Chapter 38: Behind the Poison
Zein's Point of View...
"Go on, you might be late for your next subject."
"But Supremo, I still have a lot to finish here..."
"Just go, Zein. I got this."
Head bowed, I left the SSG Office. I didn't know if I was still the secretary or what because Supremo was taking over my work even though he already had a lot of his own.
A hard slap landed on my face, causing me to fall to the ground.
My face felt numb but I still managed to lift my gaze to see who had slapped me.
"N-Nicky?" She was scary. Her dark, deep eyes were glaring.
"You're ruining everything!" She hissed, slapping my other cheek.
This time, I couldn't lift my face anymore. My face felt completely numb from the strong slaps on both cheeks.
What did I do to her? Why did she suddenly slap me? Why was she so furious? I did everything I could not to do anything that would harm me.
A scream escaped my lips when she pulled my hair and roughly stood me up. She brought my face close to hers, but she still didn't let go of my hair, and I could feel my scalp almost being ripped out.
"What did I do to you?!" I screamed loudly in her face.
I almost went weak when I saw she was holding a nail. Her hand was shaking and I knew she could stab me with it if she wanted to.
"You didn't do anything, and you won't do anything but stay away from Supremo."
"Are you crazy?! Who are you to boss me around?!" I felt a chill when I felt the cold nail on my arm.
Even if she just pricked me with it and embedded it slightly, it could kill my whole body because of the combined poison and venom of whatever was on that nail.
"Will you stay away from Supremo or die now?" She said with a smirk. "Choose, Zein." She added.
I shook my head firmly when I remembered the order from Supremo that I wouldn't obey anyone but him and I had no plan of disobeying his command... even if death was the consequence.
"Go. Kill me now." I felt calm even though the nail of death was pointed at me.
I didn't know why, but I slowly felt my indifference to life again. I am not scared to death, for the nth time.
"Zein Shion. I don't want everything to be ruined just because of your stupidity, you and Supremo's. Go ahead, just get close to Supremo and feel the pain of falling."
She let go of me so I fell to the ground, weak and bowed my head. I understood something in what she said, but only a little, most of it was still vague to me. What were they saying would be ruined because of me? What other secret were they hiding?
I went to the clinic first to ask for ice to reduce the swelling on my face from Nicky's slap and anger. I was on the bed and treating myself while Nurse Cha just looked at me.
"Who did that?" She asked.
I wanted to scoff. What did she care and when did she ever care? Even if we died she wouldn't treat us, but just because of a slap she would care? Psh.
"What are you and Supremo?"
I stopped for a moment but immediately continued. What were Supremo and I? Nothing anyway...
"Secretary." Right. I was just his secretary.
She laughed softly, which made me raise an eyebrow
. "I know there is something between the two of you."
"And so?"
"Just make sure Supremo doesn't see what happened to your face and the person who did it. You're going to cause trouble again."
She said, shaking her head.
"It's just that I've never seen Supremo like that before. Like he's being ordered around by someone lower than him."
I finally scoffed completely.
"I am here to have a peace of mind not to talk to you."
"Why so straightforward? Is that what Supremo likes? Is that what he liked about you? I thought Supremo was picky."
I felt like laughing while raising my middle finger. Did she have to rub it in my face that I wasn't the one they expected to catch Supremo's attention? Well, sad to say, I was the one Supremo chose and I don't care about your opinion. Psh.
Annoyed, I threw the ice down and was about to leave when she said a word that stopped me.
"Believe it or not, I've conducted an investigation about the poison that was mixed into your drink last acquaintance party."
The events from a few months ago suddenly flashed back. I walked over to Nurse Cha.
"Tell me everything." I said automatically.
She motioned for me to sit down, which I did. She also became serious. I didn't know if I should believe Nurse Cha but there was a part of me that really wanted to know what she found out.
"It wasn't an illegal drug you drank... It is a poison."
"Poison?"
Nurse Cha walked to a drawer and took something out. She showed me a black liquid. Just by seeing this liquid, it seemed strong.
"That's a poison that could freeze your heart to death in 10 hours."
"10 hours?" I asked confused. "What stupid person who wants to kill us would choose a poison that would kill us in ten hours? Isn't that too long? They could even get a stronger poison that could kill us in a minute." I said, confused.
Why did they think of choosing 10 hours as the time it would take for us to die? I knew there was a poison that could kill in just a minute or second, but why did they prolong it?
"Unless they didn't really intend to kill you."
My forehead furrowed at what Nurse Cha said. It might be their intention, but why?
"Why did the poison cling to me so much? I drank only a little while Dave drank a lot more?" I asked next.
That was the most puzzling thing. Dave, who drank more than I did, who only had a few sips, only had a minor effect.
