CHAPTER 15: FOILED AGAIN!

Ellen walked into the bistro and scanned the place for Michael. Her eyes drifted towards the far corner and saw him waving enthusiastically at her, grinning from ear to ear. Just seeing his face made her want to run up to him and give him a big bear hug. Oi, control yourself woman. Even though no one knows you in Hong Kong, it doesn’t mean you can run around making a total fool of yourself in public. Chuckling at her own silliness, Ellen casually strolled over to where Michael was, keeping her emotions intact.

“Hi Michael,” she greeted him shyly. Hmm...I’ve never thought about it before but I like that name. It sounds so...so...macho, dreamy, heroic, charismatic...sighhh... “Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael,” she repeated his name out loud.

Michael cocked his brow. “Yes? I’m here, you know. You don’t have to say my name over and over again. I mean, I understand your total infatuation with me, but I think I would much prefer it if you called me honey or darling or dear,” he teased.

Oops. Ellen blushed a crimson red but it hardly affected her quick retort. “How about egoistic Neanderthal?”

Michael grinned. “I know when you call me that, what you really mean is sweetheart.”

“Ughh...please, I think I’m going to throw up,” Ellen opened her mouth and stuck her finger in.

“Don’t, or I’ll never be able to show my face in here again and I love the food here,” Michael laughed. “So, how has your day been so far?”

Ellen screwed up her face and pretended to ponder for awhile before answering. “Hmm...except for the fact that I nearly died, it’s been great.”

“What?!” Michael exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”

Ellen shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, I nearly got knocked down by a car just now, that’s all.”

“What?!” Michael yelled again.

Ellen chortled. “Are you deaf? That’s the second time you’ve said ‘what’.”

Michael ignored her little comment and instead jumped up from his seat and pulled her up with him. He turned her around, looked her up and down, squeezing her arms and feeling her back.

“Hey, stop it! I’m ticklish,” Ellen giggled as she pushed him away. “What are you doing anyway?”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Have you gone to see a doctor? I’m going to take you to see a doctor now,” Michael rambled on worriedly.

“Calm down, calm down,” Ellen gently shook his shoulders. “I’m fine. Really. The car didn’t hit me.” She smiled at him. She had suddenly felt a wave of love wash over her during Michael’s unexpected outburst and exaggerated concern. Without thinking, she leaned towards him and laid a peck on his cheek.

Michael looked at her, his eyes twinkling in wonderment. “What was that for?” he grinned boyishly.

“For being you,” Ellen smiled.

The figure sitting at the other corner of the bistro, hidden within the shadows drove the knife into the steak angrily, stabbing at it repeatedly as she glared at the couple in the other corner of the bistro. Die, Ellen Hsuan. Die, her eyes gleamed with madness as she carved the steak erratically.

Chance couldn’t help but grin as he looked at Michael and Ellen. Eros waved his hand in front of Chance’s face. “Hey, stop ogling at them, will you?"

“I can’t help it,” Chance chuckled. “They really look good together, don’t they? All thanks to me,” he gloated.

“Ahem. If you remember, I had a hand in it too,” Eros reminded him.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess you did,” Chance said absent-mindedly.

Eros rolled his eyes. Trust Chance to take all the credit, he grumbled. Ignoring his colleague, Eros looked around the bistro hoping to find another interesting couple to observe when...

“Hey, what’s Reaps doing here?”

“What?!” Chance exclaimed.

“Reaps. I asked what she’s doing here,” Eros repeated slowly.

“Where is she?” Chance spun around, scanning the bistro with panic. “Where is she?”

Eros shrugged. “Dunno. She was there a moment ago.”

Once more, that same feeling of dread crept up Chance’s spine. No, nothing was going to happen again, was it? Not so soon? He looked around for Reaper but she was nowhere to be seen. He quickly turned his attention back towards Ellen.

“What’s wrong with you?” Eros asked, noticing how anxious Chance was looking.

“Nothing,” Chance grunted. “Did you see where Reaps went?”

Eros shook his head. “Nope.” Then revelation hit him. “You’re not thinking...” He turned to look towards Ellen and then at Chance. “Surely not. She’s probably here for someone else,” Eros tried to convince his colleague.

“Somehow I don’t think so,” Chance said and he proceeded to tell Eros what happened earlier on.

“Shiiiit!” Eros exclaimed. “But how? Here? How?”

“I don’t know,” Chance whispered through gritted teeth. “Look around. Is there anything or anyone suspicious? Anything or anyone that could possible harm her.”

Eros pouted and shook his head as he let his eyes wander around the bistro. “Don’t see anyone or anything funny except for that lady over there who’s stabbing crazily at her steak. You would think it was still alive and she was trying to kill it. Maybe she shouldn’t order rare next time,” he chuckled.

“What lady?” Chance followed the direction of Eros’ glance. He was just in time to see the same lady distract the waiter who was walking pass her, slip some sort of powder into the soup he was carrying and casually act as though nothing happened at all. Chance frowned.

“Did you see that?” he asked.

“Yea, I told you she was stabbing the steak,” Eros said.

“No, not that. Did you see her put something into the soup that waiter was carrying?”

“Err..no?”

Chance followed the waiter with his eyes. He was walking right for Ellen’s table. “I saw her put something into the soup and it looks like the waiter is heading towards Ellen with it. The soup’s for Ellen! We have to do something to stop the waiter!” he yelled.

“We?” Eros asked.

Chance was already on his feet and heading straight for the waiter. As he bumped into him, he purposely lifted his hand and flipped the tray. The bowl flew into the air, did a double somersault and its soupy contents together with whatever added ‘ingredient’ there was in it came spilling and splashing down onto the poor waiter.

“Oops, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Chance said, pretending to look apologetic.

Natasha crushed the napkin in her hand when she saw what had happened. Curse you, Ellen Hsuan. You evaded me once. You evaded me twice. That’s it. I’m done being nice. You won’t evade me again the third time. You can run from being hit by a car. You can avoid drinking the arsenic powder I put in your soup but there’s no way you can escape this next one.

Chance walked back to join Eros with a big grin on his face. “Luck has its way again,” he chuckled. “Eat your heart out Spyda and Reaps.”

Eros’ mouth dropped as his gaze fell behind Chance. He quickly covered his mouth and pretended to cough, trying to warn his colleague. It was then that Chance felt a firm tap on his shoulder. Turning around real slowly, he looked up at the figure standing behind him.

“Uh...Hi there, Reaps,” he greeted her sheepishly.