Jim : What the fuck ? then how ??
Eric : I don’t know… job is to look after the car…. Not Issac’s girlfriend….
Jim : are you kidding me ??
Eric : What do you want me to say man ?? … we’re supposed to pass on the recording for the son’s driving…. Not to kaypo what he does to his girlfriend…. Am I wrong ??
I scratched my head and sighed.
Jim : This is fucked up…
2.45pm
Issac came back to the carpark with his girlfriend beside him. Now that I’m looking more carefully, I can see that he was the one that is holding onto her. It’s like he’s grabbing onto her, afraid that she would run away or something.
He was holding onto her wrist, every couple of steps, he would tug her along like urging a unwilling dog to keep up with her.
We followed the car back to woodlands.
This time round , I did not enter the carpark but instead went to the rubbish chute area.
Eric : Oei.. what you doing ?
Jim : Stay here… I want to take a look.
Eric ; Oei.. oei !.. Jim… don’t fuck things up… come back… oei !….
I ignored Eric and got out. I pulled on a cap and a pair of shades before walking casually towards the lift lobby.
Hiding in a corner, I waited for Eric and his girlfriend to appear. 30 seconds later, I saw them walking towards the lift lobby.
The girl is limping.
What the fuck , she wasn’t limping before.
Even as she limped, Issac was still holding onto her, dragging her to keep up with her pace.
I grabbed a couple of junk mails and fliers from the ground near the mailboxes and pretended I was a resident in the estate. I timed my entry to the lift lobby to be around the same time as Issac and his girlfriend.
There was a lift waiting on the ground floor and I held the button, turned to look at the couple, giving them a friendly smile.
Jim : err… which floor ??
Issac did not speak but hit the 8th floor button.
I hit 7 and stood to a corner.
Using the reflection of the mirrored panels, I tried to look at Issac’s girlfriend. Within such close proximity, I could hear the soft sniff of his girlfriend. It was quiet and subtle but I could hear it.
That sob of a woman stifling her cries. The sniff of mucus in her nose.
It was impossible to miss.
When the lift opened on my level, I walked out casually before turning towards the staircase.
I quietly made my way up half a flight of stairs and waited.
The beeping of the lift opening on the 8th floor was punctuated by Issac’s voice.
It was not a shout but loud enough for anyone listening to detect his anger and displeasure.
Issac : So fucking embarrassing…. The whole world can hear you cry !!!…. cry baby….got other people inside the lift don’t you know !!… you just out to embarrass me right ?? everything also cry….
The sniffing got a little louder as I heard the metal gate being unlocked a distance away.
Issac kept on with his verbal abuse on his girlfriend.
Eventually it died off after the heavy slam of the timber door.
I took the rest of the stairs up and took a peep down the quiet corridor. I saw the slippers the girlfriend was wearing outside a unit and I casually walked towards it.
Even before I was close, I could hear her crying.
It was not just her cries, it was her pleas.
“ Stop… please… it’s very painful…. Stop !!!.. ahhh.. sobzz.. sobzz… please…Issac…”
Issac : I though you liked this…. You like this right… that time before we dated,…. You admitted you like this… why are you behaving like this now !!..come here…
Smack … smack !!..
I could hear the heavy smack of flesh against flesh from outside the corridor couple with Issac’s laughter.
The groans and screams were unbearable. It was like as if he was just hitting her for the fun of it. Then came the moans, and I could hear Issac asking his girlfriend to moan louder for him as he fucked her.
It was so loud and they were using the room right beside the corridor. It was not air conditioned and the top louvered winders were open. Anyone walking past would definitely hear the commotion.
Looking at the rest of the neighbour’s doors, they were all closed. Probably all out at work.
I called Eric and told him about it but he told me to mind my own business and let it go.
Eric : Come down Jim !!… just mind your own business…. And come down.. it’s not our business.. !!…
I went back down to the cab and Eric had just got off the phone with Soh.
Eric : Ok… listen ah… Soh don’t want us to do anything about it… you understand…. We stay with the car…. Bring the recording back to the office and case close… the rest is not our business…..
Jim : But… someone is getting abused inside there… !… she’s … she’s…
Eric : Jim… focus… we cannot afford to meddle in everything we see….
Jim : Fuck !…
Eric : Yeah… fuck , we’re salary man Jim… not super heros…
I drove the cab back to the carpark and we waited till 5.30pm before Issac showed up alone.
He had a smug look of satisfaction on his face as he started up the engine of the car. The look of someone who just unloaded his testicles of sperm, perhaps he unloaded while hitting his girlfriend.
That was it.
We followed the car back to Bukit Timah, called Soh and wrapped up for the day.
I dropped Eric off at his place in Bedok before heading back up to Woodlands.
I cannot just sit by and do nothing. That look on Issac’s face remained in my head for a long time. That fucking goody guy look had a sick monster hidden underneath it.
8.30pm
Heading back up to the same unit, I knocked on the door for a good 5 minutes before it was answered.
The door opened just a crack and the girl asked me what I want.
Jim : Hi… i..er… was in the same lift with you this afternoon…. I just want to ask if you are ok…. You seemed hurt…
“ I’m fine, thanks… ”
She was about to close the door on me but I stopped her.
Jim : Wait wait… listen…ermm…you need medical attention…you looked hurt…shall I call an ambulance for you??
“ NO!!.. don’t need ! “
The door swung opened and i gasped in shock as I looked at her face. She was not wearing her cap and shades this time round, even with the dim light from the corridor, I could see the bruises on her face.
She panicked and tried to cover up her face and close the door.
Jim : Wait… listen… you cannot allow your boyfriend to hit you like this… !!… you should report him to the police…. !…
“ No!!.. no!… don’t need… just leave me alone “
Jim : No… I can’t sorry… I’m going to call the police…
“ NO!!NO!!… wait ..wait… “
The girl frantically held onto my hand through the locked gate.
“ He’ll kill me…. please… don’t… he’ll kill me…”
Jim : Calm down… he won’t kill you…. just relax….what’s your name ? … I’m Jim… calm down…
Marie : Marie…. I’m Marie… please… I’m ok.. I’m really ok…. Just leave…
Jim : Marie…. Look at me…
I grabbed her by her shoulders through the gate and shook her gently.
Jim : You’re not ok… you’re fucking being abused by Issac !
There was moment of silence before Marie asked me why I knew her boyfriend’s name.
Marie : Are you stalking me ??
I shook my head and decided to tell Marie about my assignment.
I told her a condensed version of us being tasked to keep an eye on Issac by his father.
Jim : this is wrong Marie… sorry but I cannot just let this slide….we have to report this… and get you some medical help…
Marie : sobzz.. sobz… what can I do… his family is rich… they have money… power… I’m just your average girl in the street…. Sobzz.. sobzz…
Jim : Go and report him…he cannot get away with this….
Marie : How ?? … he knows where I stay… he will come for me sobzz.. sobz…
Jim : Is there someone you can stay with ? temporary ? …. Friend?? Relatives ??
