Neon Street: Red Herring

🎭22: Locked in the Dark

"Everyone will be there at the party. If I stay here--" Winnie said, but Mirae immediately cut her off.

"We don't know that. It would be easier for that person to hurt you if you're alone. Do you expect to get attacked when you're with hundreds of people? Besides, the detective will be there too. He can look out for you." Mirae went to Winnie's closet and picked out a yellow dress with see-through sleeves for her. "Isn't this my gift for your 20th birthday?" She asked and smiled.

"I haven't touched that since. I treat it like a limited edition item." Winnie looked at the dress and remembered the first time she met Mirae at a workshop. They were still teens then, and Mirae was the only person who responded to her when she wanted to start a conversation.

"I don't know what to feel about that. It's like you're both abandoning and treasuring this." Mirae chuckled, handing the dress over to Winnie. "I really hope the detective catches that person already. We can't afford another casualty in the building."

It was sunset, and the guests were at Chantelle Manor's annex building to attend the party. Another get-together of the families to socialize and strengthen partnerships kept the employees busy. 

Of course, Lloyd still kept a close eye on the guests to see if anyone was doing something suspicious. "Are you sure no one's left in the building?" Lloyd asks Fin. Fin, carrying a tray of caviar canapés in his hands, turned to him with a sigh.

"I can't confirm that. I'm not in charge of the attendance," Fin answered. A guest suddenly raised her hand, signaling him to bring the food to their table. "I know you want to find Kane's killer, but please don't cause a scene. We're servers for tonight," he said before leaving Lloyd's side to go to the guest's table.

At the same time, France takes a slice of cake and a glass of wine to Winnie's table. No one wanted to enlighten him about why Winnie avoided him, so he took the initiative to ask who might know something-- Geo's mother. Everyone goes to her to seek advice. However, Geo's mom didn't know much about Winnie because the latter only visited her once. She also didn't disclose anything about Winnie, leaving him annoyed when he left the office. 

"It's enough to know that Winnie needed a psychologist's help. I'll just ask her what it has to do with me." France walks over to Winnie's table, gently laying the slice of cake while she's busy looking at the exit. "Are you planning to leave already? It has only been an hour." 

Winnie quickly turns her head at him in shock. She looked at the slice of cake and felt confused. "I... would really appreciate it if you take it with you and leave." She nervously said and stood up in case France was staying.

"The cake is my peace offering for whatever I did!" France exclaimed, extending his right arm to stop her from leaving. "I really don't know what it is, so I wanted you to tell me."

"Aren't my actions enough reason for you be considerate?" Winnie diverted her eyes and moved away from the table. "I don't feel comfortable talking to you. Whatever reason you have... I-I just can't stand seeing you."  

"There must be a reason why you feel that way. Why can't you just tell me?" Even with his determination, Winnie still ran off to the exit that she was eyeing earlier. France quietly cussed, leaving his wine on the table to go after her.

Lloyd saw this and immediately put down his tray before leaving the room. Why does he keep bugging Winnie? He quietly followed them until they reached the main building. He could see how Winnie was determined to get away from France. France knew that, but he kept following her nevertheless.  

Winnie got into the elevator and pushed the button to close the door. "Stop it..." She muttered to herself, covering both her ears and dragging herself to the corner. "I won't do it again. I won't do it again." 

"Winnie!" France called, making Winnie lift her head to face him. Before the door closed completely, France ran faster and blocked it with his foot. "I only want to talk to you." The door opened, allowing him to get in before it closed fully.

Winnie silently trembled in fear, pushing herself against the elevator wall to distance herself from him. "Don't do this... I beg you."

"I'll only stop bothering you if you tell me why you're acting like this. You always get scared when I try to approach you. It confuses the hell out of me. Just tell me what's going on, so I can explain my side," France said, starting to get wound up.

The blinking red light at the right corner of the elevator caught Winnie's attention. She read that they were on the second floor already. Hurry. I want to get out of here. She thought, clutching onto the side of her dress. 

When Winnie thought the door was about to open, the lights suddenly went out, and the elevator rattled. She let out a shriek and covered her ears. 

France looked around them, starting to realize the situation they were in. "The power went out," he said, then looked at Winnie. "No worries! Someone's gonna come and fix it." He attempted to take her hands off her ears, but it only made her shout and sit on the floor. She pushed herself to the corner like a terrified mouse getting cornered by a cat. "You can calm down. I don't plan on doing anything--"

"Get away from me!! Please, just stay away!!" Winnie began to cry, alarming him. "I won't do it again. I won't do it again." She kept repeating while shaking her head. "I'll never go near you as you wanted. I-I was wrong. I won't do it again."

"Winnie?" France called, slowly crouching down to hold her arms. "Where is all this coming from?"

Winnie faced him and sobbed louder. "Why are you still laughing? I-I said I was sorry. Why is everyone still laughing at me?" She pushes her hands closer to her ears as voices from the past start to haunt her again. "Make them stop. I don't want to hear them."

"No one's laughing at you. It's just me here. I'm not laughing," France worriedly said.

Winnie whimpered, turning away from him and squeezing herself into the corner. She still couldn't keep herself from trembling. And her memories were still overtaking her mind. "Go away. Go away." She quietly said on repeat. "They'll all stop if you go away."

"What are you talking about?" France moved closer, only for Winnie to cry in fear. Seeing this, France sighed and stood up. "All right. I'll stop bothering you. Whatever I did, I'm sorry for doing it. I'm not gonna do it again, so stop getting terrified when you see me. The others think I'm harassing you." He turned to the door and started banging it with his hands. "Is there anyone outside?!"

Glancing over to France's side, Winnie hugged herself tighter, hoping he wouldn't come near her again. Ironically, his attention was the only thing she longed for in the past.

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Throwback time in the next chapter!! Btw, I added a couple of foreshadowing in some chapters so be on the lookout for them😊 I hope the chapter was okay💕 Thanks for stopping by!!