CHAPTER 3

"DEVIL'S SMILE"

I immediately tucked the contents of the envelope into my pocket. I glanced left and right, scanning for anyone who might have seen me.

Just yesterday, this wasn’t here. But earlier today, it suddenly appeared in front of me.

Impossible.

Suspicious.

I hurried to the restroom to read the letter again, but something else quickly caught my attention.

Andrew—my co-worker.

There he was again, fuming with frustration.

I watched his every movement, each word that came out of his mouth growing more irritating by the second.

“I already told you, your name isn’t in our system. Why are you being so persistent?” he snapped.

“Please, sir, I need to apply for a loan... it’s for my daughter. I’m begging you, please help me,” an elderly woman pleaded.

“You’re being too much, ma’am. We’ve got plenty of other clients to attend to,” he retorted, clearly losing his temper.

I quickly approached to defuse the situation, noticing how others were already beginning to stare.

“Ma’am, come with me,” I said gently, taking the elderly woman’s hand. “I’ll assist you from here.”

“What are you doing, Ellerie? She’s my client, so I’ll be the one to handle her,” Andrew protested.

He yanked my hand away, forcing me to release the old woman.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. My eyes burned with rage.

I couldn’t do anything for her—not with Andrew insisting on handling it himself just to show off that he had the most clients today.

“You okay?” Anyah asked, clearly concerned.

“Hmm,” I replied curtly.

I returned to my desk, seething with frustration.

A few moments later, I walked over to Andrew’s desk. I needed to talk to him.

“Date with me,” I said without hesitation.

He was taken aback, stunned into silence.

“I’m already taken,” he replied, turning abruptly away.

“No, you’re not,” I answered confidently.

He whipped back around, surprise written all over his face.

“How did you know that?” he asked, clearly confused.

“Cause I know. 12:00, before lunch. I’ll send you the location,” I said calmly, turning my back on him.

Even without looking, I could feel his shock. But I didn’t dwell on the envelope anymore. What I had to do now was far more important.

---

11:00 AM

“Ellerie, where are you going? It’s only 11,” Anyah asked, puzzled.

I ignored her, hailed a taxi, and quickly got in.

Soon, I arrived at my aunt’s house. My uncle had just returned for lunch and was the first to greet me at the gate.

“Tito… can I borrow your car?” I asked boldly.

He didn’t answer, so I went straight to Tita to ask for permission.

She agreed immediately, leaving my uncle with no choice.

“Thank you po. I’ll be back right away, Tito,” I said sweetly.

While driving, I kept checking my phone for Andrew’s reply—just in case he got lost on the way.

Text: “Where are you?” Reply: “OTW almost there.”

---

11:20 AM

Twenty minutes later, I picked Andrew up.

“You’re really the one driving?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” I gave a forced smile. “Get inside.”

As soon as he got in, I handed him something.

“Here! Drink this—just something to give you a bit of energy,” I said with a wide grin.

Without hesitation, he drank it.

“It’s good,” he said, clearly enjoying it.

“It’s still a bit of a drive—I want to take you somewhere nicer to eat,” I said, even though it should’ve been him making this kind of effort.

“Okay. The breeze is making me sleepy,” he replied, stretching.

Before long, he had fallen asleep.

I stopped at a gas station to buy fuel, which I poured into a small water can. Andrew was still out cold.

---

11:50 AM

“We’re here, Andrew,” I said cheerfully.

He was still asleep, so I blindfolded him. His hands and feet were already bound.

Still unconscious.

Perfect timing. Windy, quiet, peaceful—though still warm under the sun. This wasn’t a romantic date anymore. It felt more like a sentence.

“Ah, gosh, you’re so heavy,” I muttered as I dragged him toward the grass.

“Here, this spot’s better,” I said brightly.

I doused his body and the surrounding area with gasoline.

Suddenly, he stirred, eyes barely open.

“Hi, Andrew,” I greeted sweetly.

“What are you doing, Ellerie?” he asked, panic creeping into his voice.

“What do you think? Actually, I wasn’t planning on this… but I couldn’t hold it in any longer after watching how you treated that elderly woman. You call yourself a CSR, yet you have zero respect for people.”

“You don’t deserve to live,” I said in a calm, steady tone.

“Ellerie, please… I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” he said, his voice trembling with fear.

“You’re right—it won’t happen again. Because you won’t get another chance. If you were going to apologize, you should’ve done it earlier.”

“Ellerie, please… don’t do this,” he pleaded, tears forming in his eyes.

“You know, I’ve kept quiet long enough about how you treat our clients,” I said seriously.

I opened the other side of my coat and—

“Pick one. What color of lighter do you want me to use?” I chuckled.

“Ellerie…”

“Ellerie, please…”

“Don’t do this to me, please…”

He had started to cry.

“Oh come on, don’t cry like a kid. You’re not a child anymore,” I teased.

“If I were you, I’d just pick one. Is blue your favorite? Green? White? But honestly, I think red suits you best—since you’re a devil!” I laughed.

“You’re even more of a devil than I am,” he spat.

I pointed a finger at him and said,

“Right, right, right.”

“You’re clever… but you’re also stupid,” I laughed. “Know why? Because you drank that juice I gave you—said it’d give you energy, remember? But it didn’t even work. Guess you’re too old now.”

“F*CK YOU!” he yelled in fury.

“Oh, really? How cute,” I said in a sweet voice.

Suddenly, I glanced toward a tree. I felt like someone was watching us.

That’s impossible—after the fire that burned our house down, no one ever came back to live here.

I shook off the thought and grabbed the red lighter.

I lit it—and threw it onto Andrew’s body.

“No!”

“Ahh!”

He screamed in agony as the fire began to consume him. The stench of burning flesh—something I hadn’t smelled since ten years ago—filled the air once more.

“F*CK YOU, Ellerie…”

But in the midst of my grim satisfaction, I instinctively clutched my stomach when I heard a—

Click.

I turned to the right. There was a flash—a camera.

Someone was there. Someone saw.

Who was it?

Why were they here?

My pulse raced. My chest tightened.

What do I do now?

[To be continued...]

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