Marie : My relatives are in Malaysia… sobzz. Sobzz.. i… I…. I came here to work…. And.. and… Issac rented this place for me….. I thought… I thought I found a guy who will take care of me….. I didn’t know…
Jim : Friends… what about friends ? anyone you can crash with ?
Marie shook her head and told me Issac took her phone.
Jim : What ? …
I looked at the locked gate and asked Marie to open up.
Marie : I can’t…. only Issac has the key… and… and … he took my passport….
Jim : You are fucking kidding me…
Marie let on that Issac would visit her every alternate day, she has everything she needed inside the house.
Marie : He gives me money… sobzz… sobz… but… but he doesn’t let me out of the house…
Jim : This is madness…. How long has this been going on ??
Marie : coming to 2 months… I think… maybe a little more….
What the fuck is wrong with people nowadays.
I told Marie to start packing.
Jim : Pack clothes for a couple of days…. Anything you might need… I’ll come back in a while… and I’ll get you out ok?? …
Marie : but.. what if Issac…. What if he… sobzz. Sobz… I can’t…. if he comes back and don’t see me here, he’ll get angry… he’ll…he’ll go to my sister !!
Jim ; What sister ???
Marie : My sister… my sister is in Singapore too…but … but I cannot go to her… Issac knows the café she works at… he will go there and look for me !!… i… I don’t want to get my sister involved….and… and.. there’s camera in my room…he can see me…
I stepped back immediately, afraid for a moment that I might appear on tape.
Jim : Is there one pointed at this door.
Marie : No…. there’s one on top of me… but it’s pointed at the living room sofa… there’s one in the room and one in the kitchen…. Issac will know…
Jim : Fuck him…… don’t think so much…. let’s get you out of here first….then we’ll find a way to get you back home and away from him…. Go pack now !…
Marie nodded and went back into the house.
I can cut the lock with a pair of bolt cutters but I need to get it back from my place.
My dad use to do some renovation odd jobs and I remembered seeing the tools in the storeroom.
By the time I headed home and got back to woodlands, it was already 10.00pm
I knocked on the door and Marie was ready. Her eyes were still red from probably another fresh bout of crying.
Jim : you ready ?
Marie : Yes…
It took a few attempts but I managed to cut the lock on the gate. Marie hugged onto a small bag and scurried out of the house.
Jim : You have all your stuff ?? let’s go make a police report first …
Marie shook her head vigorously.
Marie : No.. please… I don’t want to blow the matter up… just… just get me out of here… I just want to go home….
Jim : But… you cannot let him get away with this…
Marie pleaded with me.
Marie : This police…. Court cases… all these things are games for the rich… I cannot afford to play all this… please… Jim… I just want to go home… I don’t want to report this… please…
Jim : Where does your sister live ??
Marie : NO!… not my sister… Issac will go after her…. He makes me msg my sister every now and then to tell her I’m ok and how good he is to me… sobzz.. sobz…
Jim : This is a nightmare…
Marie : You can’t help me… nobody can… sobzz.. sobzz…
Shit.
Now I’m stuck with a dilemma. This is what happen when you don’t think things through before doing it.
All I’ve thought about was binging Marie to the police, then hopefully after she has made a report, they would take care of her or something.
Now that she is unwilling to speak up, I’m stuck.
Marie : please… let’s just leave this corridor..… I’m afraid what if Issac decides to come back suddenly…. His family is rich and resourceful…. i..
Jim : Calm down calm down….he cannot do anything to you…. relax…
I looked into Marie’s place for a moment before asking her if she knew where the footages are being stored.
Jim : The cameras….. where do they get stored… the footages….
Marie : There’s… there’s some stuff… boxes and cables… in the cupboard over there… together with the internet things…. I don’t know…. But it’s all locked…
Jim : Come out of the house…
She nodded and got out, peering warily along the corridor.
I removed my shirt, covered my face and entered the house, turning to the distribution box located behind the door, I hit the master switch and cut the electricity to the house.
Running straight to the cupboard, I broke the simple lock and I found the 3.5 “ hardisk that is connected to the DVR and I removed it.
That should have evidence of Marie being abused by Issac.
I brought Marie to my cab and scratched my head.
Now I got to figure out what to do with her.
Fuck.
I can’t possibly bring her back home, so I drove her to the only place I have on my mind.
Sengkang.
Yes.
Denise’s place.
This is going to be so awkward. I don’t even know if Denise is still there but it’s worth a shot.
She still has that place for a couple of months and she’s the only one staying there.
There’s more than enough space for another girl, not that she owed me anything but it was the only place I could think off aside from putting Marie up in a hotel or something.
I had to drop by a convenient stall along the way because Marie said she was hungry. I started filling the shopping basket with sandwiches, snacks, chips, coffee, milk, basically enough food to last Marie at least till lunch the next day.
I stopped at a quiet carpark as Marie ate quietly, trying to calm herself down. She broke down twice while eating but managed to compose herself after a while.
Jim : You ok ? … ready to go ??
I briefly told Marie about Denise on the way over.
She asked if we were related and I said no.
Marie : How did you 2 know each other then ?
Jim : Err…. I helped to clean up some spilled milk…. Long story…
Marie : Oh…. You became friends by helping her clean up ??
Jim : It’s…errr.. complicated…. It’s a lot of milk… really a lot… massive clean up…
Marie : Oh… how weird…. But…. will she be ok with… me imposing on her??
Jim : well… she can be nasty…. A little unpredictable…temperament wise… err.. not really good… but all in all, her heart is in the right place… so don’t worry… I’ll handle it… and… don’t drink milk in front of her..
Marie : Oh… she must really hate milk then…
Jim ; errrr .. Yeah….
Heading up to Denise’s unit, I rang the door bell.
Looking at my watch, it’s already 12.20am
12th January 2017
Thursday
12.20am
I rang the bell for close to 5 minutes before I saw the lights in the unit come on.
I turned to Marie and asked her to let me do the talking.
She nodded and hid behind me instinctively, as if expecting a wild animal to jump out from behind the door.
I tried to mentally rehearse what to say to Denise but before I could get my story right, I heard the click of the bolt unlocking.
When the door swung open, I saw Denise in her pyjamas. I don’t know if you can call that pyjamas. She was just wearing a pair of pink boyshort panty and a spag top. She was not even wearing her bra from what I could see was the firm protrusion of her nipples.
I could feel an erection happening as I looked at the cameltoe created by Denise’s panty.
Her smooth hairless legs disappeared into a pair of fluffy Victoria secrets bedroom slippers.
Her hair looked a little fluff up.
She had a frown on her face as she folded her arms and growled at me after looking at me with the bag of stuff from the convenient stall in hand.
Denise : You better have a good reason for this Jim….
Jim : Denise… I need…err… your help….
She looked at me before turning her attention to Marie who was cowering behind.
Denise : oh my god……. who is she ?? what happened ?
I gave a condensed version of what happened and Denise looked at me in disbelief.
Denise : …. sigh….. come on in….
30 mins and a hot cup of tea later, Denise agreed to let Marie stay for a couple of days.
