Orangelo: Lemongelo

As the car passed on, navigating the winding roads, Leandre occasionally stole glances at Kalhys. Her legs swung back and forth, eyes alight with a sense of awe, watching the shops crossed by them through the glass window. A smile never flattered Leandre's lips, her infectious eyes too irresistible to resist. "So, little one." Leandre began, striking up a conversation. "Who is your favourite- mom or dad?"

"My mommy." With a twinkle in her eyes, Kalhys shot back as if her answer was obvious. She giggled, her feet kicking back and forth with excitement as she spoke. "She is soooo pretty and gives me the most beautiful hugs and kisses. She buys me anything I want. She's the queen of mommies in the entire universe." Kalhys stretched her hands wide open.

"What about your dad?" Leandre asked, realizing she hadn't rained a single praise on her crooked dad.

"No!" Kalhys crossed her arms in a huff and pouted. "Kalhys hates daddy! He comes home from work like angry water and rains the household responsibilities all over me. He never buys me the latest toys. He only got me this lame blue backpack." Kalhys gave her blue bag a dismissive pat. "I hate him with the heat of a thousand suns."

Leandre dreaded to believe her words. "But you still carry that backpack like it's your favourite thing in the world." He pointed out.

Kalhys pouted, thinking she had no other bag to keep her precious things. However, she refrained from sharing her thoughts, fearing Leandre might think of her as a penny pauper who couldn't even buy a bag. Shaking the thoughts off, Kalhys looked at Leandre and shifted the topic. "You changed the car? What happened to the other one?''

''About that...let's say it's not in good condition.'' Leandre sighed, reluctant to tell the truth that he had been tricked by a girl twice.

''Why?''

''A girl hit my car and escaped. It's currently under repair." He answered, slowing down the car at the signal. Secretly, he hoped to cross paths with that two-faced, impudent thief one last time to exact his revenge.

''A girl?" Kalhys tilted her head to the side, facing Leandre with a playful grin. "Is she beautiful?"

''Beautiful? She looks like a night ghost. Leandre answered without a beat, tapping the accelerator and shifting to the third gear. "Not to mention, she is a criminal and a thief."

Leandre's attention was fully absorbed by the road ahead that he failed to notice a flash of fury in Kalhys' eyes, which flared up for a mere second.

''So, how many friends do you have, Kalhys?" Leandre broke the ice when he noticed silence enveloped the car.

Kalhys' face lit up like a firefly as she heard Leandre mention about friends. "Two!" Kalhys exclaimed, holding up two fingers. "Orangelo and Lemongelo are my best friends. They are my neighbors and also my cousins. I play with them daily, and they even bring me delicious food. Dad doesn't want me to have any more friends except for Orangelo and Lemongelo."

As they drove along, Kalhys's voice filled the car with a never-ending stream of words, her enthusiasm for her two best friends, Orangelo and Lemongelo. Leandre couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the odd names, wondering who was foolish enough to give such names.

Leandre and Kalhys finally reached the museum after a long half-hour drive. He parked the car in the spacious ground, got out of the car, and walked to Kalhys side. With a firm grip on the door handle, Leandre looked into her eyes, and warned sternly. "Listen up, Kalhys. I am warning you one last time. If you run away again, consider it the annulment of our friendship."

Kalhys nodded her head, as innocent as a lamb.

"Good," Leandre said. The soft creak of the car door accompanied as he pushed the door open, ushering Kalhys outside. His gaze swept the area around the impressive museum entrance, where people milled about. Despite the less crowd, Leandre's protective instincts heightened, keen on ensuring Kalhys' safety. "Stay close to me_"

"Thanks for the ride, Leandre." Kalhys cut him off and spun on her heels towards the museum entrance. "I will go by myself from here.''

''No!" He should have known! "Come back_"

''Don't worry. My dad has put a tracker in my bag. He will find me eventually and drag me home." Without waiting for Leandre's reply, Kalhys ran into the museum as fast as a jackrabbit, effortlessly slipping into the crowd. In a blink of an eye, she vanished out of Leandre's sight.

''Just how fast this kid will run.....'' As Kalhys darted into the museum, Leandre hastily followed after her. But just as he entered, he came to an abrupt halt, feeling a sudden, sharp pain shooting through his wrist. The golden half-wing flickered with bright orange sparkles once more.

