When Jealousy Turns Deadly

This afternoon, I was wiping some glasses that had just been washed, and the clock already showed 14:45. I heard Susan's voice, who had just arrived and entered from the back kitchen door; it's time for me to get ready to leave.

"Cring," the doorbell sounded melodiously. "Welcome," I immediately added.

A beautiful woman entered, and as soon as she saw me, she smiled sweetly. I didn't recognize her and promptly returned the introductory smile.

"Jaime," the woman called affectionately.

"Michelle," I whispered as soon as I heard the way she called, and she smiled. Behind her, a tall, big man entered, looking at me with what I can describe as a not-so-friendly gaze. They quickly looked for a seat, and just as I was about to take their order, Susan, who had just come out of the kitchen, headed straight to Michelle's table to take it.

It's 15:02, and Susan has already taken over all my duties. In a hurry, I headed to the kitchen, intending to change clothes as quickly as possible and go home to complete some unfinished chores, like washing clothes or sweeping. Michelle clearly saw me entering the kitchen, and with a swift movement, she gestured for permission from her male friend and followed me into the kitchen.

"Wow, young lady, you can't come in," said Madame, who happened to be near the kitchen door. "Oh, Auntie, you don't recognize me?" Michelle immediately hugged her Aunt and kissed her on both cheeks, leaving Madame stunned and staring at Michelle, trying hard to remember if she ever knew a beautiful woman with wide green eyes.

"Madame, it's Michelle," I shouted from the changing room while changing my clothes. Madame squinted to get a clearer view and shook her head, "Oh, Michelle, I never thought you'd grow up this beautiful, and your eyes are green?" Madame said in confusion. I laughed and added, "Madame, she's a superhuman who's had plastic surgery."

Michelle glared at me.

"I've always wondered how your uncle could recognize you with just one look," Madame added, pinching Michelle's cheek to get a clearer view. Michelle smiled sweetly at her aunt, "I thought maybe only my uncle and Jaime could do that."

I closed the clothes drawer and hurriedly walked out of the back kitchen door, "Madame, Michelle, excuse me."

"Jaime, wait," Michelle quickly bypassed Madame and lunged at me, wrapping her arms around my neck from behind. "Let go, Michelle!" I exclaimed.

"Not before you agree to listen to my request," Michelle insisted while still hugging my neck from behind.

Damn, I already knew it.

I had a bad feeling since Michelle smiled sweetly at me at the entrance. Learning from my past experiences, Michelle only smiles that sweetly when she has a task she wants to delegate to me. The sweeter her smile, the heavier the task she's about to assign. And this time, I failed to escape even though I tried my best.

"Ugh. Fine... what else needs to be done this time?"

Michelle released her embrace and jumped in front of me, looking at me, "You just know," Michelle said half-laughing and immediately took both of my hands. "Alphonso might come to my apartment tonight. So, I hope by ten o'clock tonight, you'd be willing to clean my apartment and cook a little dinner to be left in the fridge to be warmed up later," Michelle pleaded.

A heavy task for me.

I looked at Madame, seeking support, "Madame, could you please help me decline this request?" Maybe Madame would like to reprimand her niece, who had been taking advantage of her uncle's worker to clean her own apartment, at least Madame is the kind of person who is outspoken about her feelings. Michelle turned her head to look at her aunt, "Auntie," Michelle called, "Auntie knows how many times I've been heartbroken and cried." It might be my imagination, but Michelle's eyes seemed teary. "Auntie, I no longer want to suffer the pain of heartbreak; I don't want Alphonso to break up with me because of my messy and dirty apartment. I just want him to love me."

Madame's face softened, touched by her words, "Jaime, you should help her; Michelle is a good girl, don't hurt her feelings." My eyes widened looking at Michelle, who immediately looked back at me with a triumphant smile, sticking out her tongue unseen by Madame.

"Little devil," I whispered to her, I was defeated from the start.

"Thank you," Michelle's face lit up with joy, and spontaneously she hugged and kissed my cheek, "I'll leave my car in front of your house so you can head to my apartment, and from there, Alphonso will pick me up."

"EHMMM…..!!!"

We all immediately turned towards the sound. A big man who had come with Michelle earlier was giving me a fierce look. He was right at the kitchen entrance, staring at me. Michelle quickly rushed over to Alphonso, and I could swear I saw Alphonso's sharp expression soften like a kitten's, and they both returned to their seats. I glanced at Madame, and she just smiled, conveying the message, "Be careful on the road, dear Jaime."

There was nothing more I could do but head to the back of Cafe Eve, where my bike was locked. Get home as quickly as possible and then head to Michelle's place. Hopefully, I still had some time left for myself. I hopped on my motorbike and started riding it, intending to pass by Cafe Eve and enter the streets when suddenly Alphonso appeared beside me, grabbing the front of my motorbike, instantly stopping me.

"What do you think you're doing with Christine?"

I looked at his unfriendly face, combined with his body that was at least 15 or 20 cm taller than mine, making his words feel very threatening. Although it was actually the BtP symbol on his left upper arm that was even more intimidating.

He's superhuman.

"Who?" I asked spontaneously, not understanding. Alphonso's powerful hands immediately grabbed the front of my shirt and lifted me up, leaving my fallen bike behind.

"You're pretending not to know now, after she kissed you earlier?"

"Damn," I thought, I really didn't know the name Christine, because no matter how much Michelle changed her appearance, she never changed her name. Little did I know that Michelle had even changed her name now.