Marie : Thank you so much Denise… I’m so sorry for imposing on you…. I’ll make arrangements to head back home as soon as I can… I’m sorry…
Denise : It’s ok… don’t worry about it…. go wash up and have a rest… we’ll talk tomorrow…
Marie : You’re so pretty and kind…….not like what Jim described at all…
I shot Marie a look the same time I receive one from Denise.
Denise : Wait !.. what else did Jim say about me ??
Marie caught my hint and immediately got up to head to her room.
Marie : Oh err…. Nothing… nothing…
Right before Marie went into the guest room, she turned towards me and asked in an inquisitive manner.
Marie : Jim… Denise takes her tea with milk…. Why do you say she hates milk ?
My heart sank a notch as my eyes slowly drifted to meet Denise’s before turning to look at a puzzled Marie.
Jim : Marie…. Go to your room…. Now….
She finally got the drift and left us alone.
After a 20 second window of awkward glaring at by Denise, I smile and spoke first.
Jim : Denise i….
She put up a hand, facing her palm towards my face, as she closed her eyes and slowly exhale.
Denise : Stop…. There is nothing you can possibly say right now…. That doesn’t make this more awkward that it already is….
…………………………..
I wasn’t expecting that from Denise and it took me a few moments to react with a laugh.
Denise threw a cushion at my head, hitting me squarely on my nose.
Denise : I never once said I hated milk…..
Jim : Sorry…hahah.. paiseh….
Denise : I will get you Jim…..mark my words….. I will get you good for making a comment like that……
1.20am
Denise shot me a dirty look and started to clear the cups.
Jim : let me do it….
I did the washing up and thanked Denise for her hospitality.
Denise : What is this Jim….?… you going to save everyone in the world that needs saving ?? ….
Jim : are you mad… of course not…
Denise : Seems like that way to me…
Jim : well….. you see something wrong happening…. You can either choose to do nothing…. Or just do something… personal choice…
I smiled as I wiped my hands dry. Denise did not reply but she just looked at me.
Jim : well… I did save you from your delusional sugarbabe fantasy..
Denise : Ha !…. oh please…. I wouldn’t consider that as saving….
Jim : so…. Are you over that phase already ?…. or you’re still looking for a new sugar daddy ?
Denise leaned against the wall of the kitchen, folded her arms and looked at me with her sleepy eyes.
Denise : Are you rich Jim ?
Jim : … I like your sense of humour….. do I look rich to you ??
I hung up the cup before turning to face Denise.
Her mouth twisted and she sides of her lips crooked upwards as she observed me from head to toe.
Jim : I’m divorced and I have a daughter…. And I’m not rich…
Denise’s expression changed, from one bordering on being naughty to plain embarrassment.
Denise : Oh.. oh..i’m sorry… I errmm…
Jim : It’s ok….i fucked up my marriage..…. I can only blame myself…..
Denise nodded and quipped.
Denise : Everyone fucks up now and then….
Jim : Alright… thank you for taking Marie in…. I better make a move…
I made my way to the door but Denise stopped me from closing it.
Denise : oh… one more thing…Stop bringing strays to my place ! …I’m warning you !
Jim : well…..I can’t sit by and do nothing…. Besides…… I can tell you are a nice person…really kind…. Pure at heart….
She put up a hand in my face and asked me to stop with the sucking up.
Denise : enough of the bootlicking…..What’s in it for me ??
Jim : What ? … come on…. you can’t be that calculative… you have this place rent free for another couple of months….
Denise played with the ends of her hair, rolled her eyes in a deliberately over the top act of trying to appear like a bimbo.
Denise : What to do… I’m still in my sugarbabe fantasy…….everything is about benefits to me…
Jim : hahah…. What do you want then ? … I cannot afford to pay you if you want money ….
Denise smirk and replied .
Denise : Oh please… I’m probably richer than you Jim….
I laughed and nodded my head.
Jim : I bet you are …. I saw a bag that’s worth like 25k in your bedroom that day….
Denise : Tsk….you bitch….. anyway that’s one of the cheaper ones…
Jim : Right….~~
Denise cleared her throat , folded her arms and looked away for a brief moment before saying that I could help with her moving out…
Denise : I need someone to… carry the stuff… when I move of course…. I’m looking around…
Jim : Ok… no problem..
Denise : Really ?..
I nodded my head.
Denise beamed a wide smile and asked me for my phone.
Denise : This’s my number…. Keep it to yourself ok…. I’ve never given my number out in a very long time…. When I give people number usually I need to charge them money for it ok….
Denise hit dial and gave herself a miss call.
Jim : yeah yeah….
Denise : Tsk …. Good night Jim…..
Jim : Goodnight Denise….
Alright.
That’s one heavy load off my chest.
I collapsed into bed, exhausted and spent at 3.30am
9.30am
I headed back to work in the morning and all was good.
Perhaps it was because I feel pretty good with myself.
3pm
Denise text me to say that she’s gotten a prepaid card and phone for Marie so she can make arrangements to get back home.
Denise sms : But she needs her passport….what kind of fucker hits a woman like this ?? she’s covered in bruises….
I went over to check on the girls later that evening before leaving. Marie was afraid to even log into her social media account for too long for fear of being discovered by Issac. She contacted her sister to let her know she’s fine and logged off immediately. Marie told her sister not to tell anyone she made contact and that she’s making plans to head back home for a while
Jim : Did you tell her about Issac…. What he did ??
Marie : No…. i… I don’t want to get my sister involved…. She… what if Issac tries to harm her ??
Jim : Don’t be crazy… this is Singapore…. Just call the cops…. Speaking of which I think you should do just that….
Marie : No… please… don’t..
We chatted for a short while and I promised to help Marie with her passport issue. She still has her identification and driver’s license with her, the easy thing to do would be just to file a report that it’s lost, and get a replacement.
Go to the Malaysia embassy or something. These should be a piece of cake.
Marie however was concerned that if she were to go make a report in her state, it might attract unwanted attention, which is why she wants to wait a couple of days until the bruises on her face are not that visible.
Denise : I can help with some makeup… but the bruises need to go down a little…if not… going to look like I drawing on a corpse leh…
Jim : Tsk….
Denise : So swollen you see !… the whole cheek….’jeng’ (swelled up) already…
Jim : You have poor choice of words…
Denise : Tsk ….
Denise shot me a look to remind me all this was possible because of her benevolence and I raised up both hands in the air, bowing in the same manner a subject would do to the empress while rolling my eyes at the same time.
Jim : Wan sui wan sui wan wan sui…………… ( Long live the queen )
I asked Marie if she need me to grab anything for her when I come back the next day and she said no.
Denise and Maire is about the same built so clothes are not an issue.
Marie however had a slight comment about Denise’s choice of lingerie.
Maire : She has some new….err… panties… for me… because mine not dry yet…. And you know hor….it’s… it’s…. All very lacy and ….and… it’s all like… one string those kind you know… … i… keep getting wedgie….
I gave Maire a raised eyebrow look and replied.
Jim : Too much detail sister… too much detail…
Maire : Oh… you looked like you are pretty close with her….
I did not give her a reply.
