Cursed Connection

Derek Andrews was a successful businessman in his late 30s. He was a self-made man who had built his empire from the ground up. He was handsome and charming, with a player personality that had won him the hearts of many women. He was flying to New York on business and was hoping to seal a deal that would make him even richer.

As he boarded the plane, he noticed a beautiful woman sitting in the seat next to his. Her name was Angela Stein, and she looked like she had stepped out of a fashion magazine. Angela was a strikingly beautiful woman. She had long, flowing jet-black hair that partially cascaded over one shoulder in soft waves. Her eyes were a deep shade of brown, and they lit with intelligence and wit. Her lips were full and medium red, and when she smiled, her entire face lit up. She was tall and slender, with curves in all the right places. Her skin was smooth and flawless, with a faint rosy blush on her cheeks that gave her a youthful glow. She was dressed in a simple, casual outfit that hugged her figure. In short, she was the kind of woman that turned heads wherever she went, and Derek could not help but be drawn to her.

"Hi there," Derek said, flashing his best smile. "Mind if I take this seat?"

"Not at all," Angela replied, returning a smile. "I was hoping I wouldn't be sitting alone on this long flight."

Derek settled into his seat, feeling pleased with himself for snagging such a beautiful seatmate. He could not resist striking up a conversation, and soon they were chatting like old friends.

Derek grinned. “I'm Derek, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Derek," Angela said. "I'm Angela."

They shook hands, and Derek felt a jolt of electricity shoot up his arm. That feeling was odd to him, and he could not wrap his head around it. Gradually, he thought nothing of it and continued to get to know Angela.

"So, what brings you to New York?" he asked, hoping to keep the conversation going.

"I'm visiting some friends," Angela said. "What about you?"

"I'm here on business," Derek replied. "I run an investment firm."

"Ah, a man of wealth and power," Angela said, with a twinkle in her eye. “Should you be in first class anyway instead of coach?”

Derek laughed. "Yes, I should but all of the first-class seats were sold out on this flight, and I had to take the earliest flight to New York. It was a last-minute thing. What about you, beautiful? What do you do?"

"Art," Angela said. "I specialize in watercolors."

"Wow, that's amazing," Derek said, genuinely impressed. "I've always wished I had some artistic talent. Maybe you can paint my portrait." He flirtatiously winked.

Angela chuckled. "We'll see. Let's get through this flight first."

As the flight took off, Derek could not help but wonder what the rest of the journey had in store for him. He glanced over at Angela and saw that she was flipping through a magazine. He wanted to capture her attention again.

"So, what kind of things do you like to paint?" he asked.

"Mostly landscapes and portraits," Angela replied. "I love capturing the beauty of nature, and the expressions on people's faces."

"That sounds fascinating," Derek said. "Do you have any favorite artists?"

"I love Monet and Van Gogh," Angela said. "Their use of color and texture is incredible."

Derek nodded, pretending to know what she was talking about. All he could think about was lust. "I'll have to check them out. I'm more of a numbers guy myself."

Angela laughed. "I figured as much."

Derek smiled. "Maybe you can show me some of your work sometime."

Angela looked at him with a curious expression. "Why are you so interested in my paintings, Derek?"

Derek shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just find you intriguing, and you sound like a very talented woman. Plus, I like spending time with interesting people."

Angela smiled. "Well, I'm flattered."

Derek grinned. "I see."

As the flight continued, Derek and Angela chatted about everything from art to travel to their favorite foods. Derek found himself enjoying her company more and more with each passing moment. He could not believe how easy it was to talk to her, and he felt a sense of connection that he had never felt before. Derek found himself becoming more and more attracted to Angela. He could not resist flirting with her.

"You know, Angela, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met," he said, with a smile.

Angela blushed. "You're just saying that, Derek."

"No, I mean it," Derek said, leaning closer to her. "I can't take my eyes off you."

Angela looked at him with a mixture of amusement and skepticism. "You're a smooth talker, Derek. But I've heard that line before."

