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The next morning, Pearl woke up with a terrible headache because of how wasted she was last night. She didn't remember anything she did after getting drunk with a few beers that she bought at the liquor store. She also didn't know how she was able to drive back to the mansion while being drunk, but maybe God was protecting her this time from an accident.
As soon as she got out of bed, she took a pill for her headache, and took a quick shower to continue with the mission that she was assigned to do. She needed to make sure that this time Venus didn't escape from her sight or else she might really get fired from her job. She didn't know how much patience Kai will have with her, but she also didn't want to keep pushing it to the limits.
The reason why Pearl got drunk last night in the first place was because of anxiety. And to let out all that stress, she decided to get wasted with alcohol so that she could forget all the things that were on her mind, piling up like a volcano about to burst out. She was in a similar situation as Paris, but they had different tasks and concerns.
It was rare to see a person like Pearl getting so easily anxious since she would always try to view things in a positive way, and she would encourage herself to keep going even if things seem to be going towards a different path.
For her to be stressed out like last night, to the point of wanting to get drunk, is probably because she was really going through too much pressure that she could no longer handle, and she preferred to forget everything temporarily with a few beers.
That day, she had promised her boss that she would do a better job at investigating Venus, and she really thought that she would do well yesterday. However, she couldn't believe that she had messed it all up again, and lost track of Venus. She didn't know why, but whenever she followed Venus she would always get caught, or lose sight of her. This was the reason why she didn't want to be in charge of this complicated mission anymore. She was always so unlucky.
All of this was putting Pearl through so much stress because the last thing she wanted was to get fired by her boss after working for her family for five years now. This job was not only maintaining her, but also her grandparents that are living in an old village as mentioned previously.
Pearl could also sense that Venus knew about their plan, and that she was digging into her business without her consent. Just thinking about this made Pearl feel even more overwhelmed. If Venus really finds out that she is following her around, then what would she do to her?
Without wasting anymore time, Pearl headed out of the mansion after dressing up into her uniform and eating the breakfast from the cafeteria.
She knew that Venus would often go to the Casino in the mornings, and she drove all the way over there to follow her. This time, she had to make sure that she doesn't ruin things again. It was going to be another long day for her.
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In the afternoon, Pearl received an incoming call from Kai. She answered it almost immediately because she knew that the only person that would call her right now would be her Boss. "Hello, Ms. Kai? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I was just giving you a quick call to inform you that I will be leaving the mansion in a few minutes with a group of bodyguards. The evidence of the gangsters that Taylor promised to hand us is in a copy of an USB stick that she hid inside her house before she was captured by them. We will be heading over there with her now. I don't want to continue wasting anymore time with her." Kai paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before asking, "By the way, before I go, I wanted to ask, how are things going for you?"
"Oh, well...Everything is going smoothly so far today. Ms. Venus went to the Casino in the morning. Then, she had lunch with Mr. Michael after picking him up from school. And right now, she is talking to someone at the entrance of a Christian church. That person seems to be a member of the church. I'm not sure why Ms. Venus is here though, but I'll figure it out as soon as I can." Pearl explained everything in detail, making sure that she didn't forget to point out anything that she saw.
"Alright, just be careful. And remember, don't let yourself get caught again. We don't want her to know that we're watching her." Kai reminded her in a stern manner.
"Yes, Ma'am." Pearl responded, gulping down with difficulty. She didn't know why her throat became so dry all of a sudden. She had a bad feeling about all of this.
"I have to go now. Bye." Kai didn't wait for Pearl to reply, and she hung up the call after saying this.
Pearl placed her cellphone back inside the pocket of her blazer, letting out a deep sigh while covering her face with both of her palms. She still couldn't believe that she had accepted to do this mission again. She felt drops of sweats dripping down from her temples. She was nervous.
She was currently under the sun, hiding behind a large white building that was in front of the church that she mentioned earlier. This building seemed to be a library. Her back was leaning against the wall of the building before she turned around to peek out from the edge of the wall. She saw Venus still conversing with that church member. Why did Venus come to a church anyway?
Venus has never been a religious person, and the mention of God was something that she couldn't tolerate. She always found Christians ridiculous. But now, why was she here? Did she change her mind?
Pearl wished she could listen to their conversation. If she could only get a bit closer to them, she would probably be able to listen, but she couldn't. If she approaches them, then she will only expose herself. There was no other building near by where she could hide, only this library. It was not a good idea to move from where she was standing. Therefore, she decided that it was best to remain here, peeking out from this corner only.
"Hey!" A sudden voice suddenly sounded behind Pearl. A pair of hands rested on her shoulders, causing her to flinch in fright.
"AAH! H-Hello, Ms. Venus!" Pearl swiftly turned around, not knowing who the person behind her was, but the first name that slipped out of her mouth in a shout was hers. She was already used to being caught by Venus that she thought that this was her again. However, that didn't seemed to be the case. When she realized who the person really was, she immediately shook her head and fixed her words, "I mean, hello, Mr. Michael! I didn't know you were here." She lied, hoping for Michael not to realize the purpose why she was here. It was not Venus, but her younger brother Michael, who has caught Pearl this time.
Michael squinted his eyes, and pointed his finger at her, "Why are you here? Don't tell me that those idiots are here with you too, huh?" By 'Idiots' Michael was referring to his cousins from the major family, Kai and Kyle. He didn't like them just like they didn't like him back. It was a mutual feeling. These two families didn't get along at all.