13th January 2017
Friday
I was looking forward to the weekend so I can have some time to figure out what to do with Marie. There was not much work to be done that day except to pick up some clients from the ferry terminal to the hotel.
5.30pm
Just before the lot of us parted ways to head home for the weekend, Soh called for an urgent meeting.
Soh : Ok guys…. New project…. Starts immediately….this is urgent…
I could already hear Eric cursing under his breathe about making alternative arrangements for his daughter in school if it drags too late.
As the lot of us gathered around the white board, my eyes widened when I saw a picture of Issac and Marie on the board.
Shit. This is not good.
Soh : Ok… another stupid project… but the client pays well…. It seems that the rich kid’s girlfriend has gone missing….. rich people’s problem…. We won’t understand…
I swallowed a gulp of my saliva.
Soh : The son has been losing sleep and shit….. you know… typical youngsters boy girl relationship and all… I’m not interested….. the client wants to talk to the girl…so that’s what we’re going to do….
I turned to look at Eric who met my look with a equally puzzled one.
Derrick : the client…. No mobile phone ah…. Why does he need us ??
Soh : No… of course not… there’s a bit of a complication…. You see…. The client’s son……wants to talk to his girlfriend…… But he was very certain that she would not want to talk to, or listen to him…. And… ermm… how do I put this….
Soh scratched his head for a while before going on.
Soh : The client’s son wants us to ensure that his girlfriend…..listens to what he has to say…. Whether she likes it or not….hmmm.. did that come out right ??
What the fuck.
I cannot believe this.
Jim : Err… SOh… do you mean you want us to kidnap the girl ??
Soh : Fuck no of course…. Don’t use that word…. Just fucking keep the both of them in a café or some shit… let them go and breakup in person or something….. I heard people these days start relationships via messages and end them the same way…..I think the current generation lost their testicles or something….
Jim : But we cannot exactly force the girl to talk to the client either can we …..i mean… if she doesn’t want to….she might not even show up…
Soh : Ok… The client …. In this case I’m referring to Issac, the son… he knows where Marie’s sister is working… at a café in toa payoh.… he has gotten in touch with her, and she has agreed to get her sister down to the café…
Wow. I don’t believe this.
I can’t exactly blame Marie’s younger sister either, she has no idea what happened between them. Probably thought it was just a simple tiff between couples, besides, Issac looked like a pretty good catch too on the surface at least.
Soh : It’s a small café, 6 tables, sits 12, sells ice cream and coffee…. We will take over the whole place… fill up all the table and seats, leaving the one in the middle for Issac and Marie.
Soh flashed out another piece of hand scribbled drawing on the board.
___[COUNTER]___
[ 1] [ 2] [3 ]
[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
___[DOOR]___
Soh : dress casual… try to blend in….
Rizwan : Soh… the ice cream… halal or not ??
Soh : Tsk…. How I know… you just drink plain water la…..
Rizwan : Expenses client pay right ?? then I wack the expresso already…
Soh : Yes yes….drink all you want…
Rizwan and Derrick fist bump each other. The amount of coffee they drink each day, the might as well mainline the liquid directly into their veins.
Soh : Table 2… keep it empty for Issac and Marie….. we will fill up the rest….. let the 2 of them sort it out… if she turns violent…..we make sure Issac don’t get hurt…..case close… simple ?
I put up my hand and asked Soh a question.
Jim : What if Issac turned violent ??
Soh took a deep breath and brushed me off.
Soh : Jim…. As long as Issac don’t get hurt…. That’s the contract… just let them talk… we’ll block the exit after Marie comes in…. tell other visitors the place is full.
Soh went on to give us more details about the situation.
Soh : The client is worried that the girl will start making unjustified claims against his son…. That’s up to your interpretation…..
Jim : Soh… this girl has been abused by the son…. Eric called you the other day about this… he fucking wack the girl until…..
Soh : Yes Jim… I know but…. This is business…… the rest… we don’t care….. we just make sure the son is ok…. Anyway…. Issac, the son is on his way over here….
Mohan : ehh… so urgent ah…
Soh : He’s like some heartbroken kid……. i don’t care about him la…. He insisted on talking to the team that will be there on the day….any questions you have… direct it to him…
Shit.
I hoped Issac don’t recognise me from that encounter in the lift. I was wearing a cap and shades, and he didn’t exactly look at me for long.
I pretended to grab a drink and slowly made my way to the back of the group while I fiddled with my phone.
6.15pm
Issac arrived at our office in a different car. A Lexus.
Oh that fucking look on his face.
I can’t stand it.
He came in with a slight smile, in his straight polo T and berms. That educated decent man look.
He went on acting all pitiful and goody, saying that he really loves Marie a lot but because of some misunderstanding, he’s afraid she might start making crazy claims about him.
Issac : You know…. Girls… sometimes…. We don’t know what they are thinking… haha… she owes me some money…. but not to worry about that… main thing is I’m holding onto her passport…
Mohan : How much money does she owe you ?? and why are you holding onto her passport ??
Issac was caught a little off guard before mumbling a figure.
Issac : Oh.. err..mmm…..just around 2 thousand….and Marie stays over at my place frequently … you know… and she leaves her things lying around….
Jim : How did you end up lending money to your girlfriend man ? …. You record all the dates you paid for dinner ah…
The guys laughed but Soh gave me a dirty look.
Issac: err.. no la… no la.. haha… anyway….we’re all adults….i also want to part on a clean note…. She’s probably looking to go back to Malaysia too…..so I’m hoping to talk to her… wrap things up….
Damm he is smart.
He’s already planning his exit route, but I already have an idea what he wants out of this.
It has got to be the hardisk. I’m sure it has footages of him hitting Marie.
That, is going to be worth a lot to him.
If he meets up with Marie, he can easily threaten her to keep her mouth shut about what he did. Then again, if he’s planning to meet at the café Marie’s sister is working at, there is always a chance that Marie could run to her sister for her, or show her the bruises, turn the tables and come clean, revealing who Issac really is.
Too many possibilities.
Something is off. This cannot be that simple.
Issac cleared his throat and his tone changed slightly.
Issac : There is something else….. something that I would really need your help with….
As he began to speak, it finally dawned on me that wrapping things up with Marie was just an appetiser. Not only does he want to shut Marie up, get the missing hardisk, he’s out to get the person who helped Marie.
Issac : I last checked in with Marie on Thursday at 9.30pm…..I called the landline when I saw her scurrying about in the house….
Rizwan : You have cameras in the house ??
Issac nodded without elaborating.
Issac : I called her again at 9.45pm when I saw her standing by the gate on my PC…. but she refused to pick up the call….
That’s weird, I didn’t hear any phone ringing.
Issac went on to give a breakdown of the events that happened after that.
The hairs on my arms stood on it’s ends as I looked at him.
Issac : At 10pm, someone came and Marie left with him….. I arrived at her place at 11.00pm and this is what I saw…. One… Marie left in a hurry… she only packed some clothes, leaving most of her stuff behind….. two, the lock to the gate was cut…..
Mohan : What ?
