Chapter 11: Chapter 11
CC Main Branch
Friday
The countdown was almost done, just 10 more seconds to the commencement of Freebie Friday.
Customers flooded the entrance door, impatiently waiting for the doors to be opened finally. It was the tradition. Every last Friday of the month, CC gave out free eye cream with every purchase, limited time offer. The CC eye cream was the talk of the town, doing multiple functions on the skin. It was a must have product.
Kro and Ukraine were already inside. Ukraine wasn't aware of Freebie Friday, and that was the reason for Kro to bring him there to get explicit experience. He stood behind his boss
"The crowd looks wild", he whispered
"And it's gonna get wilder when the doors open, brace yourself", Kro chuckled,
"It's time, boss", said the lady at the counter
"Good! Open the doors!",
Ukraine never imagined the pressure in that store. People ran from one shelf to another, grabbing their essentials and hurrying to the counter to pay, because the receipt was the one which came with the CC Eye cream. The cashiers never seemed to settle, it was non-stop recording, money taking, card swiping, receipt printing and eye cream giving. Speed was necessary.
Ukraine's mind was blown away, especially after seeing the store almost empty within 15 minutes. Employees had to run to the store and get more boxes to fill the shelves again. It was one satisfying moment for Kro.
"How long does Freebie Friday last?", asked Uk after seeing the number of customers increasing within seconds
"30 minutes",
"Has it ever happened that some people miss the product?",
"Those who come late always miss the product, that's why you saw them waiting for hours outside",
"Amazing!",
They kept paying attention to the process.
A woman approached Uk and Kro. She had been watching them for a while since she got there, and she couldn't leave before talking to them. When Kro saw her walking towards them, she thought she might be a customer with concerns. Because of that, she gave her the most welcoming look,
"Hi, I'm so sorry to disturb you", said the woman,
"It's okay, do you need help with something?", asked Kro,
"I'm a clairvoyant. I've never done this before, but this is my first time I've followed someone and introduced myself", said the woman
"Oh, that's so cool", said Ukraine,
"I've been coming to Freebie Friday for 3 months now, but I couldn't follow you the first time, today I really had to",
"And why is that?", asked Kro
"I felt one of the greatest energies coming from you two",
"Me too?", asked Ukraine, surprised,
"Yes. Your souls are entwined, you seem to share the same fate",
"What do you mean?", asked Kro, starting to get uneasy
"You two knew each other before, so long ago. I can feel his two life cycles, but I can't feel yours, miss. It's crazy because it means you've been living ever since or you're already dead!", the woman paused, "Once again, I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to make you question who you are, you can choose not to believe me too, it's okay. Leaving without saying this to you is like a doctor ignoring his patient, I'm really sorry", apologized the woman.
"It's _ it's okay. I mean you're just saying what you see. Thank you for shopping with us",
Kro turned around and walked away, leaving the woman and Ukraine behind. She quickly rushed to the washroom and locked herself in. Her brain became messy again. The woman's words messed with her highly sealed brain. But there's one thing she worried more,
"Why did she say that in front of him? Gosh! And what did she mean by Uk and I knowing each other?", she heaved an exhale, "God please take my life, I'm freaking exhausted! Just kill me",
Every word she said, she meant it. She was entering the hardest phrase of her life over the centuries. She had no idea.
....
CC Headquarters
"Meeting in 5 minutes!", shouted Sue as she headed to their team's meeting room.
Everyone finished their beverages quickly. Misaki opened up her bag and took out her mini-mirror and lipstick, the plum pink lipstick from Leo. It took her less than a minute to finish the touch-up. She then carried her notebook and joined the others.