Maybe soon she would change her gender and tease the women around.

"What are you to her?" Alphonso asked harshly once more. My chest now felt hot; I seldom felt fear because I transformed all negative emotions into anger. Even if he's superhuman, I might still have hit him just once, but this is my workplace, and I didn't want Madame or Master to get involved, so I restrained myself. Still, I didn't appreciate the way he forcibly lifted and questioned me. If he had asked me nicely, I would've told him that I'm merely a servant, cleaner, and caretaker of Michelle's apartment. While I pondered whether to answer him or not, Alphonso swiftly moved his hand, pulling my face closer to his, "Who are you to her?"

I looked back into his eyes, promising myself he'd need more than this to make me speak. Suddenly, his right hand slapped me, a blow so hard it split my lip, and a warm liquid filled my mouth; I tasted the metallic flavor of blood. I glared at him, full of rage, and spat the liquid in my mouth onto his face, which immediately turned red. Angrily, he flung me about three meters away onto the asphalt near the small park of Cafe Eve.

"Dog!!!" he screamed, advancing to hit me. I didn't know of his superhuman abilities, but his sheer size alone meant I'd likely lose. My hand scrambled to find a stone by the park, hoping to strike his face as he approached. He lunged at me, and my stone-wielding hand was poised to target his face.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Madame appeared, rushing towards me. I discarded the fist-sized stone that almost hit his nose; I didn't want to cause trouble in front of Madame. Alphonso, seeing how close the stone came, paused momentarily before grabbing my collar and choking me. "I just asked what he was doing earlier with my girl." My teeth gritted in fury.

"Let him go, that lady earlier only asked him to clean her apartment and cook for your dinner," Madame's voice caught Alphonso's attention. Whether that was the answer he needed or not, Alphonso certainly lost his appetite for intimidation and tossed me onto the asphalt. "Hmph, just a servant. Don't you dare hug her again," Alphonso said as he left me.

"Damn it, is Michelle yours, so much so that you can prohibit me!" I wanted to shout, but I was sane enough not to provoke a superhuman, especially not in front of Madame. My body and mind were still seething with rage. Madame noticed my bleeding lip, her face filled with concern, but I quickly assured her there was nothing to worry about.

"That brute," Madame snorted disapprovingly, "How could Michelle even like someone like that," and went back into the kitchen. For nearly five minutes after, I sat there, my body burning and emotions raging. I wanted to storm into the cafe, find him, and land a few punches on his face. But imagination is just that. If I dared to do it, I'd have to be ready to leave my job, my life, and possibly even lose my life.

In the end, all I could do was climb back onto my motorbike and head out onto the streets. My bike sped through the air, somewhat soothing my heart and draining away my anger. No matter how furious or heated I felt, once you're speeding through the air, all becomes meaningless. Lately, everything seemed clearer as if my horizons had expanded, and I felt free. Reflecting on this brought a peace and relief over me. Faintly, my ears caught the roaring sound of a car and I quickly slowed down my pace.

The gust from the speeding cars, which usually travel over hundreds of km per hour, could easily blow me off the road or push me into the gorge on the left. Not to mention the occasional strong sea wind from the left that might throw me onto the highway to be run over. I had no intention of becoming a victim on either side, so slowing down was a wise decision, even though I hated stopping my motorbike altogether.

A car passed by - Michelle's. She honked a friendly greeting. Then, a gleaming large four-wheel-drive, a latest-model Hummer, came alongside me for a bit. This was dangerous for a biker like me.

TEK!

I felt a vibration on my motorbike, possibly from hitting a small stone. Suddenly, the Hummer roared and sped off, seemingly mocking me and my speed. Even though I couldn't see inside the dark-tinted windows, I knew Alphonso was in there and that the vehicle was his. Damn it, why should someone like Alphonso feel threatened or jealous by me, a mere servant riding an old motorbike worth less than his car's doormat?

"Damn," I exclaimed, venting my frustration by accelerating to a high speed, trying to clear my emotions.

Ahead, I saw a sharp intersection, notorious for its proximity to a steep cliff. I half-hoped that Alphonso's Hummer would race off and plunge into the ravine, but it seemed the car was perfectly fine, turning at a high speed until it was out of my sight.

I began to reduce my speed, as I was descending anyway. As I approached the intersection, I gently pressed the front and rear brakes of my motorbike, but its speed didn't decrease; it only increased.

Impossible!!

I quickly pressed again multiple times, only to find that the brakes of my motorbike weren't working at all, both of them! My speed kept increasing due to the downhill road. In a panic, I pressed the brakes hard and fear overwhelmed me. I clearly remembered slowing down my motorbike just before Michelle's or Alphonso's car approached me. It was impossible for my brakes to suddenly fail, especially both of them at once. My motorbike continued to speed up. Desperately, I tried to turn the bike's handle sharply, but at that moment I realized... the handle stood upright and didn't want to turn at all. It's as if it was fixed to only go straight forward.

"It can't be!!!" I screamed. The edge of the cliff was nearing. I collided with the road barrier, throwing me over the edge and plummeting to the ground below. I felt pain all over, and then I began tumbling down the cliff with my motorbike. The sky and the ground rotated in my vision.

Suddenly, I felt a momentary sensation of floating before gravity pulled me down. I was heading for a shallow sea filled with protruding, large coral rocks. From any angle, the deepest part of the coral sea below was just about a meter or two, and I was free-falling from dozens of meters above. My heart raced and the sound of wind screamed in my ears.

This might be the end for me.