Issac immediately followed up with that comment that Marie has the key to the gate lying around somewhere which is obviously a lie.
Issac : She has the keys… but she’s not a tidy person, always misplaces her things….. now…. The lock is not easy to cut, and you would need an industrial bolt cutter to do it… which is why I came to the conclusion that this person that helped Marie is a man.
Issac took the marker from the white board and started drawing.
Issac: The lock is 1.35m from the ground, the cut was done from a downward direction which means this man is probably taller than 1.75m…
What the fuck ………..?
Issac went on without breaking a beat.
Issac : Motive is definitely not money, there’s almost 400 dollars sitting untouched in the house …..
As if this was not bizarre enough, Issac went on to tell us that he had a few of his father’s staff calling up hotels.
Issac : I asked the staff to call up all the hotels looking for a Marie Teo li ping from Malaysia who checked in between around 11pm on wednesday night on the pretext that I have a meeting with her and will be late, but out of 452 hotels, 400 said they do not have a guest by that name, 30 refused to accept my request, 20 put us on hold and never got back while the other 2 has a Malaysian by the name of Marie, but not Teo li Ping.
By this time, the mouth of half the guys on the floor listening were already opened in a mixture of shock and amazement.
Who the fuck does he think he is ?
Issac : I dare to assume that whoever Marie went with, they did not check into a hotel. Marie would probably assume I would call them all up anyway, besides, without her passport, I’m not sure if she can easily get a room….
Issac stepped away from the board and came closer to the lot of us.
Issac : Now… knowing Marie, she would never be comfortable sharing a room with a guy…. It took a while before she was even comfortable with moving into a place of our own in woodlands….. and she doesn’t have any close male friends that I know about…. This brings me to my next deduction….. there is more than 1 person involved in this.
Even Soh but now was listening intently with a shock expression on his face.
Issac : The 2nd individual involved is definitely a woman…. And she is the one providing shelter for Marie…. I know my girlfriend…. If it’s not a girl, no matter how nice the guy is, she will be hesitant to stay there.
Issac took a deep breath and looked at us
Issac : There is of course a chance that I’m wrong, but I’m usually right…
The manner in which he said it was so cocky that I felt like giving him a punch in the face.
Issac : I don’t like it when people play games with me…..and since they want to play…. I play to win….
Issac concluded the briefing saying that he is confident whoever is helping Marie will be coming down with her on the day of the meet.
Issac : I want to know who they are… where they stay… where they go to work….
Soh came in at this point and tried to calm Issac down.
Soh : Issac.. issac… relax…. Our contract was to keep you safe….we don’t…
Issac cut Soh off halfway.
Issac : yes… you will…. Because I will have my way of provoking them into making a move on me…. that way… you guys will have a legitimate reason to do your job… if they so much so as lay their hands on me…. you do what you have to do…. I’m sure my father is paying you well for that…
I could see Soh boiling with anger but he forced himself to keep it in.
Issac : Chill guys… It’ll be fun… I’m sure there’ll be a happy ending for all….
After Issac went off, Soh said that he would keep us updated over the weekend.
Issac totally left out the part of the missing hardisk. He must have wanted to negotiate directly with the people behind this personally.
I have to thread carefully with this. He surely has a copy of the vids on his PC as well up till the point I cut the power.
Soh : please be on standby this weekend…. If you’re activated because Marie got in touch… you got to work… …
Everyone nodded and went their own way except me.
I remained on the chair pretending to stretch my body as I closed my eyes. There is this strange euphoric sensation of excitement coursing through my veins.
I haven felt excitement like this in years.
This reminded me of the times back in school when all the kids bring their board games to school after exams. All I had was a old and chipped box of Chinese chess and a well used paper board. It was given to me by my grandfather.
I loved that game.
I may be an average student in class but my interest in that simple game made me the go to guy for all the smart students in the cohort.
Everyone wanted to beat Jim at the gentlemen’s game.
The smart ones all tried.
The smartest however, stayed away.
Now I’m getting the same nostalgic feeling.
The excitement of a game, of being able to anticipate your opponent’s next move.
There is just a small problem.
Issac is not a gentlemen.
And when playing with someone like that, I play dirty.
There will be a happy ending alright, but I’m not sure it’s one that Issac has in mind.
……………………………………………….
Thank you for the comments and analysis haha.
Yes, over the years i’ve experimented with different combinations of characters and i gravitate towards the ones that a lot of people like.
Certain villians / good guys somehow just have more appeal.
I welcome all comments, good, bad , nasty it’s all ok with me.
I’m quite thick skin, even if people spit at the story, as long as got 1 person reading, i will still write it.hahaha.
Still, this is meant for entertainment, please don’t take it too seriously.
That said, i can give a bit of heads up for the characters that are about to make an entry.
There are no ah tiongs villians in this. No ang mohs as well.
I’m not sure if the scene i wrote can be called a big fight , it feels more like the red wedding.
ilock
Needless to say, the first thing I did after leaving work was to head over to Denise’s place.
I called her in advance and told her I’m heading over.
Jim : I need to talk to you and Marie….
8.30pm
Over dinner of pizza and salad, I told the girls what happened earlier.
Marie could not believe what I just told them and she wanted to call her sister about it.
Marie : I want to know what Issac said to her…
Jim : No… calm down….one step at a time..
I told Marie that Issac has gone to such length not only to wrap things up with her, he also wants to know who are the people helping Marie .
Marie : Oh my god… I’m so sorry Jim…. i…. if…. If… if Issac knew… he would surely do something to you guys as well… I’m sorry….
Denise : Don’t be silly Marie… what can he do ?? …
Jim : Don’t worry…. We’ll get through this…I’m pretty sure he is after the hard disk I took from your place…
Marie : The one from the cameras ??
I nodded.
Jim : You said there are cameras in your room and in the kitchen too right…. Where does he usually hit you ?? … in the room ?
Marie shook her head and told me everywhere.
Marie : Whenever he feels like it, he would do it… living room, kitchen…. Bedroom… he…. He records videos of us… of us… having sex as well…
Her voice went down a notch as she revealed that to us.
I could not resist giving Denise a look but she returned one that made me turn away immediately.
Marie : now I’m worried about my sister…. I don’t know what Issac told her… and… and what if after this… he continues to harass her ?? …
Jim : Relax… we can close this once and for all…. Did you tell your sister anything ?
Marie : No… I told her I’m fine and that I’m planning to head back home to Malaysia….
Jim : ok… my guess is she will be contacting you soon… probably with Issac’s instruction… to get you to meet up….
Marie : what should I do ??
Jim : Play along…. Ask her why she wants to meet… and see what she says…. Regardless of her answer, we will work towards heading down to the café…..
Marie : ok….ok…
Denise : Wow…. this guy sounds like a total asshole….makes me want to give him a slap… is he a control freak ??? so what if he’s rich…. Big fuck is it ? …
Jim : Well… he’s rich…. He might need a sugar…. OWW!…
I was jabbed in my ribs by Denise’s leg before I could finish my sentence.
Marie : Jim… what should I do… I really don’t want to get my sister involve in this…
Jim : It’s too late… she is already involved…. The only thing we can do is to see it to the end….
