The Introduction

FREDA’S POV

Laying on her murphy bed, her phone buzzed a recorded message in her own voice…

It’s six o’ clock! It’s six o’ clock! It’s six o’ clock! It droned on and on…

Groaning, the bedraggled blond dragged herself off her unmade bed and went straight to her compact but highly automated bathroom. After undressing, the dainty girl took a shower in a small light frosted green glass cubicle located next to her action-activated pastel green john. Later she went straight to the sleek mint green sink and began brushing her teeth in front of the dark green-lined oval mirror on the wall. Upon placing her toothbrush on a small gadget on the sink, toothpaste was gradually on top of its firm charcoal bristles. As soon as Freda placed the tip of the toothbrush under the silver-colored tap, warm water began flowing out.

“I would have required a rechargeable electric toothbrush from Supplies but I can’t find any charcoal-bristled electric toothbrushes in the catalogues that we get from Inventory! Grumbled the beta-tester manager as she began to brush her teeth.

She then headed to her bathroom’s equally compact walk-in closet. The former PhD scholar usually wore casual or rugged outfits under her regular white lab coat. True, there really weren’t any required uniforms that the company demanded her to wear. But since comfort was her priority every time she dressed up for the day, she has stuck with this get-up staple from day one…  

However, a part of her suddenly wanted to be… risky.  

Picking out one of her hardly used body hugging, knee-high contour black dress, she quickly put in while adding a pair of onyx and Swarovski crystal platinum earrings, a thin platinum chain necklace with a pendant that had similar stones and design as her earrings. And finally, the piece de resistance, a matching quarter of an inch-wide platinum bracelet studded with several of the same stones all over. She then slipped on black velvet stilettos to complete her look. then took her large leather black shoulder bag on her freight house’s glass and steel coffee table, where she left it last night.

Stepping out of her modern condominium-like place, Freda locked her door by pressing her thumb on a smooth unnoticeable panel along her doorframe. Not that she really needed the extra security since her place is already in one of the upper levels of the Greek Securities building. Suddenly a tall, sinewy man in beige overalls, hairnet, baseball cap and black rubber boots went up to her with a mop in hand. She was familiar with this housekeeping staff but she just couldn’t recollect his name. Is it Mutton, Mullen...

“Hello, she said with a small smile,” trying to hide the fact that she can’t remember his name.

With a charming grin, the brown-eyed young man somehow the reason why Freda was hesitant in greeting him, “The name is Mavis ma’am,” he said not waiting for her question.

“Oh, I remember now. Pardon me … Please call me Freda then,” the dressed-up manager stated, her perky face beaming. “Ma’am makes me feel old.”

Mavis laughed out loud at that statement. “You cannot be mistaken for an old lady Miss Freda. You are a beautiful lady, after all.”

“Thanks, Mavis, she replied trying to hide her blushes due to his earlier comment about her.”

“So where are you off to in your lovely outfit on this beautiful Saturday morning Freda? The housekeeping member asked her curiously. “I was quite troubled on how I’m supposed to clean your condo unit when you might sleep in today. Imagine my surprise when I saw you leaving your house.

Shocked, Freda stared at Mavis in surprise...

“Come again! It’s Saturday? “

With an amused chuckle, Mavis confirmed Elena’s question and his earlier statement by showing her his phone screen where the date and calendar are fully displayed.

“Holly molly! I never knew. Thanks, Mavis, you really are a lifesaver! Here’s my key card for my freight house, so just take your time in cleaning it,” Freda said at a rate of 1000 words per minute. “I’ll be in my office if you need anything. It’s just at the other end of this floor.”

“Well, it will take some time since I’ll be doing an intensive general cleaning of your quarters then will be calling supplies to replace all your linens, bedsheets, blankets and table sheets in your condo Miss,” Mavis admitted sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck with one hand. 

Freda just giggled before replying, “That’s alright, I was planning to work on my special project this whole day anyway.” As she ended her explanation, she speed-walked towards the small room jutting out of a corner at the end of the floor’s marble-floored corner. Turning the brass knob of her half-frosted glass office door, she was soon inside skimming several Manila folders of papers and typing in info into her powerful beta-testing Ryzen 7 7800X3D computer and was now running her program on her computer unit.

Suddenly, she noticed her unit slowing down by a few milliseconds. She listed this in a hardbound journal that was always with her during tests like these. Despite the new issue that she found, Freda was extremely happy that she did not waste her precious time going to work on office stuff and not find time to work on her “baby”.

It would be too exasperating to waste the little time she had on something so standard and regular as beta testing their games and apps to find which ones could now be shared online, she reasoned as checked her notes happily. 

“Mavis is a Godsend,” Freda sighed with a wide grin. “Maybe, I should order a pizza to share with him for lunch?”

I took my advanced mobile out and searched my phone list for the number of a popular Pizzeria a few blocks from the GS building. After a few rings a loud female voice with a heavy Italian accent answered.

“Yeah, Antonio’s Pizza and Pasta. We deliver in 10 minutes or your order is free!”

“Yes, I’d like to order an extra-large Pepperoni and Cheese supreme, two servings of extra cheesy lasagne and two colas, no straws.”

“Would you like dessert? We have newly baked Italian Cream Cheese Cake, it’s a family recipe. Molto delizioso, cara mia.”

Freda’s knowledge went as far as Italian 101 in college, but the way the middle-aged store owner sounded made what she was saying so delectable and inviting!

“Ok, half a cake of that please but wrap the rest of that except two, please…”

“You won’t be sorry miss. Hey, Martino, get your lazy off that couch and get these orders ready for Ignacio to deliver! Where the hell is that good-for-nothing oaf anyway?”

Freda decided to end the call as the people at the pizza place started shouting Italian at each other. She then quickly texted her address to the number she just called. The last thing she needed was a call-back from an Italian woman who sounded and acted like an angry black mama.

She then checked her computer program again to see if there was anything she could do about it slowing her CPU down. That was the main issue with all the popular anti-virus programs in the market these days. The more additional features it has or how powerful and effective it is, the bigger the chance of it slowing down your PC. And her ultimate goal is to counter any negative after-effects without sacrificing any of her pet project’s added capabilities. 

All too soon, eight minutes had flown by…

Better check on Mavis before he takes a lunch break without knowing about my thank you ‘gift’ for him,

the blond PhD holder said to herself. Besides, he’s really nice. Too bad, he’s not my type…

Then what is your type, girl genius?

A voice inside her asked.

Well, looks don’t really matter to me, to be honest. I kind of like aggressive, confident and brainy bad boys, if there are still like those these days, that is. Who knows, I just might get lucky someday…

As she stepped out of her office, she saw Mavis about to enter the elevator which was opposite her freight house.