86. The Good Life

While Clarice was taken captive by the possessive vampire Demetria in her place, outside, Clarice's enemies were doing well. In the heart of the busy business district of the city, Kaspar's two-month-old palm reading business was thriving. That sunny afternoon, a client entered the store and bought a lucky charm bracelet. Then she was assisted by the store attendant and taken to a room to have her palm read by Master Shaman Kaspar. 'Have a seat, Miss," the attendant said politely. 'Thank you," the woman in her 30s replied. As soon as the client settled comfortably into her seat, Kaspar revealed himself behind the black curtain. He was wearing an impeccable black suit, looking every inch a dignified soothsayer. 'Good afternoon, Miss." The woman smiled. 'Good afternoon, Master Kaspar. I want to have a palm reading today," she said, putting her hand on the table. Kaspar held the woman's hand and looked into her palm. He noticed the lucky charm bracelet made of plain-looking beads made from a stone and smiled brightly. Nice! Another one of her overpriced products was sold today. 'I see, you finally bought the lucky charm bracelet. From now on, your life will change. After being loveless for five years, this year you are going to meet the one guy that will sweep you up on your feet and propose marriage to you in just three months of dating..." The desperate woman smiled, pleased with what she had heard from him. A clear confirmation of her lifelong dream to finally meet someone she could love and marry this year. 'Hopefully so, Master Kaspar! I'm excited about meeting my soulmate anytime soon." Kaspar grinned. 'Of course, you will marry someone you love before the year ends. Just don't be too choosy. The majority of women want a perfect guy, but you have to understand that not everyone can have a perfect lover because no one is perfect. Every one of us has flaws… so try not to be a perfectionist when it comes to choosing a lifetime partner so that you can finally enjoy having a romantic relationship with someone." He paused for a moment to catch his breath, then continued, "Remember the saying… A perfect guy is boring and, besides, there is no such thing as a perfect guy. So dig deeper into the guy's attitude, not so much into his outside appearance. As long as the guy is gentle, romantic and respectful of you, grab him and never let him go!" The woman smiled, feeling truly comforted by his words. 'I will remember your words, Master Kaspar. I finally have a guy in mind. I hope he will court me soon. He works with me at the same company. I caught him staring at me yesterday in the cafeteria during breaktime. He is so adorably cute. I think we are compatible!" she gushed excitedly. 'Wow, nice to hear that. If you really want to have this guy as your lover, come back next week for a love ritual and don't forget to take his picture. I can help you get this guy to court you one of these days," Kaspar said seriously, grinning inwardly. He can earn lots of money from women like her because they are gullible, easily manipulated by his persuasive technique of making his clients feel valued and their inner wishes validated. The clients got addicted to his repeated palm reading sessions because he gave them what they wanted to hear. He seldom opposes his clients, giving them a place where they can express freely what they feel without being condemned or criticized. 'I will surely return next week with his picture!" the woman replied excitedly. After one hour of chatting with the woman, the session finally ended. The woman left the room in high spirits, wearing a satisfied look on her face. Kaspar smiled. These lonely women will pay to hear his golden advice when it comes to love life and life-altering decisions. In short, they just needed someone to listen to their life drama and give them a push in the right direction. Kaspar saw the demand, and graciously stepped in to fill the void. His business is growing fast, giving him daily earnings. He charges 50 dollars for a one-hour session and people buy his lucky charm bracelet, stones, necklace and earrings for a price of $100 per piece. He realized that wealthy individuals sought his services because they needed someone to talk to who didn't belong to their inner circle. They can even wear a mask if they don't want their identity to be known and enter the backdoor as long as they have an early appointment set in advance. Kaspar enjoyed the way his life turned out after he left Aurelia's side. His business is successful. He was deeply proud of his achievements. The best thing about his current life is that he has endless money to spend and is finally free from Aurelia's shadow. He no longer has to do all her bidding. He enjoyed his freedom every second of it. He can order any guy he likes online and have them visit him and give him pleasure three times a week. Why settle for one guy when he can have as many as he wants as long as he can pay for their services? When he was still living in the mansion with Aurelia, she forbade him to bring people into the mansion. Now he can have any guy every night at his place to his heart's content. He loves freedom. Unlimited happiness! He's living a good life, and loves every minute of it! A few minutes later, the door opened and the next client entered. It was none other than Aurelia, his old-time friend, dropping by for a visit. 