Marie : But… but… you already said Issac hired your company…. To ambush me in the café….what more can I do ?? I can’t possibly go down and meet Issac there….and.. and…if I don’t…. Issac will keep harassing my sister….
Jim : He’s getting you down because he knows he can scare you into submission….that’s all… he cannot do anything to you…..
Denise : What about the footages…. We can use them…
Jim : I plan to do that….but it’s going to be a bit tricky since I cannot be involved in this directly…. Which means you girls got to do it….
Marie : I’m…. I’m just really worried about Issac coming after us even after this…. Are you sure Jim…. If we… if we go down… won’t it make your job difficult ?
I told Marie to relax and calm down.
Jim : We have to go through with this…. But we’ll do it our way…. You will get your passport back….you will give Issac a warning….and we’ll make sure he never harass you or your sister again…
Denise : How ??
I smiled and told the girls to listen carefully.
Jim : By turning his attention to us instead……you see… all these effort…. By Issac…. He’s not interested in you…. he’s interested in the people helping you…. he doesn’t like to lose….and the thought of losing to someone he cannot see irks him…. And I’m pretty sure he wants that hard disk back….
Marie : Yes… he must win in everything… argument… games… everything…it’s his character…
Jim : He’s angry we took you…. he considers you as his property….
Marie ; Yes… yes… !!… those were his exact words…. He says them when he…. When he hits me…. that he can do anything he wants…. Because he owns me….
Jim : I’m sorry to say this Marie… but he has no qualms about throwing you aside… but there’s no way he can take this lying down without getting the person responsible….
Marie : Then how… what should we do…
Jim : Pay close attention to what I’m about to say….
For the next 20 minutes as I spoke, the girls listened.
Questions can wait, I only needed them to understand the concept behind what I was trying to do.
Jim : Now…. Repeat what I just said , step by step…
Denise: What !…
Jim : I thought you wanted to slap him ? ….
Marie : It’s too much to remember….
Jim : Then write it down…. And you go through it again and again and again…. Until you know what to do with your eyes close…
Denise got up in a huff and went to pick up some stationaries.
Denise : Let’s go through it…. But…… do I really have to wear a short and tight dress ? … and by the way…. Wearing something short and tight doesn’t mean you are a slut ok ?? …
Jim : Well… I need you to draw the attention when the time comes…. I know Issac’s mentality, you have to become a character he can associate with… only then will this work…
Denise : still……you didn’t have to use that word… some of my dresses look pretty classy ok…. It’s the attitude of the person wearing it….
Jim : Hmm… now that you mention it…. I think the same attitude you gave when we first met on assignment would be perfect for this role.
Denise : Tskkk…. I had to do it then… it’s to stop other men from trying to become friendly with me…..
Jim : It worked really well by the way….
Denise gave me an angry glare.
Denise : if not for the fact you opened the door for Mecole … you piece of shit….. I haven’t….
I quickly cut her off and changed topic.
Jim : Ok… quick.. back to this… it’s important to get this right…. And Denise…. I need your voice… that cold…. Murderous voice I just heard….
Denise : You have no idea how my murderous voice sounds like Jim….
Jim : hookay…… moving on….
By midnight, the girls were clear on what they needed to do when the time comes.
Now all we needed was to scout out the location.
We took a midnight drive to the café Marie’s sister worked at in Hougang and identified the spots where the girls can be stationed at while waiting.
I sent them home after that and ran over the plan once more in the car.
As Denise walked me to her door that night, she just said something out of the blue that took me by surprise.
Denise : It’s…. it’s quite a turn on Jim… hur hur…. To see you all serious and shit… haha… makes me want to sleep with you …. Hahaha…
Jim : errrr…. What ??
Denise : hahah… am I not good enough ??
Jim : Sigh…. I’m too old for you Denise….
Denise : No… you’re just right for me… hahah…
Jim : Don’t be crazy Denise… respect yourself… don’t do this….
Denise : I’m still a little confused about the respect and attention part with you Jim…. I think I’m having a crush on you…. how do I get both from you… you know… your attention…. And your respect….
Jim : not possible…..Go to bed…. I’m not sleeping with you…come on… I’m an uncle already….
Denise : Why not ?? ….
Jim : Go masturbate yourself or something…. I’m too old for you…
Denise : We’ll see…. Hahah… goodnight…
We don’t want to drag this out longer than necessary, so the plan was for Marie to contact her sister on the pretext of asking how she is doing. I’m pretty sure her sister would initiate the request to meet up.
16th January 2017
Monday
11.30am
Marie gave her sister a call and as expected, her sister asked her to drop by her café when she’s free. She asked her about it and her sister came clean, saying that Issac had approached her because he wants to talk to her.
Marie told me that her sister had actually gave her contact number to Issac but she is not sure why he hasn’t made contact.
I told her it’s fine. Just tell your sister you are dropping by her café on the 18th. Do not contact Issac personally, I asked her to get her sister to pass along the message.
Jim : Tell her to inform Issac you want your passport back…. and you guys are done…. That should be enough….
Marie told me she will text me the updates after she’s done.
15 minutes later, I received a message from Marie
Marie sms : Done…. Going down on the 18th….
2.30pm
Soh gathered us together for a quick briefing after lunch.
Soh : It’ll happen on the 18th. At 2pm….. Issac has contacted the café owner…. He’s booked the whole place for the day…..only Marie’s sister will be there….
We were to be at the café the moment it opened at 11am. Issac will arrive at 1.30pm. Marie will arrive at 2pm.
Soh : Dress up… look casual…. Don’t fucking give yourself away….. Issac want us to pretend we don’t know each other…. And we don’t know him…..
Rizwan : Wah lan eh…. Need to do until like that bo…. A bit overkill…. Machiam like hong kong cop and spy movie….
Mohan : Ah…Soh…. You got see Indian sit in café whole day one meh…. Can do at prata shop or not…. Hahah…
Soh : Diam la ( shut up ) …. Ask you do you just do…. You dress up as student…
Rizwan : Soh… Mohan look like student meh ? …. He should wear like IT worker la… like the what ah… the Chennai business park in Changi there…. Hahah
Soh threw a folder at Rizwan as the group of us laughed.
Soh : Guys… this is serious… it’s a $5500 contract for a day’s work… ok… be serious… and…. Issac promised a $500 cash bonus for each of you after this is over….
That got the guys’ attention immediately.
Eric : Wow… I can pay for 1 month childcare fees….
Tommy : Really ?… that’s like enough to cover the nursing home fees for my grandmother…
Nelson : Wah… steady… I can give my Ah ma ( grandma ) more allowance this month… just in time for Chinese new year….
Soh : Yeah… so don’t fuck it up….
17th January 2017
Tuesday
5.30pm
Just before the group of us wrapped up our work that day, Issac came down to the office again.
He wanted to give us a final briefing before his so call operation.
Issac : I’ve been trying to reach Marie on the phone the past couple of days….
Issac revealed that Marie is not answering his calls, but she is replying to his messages.
