Chapter 7: The job

She downed what was left of the sorry excuse for a coffee and threw the paper cup into the bin. She stuffed her mouth with the cream cheese bagel, looking like a chipmunk. This breakfast of hers had cost more than she had plans for, but why should it matter? If she was already neck and body deep in debt, she might as well owe some more. She figured the guy from the hospital was probably invested in many other things that are much more productive and lucrative than going around asking for the debt. She figured it out the hard way. Meaning, she spent two painful weeks being suspicious of every god-damned person she came across. She had yanked her fake designer Luis Vuitton bag on an innocent guy's head. All because he was staring at his watch and tapping his toes on the bus. Lin Wei had thought he was watching her and impatiently waiting for her to get off the bus. Thank God he decided not to press charges. She would just gratefully accept the jail gown with a big smile on her face. Well, thank God for a small miracle. She hurriedly grabbed her vibrating phone before it could ring the whole building down and pressed the receive button. "Yeah?" She said into the phone . "I guess you got tied down by the aliens in your building? Should I start packing for your burial? I thought you said you needed money?" Bai Yue demanded, in a rush of other unimportant small sentences. LinWeii shrugged into her weathered jacket with the phone between her shoulder blades and another mouthful of the bagel, her reply was muffled into the phone. I thought you said before noon," she mumbled between mouthfuls. "I don't speak ancient alien. Just get your sluggish ass here in the next twenty. Else I'll assume you don't need the job again," Bai Yue replied with a derisive snort. LinWeii hung up and slipped her shoes on. She grabbed her bag, albeit a secret weapon, and went out of her room, locking the door securely behind her. Not that the lock on the other door was going to stop anyone from prying it open, but at least she liked to put her mind at ease. She boarded a taxi, another one of frivolities, considering she had her scooter on one side of her building's ridiculous parking lot. But then it was better to spend a few dollars out of her budget for the next three months than to go on and cause more trouble than she could handle. She got off and walked briskly to the two ladies, who welcomed her with identical glares. "Are you done curating the bones and the flesh for your immortal Lord?" Bai Yue required with a dubious rraisedher brows dubiously. Lin Wei smiled sheepishly and spread her arms. "God! Look at you! You've gotten so thin," she gasped. "I know, right? I've had it rough," she whined. "If you guys are ready, can we please go now?" Yuqi rolled her eyes at their abnormal display of affection. They boarded another taxi to the place where they were going to be ushers. "This is the place?" LiWeiei asked with wonderment. Wow, the place was huge, as in huge. It was surely some big shot occasion. "Sure. I can't have gotten the address wrong," Yuqi muttered and checked her phone for confirmation. And sure enough, she bobbed her head in approval. "It's a business get-together of some sort. I'm not sure, but we'll get briefed when we get inside," she informed them with a tight smile. Shudder ran through Lin Wei's body. She sucked in her breath at the obvious display of wealth. The lounge was filled with hardwood flooring and furniture. It was the getting together of the rich, Lin Wei thought with an involuntary gasp. The bright chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a soft golden glow into the large room. Chairs, if the thick leather with the most comfortable seat Lin Wei had ever seen in her life, could be referred to as chairs. Ironically, they were ushered through a hallway that connected to another part of the house at the back of the building. There, they met six other people who were here for the job. "Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Esther Lu, and I'll brief you about the short-term job you're here for." A petite lady in insix-inchs pumps addressed them with a confident smile. "This is a very confident get-together, and we'll have your word that none of these would be heard outside. Be well informed that we have the right to sue if anything goes wrong," she paused and glanced at each one of them. She must've been satisfied with whatever she saw on their face because she smiled coyly before resuming her speech. "Four of you would be in charge of ushering them in and making them feel important, you know, rich people thing." She rolled her eyes a little as she said that. Lin Wei exchanged a secret glance with Bai Yue. Doesn't she know it? "From the left__" "Me?" A blonde girl with round glasses asked. "Yeah, you. And the three people standing next to you. You'll be the ushers. The rest already know what you are right?" She raised her brows lightly, and they nodded. LinWeii scrunched her nose in confusion. Weren't they here to usher some rich shot into their seats like they couldn't find the seats themselves? It doesn't matter, though. As long as it's earning her a thousand dollars in four hours, then everything's great. "At least we're together, right?" LiWeiei murmured to her friends. "You know disaster is always following us around, right?" Bai Yue whispers-yellsl. Yuqi shrugged and smiled as they all followed the instructions passed to them. Yes, you got it. They sent the instructions to them on their phones. But first, they had to change their clothes. Hopefully, she'll be able to escape through this without much trouble. What happened next confirmed Bai Yue's notion of impending doom.