Derek laughed. "I promise I'm not just trying to charm you. I think you're amazing." He still filled his mind with the idea of being deeply intimate with her.

Angela smiled. "Well, you're not so bad yourself. But let's take things slow, okay? I don't want to rush into anything."

Derek nodded, feeling a little disappointed but also intrigued. He had never met a woman like Angela before, and he wanted to get to know her better even though he is still considered a womanizer. He decided to play it cool for now and see where things went. "Sure, Angela. Whatever you say," he said, with a grin. "I'm just happy to be sitting next to you."

Angela laughed. "You're too much, Derek. But I have to admit, you're fun to talk to."

Derek felt a surge of satisfaction. He had a feeling that he was going to enjoy this flight more than he had anticipated.

Suddenly, Derek noticed that Angela's behavior began to change. She seemed to be getting more distant with a slightly demented expression on her face.

"Is everything okay, Angela?" Derek asked, feeling a little uneasy about Angela’s unbalanced appearance.

Angela turned to him with the same expression. "I'm fine, Derek. Why do you ask?"

"You just seem a little...distracted," Derek said, trying to sound casual.

Angela gave him a small smile. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

Derek nodded, feeling a little relieved. But he could not shake the feeling that something was off.

As the flight continued, Angela's messages became even more disturbing.

"You shouldn't trust me, Derek," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Derek felt a sense of dread. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Angela looked at him with a serious expression. "I have a dark side, Derek. A side that you don't want to get too close to. But you will soon find out what it is."

Derek was muddled. He felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. "What are you saying, Angela? Are you dangerous?"

Angela looked away, her eyes clouded with a strange emotion. "Let's just say that bad things happen to men who sit next to me."

Derek felt a surge of fear washes over him. He did not know what to make of Angela's cryptic messages, but he knew that he did not want to find out the hard way.

"Angela, what's going on?" he asked, his voice shaking a little.

But Angela just smiled enigmatically and refused to answer the valid question.

Derek could not shake the feeling that she was hiding something, and he began to regret ever striking up a conversation with her.

One of the flight attendants named Annie motioned for Derek to follow her to the back of the plane. Derek felt a surge of anxiety as he realized that something was seriously wrong. When the two of them reached a safe, secluded spot, they began to talk.

Annie spoke out of worry and compassion. "My name is Annie, and I have been a flight attendant on this plane for almost seven years. There is something very important that you should know, sir."

"What's going on, Annie?" he asked, his voice trembling a little.

Annie looked at him with concern. "Sir, I don't know how to tell you this, but...that passenger who you were speaking to isn't really here...not physically anyway. She told you that her name was Angela, right?"

Derek looked at her with a blank expression. "Yes. What do you mean she's not here? I've been talking to her the whole flight."

Annie took a deep breath. "Yes, we saw you. Even some of the passengers were looking at you like you were insane. Her name was Annie Stein, and she is dead."

Derek felt a cold shiver run down his spine. "What are you saying, Annie? That she's a ghost or something?"

Annie looked at him with a serious expression. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. Angela Stein died on this plane a few years ago, and her ghost has haunted it ever since."

Derek felt a wave of disbelief. He could not believe what he was hearing. "That's impossible," he said, his voice with angst. "I've been talking to her this whole time. I saw her beautiful face. I heard her lovely voice. I touched her soft skin. And the scent of her perfume was so sweet and heavenly."

Annie gave him a sympathetic look. "I know it's hard to believe, sir. But it's the truth. Nobody else on this plane can see or hear her except for you," she continued with utter helplessness, "and the rest of us flight attendants. She appears and reappears all the time."

Derek felt a surge of fear as he realized the gravity of the situation. He had been communicating and even flirting with a ghost, and he had no idea what she was capable of.

"How did she die?" he asked in a sincere voice.