"Because the poison was not mixed on the liquor. It was on the ice." She showed me a glass with an ice cube in it and stirred it. "You drank the liquor when the ice had already melted and spread throughout the drink while Dave gulped down every sip right away." She explained.
I suddenly remembered that I indeed gulped the liquor straight and put the glass down empty, even without ice.
"That explains why even though you drank only a little, you were the most affected."
I just nodded. I knew there was no lie in what she said so I couldn't help but smile. "Why did you tell me?" I asked.
She swallowed and turned pale but suddenly cried, which made my forehead furrow. "I'm sorry for what I've done to you all. I promised I would help anyone who needed my help but they threatened me. I'm sorry." She sobbed.
I didn't speak and kept looking at her. I knew they had Nurse Cha by the neck, that's why she was doing this. I couldn't help but feel sad about what threats they had made to her to get what they wanted.
"Forgive me. But I promise I will help you now. I'm tired of being a puppet. I know in the end..." She smiled bitterly before wiping the tears from her cheek. "I will die too." She added.
"What if because of you going against them, you get into trouble?" I couldn't help but ask.
"I told you, they will kill me when they complete the formula. If they kill me then, I will die and leave them a mark of my revenge." She clenched her fist. "I will kill them the way they killed my sibling." She added with bitterness.
"Oh, by the way, before I forget." She reminded me.
"Someone asked me for that poison before the incident happened." She said, referring to the poison mixed in the liquor.
"W-Who?"
"I don't remember. But wait, ah? I'll just get the logbook." She said, so I froze. She went to the drawer again and rummaged.
Who? Who would do that to us?
I jumped when Nurse Cha sat beside me and we both scanned the logbook by date.
"This is the date." She said, so we checked each person who signed the logbook.
Her finger stopped on a name that was very familiar to me. I felt my heart pound and I bit my lip hard.
"No!" I threw the logbook to another part of the clinic for some unknown reason. "You're wrong! It's not her/him!" I yelled.
I didn't want to accept that it was her/him who could do that to me. I would never accept that she/he was behind the poisoning of us.
"But she/he was the one who got that poison."
I angrily threw the pillow at Nurse Cha, who just dodged it. I was shaking with anger and I didn't know how to start pouring out my anger. I didn't know what to answer to the many questions in my mind.
"M-Maybe you're just mistaken. She/he wouldn't do that." I said weakly before sitting down heavily.
Out of all the people in this hell. Many would attempt our lives, but not her/him. It might have been better if someone else was behind it, maybe I could accept it, but if it was her/him? I don't know how I'd accept it.
"Shut up!"
"Your friends won't, right?"
I stood up and left that place. My steps were fast, I had nowhere to go but I had no intention of stopping walking until my fast steps slowed down more and more.
"Hey!"
I almost jumped in surprise when someone suddenly grabbed me. Even though he wasn't smiling, I smiled at him. Not this one would betray us. Not this kind of person would betray us and if it was him, I'm sure he had a reason.
Reason? Everything has a reason. And I'm tired of acting rashly, I already accused Matt without knowing the reason, I will never repeat the mistake I made.
"Why are you staring blankly? Are you okay?"
"Can we talk?"
"You made me nervous. Sure."
We quietly took the path to the dorm and found no one there.
He sat on the sofa in an Indian sit pose. Just by seeing his smile, I knew he wouldn't do it and I was ready to listen to his reason.
"Why did you do it?" I asked Jerome directly.
His sweet smile disappeared and was replaced by a bitter smile.
"You know already?" He asked.
I sat in front of him and stared him in the eye. "You poisoned me and Dave during the acquaintance party. Why d-" I stopped talking when I heard something fall.
I turned my head to see my four friends standing at the door. Just by seeing their expressions, I knew they heard what I said. It might be better so we can all be enlightened together.
"Y-You? Jerome?" Mia asked in disbelief.
I screamed when Matt suddenly punched Jerome in the face, causing him to fall onto the sofa. Matt wasn't satisfied and kept punching him while Jerome just endured the pain.
"You son of a btch! You idiot!"
"Matt!" I tried to stop him but Matt wouldn't budge. I looked at Dave who was staring blankly but he came to his senses so he pulled Matt away.
"Let go of me Dave! That bstard is a traitor!" Dave hugged Matt from behind and blocked his fists so he couldn't break free anymore.
I looked at Vanessa who was just staring seriously at Jerome. I know she was the most affected by this and I can't do anything to calm her down.
Jerome sat up straight and just wiped the side of his lip that had split open.
"Yes. I am the one who poisoned you."
A hard slap landed on jorme's face so I quickly pulled Vanessa away from Jerome.
"Calm down!" I yelled angrily.
"Calm down?! He's a traitor!" Matt yelled, still being held by Dave.
