Jennie took a stroll back home after hailing a cab to her neighbourhood. She wondered why her parents never called about why she wasn't home last night, but that wasn't the most important thing at the moment.
When she entered her house silently, her heart was thumping against her chest. She kept assuring herself that it would go fine but to deny that she was the least bit distraught was a lie.
She walked into the living room and looked around but it was surprisingly quiet.
Jennie glanced at her phone and saw that the time was already nine in the morning so she thought her parents probably left to tend the store but that was until they came running out of their bedroom.
She was startled from her parents perturbed expressions.
"Jennie you're back? Sorry honey we have to leave first, can you help take care of Alice?" Richard said hastily as he helped his wife grab her coat from the couch.
Jennie whipped her head over to her mom when she spoke.
"Yeah, something came up suddenly and we have to go check it out." Susan said as she hurriedly fit on her shoe, "The landowner called and said our store was closed down."
Shock and disturbance was written all over Jennie's face when she heard what her mom said. This news apparently dropped like a bombshell.
"What? Why?" Jennie exclaimed, not wanting to believe it. It was not that she overreacted, but the fact that her parents store closed out of the blue was suspicious. And seeing her parents all hassled out made her agitated. She knew how much effort they had put into this store since it had been theirs for a good ten years. It was also her parents dream to open and run this store, so watching it tear down like this, possibly leaving them with nothing scared her for her parents.
"We have no idea as well, that's why we're going to check it out." Susan shortly replied and barged out the door in an instant.
"Don't worry too much dear, we'll be home once we get clear of it." Richard reassured, following his wife suit.
What in the hells is going on? Jennie thought, all baffled out.
Should I call Lisa?
"No, not yet." The brunette calmed herself down as she walked towards Alice's room to do a quick check on her. Thankful her sister was still asleep, Jennie paced back and forth in the living room.
She planned to spill her situation to her parents but thought to hold it off till later as the store was in a sense more important at the moment.
What if it really closed down forever? Jennie gasped. She didn't think her parents would be able to handle it well. Yes, it was just a store, a literal non-living thing. But the fact that it has been the pillar of support for the whole of her family ever since the business took it's pace made it special.
Very special to her parents.
Jennie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. But it made no sense to suddenly shut down though?
Maybe someone did this. But who?
And why would they do it? When the store has been there for years? That made no sense either.
When Jennie hit a realisation, she wanted to put it off but her consciousness was getting to her. Her eyes dilated it's way around as she gave it deeper analysation.
"No, I'm sure he wouldn't do that." Jennie insecurely and hesitantly grabbed her phone that was in her pocket and dialled the number she sincerely hoped wouldn't be the cause of this.
After a few rings, the familiar yet unfamiliar voice resounded in her ears.
[I'm surprised to get call from you after what happened yesterday.]
Kai answered flatly but Jennie gripped onto her phone tighter, when she heard a slight hint of mockery in his tone.
"I'm only going to ask you this once." Jennie said resolutely, with no stutter in her voice.
[Go ahead.]
The way he sounded so ready for anything made Jennie growl in anger, she could feel his arrogant smirk through the phone, burning on her ears and the side of her face.
"Did you shut my parent's store down?"
Jennie waited impatiently as Kai over the phone let out a low chuckle.
[What are you talking about?]
"Lying is bad for you, Kai." Jennie spat furiously when she didn't like the way he replied her. It was obvious it was definitely him when he denied it sardonically.
[Says you, who lied first.]
"I never lied to you, I just didn't tell you."
[You lied when you said you love me. You lied about being excited for our marriage.]
Jennie felt fumes spill out and her body was boiling annoyed at this moment.
"I'm not going back there, Kai. That's not the point! Why did you close the store?!"
Hearing her ex fiancé's cunning laughter made her resentful and aggrieved, but to hear it once more getting louder irrigated her soul.
[I'd like you to experience the betrayal and pain you inflicted on me. And I figured, this was the best way.]
