Chapter 30: Chapter 30

ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POV

Considering how there’s a lot of passersby around, I convinced the stranger who approached me to talk this out through a meal. I wasn’t planning on spending anything until I found a job, but I had to do so unless I wanted people to notice me.

I took a sip from my iced caramel macchiato as I crossed my legs, leaning my back behind. “So, what do you want from me?” I asked, as if I were the one who had the upper hand.

“You’re one amusing woman,” the man commented as he showed me a playful smirk. “What are you capable of doing other than pretending that you’re strong?” He used his lips to point out my trembling hands, which were holding onto my cup.

I placed both of my hands on my lap and then faked a cough. “I’m confident that I can do anything and everything, as long as there’s money involved,” I answered him with all honesty.

The man snapped his fingers. “That’s a great response,” he said before stretching out his arm to ask for a handshake. “I’m Austin Lorenzo,” he introduced himself.

I held his hand, shaking it, as I mentioned my name. “I’m Angelique Sloan, though I guess you already know a lot about me because of the news reports going round and round.”

Austin let out a soft chuckle before he pulled his hand away from mine. He doesn’t seem to be interested in me romantically, so I’m assuming that he’s purely here for business matters.

“Why are you asking what I can do?” I muttered, finally managing to calm myself down, thinking that he’s not someone as shady as I thought.

“I need someone who can work under me. Someone who won’t complain about the tasks that I would give, and also someone who doesn’t give a damn about bloodbaths,” Austin replied with a serious expression on his face.

I raised one of my eyebrows. “What do you mean?” I fixed the strands of my hair that were blocking my eyesight. “Are you basically saying that you’re looking for someone who can kill in your stead?” I asked, trying to gain his clarification.

Austin nodded his head. He picked up a piece of paper from the inside of his jacket, handing it over to me as he placed it above the table. “That’s the list of people that you have to haunt for an entire month,” Austin uttered as I scanned the contents of the paper.

My eyes widened as I saw that it wasn’t a mere single person that was listed. There were around twenty or more.

“W-what do you take me for?” I raised my voice, refusing to believe that I have to kill again just to make a living. “Do you think I’m some sort of serial killer? A murdering machine who has no heart? Do you think that I’m merciless and a walking psychopath?” I consecutively questioned him.

I crumpled the paper and then threw it directly at his face, which he elegantly avoided. I stood up from my seat, attempting to leave the place, but Austin spoke to prevent me from leaving.

“I knew you would react that way,” he mumbled, which was immediately followed by his soothing laugh. “Those names that you saw there were all fake, Angelique,” he whispered from behind.

I didn’t even notice that he was already an inch behind me. I didn’t hear him standing up from his spot.

“I was just testing if you would actually agree to such a heinous task,” Austin continued to tease me.

I faced him with my eyebrows furrowed. “So, what’s your real purpose for approaching me?” I coldly asked.

“I told you, I’m searching for someone who can work under me without complaints,” Austin answered, inviting me to take a seat once again. “Are you free tonight? I’ll lead you to my workplace. Maybe then, you can understand better what I’m trying to make you do,” he added.

I nodded my head. “I’m always free. There’s nothing left for me to do with my life anyway.”

As soon as I gave my approval, we decided to keep silent and finish what had been served to us on our table.

And after an hour and a half, Austin really did accompany me to wherever his workplace was.

“Are you sure that you’re going to bring me to your workplace? What if you’d just bring me to the police station or something?” I suddenly became paranoid because of all the eyes that were set on us as we were crossing the streets together.

Austin stopped his tracks as he stood beside me to grab my forearms as tightly as he could. “You’re a sharp one,” he commented.

I gasped as he didn’t let me go, no matter how many times I tried to resist his grip. “L-let me go!” I yelled.

“Shh,” Austin whispered. “I was joking. Why did you have to scream that loudly?” He released me as soon as he heard me scream my lungs out.

I stomped my feet as I pouted. “You’ve been making a fool of me since the time we met. We’re not even close,” I said.

Austin casually wrapped his arms around my shoulders as the both of us proceeded with our journey. “I said that you looked miserable back then, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. What about it?”

“I wanted to lift up your mood so that you wouldn’t feel bad when you’re already working under me,” Austin continued. “I don’t want you to feel awkward once you accept having me as your boss.”

The way that his sentences were delivered awakened the butterflies in my stomach.

“Are you this sweet with all the other women that you converse with, too?” I randomly asked.

“You’re asking like you’re a possessive girlfriend of mine,” Austin commented with a chuckle. “Of course I’m not. You’re the only exception in my life, Angelique. You’re the very first person that has seen this side of me,” he answered at the same time that he squeezed my shoulder.

These types of men are the most dangerous ones.

A man who’s only expressing their romantic sides to women at the very beginning, then changes drastically in the middle.

“We’re here,” Austin muttered as we stopped walking.