Billionaire Assassin

Chapter 5: Memories at the Orphanage

Everyone followed Aurora Ward's instructions. Teddie Berry ran up to the man's phone to unlock it. An employee handed two halves of lemon to Aurora Ward, which she took and quickly squeezed into the man's mouth.

The shop manager is contacting emergency services to report the situation. The man calmed down. The convulsions subsided, his body relaxed, his chest rose and fell, and the case was basically under control.

"The phone is locked. I can't open it." Confused, Teddie Berry asks Aurora Ward for help. She motioned for an employee to gently pick up the man to take her place, then stood up, took the phone, and looked closely.

The manager's eyes looked at her suspiciously and waited for something. She quickly sat down, grabbing the man's right thumb and rubbing it in the lower corner of the phone screen. The phone turned on. Everyone was surprised by her quick response.

"You should call his family." Aurora Ward hands the phone to the Manager. The two return to the table. Teddie Berry was smiling at Aurora Ward.

As fast as lightning, the ambulance stopped in front of the restaurant. The staff was busy coordinating with the emergency party to carry the man downstairs.

The manager kept all of the man's belongings and stored them in the interior room until his family came to receive them. A scene of panic ended quickly when the fire truck left the bar, leaving a siren sounding the entire street.

“True, one of my soldiers, you know everything, quick and pretty.” Teddie Berry showed a flamboyant attitude, laughing with her eyes, forgetting about heaven and earth.

"And you are my boss. You don't know anything, both slow and stupid." Taking a sip of beer, Aurora Ward coldly, slowly.

“How can you be the type of person who just took a sip of beer and then said such cynical things? Could it be, do you think I'm not sad enough?" Teddie Berry faltered, her face etched with melancholy.

"Don't be sad. I'm off tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, I'll help you deal with inventory, sales, and revenue." Aurora Ward looked outside.

“Will you help me? Thank god, but… is there any achievement?” Constantly changing emotions on Teddie Berry's face.

"If you haven't fought, you've lost." Aurora Ward glanced sideways, took the food into her mouth, and chewed. The two continued to enjoy the food on the table, with the aftertaste of beer and the specialties that New York night brought.

Inside the interior room, the manager closed the door, carefully unlocked the man's phone, and touched the message icon, a message from an hour ago from some virtual machine. The manager squinted his eyes, trying to read every word and picture that appeared.

“Aurora Ward,

22 years old,

Identity: Convenience Store employee Y

Mission: Kill."

In the text message, Aurora Ward's face is visible, the manager frowns, and he turns on the phone: "Mission failed, but more problems arise."

The Manager's suspicious gaze turned to Aurora Ward and Teddie Berry, who were laughing and eating. The two reveled happily until three o'clock in the morning when Teddie Berry took Aurora Ward home by shortcut.

New York, at this time, still hadn't slept. The lights are still on in friendly cafes, and people are relaxing, lounging in the cool, misty air of the dead of night. Somewhere, the car's sound howled for a long time, and the street lights crept behind the trees.

Teddie Berry happily said goodbye at the inn's door, revved up the gas, and sped off into the alley. Aurora Ward put the key in the lock, entered the house, turned on the light, carefully locked the door twice, and rushed to bed. Aurora didn't have time to take off her clothes. She closed her eyes, trying to sleep quickly.

The next day, with the alarm clock screaming at eight-thirty in the morning, Aurora Ward fumbled with her hand trying to silence the bell. She stood up sluggishly, the alcohol still making Aurora dizzy. She had to work hard to maintain personal hygiene when her mind was fuzzy. Quickly grabbing her bag, Aurora rushed out of the house, went straight to the parking lot, took the bike, and sped into the alley.

The dry, hot wind blew the long road. The roadside bushes were burned by the harsh noonday sun, and the Aurora Ward sped along the molten asphalt. The bicycle squealed all the way.

The long stretches of green stone as small as marble are shaded by the trees that are bouncing green leaves. They soften the heat of the sun shining on the ground. In the distance, a yellow wall runs to the right, a deep blue iron gate decorated with a flower bed in brilliant pink bloom.