Issac : Her messages are not simple replies…. Everyone of them are carefully formed…. She is not like this… her command of English is limited…. This further reinforced the fact that someone is helping her…. It feels like she is being manipulated….. I want to know who…. is manipulating her… who are the ones telling her to do this…. Who is coming in between us….
I almost rolled my eyes at the comment.
It’s an obvious lie.
Issac made no attempt to contact Marie at all. I don’t know what kind of picture he was trying to paint but it only made him appear paranoid.
Issac : I don’t like it when someone fucks with me… so please… when he or she shows up…. Make sure no one leaves the café….i want to talk to them…
Eric whispered to me when Issac was not looking.
Eric : Eh… this guy… the brain ah…. Serious case….tsk.. tsk… tsk…
18th January 2017
Wednesday
10.30am
We were to arrive separately at the café location located in Hougang street 21.
Issac was paranoid about the details.
He wanted everyone to be in casual home clothes, something that you would wear to a café.
I took a backpack, pack in my laptop and files. I don’t look like a student, but I can play the role of a writer or some budding entrepreneur. I’ll be at table 6
Mohan came in business attire together with Rizwan. They would play the roles of businessmen engaged in talks on table 5
Nelson will be there with Tommy pretending to they are playing games on their phones on table 4
Eric and Derrick will be at table 1, with Eric trying to sell an insurance policy.
Soh will take table 3 leaving table 2 empty for Issac.
___[COUNTER]___
[ 1] [ 2] [3 ]
[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
____[DOOR]____
All is set.
Now we just need to wait for things to happen.
11.00am
The café opens for business and Mohan was the first to arrive.
11.45am
All of us were in the café by then, there was only 1 staff on duty that day, Marie’s sister, Nelly. Nelly is aware that the café has been booked for the day by Issac on the pretext of a private function.
Nelly : What is going on ?? why are you guys here ?
Soh reassured Nelly that everything is fine and that she just need to go on her work as usual.
Walk in customers are served only if they are taking out. Many left when they realised the place has been booked.
I powered up my laptop, sat with my back facing the glass panels and pretended to surf the net and read the folders I brought.
Everyone did their own things and waited.
Coffee , pastries and ice cream are served whenever we want.
1.30pm
I could feel the tension go up a notch when Issac arrived.
He came in and took a look at the lot of us before talking to Nelly.
Nelly : Issac… what is happening… why is there a need for this ?? is everything ok ? these people… are they actors or something ?? they’re not doing anything… just sitting there…. You booked the café for this ??
Issac : it’s fine… don’t worry…. What time is your sister coming ?
Nelly : 2pm… Issac… what is going on ??
Issac : I’ll tell you later…
1.45pm
The café became eerily quiet. Nelly lean on the counter as she kept checking her phone.
Issac just sat on his table facing the exit flanked by 2 full height glass panels. The clear glass offered a good view of the exterior. If Marie shows up, even before she cross the street, Issac will be able to see her and anyone she is with.
I could see his expression from the corner of my eye as he scanned the exterior for signs of Marie.
He is not a patient man.
His body language gave it away.
1.55pm
I watch him take out Marie’s passport and put it on the table in front of him. He took a deep breath, folded his arms and closed his eyes. He’s trying to compose himself, probably thinking of a way to retain the upper hand and trade for the hard disk back.
No one said anything.
The silence of the café was shattered by the ringing of Nelly’s phone.
Nelly : Hello ? …. Marie ?? !
The mere mention of the name made Issac open his eyes.
Nelly : Where are you ?? are you coming ? … what ?…. oh…ermm… ok…
Nelly looked puzzled as she came out from behind the counter and passed the phone to Issac.
Nelly : Marie wants to talk to you….
Issac answered the phone but said nothing.
First order of the day.
Send Nelly away.
I told Marie that if she doesn’t want Issac to bother her sister, she should not be there. Keep everything between the 2 of them.
My heart thumped as I flipped a folder, pretending to look at some charts as I waited.
Issac looked at Nelly 30 seconds later and spoke.
Issac : Do me a favour Nelly….. go for your lunch…. Come back in 2 hours…
Nelly : But … the shop…
Issac : It’s ok… we’ll be fine… we booked the place…
Nelly hesitated for a moment before taking her phone from Issac. She turned the closed sign to on the glass door before stepping out.
Issac took out his phone and put it on the table in front of him. The way he breaths betrayed his emotions.
He’s getting angry. For someone like him, being told what to do is the same as asking him to die. The fact that Marie is fucking with him is probably causing his blood to boil right now. Taking instructions over the phone from a girl who just a few days ago was at his mercy must be unbearable.
His eyes scanned the exterior like a hawk, alternating between the streets and his phone.
The angry vibration of the phone on the café table filled the café and Issac answered it immediately, losing his temper in front of everyone.
Issac : Where the FUCK ARE YOU !!? …. Why don’t you ask whoever is pulling your strings to come to the phone !!!! you don’t have the guts to do something like that to me !!!
Issac breathed heavily as he cursed into the speaker.
There was a pause of 5 seconds before he put his phone down on the table and hit the speaker button.
Issac : YOU’RE ON SPEAKER NOW !!.. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ??
Almost everyone looked at Issac after his outburst except Soh who calmly drank his coffee.
Denise’s voice came on the phone and I held back a smile and typed away on my laptop.
Issac knows he’s being played, but he doesn’t know the extent we’re going to take things.
Denise spoke calmly in a composed manner.
Denise : Hi Issac….
Issac : Who are you ?
Denise : I’m Marie’s friend…
Issac : Why don’t you come to the café…. We can have a chat….
This is the part where we really fuck with Issac.
In a monotonous voice, Denise delivered the 1st blow to Issac.
Denise : When you shouted into the phone…. Everyone in the café looked at you…. except the old man….
Issac : What the fuck…..
Issac immediately stood up and went to the door and tried to look across the road to see where the caller is.
Denise : I want him gone..… then I’ll come in…
Issac’s breathing got heavier and I could see him fuming as he stared at Soh who met his eyes.
Denise : Ask that man to head to the bus stop along the street…. I want to be able to see him at all times….
Issac sucked in a deep gasp of air that sounded like the hiss of a snake and snapped at Soh.
Issac : You heard what she said… get out…
Soh sighed and got up. He gave Eric a look, an unofficial signal that the baton has been passed to him and exited the door.
Issac : Happy now.. ? !!! come on in !
There was a pause for 30 seconds as Soh took his time to leave and Denise waited for a while before speaking again.
Denise : not yet… the old man…. He gave the guy at the corner a look before he left… I want him and his friend gone as well….. I want to see them at the bus stop as well…
I could see Issac’s fingers close into a fist as he cursed and hang up the phone.
He turned around and shouted at Eric to get out together with Derrick.
Issac : great… just great…. Get out.. !…
Now, I can’t possibly let Denise keep threading on Issac’s toes.
You have to give and take a little.
Issac must win too sometimes.
I whispered sharply to Mohan to stand up as I pretended I was looking at the commotion.
Both our backs are facing the glass panels, it would appear as if we are asking Issac to shut up for anyone looking in from outside.
