Mr. Mauve

“$500,000.”

Red looked at the digits on the bank cheque.

“Be my love and I will give you $500,000.”

Red stood silent as he clenched his fists.

“You need money to pay for your wife’s debts. So, accept my offer,” Delilah continued.

Red looked at the beautiful and sexy woman sitting in front of him. She is his employer’s wife, and everyone desires to have her. But not Red.

He only has his eyes on his own wife.

“I am sorry, madam. But I would never lay a hand on you. I am a married man, and so do you.”

A blazing fire engulfed Delilah. She couldn’t believe that a mere driver would reject her! Delilah felt so humiliated!

“You are being so stupid! You only need to get the money and solve your problem. Why take the difficult path?”

“I am working hard for my family. If I give myself to another woman, what kind of husband and father I’d be? My family is my world, Madam. And no one can change that, not even you.”

Delilah’s cheeks turned red, and her eyebrows narrowed. She swore she wouldn’t forget this humiliation for the rest of her life!

“Delilah!”

The door opened. Delilah’s husband came in and was shocked to see his wife talking to a young and fine man!

The 60-year-old Sonny looked alternately at his wife and Red. He frowned.

“Who is this f*cking bastard?” Sonny asked while pointing to Red.

Red felt anxious. He doesn’t want Sonny to misunderstand the situation, or else, he’s dead!

“S-Sir!” Red called and quickly bowed his head. “I am Red Grim. I am working as a driver of the house.”

“And what are you doing here?”

“I found your wife’s bank cheque on my way to work,” he said, looking at the bank cheque on the table.

Delilah sighed in relief that Red thought of an excuse within a short time.

“Is he saying the truth?” Sonny asked his wife.

Delilah smiled sweetly and answered, “Of course! He only went here to bring the bank cheque that I dropped, my dear.”

With that, Sonny’s expression loosened. He walked towards Red.

Red’s heart was beating so hard as he watched Sonny walked closer to him.

“Mr. Grim.”

At Sonny’s call, Red lifted his head. But when he looked back, Red was slapped by Sonny.

Delilah covered her mouth as she gasped.

Having his face tilted, Red kept his eyes on the floor while feeling the prickling ache on his cheek.

“I don’t allow men to visit my wife’s room. But since you brought Delilah’s belonging, consider that as your reward.”

A slap as his reward? Red clenched his teeth to suppress his anger.

“Thank you for being considerate,” Red mumbled while gritting his teeth.

“As long as you know. Now, get out of my face, you disgusting lowly being.”

Red went out of the room. When the door closed, he inhaled sharply as he leaned his hand on the wall.

‘I thought I’m gonna die,’ Red uttered inside his head. He feared the thought that he would never see his family again.

“It’s okay. I only need two years,” Red said. He stood straight and walked out of the huge mansion.

When he exited, Red saw his friend, Alfredo.

Alfredo also works as Ulysses’s driver.

“You’re late, Red. You have delivery,” Alfredo said.

“Sorry. Something came up.”

Alfredo tapped his shoulder and noticed that Red’s cheek is red.

“Mr. Red, you are red. What happened dude?”

Red scowled and uttered, “This is… nothing.”

But Alfredo would not believe it was. “Tell me. Did you get on the boss’s bad side?”

Red kept his mouth shut as he walked. Nothing good will happen if he tells him what really happened a moment ago.

“You idiot. You only have two years in your contract. Beware of unnecessary danger while you are here.”

“Aren’t you following me right now?” Red joked.

“Me?” Alfredo burst out laughing. “Yes. I am dangerously handsome.”

Red just shook his head while walking.

“Anyway, whatever the case, stay away from our boss,” Alfredo reminded him. “Mr. Sonny is a dangerous guy. And he’s on edge because he was fighting inheritance against his siblings. Looks like he lost from his brother.”

“It doesn’t matter for people like us. We are here to focus on our job. And… to survive.”

The two of them arrived at the 62 East gate.

From the entrance of the underground facility, Alfredo helped Red carry a huge and heavy black cadaver bag inside the car.

“The delivery location is in the 13th warehouse,” Alfredo informed Red before throwing the car key.

Red caught the key. Before he opened the door, he looked at his friend and said, “Hey. I heard that your wife gave birth to a baby girl. Congrats.”

“Ahhh. Yeah. I still can believe that I am going to be a father. Any words from an experienced dad?”

Red laughed and said, “Prepare for hell, dude.”

He went inside and started the engine of the car. Before driving, he looked at the cadaver bag behind him.

“Good evening. I will be your driver today.”

Receiving no reply, Red drove.

This is his job as a driver.

To deliver corpses from Ulysses’ mansion to their final destination.

Driving on the empty highway, Red glanced at the front mirror and looked at the cadaver bag which contained the corpse.

“You are the 100th corpse that I will transport,” Red said even if he knew that the dead wouldn’t answer him.

He was always curious why there were so many people dying in that place. But for the sake of money, he never asked anything. He abandoned his morals to be an accomplice in a crime.

‘Just two years. All I need is to endure for two years.’

Having that thought, Red glanced at the black cadaver bag on the back seat through the front mirror.

As soon as he looked at the bag, he saw it moving.

His eyes widened with a gasp.

Feeling the chill creeping on his skin, Red peered at the mirror without blinking his eyes. He was hoping he was only imagining things in his head. But the second time that corpse moved, he stepped on the brake.

Ssssssssssssss!

The wheels hissed on the road, as the car stopped at full speed.

Catching his breath, Red’s hands trembled on the steering wheel.

‘The person inside the bag is not dead yet!’

There is only one rule. If the victim is still alive, the drivers should kill it.

With that in mind, Red opened the glove box of the car. He picked up the knife hidden inside the compartment with a quivering heart.

Holding his breath, Red slowly looked behind him. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned closer to the cadaver bag.

“I am sorry,” Red said.

He raised the knife and was about to thrust it into the cadaver but… his hands stopped in mid-air.

He couldn’t kill.

While thinking of his loving wife and son, Red could not bear killing a person.

He let go of the knife and threw it away.

Red looked at the blank space while planning what to do next. If he escapes without finishing his contract, the boss will kill him and his family. If he lets the victim live, the ending is still the same.

Kring~ Kring~

Red turned his head to his cell phone that was in front of the compartment. His eyes widened when he saw Alfredo’s name on the screen.

He quickly grabbed his phone and answered the call, thinking that his friend might help him.

“Alfredo! You called at the right time. Now, I…”

[“RED! YOU NEED TO ESCAPE!”]

“W-What? Why?”

[“SIR SONNY IS LOOKING FOR YOU!”]

“For me?”

[“MADAM DELILAH TOLD HIM THAT YOU TRIED TO RAPE HER! SIR SONNY WAS SO MAD! HE ASKED HIS MEN TO ABDUCT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY RIGHT NOW!”]

Red dropped his phone onto the floor and glanced at the cadaver bag behind him.

For months, he became the driver of the dead. But tonight, he and his family might ride in the same car.