'New York City Orphanage'

The orphanage appears like a fairy-tale picture in Aurora Ward's eyes, where this is her home, family, childhood, and best memory. She got out of the car and took the bicycle inside. The security owner smiled at Aurora Ward, pointing in the distance to a cool shaded place for her to park the car.

Aurora Ward thanked profusely, shrugging across the white cobbled yard, turning into the corridors polished by the care of each teacher. The children were still humming words in the classroom.

Across the corridor, the heather petals were leaning against the gentle breeze. Aurora Ward felt nostalgic about that old time when she was just a small crying child and always looking for how to avoid all her friends in the classroom.

Sometimes, memories are permanently etched in everyone's mind. Aurora remembers it was on a sunny day like today more than fifteen years ago. Aurora Ward was rewarded with a cake by her teacher for answering the question correctly at the end of class.

Little Aurora Ward saves the cake to give to Thomas Johnson, a naughty boy who only listens to Aurora Ward and is hurt and scared. She ran to the small garden behind the school.

Thomas Johnson sat on a stone bench, holding a familiar teddy bear, a dull brown bear. His left eye had almost popped out, but the boy was still cuddled. Aurora Ward held out the package of cakes to Thomas Johnson. The boy ate deliciously, was eating, watching Thomas Johnson suddenly. Aurora Ward burst into tears, and Thomas Johnson quickly reached out his hand to wipe her tears.

“I have to go. I heard someone was coming to take you away.” The children's voices choked each time. Aurora Ward also cried: "So I can't play with you?"

"Don’t cry." Up until now, only Thomas Johnson had comforted her.

"How can I see you again?" Aurora Ward rubbed her eyes, sobbing.

"You keep the teddy bear, and the teddy bear will guide you to meet me." Thomas Johnson carefully handed the teddy bear to Aurora Ward, two small hands clasped together.

The boy kept one, and she kept an identical one. That was also the last time Aurora saw Thomas Johnson. From that day on, all information about Thomas Johnson disappeared. Although Aurora repeatedly begged the teachers, they still could not reveal the news, and she did not want to make it difficult for them.

In the smoke of memory, she leisurely walks through the corridors. The classrooms are closed. Everything was still the same in front of the yellow vines stretching all the way. She always comes here first when visiting the orphanage, a small garden dedicated to herself.

Aurora still wishes that one day, she could meet Thomas again, right here, so that the two could hold hands together like in childhood. She gently stepped into the garden, a fresh, deep green space, taking a deep breath that filled her chest, her face satisfied with delight.

Aurora took a tiny teddy bear from her pocket that would fit in her hand's palm. She prayed, no matter how many times she had prayed over the past ten years, but to Aurora, it remained a lovely childish ritual that she must preserve for the rest of her life. She never gave up hope of seeing Thomas again.

Aurora Ward muttered a smile on her face, turning to face the stone bench. A familiar figure like a mirage appeared. Jake Hunt - Chairman of Thunder Electronics Corporation, sits leisurely on the stone bench, wearing light gray trousers and a black blazer.

The gentle breeze brings the scent of flowers gently caressing a green space. The two looked at each other, Aurora Ward still wide-eyed in surprise. Millions of surprising questions appeared in her mind. Was this the old Thomas Johnson boy?

A flash of memory flooded back. Time seemed to settle in this garden when she and Thomas Johnson shared small pieces of cake and comic books. Even Thomas's comforting times when she was being bullied. In her eyes, Thomas Johnson has always been a big, strong brother. On the contrary, Aurora Ward will always be a lovely little sister. She was so worried that her face went blank, her eyes still fixed on Jake Hunt without noticing that he was frowning.

Jake hates people who always try to look into his eyes for more than five seconds. For him, it is a prying, psychological invasion. In response, eyes filled with disdain were thrown at Aurora: "What are you looking at?"

“Ah… no… I'm sorry, I mistook you for an acquaintance.” She scratched her head, grinning.

"Acquaintance? Usually, sick perverts say that too." Jack Hunt sneered, stood up, and moved outside, leaving Aurora Ward half-heartedly embracing a shy emotion. The indescribable feeling that spread throughout her mind made her tired.