality.
“Idiot,” she muttered under her breath, already running late.
And just like that, she gave him his first title.
*******************
Love is a rose that blooms in spring,
A warmth that spreads throughout the heart.
It’s a feeling that makes everything
Feel like a brand-new start.
Love is a song that’s always playing,
A melody that never ends.
It’s a bond that’s worth the waiting—
Where true happiness begins.
Love is a light that shines so bright,
Guiding us through the darkest days.
A beacon of hope and insight
That helps us find our way.
Love is a treasure worth discovering,
A gift that’s worth the giving.
For in love, we find our meaning—
And a life that’s worth the living.
“Come on! I’ve been waiting forever. You took your sweet time,” his boss barked as soon as he walked in.
“Perfect. You too can shout at me. I’m already mad at someone,” he snapped back, matching his tone.
“Mad? You’ve been brain-dead for ages. Can’t lose something that’s been gone forever. Your system needs a reboot just to remember what it lost,” his boss teased, trying to nudge him into a better mood.
“Be careful. This ‘outdated system’ is the same one helping you complete your secret projects. Let me toss it out so you can finally use your own precious mind. What’s the point of wearing a crown if it’s just for show? Try using that thing under it for once.”
“If you admit I’m a genius, you can throw your own brain out the window. After all, two swords can’t fit in one sheath.”
“I never said that. If your brain is a sword, mine is the sheath. Without me, your sharp little ego would rust in a week.”
“Enough,” his boss laughed. “One day, you’re going to dig your own grave with that sharp tongue. Don’t try to be too clever.”
“Oh, come on. You always pull the ‘threat card’ when you run out of words. Is the truth really that bitter?” he said with a grin. Around his boss, he always felt a little lighter…it was the one place he could drop the weight of the world.
“Man, I don’t have time for your drama. You’re abusing the leniency I give you.”
“Leniency? It’s survival. A necessary evil.”
“Alright, alright. Enough with the performance. Update me on the task.”
“It’s done,” he said without hesitation.
“No mess?”
“Is that a real question?” He glanced dramatically left and right, as if someone else were in the room.
His boss raised a brow. “Really?”
“I’m shocked. You doubt me? I’m the most honest crook in your squad. Even in your shady deals, I’m the one keeping it clean.”
“The purest man in illegal affairs,” the boss laughed. “That’s a new one.”
“You’ve never heard of need, have you?”
“Oh? And what desperate need made you do it?”
“Love, my friend. Love.”
“Don’t start with your nonsense.”
“I mean it. I only bow for you. No one else has that power.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes really. That girl scrambled my brain. That entire scene is still stuck to me like glue.”
“Let me guess…you messed it up, and now you’re blaming me?”
“I was calmly driving, okay? Then your message came in: ‘Finish the task and get to my office. Next project’s waiting.’ I checked the phone…one second…and boom, almost hit a girl. Slammed the brakes just in time. And what does she do? Starts screaming: ‘You’ve got four eyes and still drive blind? You should walk!’”
He paused to mimic her voice, throwing his hands in the air.
His boss chuckled. “And what did you do?”
“What could I do? I handed her the keys and said, ‘Take the guy in the backseat to the hospital. He’s dying. No time to argue.’”
His boss leaned forward. “And?”
“She went quiet. Said, ‘I’m sorry, I had no idea,’ gave me back the keys, and stepped aside.”
“And then?
“With my neck held high, I got in, fired up the engine, and drove off…eft her standing there in a cloud of dust.”
“So, basically, she just accused you of using your phone while driving? And she was actually right?” the old man asked, his tone flat as if it was the first time he had to deal with such an excuse.
“If my timing was wrong, then she should’ve used the right timing, right? She stepped in front of me at the wrong moment. It’s her fault.” The man responded, now in a different mood altogether….defensive and irritated.
“Yeah, you’re right. Let me guess…you’re going to say the person who sent you the message is at fault too?” The old man watched him closely, analyzing every shift in his expression. He knew the man well…he had been raised under his careful eye.
“Absolutely! And by the way, have you started using your precious brain too early today? It seems like my words hit your head directly.” The man smirked, taking another jab at his boss.
“I’ve caught on to your little scheme. Now, get back to your serious form.” The old man’s expression hardened, his tone shifting. “We don’t have much time to waste. This is important.”
“Roger that, boss.” The man’s voice instantly changed, serious, sharp. His body language shifted too, hardening like rock. Anyone observing wouldn’t believe this was the same person who had been joking moments ago.
Without another word, the old man slid a file across the table, signaling the shift in their conversation.