'Hello, Kaspar!" Aurelia said merrily, giggling as she lowered herself into the chair. Kaspar smiled. 'Have a seat, Madam! Long time no see! How are you nowadays?" 'Life is great as usual," Aurelia replied cheerily. 'Glad to hear that. How's your husband?" Kaspar asked. 'He is well and happy that you finally left the mansion. He's been jealous of you for a while. I told him that you are not into women, and you are gay, but he didn't listen to me. But now that you are gone from the mansion, he is much happier," Aurelia explained. Kaspar grinned in amusement. 'I see, that's nice to hear. So my decision to leave the mansion is good for all of us, right?" Aurelia nodded her head in agreement. 'Yeah, you are right. Our separation is great for everyone involved. Let's keep it that way." 'So, why are you here? Do you want a palm reading?" Kaspar offered. Aurelia laughed. 'No, thanks. I'm dropping by to check on you. So, how are you doing? How's business and life nowadays?" she asked casually. 'Great so far! My life is awesome, and my business is growing! I'm a lucky guy, that's all I can say," Kaspar replied ecstatically. 'How about you?" Aurelia grinned happily. 'My life is great as well!" They smiled at each other, pleased with the quality of life they were living at the moment. The silence grew quickly until the shadow in the dark forced them to discuss their dirty laundry. Aurelia cleared the lump in her throat. 'Um, do you think she died for real this time? There is no news about her. I check the news daily. Her body has not been found yet. It kind of bothers me a little bit," she blurted out the thing that has been bothering her lately. Amidst the happy life she tried to project outside, deep inside, she was feeling restless. The guilt she felt inside was too heavy a burden for her to carry. A deep frown appeared on Kaspar's forehead. 'Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to avoid talking about the issue at hand. Aurelia sighed. 'Don't give me that confused look on your face. You know what I'm talking about," she said apprehensively. Kaspar nodded his head. "Ah, what do you mean, Clarice?" 'Exactly! It bothers me that until now her body has not been found yet. I will only feel better if her dead body is finally found, clear evidence that she has finally gone from this world," Aurelia blurted in an agitated tone. Kaspar raised his brow. 'Damn. Why are you still worrying about her? She is already dead. Her missing body can no longer be found because the hungry animals in the ocean have already devoured her. Stop worrying about a dead woman. Don't be paranoid!" he said, reprimanding her. Despite Kaspar's assurance, Aurelia still couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding that this was just a repeat of the first time they tried eliminating Clarice but failed. To her shock and chagrin, Clarice survived and came out stronger and better than her old self, leading her to plan her second downfall again. 'I can't understand myself. Sometimes I'm scared. I keep thinking and worrying about her. I have a feeling that one day, Clarice will return to seek vengeance on us," she said in a tense tone. Kaspar laughed in amusement. 'No way! This time I killed Clarice for real. There is no way she survived the fall into the ocean. Her body has not been found on the beaches near the area where the accident happened. If she survived the fall and is still alive, she has already resurfaced right now. Just stop worrying and enjoy your life," he said, unbothered. 'Yeah, maybe I'm just overthinking too much, and it is making me restless inside. Lately, I have had recurring nightmares of Clarice entering my room at night and strangling me during my sleep. It scared the hell out of me." Aurelia finally revealed her persistent psychological dilemma. 'Just stop thinking about her. If you have a hard time sleeping, just take sleeping pills so you can sleep peacefully at night without dreaming of her," Kaspar advised her. Aurelia smiled. 'You are right, why do I never think of that? I can buy sleeping pills to stop nightmares from coming. I should buy them before going home today," she said in great relief. "Yes, you can do that. But don't overdose on sleeping pills, you might accidentally follow Clarice into the land of the dead," he warned her of the harm brought by frequently taking sleeping pills at night. 'Thanks for the heads-up, I won't overdose for sure!" Aurelia smiled. 'My time is up! Good luck with your next client," she said energetically and stood up. 'No need to pay the one-hour charge. It's free," Kaspar told her. 'No. Business is business. I will pay my dues. Bye! See you some other time," Aurelia said, walking towards the door. 'Take care on your way home and give my regards to your husband," Kaspar said with a smile. 'I will," Aurelia replied and left the room. A few minutes later, another client entered the room and Kaspar got busy chatting with the male client for the next two hours. In another place, a thousand miles away, Viviana was looking forward to her big comeback into her ex-husband's life after successfully eliminating her rival.