Deserving | ✔

Chapter 30 (Special)

The alarm clock goes chiming it's sweet music, indicating the beginning of a new day. The sad thing is, right now, the ringing music through my ears also indicate the painful, unacceptable fact that I am still very much alive.

The sun is still in it's hangover from yesterday night's party with the moon, because it's not up and bright like it always is in LA. It is 7 AM and the sun still looks like a sad wallowing teenager.

My phone rings, interrupting my thoughts about sun's major hangover. I reach for my phone sitting on the nightstand. My throat dries up a little when I see the caller ID. 'Boss'.

"Hello?" I pick it up and say.

A coarse, rough voice speaks from the other end. "Good morning, Ian. I hope you are up and awake by now after that energetic morning walk."

He had asked me to take walks in a park nearby this place, but I was hesitant to do that as I clearly can foresee what he will next ask me to do if I follow it. I don't want another déjà vu happening again.

"Actually, no... Boss," I say, bitterly remembering his 'advice' when I didn't address him as 'Boss' the previous time. "I didn't go for the walk. I'm so sorry, I didn't hear my alarm go at 6 AM and now it's too late to take a walk. Perhaps tomorrow..."

From the other side, I hear him clearing his throat. "Hmm... It's alright, Ian. These things happen. I mean, it is impossible for you to have heard the alarm go at 6 AM when you have deliberately kept it at 7 AM. But I'd like to give you a star for your extensive hopes and over optimism. Your optimism is one of the main reason I hired you and I am glad to see you practicing it. But getting down to a more practical level would be better, don't you think?"

Jesus Fucking Christ! How does this guy know even my alarm time?

"Yes, Boss," I say glumly.

"Good. Now, you are to meet me at my place at 10 AM today. We have some serious discussions to do and I want you there as punctual as you can. Don't mess up this one with your optimistic alarm attitude, Ian."

"No, I won't, Boss. I'll be there right on time." I edge the phone away from my ear and see that he has already cut my phone.

I see Stephanie's smiling face flashing on my lock screen and I briefly smile.

"I'm only doing this for you, Steph." She deserved so much more than that of

I quickly walk to my laptop placed in the study table and connect my phone to it with a cable. Sitting on the chair, I put my reading glasses on and run a check on my phone and see two new bugs installed in it.

"That fucker..." I mumble and fire the two bugs, just like I did the last five times he tried to wire me through my phone. I cannot voice my rage and anger, but I can on these little snippets of viruses working for that fucker.

After cleaning those bugs off, I download a stronger firewall for my phone and let it update.

I hear a knock on my door. Ugh, if there is someone more disgusting than that fucker I call Boss, it would be this fucker knocking on my door: Kris, my roommate.

Well, technically, I'm his roommate. Again, an action of 'Boss'. As soon as I stepped foot in LA, he had me under his wing.

But this time, it's different. I walked into this trap, unlike last time. Last time, I was walking blindfolded into this web without any idea. But this time, I'm walking bravely into this web all over again, despite my promise to Stephanie. That doesn't matter now, because I'm doing this for her. I am doing this for all the fuck - ups I've done that has lead to her death. I'm not doing this to redeem myself, because I basically threw out my need to live as soon as I got to know what really happened. I just need to even the scale and avenge my darling angel before I join her above. Well, that is assuming I get at least a short trip to Heaven before I settle in my own compartment in Hell.