I'm not someone I'd enjoy being friends with. Although I have my own hobbies and likes and dislikes like everyone else, they don't seem to enjoy my presence. I've read about it. I'm what people consider a monster, acting cold and superior and showing off my leader side instead of my friendly side. That's probably one of the reasons why people don't approach me outside of their interests. And the fact that behind my book publishing company, not many know that I engage in illegal activities, such as dealing with exploiters and going on secret missions under fake identities. But that's another story.
After such a long day of work, papers trashed everywhere around my office, I need a break. I gather my stuff and leave everything work-related behind in the office.
I drive back home in silence. I was suffocated all alone. Cars drove slower than usual, I guess. The sleep slowly caught up to me while I waited in traffic for a simple light to change. Nothing was making much sense for me right now. Constantly getting calls from my secretary, Huang, bribing me into attending more and more meetings.
A drunkard speeds up on the left road in the intersection as he was entering. I react quickly and hit the brakes.
What is going on with everyone?!
...
Time: 5 am. The phone vibrates annoyingly in the night drawer by the bed. The bright yellow light from the lamp fades in contrast with the darkness surrounding me.
My eyelashes flutter open, the light entering sneakily. The sound gets louder as I sit up and reach for the phone. On the screen, a name appears: Huang. I press hesitantly on the green button to answer, bringing the phone up to my ear. "What now?" I roughly say, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
"You have an urgent meeting scheduled in China. The executives expect you to be present for 24 hours. I've booked the flight for you, 11 hours from now." The woman's voice was heard on the line.
That's Huang, my assistant. She... plans basically everything for me. Since I tend to forget trivial things while I'm engrossed in my work, she handles the organizing. Sometimes, I'd be doomed without her help. And in other times... well...
"Don't tell me you forgot about the meeting. Seriously. How do you expect to do well without even trying to communicate with others and accept partnerships?"
"I'll deal with it later. You woke me up from my nap. Can't you delay it for me? I'm not in the mood."
"Are you out of your mind?! This is crucial for your business to fly up the charts and expand in other regions!"
Blah, blah, blah...God, can't she just shut up for once?!
"Alright, just...send me the address. I'm on my way." I hang up, throwing the phone away on the bed. Great, another weekend wasted on stupid meetings. It couldn't get any worse, can it?
The drive there was a nightmare.
I embark on the plane with that sweet sleep still heavy on my eyelids. I wasn't the one at fault. If anything, it was the tiring traffic I had to deal with so early in the morning on the way to the airport. I couldn't really do much about it. It was work; I couldn't just magically skip it even if I wanted to.
I was brought to the First-Class seats diligently. I wasn't even surprised, with the amount of money I had, it was nothing. I take my seat, close to an elderly lady who looks scared. It probably was because she had the window seat. Fear of heights is quite common. "Miss, if you'd like, we could swap seats," I say. My hand reaches slowly towards her, unsure of her reaction.
Her head snaps towards me, her eyes calmer and more peaceful.
"Yes, my dear. That'd be nice."
I take her hand and gently seat her down away from the window, right before I take my seat.
'Thank you, my dear, you are a gentleman!'
I appreciate her compliments, nodding and smiling politely. That felt nice. Getting good reactions from other people is a good change of sight. If only others were as wise as this lady...
The sky faded into such a navy color that could capture anyone's attention just by a glance at a little lightened star. It was purely magical, like those sleepless nights were slowly but surely heaving onto my eyelids.
Time: 3 am. I let my eyes close calmly. Why did it have to be so quiet here? Even the noise made by the passengers who walk to and from the bathroom, talking, eating, drinking, humming... all fades when I lose myself in the profound sleep.
Time: 4 am. I get woken up by a loud bang heard across the hallway. I stand up rapidly and ready myself in case of any danger, loading up my gun from the pocket.
The people sent by my enemies tracked me down on a plane, too. How much hatred can one have? It's almost amusing.
"Dear, what's that noise?" The old lady asks, shaken up by the chaos.
"Everything is fine, ma'am. Please rest assured."
The men run up to me. I stand between them and the lady, making sure she's out of harm's way. They kept pushing other passengers, making way. The flight attendants, scared, are still trying to calm everyone down.
I blow a few shots in them right before one of them shot me in an instant, making me drop to the floor. I feel a big pressure on my left chest... I think he shot directly in my heart.
"Who...sent you to kill me?"
"Even if we told you, it's of no use! Hah! You'll be dead anyway," one of the men says.
"I'll hunt your boss down... and make him regret getting on my bad side..." I say my last words before a sudden pain came from the back of my head. The grandma I so protected with my life turns out to be an accomplice of theirs.
The men's laughter echoes throughout the whole plane, passengers frightened by the situation, one or two babies crying from the loud gunshot a few moments ago.
Warm blood trickled down my neck, soaking into my collar, dripping down on the floor, staining the soft fabric underneath us...
Her hands were no longer trembling. They were steady. Grinning together with the other 2 men.
Right before my eyes, like a hallucination, a girl walks up slowly towards us, holding in one of her hands a... sword? Who would have a sword in the 21st century? Not only that, but it's also illegal to carry it around with you. She, on the other hand, seems unbothered, ignoring the stares she gets from the others. Her steps are light as she approaches me. Right before I could get a good look at her face, I passed out.
The frailty had left her posture. She stood straighter now, watching me collapse with an expression I could not quite decipher. Regret? No. It wasn't regret.
It was a calculation.
One of the men steps closer to her. "Took you long enough," he muttered.
She sighs softly, adjusting her sleeves. "He was stronger than I anticipated," she replies, her voice soft and fragile, mixed with a fear that was so well hidden behind her calm face. She drags her sword on the floor, further away from me.
God, if reincarnation is real, please give me one last chance. Let me do things the right way and put an end to everything else. Help me remember the faces of those who wronged me. And, most of all, help me meet the blurred woman that stood in front of me in the last few seconds before my death again. Help me remember her voice... and those eyes.
My last remaining moments were tragic, protecting an enemy. Funny, isn't it?