"Explain yourself Jerome. Clear your name to us." Vanessa said lifelessly.
I know Vanessa and I are thinking the same thing. We know Jerome, he might be a playboy, joker, and arrogant but we know he's a true friend to us. If our suspicion with Nurse Cha is correct that they didn't really want to kill us, then what was the reason?
"Explain your side, just make sure your reason is acceptable," Matt said with a threat in his voice to Jerome.
I also noticed Dave was quiet, same as Mia and Vanessa.
"Yes, I poisoned the two of you," He started while looking at me and Dave.
I noticed Matt discreetly clenching his fist so I held his arm. I know he wasn't really angry, like us, he was just shocked and worried.
I know Matt, when he's angry he won't pay attention to you, even if you run into him you'd just look like air but he punched Jerome, that only means he's just worried, he cares, and I know my companions know that now.
"I did it but on purpose," He swallowed and discreetly wiped the blood on his lip.
"I did that to save us." He added.
I frowned and a lot of questions popped into my mind again, but I chose to keep my mouth shut and understand what he was saying about the purpose of poisoning us.
"I know you know Zein what kind of poison I asked Nurse Cha for."
Their attention went to me and I guess I'm the one who should explain now.
"Yes, it's not actually a prohibited drug, it was a kind of poison that's mixed on the ice," I started. "It was on ice, That's explained why I was more affected compared to Dave who drank more than me. The ice with poison had melted when I drank it and definitely, the poison had mixed with the alcohol while Dave drank it straight, where the ice hadn't melted yet." I explained.
They seemed satisfied with my explanation. I could see on their faces that they were enlightened.
"That poison could freeze your heart... within ten hours." Jerome said.
"10 hours? You could have a poison that could kill them in just a minute or second... Was it stupidity or you planned something?" Matt asked, clearly still irritated but a bit calmer now.
That's also my question and the purpose of this interrogation with Jerome, I want to know his reason.
"No. We planned it," Jerome answered, sitting up even straighter.
"Why?" Vanessa asked coldly, which made Jerome pause for a moment.
"I overheard Madame Violet and that guy whose name we didn't know back then that he was the Vice President of HU. They planned to poison the six of us."
"So you poisoned us instead so they wouldn't have a hard time, like that?" Matt asked sarcastically.
"Not like that but something like that," Jerome answered. "I was about to tell you Madame Violet's plan but a woman stopped me." He added.
"A woman? Who?" I asked.
"She didn't introduce herself but she explained to me that if you found out about Madame Violet's plan, everything would become more complicated. So we took action."
"You trusted someone you didn't know?" Vanessa asked in disbelief.
"I had no choice and I understood what she wanted us to do, we replaced the ice cubes with poison that was allocated."
"How did you know that was what would be served at our table?" Matt asked next.
"We followed the people Madame Violet and Francisco ordered, we noticed an ice cube container that was separate from the others. They put some kind of liquid there. We didn't know what kind of poison it was but I know it could kill within just a minute."
I swallowed. They are really animals. They have no mercy.
"We waited for the people they ordered to leave before we acted. We threw away the contents of the ice box and replaced it with new ice. We poured the poison Nurse Cha gave us. Unlike the poison they put, the poison we mixed takes longer to work but before we put it, we also made sure we had the antidote to fight that poison." He looked at each of us, as if checking if we understood what he said.
"And that's where the plan started and the woman who helped us that night at the clinic is my accomplice." He added.
I couldn't help but smile that I was right to trust him. I know he wouldn't endanger us. We owe him our lives
.
"You did that?" Vanessa asked in disbelief, smiling now. Jerome nodded faintly, now relieved.
"The woman who helped you also threw the medicine through the window?" Dave asked, also smiling now.
Jerome nodded laughingly. We were shocked when Matt punched Jerome again.
"You idiot! I knew you wouldn't do it." Matt said laughingly.
Vanessa and Dave quickly approached Jerome to help him and treat the wound Matt caused.
"Why did you have to make it seem like Madame Violet's plan succeeded?" I asked.
"If I didn't do that and nothing bad happened to some of us, they might do something worse to us that night."
"I even saw Madame Violet smiling while seeing us in chaos, they thought they succeeded. What they didn't know was that a man was brave enough to do something to save his friends from certain danger." Vanessa said, referring to Jerome.
"Why didn't you drink?" Matt asked even though I know he knows the answer.
"If I drank, who would help us? We would die." He answered laughingly.
I felt relieved and I admit my trust in my friends doubled, but the thorn in my throat remained as I remembered the many more mysteries.
All the mysteries that are about to be revealed. Even the mystery Nicky was referring to.
What are they hiding? Even Celine, how did she die? Was it really BBG who did that to her? But why?
What was Celine holding at that time and why was she shaking with fear.