-----FLASHBACK (continuation) ----"I"ll tell you after eating. You looked so hungry so enjoy the food first."
Gaining the permission to eat and seeing the delicious food placed in front of her, Clara started filling her plate and stuffed her mouth with it. Vince couldn"t help but observe the girl who was looking like a chipmunk with every spoonful of food she put in her mouth.
"Slow down! n.o.body"s going to take the food away from you." Vince told the girl upon seeing her almost choked and handed her a gla.s.s of water.
"I"m sorry. The food was just too delicious and it made me hungrier than usual." Clara finally responded as she momentarily stopped eating.
"Hungrier than usual, ei…"
Vince thought as he recalled the series of events with the former mafia group reigning in the city they just conquered. The battle with the group lasted for two days and if she escaped at least a day before then what was she eating for the past three days. Vince wanted to know more about the girl"s history but couldn"t find the right timing. Then came the waiter to serve their dessert. Once the girl felt full from all the food she ate, she wiped her mouth using the napkin and looked at Vince who was patiently waiting.
"Thank you for the food and your patience." Clara looked at him while clutching her hand on the dress below the table.
"I"ll tell you what happened to me the past few days."
"I lived in the orphanage in the city and two weeks ago, men dressed in black came. They told the sisters they wanted to adopt some children. They dressed differently and they only came in pair so the sisters failed to see the connection. They would also fly out of the country with a reason of giving a new beginning to the children they adopted."
"But if they only came in pairs, how were you able to see the connection?" Vince couldn"t help but ask the girl. She had the past, the guts and skills like Eybelle but her mind worked maybe like Slayne in the past.
"When it was my turn to be adopted. As I grew older in the orphanage, I prepared myself not to be adopted so I try to learn as much as I can from books and help in the household duties in the orphanage so I can find a job when I"m of legal age."
"Don"t tell me they left some traces?" Vince was thinking of something unlikely but asked anyway.
"It was more of found. I found traces of my fellow orphans in the storage. I even found a diary. It told me their happy experiences few days after adoption until they discovered that they"ll be sold as slaves." Clara looked down and bit her lips in an attempt not to cry.
"Let"s fast forward the events, then. How did you escape?"
"During delivery. They thought I was unaware of what"s going to happen so they were complacent. With my hands untied, I was able to bring a kitchen knife and stabbed one of the men beside the door and rolled out the same way I did."
"So I was indeed correct." Vince thought as he admired the strength and courage this girl has. She was definitely afraid yet she did everything to survive.
"How come they weren"t able to catch you?"
"I"m fully aware of the roads around as well as the places with strong defenses in the city. So I sneaked in one of the houses owned by a government official for one day."
Vince got more curious on this little girl he picked up as he continued to listen to her. Clara also successfully prevented her tears from falling down her eyes and that earned respect from Vince.
"So how did you end up in the dump site?"
"I can"t stay in that house more than a day as I heard from them that there"ll be a mafia war and the city will be under attack. Being a government official owned place will only gather their attention so I ran into the least possible place. The dump site would be the least noticeable place plus with a little rearranging I could have a roof for myself. A little after meal time, people would throw their leftovers to the site…"
"You have been eating leftovers ever since, like what, two days?!" Vince couldn"t believe what he just heard. Yet Clara nodded her head in confirmation of the unbelievable.
"I already shared my side. How about you?" Clara asked Vince.
The latter shared what"s his life as a mafia leader and an ordinary CEO. He also told the girl that the man who was with him is his cousin and second-in-command and secretary. He gave Edward"s name and shared that n.o.body else from his family knew the other position he holds.
As they continued to talk, Clara got more interested in her savior"s life and asked questions. With full awareness that the girl has finally opened up to him, Vince would occasionally ask questions which Clara would already answer. Then an idea came to Vince….
"Would you like to join my mafia family and be directly under my command?"
"What do you mean? I don"t want to kill people! That man who I stabbed was the first and will be the last."
"Being directly under my command, you won"t be ordered by others to kill and of course, I wouldn"t as well."
Hearing the biggest offer she heard from her savior, Clara couldn"t help but think of it negatively.
"Will he really not order me to kill?"
"What is really a mafia?"
"Is he taking responsibility because of what his mother told him?"
Seeing the troubled look on the girl"s face, Vince finally realized how he rushed things. It was only moments ago that the girl opened to her. Of course, no one in their right minds would think to become one of the men who sold her friends to who knows who.
"How about a month trial period? You could use that to know more about me, my family."
"What if I don"t want to and the trial ends?"
"I"ll let you go. I"ll give you enough money for at least 5 years and it"ll be up to you on what you"re going to do."
Clara nodded in agreement and Vince just smiled in relief.
-----END OF FLASHBACK ----