Annie looked away, her eyes clouded with sadness. "She was flying on this plane with her fiance a few years ago. They were on their way to New York for their wedding. But during the flight, Angela found out that her fiance was cheating on her. She was devastated, and in a moment of despair, she ended her life on this very plane. She went to the bathroom and overdosed on some medication. She even combined it with alcohol. She was in the bathroom for almost an hour. When one of us was checking on her, she did not respond at all. We had to force the door open, and there she was dead on the floor. She has been a vengeful spirit on this plane ever since. Now, any man sitting beside her and talking to her on this plane will be cursed."

Derek felt a lump form in his throat as he heard the tragic story. He could not believe that he had been sitting next to a ghost all this time. "What's going to happen to me?" he asked out of distress. "What do you mean - curse? Am I going to have bad luck? Am I going to die?"

Annie looked at him with solicitude. "I don't know, sir. But I do know one thing...you need to get away from her as soon as possible."

Derek nodded, feeling a sense of urgency. He knew that he had to conform, but he also did not want to cause a scene. After he took a deep breath, he decided to try and find an empty seat on the plane, but he fully acknowledged that it was easier said than done. He remembered when he ordered the plane ticket online, only a few seats were left. Who knew how many tickets for the flight were ordered after that? What were the chances of him finding one available seat?

As he slowly and cautiously made his way down the aisle, Derek felt the eyes of the other passengers following him. He immediately assumed that some of them witnessed him talking to nobody during his enigmatic conversation with Angela. He knew he looked like a madman, but he did not care. He just wanted to get away from Angela's ghost before it was too late. He just wanted to make sure that the rest of his flight was safe and that his life was free of calamity. However, he could not help but feel that danger was near and that his life would either change forever or possibly end soon.

So far, every seat he checked was taken, and he began to feel a sense of despair and hopelessness. He was starting to believe that the only seats available were the ones occupied by him and Angela earlier, but he refused to sit next to the ghost of Angela again. He knew that time was running out for him, and he did not know how much longer he could hold out.

Just as he was about to give up hope, he spotted an empty seat near the front of the plane. He smiled as he was feeling a surge of relief. He rushed over to the empty seat and looked at the elderly woman next to it.

“Ma’am, is this seat taken?” Derek asked, hoping to receive the answer he wanted to hear. “I need a new seat. I am begging you.”

With empathy, the elderly woman observed Derek. She saw that he was struggling to control his desperate emotions. “No, it’s not taken. You can sit here.”

Derek smiled and settled into the seat, feeling grateful for the momentary reprieve. “Thank you so much.”

Annie approached Derek with a duffle bag. “I’m so glad that you found a new seat. Here’s your bag, sir.” She handed him his duffle bag.

“Thank you,” Derek said with a half smile.

Unexpectedly, Annie leaned over to his ear and whispered, “She disappeared.”

After Annie walked away, Derek slowly rose from his seat and turned to the direction of Angela’s location but her seat was empty. As he looked around the plane, he saw that Annie was right about Angela. The ghost was nowhere to be seen. He felt nervous and panicky as he realized that Angela could be anywhere on the plane, watching him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The elderly woman noticed Derek’s fearful behavior and became concerned. “Are you okay?”

Derek quickly turned to her. He became too hesitant to answer. “Yes.” He reluctantly revealed a fake smile.

The woman smiled back. However, she knew that she did not receive an honest answer.

Derek tried to calm himself down, telling himself that he was safe. But he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched.

Before he could sit back down, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He clutched at his chest and collapsed, feeling his heart racing.

Derek’s sudden fall and agony captured the attention of the passengers near him. The horrific sight caused multiple gasps on the plane.

Derek realized with a sense of dread that he was having a heart attack. He looked up, hoping to see a flight attendant coming to his aid. But instead, he saw Angela standing over him, a sadistic smile on her face.

"Looks like your time is up, Derek," Angela said, her voice cold and menacing.

Derek tried to scream for help, but his voice was weak. He watched in horror as Angela's ghost began to fade away, leaving him completely helpless.

The scene ended with the flight attendants rushing to his aid. The fate of Derek remained a mystery.