AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His cold voice surprised Eden. He wasn’t just being serious; he was threatening her. She felt a chill go down her spine as his eyes glowed. She couldn’t go to another territory without him suspecting that she’d betray him from now on.
This was exactly why she didn’t want to work for a Zodiac. The bigger the employer, the bigger the target on her back. As a hire-for-money, she could at least pick whom she worked for and stop the next day... or at least that’s how it should have been. She sighed and finally grabbed her fork to start eating as well. She may not like his methods, but at least, she should eat her fill of what she could. Actually, Eden couldn’t even remember the last time she had eaten something. She started picking at her plate, eating the vegetables with delight but ignoring the brown square next to it.
“What is this…?” she mumbled, poking at it.
“A steak. Organic,” said Dante, chuckling.
Eden frowned, a bit disgusted.
Buying real red meat wasn’t possible in the Suburbs unless one had a lot of money. The only kind of meat she could afford was cheap chicken once in a while. She knew there were now too many laws about meat consumption, which made it only affordable for the wealthiest, and of course, the people of the Core. Even knowing it was organic, she didn’t even want to try it. Eden had never had actual red meat before, although she knew what it was supposed to look like. Artificial meat was more common, but she knew the ones sometimes available in the Suburbs also had chances of being infected with some strange diseases. The labs tried to perfect the taste and properties of lab-grown food by experimenting with it on the people of the Suburbs. That belief kept her from trying this one, although Dante was eating his.
Instead, she cut it and put the plate down to let the pups chew on the little bits.
“What do you want the money for?” asked Dante.
“Why do you care?”
“It’s my money.”
“It won’t be once you make the transfer. Triple my usual salary, right?”
“I’ll make it five times if you tell me what you want it for.”
Eden glared at him. She didn’t like bargaining.
“...My legs cost a lot.”
“I figured as much. However, you shouldn’t need that much money if you’re also a hacker. Plus the salary and tips from your work at the bar.”
Eden grimaced. Why did he have to be smart too? She sighed. She just didn’t like to talk about herself, but this guy was poking at her relentlessly.
“I have debts,” she simply said, “a lot of debts I need to cover. For my legs, for my mother. Is that enough? Because I don’t have receipts to show you if that’s what you’re asking for.”
Dante squinted his eyes, not convinced. He knew Eden wasn’t telling him everything. She was a poor liar, and her sullen attitude meant she was reluctant to say more. She was a mystery. For someone riddled with debts, living in a shitty neighborhood, and willing to work as a hostess to cover her debts, she still took in two dogs that would be a pain to take care of. She didn’t seem like a good Samaritan, either. Or was it just because those were pets, as opposed to humans? Dante couldn’t decipher this woman, and he was intrigued by the mystery.
“...Fine,” he said. “I’ll make the transfer as soon as your SIN is turned back on.”
Eden was surprised. Was he actually going to keep his word? For some reason, she had expected him to come up with some lie to get out of it. Still, she was happy to have been wrong, although the money wasn’t in her account yet.
“Let me go! Let me go, you criminals!”
A ruckus came from behind, and within a second, all of Dante’s men present took out their guns. Eden frowned, but there was no need for her to react to this from what she could hear.
Two of his men walked in, dragging a young woman in a pitiful state. Her knees had been scratched so badly that her blood was spilling onto the wooden floor. Her clothes were completely torn apart, revealing her underwear, and she was covered in dirt. From the bruises on her face and arms, Eden could tell she had been abused. However, this ought to be fresh. She easily recognized the young woman who had been dropped the previous day by the Overcraft from the Core. An Exiled.
“Let me go!” she screamed, completely panicked.
“We found her hiding at the back of the restaurant, Boss. She was trying to sneak in, probably to steal food.”
The woman kept trying to get them away from her with screams and threats, making everyone grimace. Eden’s dogs began barking, excited by all the noise.
“Let me go! Let me go, you criminals! You’re filthy! You’re going to give me your diseases! You criminals! Let me go! Let me go, I swear I’ll sue you! I’ll have you killed! Don’t touch me!”
One of Dante’s men slapped her, and she finally stopped screaming. Either it was from the shock because she was scared or her jaw was hurt, but everyone seemed relieved that she finally shut up. She began sobbing, and Dante’s men dropped her onto the floor, down on her knees.
Dante stood up with a smile that couldn’t mean anything good.
“What do we have here...” he sighed.