Jim : Mohan stand up now !… pretend you are asking Issac to shut up….
He caught my que and Mohan began gesturing at Issac, pretending to be a angry customer.
Mohan : hello brother…… you don’t own the café… can lower your voice or not…
Issac was fast, he caught on quick and I saw a smile appear on his face.
Eric and Derrick left the café and they were careful not to make eye contact with anyone as they left.
Issac got back a little of his composure as he sat back down, mumbling softly under his breath as he held the phone aside.
Issac : good job guys… good job…. Good job….
He rang Denise again.
Issac : Ok… they’re all gone… let’s not waste time… come in…
Denise : I’ll decide if they’re all gone….keep the line open….
Then the café went quiet.
Issac stared at the phone, not saying a single word.
If this was a movie, you would hear the low beat of the drum coupled with the intense pluck of a string instrument in the background. Every beat synchronised with my own heartbeat.
No one spoke, the atmosphere was tense. I could almost picture the camera panning from the top of the café down to the level where we were sitting, taking in each and every detail if this was being shown on a movie screen.
Rizwan and Mohan continued whispering to each other.
My heart was thumping as I typed away on my laptop, referring to my folder every now and then, pretending to be your typical café customer.
Time crawled as we waited. We can hear only the sound of Denise’s heels clicking in the background. She’s walking as she held the line.
Issac hit the mute button and passed on the information.
Issac : She’s walking… she’s walking…. I don’t see anyone on the phone outside …. Keep an eye on anyone that walks pass….
5 seconds later Denise spoke again.
Denise : Who are you talking to Issac… ? I can see you talking….
Immediately Issac looked up at the remaining guys in the café.
Issac unmute the phone and replied.
Issac : You’re not within the line of sight of the café… where is your friend ??…
Denise : I work alone…
Issac : bull shit… there’s no way you can see us !…
Denise : Ah haa…. ‘Us’….. … more friends inside there I see…
Issac cursed loudly into the phone, angry at himself for giving up the information so easily.
Mohan immediately got up again trying to play the role of an irritated customer.
Denise : I want the Indian guy and his Malay friend gone…. Get them to the bus stop as well… he can’t act for shit…
Mohan froze as Issac glared at him.
Mohan : Oei… who are you lady… I’m not with your friend …. You think what.. you own the café ah….
Issac closed his eyes and I could see he was on the verge of exploding.
Issac : Get out… both of you… GET OUT !!
Denise was really getting to Issac.
Mohan sighed and signalled to Rizwan as I shook my head.
Issac took out another phone of his and he called Nelly, putting her on speaker.
Nelly : yes ?
Issac : Stay on the line… don’t hang up….
Nelly : Why ? …
Issac : Just stay on the fucking line !!
Denise chuckled on her line.
Denise : Are you angry Issac… are you always angry… ? Nelly is not the one feeding me information…. It’s not her…..
Issac did not reply.
Issac : Come in… whoever you are… let’s talk …
Denise : Aren’t you curious Issac ? …. How did I know your friend is indian or… Malay… ? someone’s feeding me information….
Issac slammed his fist on the café table, causing the 2 phones to jump.
Denise : which one of your staff is always on the phone ? hahaha…
Denise hung up after that and Issac got up onto his feet.
His eyes darted to the 2 remaining tables. My phone was just lying on the table as I continued to flip though my folders.
Issac looked at Nelson and Tommy who were on their phones the whole while.
He went over and grabbed Nelson’s phone, checking to see what he’s doing before turning to Tommy and doing the same.
Tommy : Hey.. what the fuck…
Nelson : Hey !…
There was no hiding their look of displeasure on their face as Issac literally threw their phones back down on the table.
Issac’s phone rang again and he answered, shouting into the phone.
Issac : WHAT !!!
Denise : get them out… join their friends at the bus stop.
Issac shouted at Tommy and Nelson, asking them to fuck off.
The 2 of them shook their head and rolled their eyes at Issac before getting up and leaving.
Issac : I had enough of you fucking games !!!
Issac went to the door and looked outwards, trying to see where Denise is.
Then he came to my table and grabbed my phone.
Issac : Unlock it !!!…
I shook my head and unlocked my phone as Issac looked through my past messages and calls. I deleted all contacts and messages to Marie and Denise before I entered the café.
How did I contact her then ?
Simple.
Email, a laptop and the free café wifi.
I had logged out and shut the window when Issac went on to check Nelson and Tommy’s phone. There was no need to contact her anymore.
Issac sighed and threw my phone back onto the table before shouting at Denise into the phone.
Denise : haha…. I knew it… everyone in there is with you… you can tell them to stop acting now… you are a insecure man Issac…. Hahaha…. I’ll let you keep one of your dogs…. The last one can stay….
Issac : Get Marie on the phone…
Denise : We’re ready to go in…. there’s a bus coming to your guys…… service 119….in 2 minutes… call them… I want all of them on the bus…
Issac : I’m not doing anything else until I see who the fuck I’m talking to…
Denise chuckled.
Denise : Then we’re heading home… and all of this would be for nothing… aren’t you curious…. Who I am ? … who’s pulling your string ? … haha… don’t you want the hardisk back ???
Issac slammed his fist on the table several times.
Jim : You want me to call the guys Issac ?
Issac glared at me for a brief moment as he deliberated with his decision.
I whispered sharply to Issac.
Jim : Just get her in the café…….
Issac nodded and asked me to call Soh and the rest of the guys.
The call connected and I put it on speaker.
Jim : Soh.. I’m on speaker…. Issac wants all of you to board the bus…. Service 119…
Soh : What the fuck…
Issac: Just fucking do it !!! SOH!!..
Issac’s face was starting to turn red.
His chauvinistic character is rearing his ugly head.
And the café went silent again, only the faint sound of Denise’s heels clicking in the background as she continued walking.
Soh : Fuck…. Fine… whatever….
Then came another wait for about 1 minute and the clicking of Denise’s heels was the only sound that came from her phone. Even I wondered for a moment where she is, how come she can keep walking for so long.
Denise : I saw them board the bus… good…. My colleague will be following them…. They shall stay on the bus until it reaches the end…. If anyone of them get off before that.… we’re gone…
Issac : You fucking bitch !!! I’m sick of your fucking games….
Suddenly the door to the café opened, hitting the bell on the top and a merry jingle filled the café as Denise stepped into the café.
Dressed in a hot and tight 1 piece white dress, I could feel my dick having a rapid erection. Her bandage dress clung onto her tightly, showing off her flawless hourglass body and her smooth hairless legs.
Denise’s smell, her fragrance, it filled the café, masking the aroma of our stale coffee.
Her cream coloured heels made her 2 inches taller and in the full makeup and fake eyelashes, Denise brushed a stray fringe behind her ears as she gave Issac a radiant smile.
Denise : It’s not nice to call a lady a bitch you know…..
Issac laid eyes on Denise and he froze for a couple of seconds unable to put a face to the voice that he had been talking to all this while.
As if began to dawn on him Denise was the girl on the line all this time, a evil grin slowly broke on his face.