"Not again!" He tightly shut his eyes, stroking the half-wing, soothing it to calm. His heart pounded in his chest, contemplating whether to abandon or look for it, and the thought only lasted for a brief second before it disappeared, and he stepped inside for the hunt.

As Leandre made his way through the left wing of the museum with no luck in the right, his eyes landed on a girl standing in front of a sculpture, keenly studying it. The revenge triggered an alarm in his mind, but he threw it out of the window when his gaze fell on her eyes, those precious sparkling jewels, and her dazzling smile that made him feel like he'd been hit by an electric current.

His moment of reverie was cut short when he noticed she was talking with a boy who stood beside her alarmingly close. For some reason, the sight of the two of them together sent a surge of discomfort through Leandre's chest, a gnawing feeling of unease.

She turned to his side suddenly. Their gazes locked for the briefest moment. In that instant, the entire world seemed to dissolve away, leaving only the two of them standing together. Suddenly, she broke from her reverie, her eyes widening, and she ran away like a scared bunny. Leandre felt an unexplainable urge to pursue her, his legs moved with a will of their own, compelled by an unstoppable force.

....

Clary didnot realize she has treaded three floors and entered a prohibited zone area.

When she saw a guard guiding a girl, she slipped into a narrow passage and walked, where she saw a broken-down Egyptian mummy sculpture half lay on the floor, neglected. The mummy's face seemed tensed. Clary couldn't help but wonder if the sculptor who carved this dead mummy had coveted his own facial expressions instead of the dead mummy's. Of all the sculptors, why it has to be a dead mummy accompanying me? Clary thought.

Except for her breathing, not a single noise echoed in the dimly lit space. Clary's eyes swept across the narrow passage, and her gaze eventually settled on a small wooden door to her right at the end of the passage.

"My mode of escape." She whispered. With a gentle push, the door creaked open, revealing a sight that made her stomach churn. Tattered sculptures lay strewn, covered in a thick layer of cobwebs that hung like delicate curtains from the ceiling. "Eww! It looks like all the discarded matter from the city was thrown into this museum.'' She whispered.

"This will not work out." Clary breathed out a sigh, realizing it was time to confront him boldly. "I will try to bargain with him for 500 Euros."

As Clary considered returning back, the sound of rugged footsteps echoed down the ground from a dangerously close distance. Her heart hammered furiously against her chest, threatening to break free. She doesn't need to turn to see who it is. She felt his presence loomed behind her, causing her shackles to rise and sending shivers down her spine.

''Enough with your innocent act. Turn around. There is no escape for you today." A voice as violent as a windstorm in the rainy season reverbarated into Clary's ears.

With a slow turn, Clary faced him, feeling the need to crane her neck to see his face—black shirt, grey pants, a classic combination she loves. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, and his veins protruded from his forearms like rivers carving through a landscape. The hint of stubble on his chiseled jawline had a tantalizingly rugged edge. He sure knows to make the heads turn to him, Clary thought. For the first time, she felt it was not a waste of time to admire this hunk.

Only if his inner personality were as sweet, she wouldn't have minded drooling at him. Swatting away the thoughts, Clary put on a smile. "'Hi...we..we meet again. I almost didnot recognize you."

"What did I warn about your innocent act?" Leandre's voice dripped with sarcasm as he spoke to Clary. His muscular frame moved closer, making Clary took a step back in fear until she was cornered against the wall. "You..you..are bullying an innocent girl." She whispered in nervousness.

"Calling you an innocent is a crime against humanity." Before she stepped to her right to escape, his hands locked on either side of the wall, trapping her in his arms. Leandre leaned forward. "Tell me, how should I exact my revenge?" He whispered, his breaths fanning her skin and his lips at a dangerously close distance.

....

Dear readers,

I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported my book thus far by generously awarding power stones and gifts. Your unwavering support has motivated me to continue writing and has enabled me to share my passion with the world.

Moving forward, I would like to inform you that starting from the next chapter, I will be locking the chapters. The first two chapters will be exclusive to the Privilege tier, which will be automatically activated. You can purchase this tier to gain immediate access to these chapters, or you can use fast passes to read after the non-privilege chapter is pushed out of the privilege tier.

Please note that only after I update the two exclusive chapters, the non-privilege chapter will be made available to you. I will try fast to update the upcoming chapters. I hope that you continue to support me in my writing journey, and I look forward to seeing you with Clary, and Leandre's adventurous journey till the end.

Thank you again for your continued support!!