Jennie exasperatedly squeezed her phone closer to her ear in response to his harsh intentions.
Why did he become like this?
[Got nothing to say? Let's just see how well you and your parents will be doing in a few weeks time without that store. And when they find out the reason why it's closed was because their beloved daughter had the audacity to cheat on her fiancé with her boss, imagine how disappointed they're going to be.]
Kai sneered over the phone call like it was no big deal to him. Well of course it wasn't, all he lost was, to him— a small sum of money just to get the store to close down. It didn't even take him much effort either.
Jennie felt tears threatening to trickle down her face and she yelled into the phone.
"Kai, why are you doing this?!"
[I told you, I'm not letting you and that bastard Lisa get away without feeling my torture.]
"What is your problem?! You knew how much the store meant to my parents, yet you still dragged them into this?!"
[Why should I care? It's just a fucking store.]
"It's NOT JUST A STORE KAI YOU KNOW IT!! JUST LEAVE MY PARENTS ALONE! IF YOU WANTED REVENGE SO BAD, YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST SETTLED IT WITH ME INSTEAD!"
[That wouldn't be as effective would it? I wanted your ego to fall, you should feel ashamed that you cheated on me. And I would never hurt a girl physically, so there wouldn't be a point in dealing with you directly.]
"SCREW YOU."
[Besides, what's done is done. I already payed to close the store. Just so you know, it's permanently closed, so don't even think about trying to reopen it. And don't come to me crying when you're broke and starving because you did this to yourself.]
Kai raised his voice slightly and Jennie almost choked on her sob.
"I won't come to you asking for money you screwed up jerk." Jennie hissed with gritted teeth, feeling her entire face being pulled into a tight frown.
[Oh, right.] Kai mocked silently, [You have Lisa and she will always pay for you and your family when you need because she loves you so much. Well, good luck with that. I pity her. Once she finds out you're just with her for her money-]
"SHUT UP, YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME AND LISA! WHAT MAKES YOU FUCKING THINK I WILL GO TO HER FOR MONEY?! YOU'RE MESSED UP KAI!"
[Keep telling yourself that Jennie. When you're broke, desperation really seeps in. And that's when you'll come begging for money. Hope you understand why you shouldn't have cheated on me in the first place now.]
Jennie at this point was too outraged to speak after her outburst. She heard as the sounds of Kai's muffling laughs resonate in her ears.
[Go on, cry. Don't you see now? You're literally nothing without me. Where is Lisa when you need her? Where is that fucked up bitch of a friend who claims she loves you?]
Kai jeered.
[Let me guess... she's in her office? Working? When you're hurting alone? She chose work over you. Can't you see how she doesn't give a flying fuck about you?]
Silence.
[Fine if there's nothing else you need from me, I'm ending the call. Cheerio, cheater.]
The signs of Kai's mockery lingered with the last two words, that haunted Jennie.
The beeping sound at the end of the line snapped her out of her trauma as she flopped onto the couch with shaking hands. So she was right, it was Kai. This was by far the most and only menacing thing he has ever pulled on Jennie, moreover her family.
She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She did felt betrayed like he had wanted her to, but Jennie was so mad she couldn't even get herself to cry any further.
Jennie waited on the sofa for her parents to be back. It was too late, the store was shut down for real.
Kai just set her into a trap she never thought she'd fall into, ever. And with the rising pressure to tell her parents about the situation as she planned to ever since this morning, this store closing down shit added up to her already overloaded mind.
don't come to me crying when you're broke and starving
you did this to yourself
you have Lisa
she will always pay for you and your family
go on, cry.
where is Lisa when you need her?
you're literally nothing
you're just with her for her money
Cheerio, cheater.
Jennie knew those words meant nothing.
But they played in her head countless number of times, till the point she felt her body start to get heavy, the back of her head starting to twirl with giddiness, her vision losing it's spark, her breath hitching and her mind spinning, before everything blacked out on her.
Blacked out.
|Cheerio—goodbye. [London slang]