When a weary college student accidentally summons the ghost of an arrogant billionaire, she hesitantly agrees to help solve his dark disappearance, but discovering the truth entails bidding farewell.
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Ian Cros
With a glare, I flipped off the homeless man as he took two metal garbage lids, banging them together. The girl who screamed glanced at me with a giggle as another man took the objects from the displaced person.
"The world is ending as we speak!" the man yelled, trying to retrieve his garbage lids.
I shook my head, placing my icy fingers into my pockets. The snow blew off the trees, drifting to the path. A runner jogged by me as the Central Park pond reflected into my eyes.
I meandered to the bridge, placing my hand on the stone. My fingers froze while snow clumped under them. A duck below flapped its brown wings, honking at the flock before swimming to them.
"That's Barb," a little girl's voice said. "She lost her husband last summer, so she's been hating the other ducks." The little girl sported a pink winter coat and earmuffs.
"Is that so?" I asked her as she smiled with her front tooth missing.
She reached into her pockets, pulling out little green balls. "They like frozen peas," the little girl said, tossing her handful over the edge.
I watched the ducks swim quickly to the peas, pecking at the water. Some even dove, sticking their feather asses in the air.
"Bread can kill ducks," she said, tossing more peas.
I raised a brow at her before glancing at a couple across the pond feeding the ducks bread. She followed my gaze, glaring at them.
"Hey!" she yelled across the pond, her arms flying above her head. "Bread kills!" She jumped up and down until the couple glanced at her. "You are killing the ducks!"
The man grabbed the woman's arm, pulling her away from the pond as they feared the little girl.
"I'm Isabella," she said with her hand out while I placed my palm on hers. "Not Bella, not Issy, and definitely not Bellie." Her blue eyes glared at me with attitude.
"You can call me Ian," I replied, pulling my hand away.
"You see, now that is a noble name." She dropped more peas into the pond. "Nobody can come up with some cheesy, halfhearted nickname."
She paused, glancing at me as her blonde flyways tangled with her earmuffs. Her pink cheeks with freckles shined from the melted snow on her face.
I smiled with a slow nod, walking away from her. "Okay, bye."
My shoes crunched on the snow, slipping a little as I stepped from the bridge to the path. I pulled on my red beanie, covering my ears a little more.
"So, why are you in these fancy clothes?" Isabella's voice asked beside me.
I glance down to the side of me, seeing her dropping peas on the path as we walk. She kept with my steps, giggling at the ducks following us.
"Where are your parents?" I asked, seeing a duck peck at my shoe.