Pearl shook her head and was about to open her mouth to respond to him, when she felt another hand stroking her shoulder from behind abruptly. This hand was slender and more delicate than the ones from Michael. Pearl is seriously going to have a heart attack one day! She was doomed again!
"I don't think so, Michael. She seems to be by herself." Venus answered as she glanced to her surroundings, seeing nobody else around. Her penetrating gaze landed back on Pearl, scanning her from head to toe with a sneer on her face. It was difficult to figure out what Venus was thinking, but there was no doubt that she already suspected that Pearl was spying on her.
Michael buried a hand inside the pocket of his ripped jeans and nodded his head, "You're right. Sinners like them would never dare to come to a church." He scoffed, letting out a mocking laugh before asking, "So, if they are not here, then what brings you here?" He was telling this to Pearl.
Pearl wiped off the sweat on her forehead with her palm before replying nervously, "Well, It's my day off today. I was just passing by to pray and give an offering to the church." There was definitely a lot to pray for these days.
"What a coincidence! My sister also came here to give an offering to the church. We heard that they are helping homeless children and we wanted to donate to help." Michael shifted his gaze towards Venus, lifting his brows as if to give her a sign, and added, "Since we are all here, then we should go give our offerings together. The more the merrier, right?"
"Right." The sneer on Venus' face widened, her eyes narrowing, analyzing every facial expression of Pearl. She could sense the fear in her brown eyes. It was fascinating to watch. Her grip tightened around Pearl's stiff shoulder that was tensed. Venus knew that Pearl was nervous, and this only caused her to feel some type of satisfaction.
Pearl wanted to decline, and disappear from there, but it was already too late because both of them began to drag her towards the entrance of the church, forcing her to enter without a choice. This was not supposed to be part of the original plan!
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Fifteen minutes have passed since they entered the church. The three of them were currently sitting down on one of the benches, praying for their offerings silently. Well, to be more precise, not all of them were exactly "praying".
Michael had fallen asleep with his head leaning against the headboard of the bench. He was too bored to stay awake, and taking a nap in a serene place like a church must feel amazing, he couldn't waste this opportunity!
While Michael was busy snoring, Venus was waiting for Pearl to finish her prayer. She has been praying for like ten minutes. Her prayers were quite long if you compared them to Venus. It made sense since Venus had never prayed in her entire life. However, since she was in a church today, she wanted to give it a try at least once.
"Amen." Pearl opened her eyes after concluding her prayer. She felt a bit more calm now after praying, and she turned her head to stare at Venus who was sitting beside her, looking up at the altar quietly. "Ms. Venus, are you done praying?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to a side.
"Mhm." Venus nodded, shifting her gaze to meet eyes with her.
"I have never seen you praying before. This must be your first time, right? How was it?" Pearl didn't know why she asked this, but she was curious to know what Venus would reply.
Despite of the tension, Pearl kept the eye contact between them. Her heart skipped a beat, seeing Venus scooting closer, taking away the space that was between them, their thighs were now touching.
Venus perked a brow, a slight smile appearing on her lips, "Yeah, I have never done this before. My heart and mind feel peaceful. It's quite nice. Is this the reason why you like to pray often? Do you always feel better after praying?"
Pearl shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Sometimes, I guess. I pray because I was taught since childhood that praying is good for you. My family is Christian, so I just kept some of their traditions."
"Oh, I see." Venus licked her lips lightly before adding, "Then, do you think that God will listen to my prayers?"
Pearl assented her head, "Of course, he listens all the time."
Venus lifted her brows, "Even if what I ask for seems impossible?"
"Yeah, nothing is impossible." Pearl reassured.
The smile on Venus' face softened, becoming more genuine. Her emerald eyes were shining somehow, even though they were not exposed to the sun. Her expression seemed more lively than before. Did Pearl's words comforted her?
Pearl had never seen this expression from Venus before, and she couldn't help but to blush a little. How could Venus be so breathtaking? She has always been attractive, of course. But this time, it was like she was showing another side of her.
Venus has always disguised herself behind a mask. Making everyone believe that her world was only black. However, maybe there was another side of her that nobody knew of. This side of her was like a white droplet of paint on a black piece of paper.
"Let's give our offerings then." Venus stood up from the bench, holding the white envelope on her hand. This envelope is where she had placed the money.
Pearl stood up as well, with her own envelope, and they both walked together to the altar, placing their offering inside the donation box that was on top of a long table. They then walked back to the bench again.
"By the way, I really have to run to the bathroom. I'll be right back, okay?" Pearl knew that it was a bad idea to drink too much water this morning, but she did it anyways. It was too hot outside and she needed to hydrate. And now, she couldn't hold it in anymore. If she doesn't go to the bathroom, then she would probably pee on herself.
"Go ahead, I'll wait for you here, then." Venus told her as she sat down on the bench beside her younger brother.
Pearl rushed to the bathroom after this, and when she was done, she quickly washed her hands before exiting. When she came back to the temple, as expected, Venus had already vanished from there with Michael. She had lied. She took this opportunity to leave while Pearl was distracted. What a smart-ass!
There was even a pink sticky-note that Venus left for Pearl on the headboard of the bench. Pearl took it with frustration, and read it:
╔═══════════════╗
It was fun hanging out
with you Pearl. Let's
come to church again
sometime later. <3
-Venus
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