When Sue saw that everyone was there, she proceeded
"Good morning once again everyone. As I said on Tuesday, we'll be giving out our ideas today, I need clear explanations and realistic products, let's begin",
"Well, what do you guys think of velvety eye shadow?", suggested Kara, one of the members in the marketing team, "Many people apply blue and purple to get a galaxy themed shadow, but what if we have one texture which changes depending on reflection of the light?",
"Won't that be heavy for the eye?", asked Misaki
"No, Misaki because it will be the same quantity. But instead of having a palette with 10 shades, we'll have a palette with 4 shades. For example, Velvety Mars which will consist of red, yellow and orange in one",
"Wow!",
Everyone looked interested. Sue jotted it down and waited for the next person. Misaki cleared her throat
"Everyone, look at my lipstick", and everyone did, "What do you think?",
"It's very pretty", said Josh
"But?",
"The color is super pretty, very pretty, but it looks like it's gonna smudge anytime soon", explained Kara
"And also, it looks warm, not good for summer, I feel like your lips are burning", added Sue, "You still nailed the color though",
"Thank you guys, and you said everything I wanted to say! My idea is to produce a lipstick with a cooling effect, not matte not glossy, but I want it to stick on the lips for a long time!", Misaki proceeded, "Matte is so dry, and glossy is wet",
"I think if we combine them, the result will be waxy, and hence breaking easily", suggested Josh
"Exactly! We can't combine them into becoming one product, but we can make 2 products which work as one! An icy, thin layered, sticky liquid which will be applied on top of an actual lipstick, giving it the texture, complete color and the cooling effect",
"Elaborate please", asked Sue,
"In one bag, one will find a red lipstick and the cooling liquid, but when she applies it, the red will look faded! Once she tops it up with the icy liquid everything will finally come to life!",
I think I get it! Glassy and Icy, kind of oily which is good for the lips too, right?", said Kara,
"Don't forget the nice scent!",
"Oh hell yeah",
All heads in the room nodded, Sue couldn't hide how proud she was of her team. There was no doubt about that.
.....
Evening
Kro waited for Ukraine to bring up the psychic's reading, but he never said anything about it. There was no way he wasn't curious. His silence bothered her more than it bothered him. It's not that he didn't want to talk about it, he was just scared if the conversation escalates. He would rather keep his mouth shut and pretend nothing happened.
Kro decided to just go home. When he heard her pulling the chair back, he quickly got up too, putting all his things in his coat. He hurried to the door and opened it.
Kro was almost walking out of the office, but still, she couldn't tolerate the mood. She halted,
"Close the door", she ordered him,
"It's time to leave_",
"I know, but I won't go now. I want to talk to you",
"Oh, okay",
He slowly closed the door, and attentively faced her,
"Why aren't you saying anything about it?", she started questioning him
"About what boss?",
"The Clairvoyant",
"Oh, I don't really believe those people",
"And you aren't even curious to know why she said that? You're saying what she told us doesn't bother you at all?",
"It doesn't", he nodded,
"Really?",
"Really",
She wasn't convinced. She walked closer to him, making his palms sweaty already,
"What if what she said is true? What if I'm dead?",
"You can't be dead", he scoffed, "You're standing in front of me",
"What if I'm really what she said I am? Are you saying you're not bothered even a single bit?",
"Boss, why are you asking me these questions? I said I don't believe in those kinds of things. Why're you questioning me?",
"It's weird. That look on your face, it's very weird",
Ukraine knew he was about to get caught in a lie. Of course, he believed the clairvoyant. And if he's not careful, Kro was going to read him like a book. He needed an escape, and at the moment nothing worked better than losing his temper,
"Stop making a big deal out of this. There's nothing wrong with my face, stop making things up",
"It's because you look like you don't care!",
"WELL THEN YES! I DON'T CARE!",
Kro couldn't stop herself from scoffing disappointedly. Ukraine realized how he lost it there for a second, and Kro's expression made it worse. His dad's plan, plus the psychic's words messed his mind so bad. His head was now a loose screw.
"Boss, I'm sorry, I never meant to_",
"I don't know what you heard about me, but I'm not that strong and I'm not that weak either. The only thing you can do for me is to care, even a little",
"Boss_",
"You don't have to escort me to my car, I'll go by myself",
Kro opened the door and walked out. Ukraine nearly slapped his lips. He now disappointed the only person he never wanted to mess with.
....
LATER
Misaki just got out of shower when her phone started ringing. When she saw that it was her buddy, who worked as a bodyguard for her father, calling, she quickly answered,
"Jerome?",
"Misaki", he whispered through the phone, "The minister just sent his men to your boss' house! They are on their way there",
"HOLY SHIT!",
"They're the most ruthless men in their gang! You can call her and ask her to leave right now! She's gonna get hurt, seriously hurt, that was his order",
"Did he ask them to kill her?",
"He asked them to get her on her knees and take a video of your boss apologizing to him. If she disagrees, he gave them permission to beat the shit out of her!",
"My God!",
"Do something! And fast!",
He hung up.
Misaki panicked. She wasn't ready to lose another victim, not this time.
*****
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone