THE DEATH'S TERRORY

CHAPTER 4: THE INVITATION CARD ON THE TABLE

That night, Daniel Lopes also chose an outfit after more than two hours of struggling in the room. He tried to look as unsmiling, as bad as he could be.

At least Daniel avoids being associated with a dead body in the street. Daniel walked out of the house and pondered bitterly to himself if Naomi would ask him for anything else.

Daily prayer to God has gotten Daniel Lopes off to a pretty good start tonight, so he's right to be under the illusion that Naomi Williamson will give himself a little surprise as some signal clear so he could get her to bed right away.

Daniel dreamed that at last, after nearly twenty years, his small… but not very small baby could be taken care of by someone else's hands.

Of course, it had to be from another girl, not his rough right hand. Because of that illusion, the smile remained forever on Daniel's lips from home to the dusty gray meeting place of the suburbs of Los Angeles.

Naomi Williamson made an appointment to meet Daniel Lopes at a half-Mexican, half-Anglo diner that looked distinctive, if not eccentric, in his eyes.

This fantastic restaurant makes Daniel feel down because no one wants to start a romantic date at a restaurant like this. Daniel Lopes knows Naomi Williamson very well. She purposely chose this place because she needed his help.

A girl in Beverly Hills tries to drive to the suburbs to invite an American boy out to dinner. Then there can't be a 'happy' ending for Daniel's 'boy'.

A long, dull sigh swept across his crotch, making Daniel feel like he was about to collapse. Right now, he just wanted to run home immediately.

But the bravery of 'a man' like Daniel Lopes forced him to take a deep breath and then go to Naomi Williamson's side. The two exchanged a friendly and affectionate smile that made Daniel think Naomi was pleased.

“Daniel, it's been more than two months since we've seen each other, right? How are you doing? Is everything ok? By my side… there are still some positions that are quite suitable for you.” Naomi Williamson sat down, pushed the menu in front of Daniel Lopes, and stared into his face.

This is not the first time Naomi has brought up the topic of 'career' for Daniel. He knew Naomi wanted to make up or repay him for his help. But Daniel's reason and self-respect wouldn't allow him to take a chance or, more accurately, a favor from Naomi.

Daniel Lopes replied, rambling for a moment, and then there was silence. He purposely avoided the pitiful look Naomi Williamson was giving him.

Daniel thought that all this time, from high school until now, he was too cowardly, not daring to express or try to attack Naomi Williamson. Even if it was just a small action, he still didn't dare.

Daniel Lopes fears as a person suffering from depression and anxiety disorder. He was afraid of rejection and losing his friendship with Naomi Williamson.

That alone was enough for Daniel to squeeze all his feelings for Naomi into the depths of his heart. Daniel Lopes clenched his fist. He took a deep breath to muster up the courage to confess to Naomi.

But just as Daniel was about to open his mouth to speak, the waiter brought two plates of greasy and onion-flavored food to the table. Daniel remained silent, not daring to say anything.

Daniel was so angry that he devoured his plate of food even though it was as bad as vomit, and he swore to himself that he couldn't tell what kind of food he was eating. Daniel felt that today's date was bad enough for him. Daniel didn't want to linger any longer.

He feared that he would show a bored expression and affect Naomi's atmosphere and cheerfulness.

But things did not last long. When the last plate of food on the table disappeared, two faces appeared, making Daniel Lopes surprised.

That is Millie Williamson - Naomi Williamson's older sister, and the other is Jamarion Massey - Daniel Lopes and Naomi Williamson's high school friend - the person he hates the most.

Daniel Lopes was glad to see Millie because she was pretty nice and helped him many times in high school. She had a sense of comfort and warmth like the spring sun in Los Angeles, and her smile could make his day much less miserable.

Daniel Lopes smiled and shook hands with Millie. She was still as relaxed as ever, gently putting her arm around his shoulder and asking him a few questions about his family, work, and even his relationship status.

This made Daniel Lopes extremely apprehensive. However, Jamarion Massey was the one to relieve Daniel Lopes, but with sarcastic words, he swore to God that if he committed murder and went to Heaven, he was at the top of his list.

Jamarion rushed to Daniel's side and laughed loudly, not forgetting to squeeze his arms as if he wanted to crush Daniel's chest.

Jamarion said: “Boy! You're still getting used to your right hand every night, aren't you? Anyway, I respect you. All these years…still the same.”

Daniel pushed Jamarion Massey out of his sight. He's always been the most miserable person you've ever known. Since Daniel was still in school, Jamarion has often targeted Daniel, bullying him. Thanks to Jamarion, Daniel became the most pitiful victim of the discriminatory rich-poor society of Los Angeles.

Daniel Lopes began to think about his life. That is why he and Jamarion Massey always had to be at the opposite end of the scale. This must have been a joke from God when he always used a relatively complete but damned comparison that Daniel just wanted to hide.

Jamarion was rich, very rich. Daniel is poor. There are no walls to crack. Of course, no one can argue with that. Jamarion is an orthodox American, white supremacist bastard. Daniel is a Mexican. Although more handsome than Jamarion, Daniel is still poor. Jamarion is as stupid as a frozen brain, and Daniel is brilliant and poor.

Jamarion may have entered Princeton University in a flash of what is known as a 'family tradition'. What about Daniel? Daniel was kicked out of Harvard University with a foolish relationship full of delusions with Naomi Williamson. To this day, Daniel is still bitter about it.

Jamarion is also working as the Chief Financial Officer for North Star Lighting Company because of family ties. Daniel is considering whether to apply to be a leisurely administrative office worker for North Star Lighting. That's right before some older man at North Star Lighting burned Daniel's favorite store this morning. Speaking of which, Daniel has another thing to hate about Jamarion.

People often comfort Daniel with something like, although Daniel is poor, he is still intelligent. But the question that he always asks himself is why Daniel is knowledgeable but still poor. So to sum it up… Jamarion is at the top, and Daniel is at the bottom of society.

Most importantly, Jamarion had Naomi once, and Daniel… could only look on with pain.

Millie Williamson quickly gave Jamarion Massey a warning look. Naomi Williamson also shook her head in boredom and scolded him: “Stop joking, Jamarion! You know we have something important to tell Daniel today, right? Please be serious!"

"We? Important thing?" Daniel Lopes looked surprised, wide-eyed at Naomi and Jamarion. He immediately sensed something was amiss and didn't want to find out any more information from either of them. Daniel Lopes's reaction was easily caught in the eye of Millie Williamson.

Naomi Williamson took from her bag a dark pink barbie-style card with a hint of gold. What Daniel now finds annoying about Naomi is her hobby of pink… it almost haunted him during his time in High School.

She pushed the card in front of Daniel Lopes. Only then did he realize that on Naomi Williamson's hand was a diamond ring of about seven or eight carats of some brand that he was not interested in. Daniel Lopes looked at Naomi Williamson in shock.

Suddenly Jamarion Massey came over and kissed Naomi Williamson deeply. The two looked at each other lovingly for a long time, forgetting about the unique expressions that were taking place on Daniel Lopes's face. Millie Williamson nudged Daniel Lopes lightly on the shoulder as if to wake him up.

Daniel Lopes silently thanked Millie. He took Naomi Williamson's card and thought for a moment before saying quickly: “I… I'll come. Of course…of course. Congratulations to the two of you!”

Millie watched Daniel silently and guessed that he must have been shocked to find out. But there was nothing she could do for him. Daniel has always been by his side and helping Naomi through all these years. Even an older sister like her can see his feelings for Naomi.

However, Naomi has no feelings for Daniel at all. Maybe it's just a simple friendship.