Under grad students usually made the lobby garden busy for almost twenty-four hour everyday, they come and go through it. But not tonight. The gala had it closed.
Lila stepped to the empty lobby alone. Scanning all direction of the lobby, she found nothing.
Maybe I was wrong. She concluded.
“I’m so impressed.” A voice came, walking from inner lobby to the outside.
Lila didn’t have to turn around to see who said it. She knew very well and also hate it.
Professor Gustav stood beside her. “First time attending the gala, you manage to get along with the second prince. Wow.” He clapped coldly and out of rhyme. “You should share that kind of skill to the rest of us.”
Pretending not to hear a word from him, Lila scanned the empty lobby once again. Her eyes roamed everywhere, except at the man beside her.
But Professor Gustav seemed unnoticed, he kept on talking. “Though his speech implied about our special activity,”
The air around Lila’s fist and Professor Gustav’s face stormed sharply. It felt suffocating to Professor Gustav. He finally saw the punch coming, but too shock to make a move. He never thought, the obedient girl he knew all these years could do this kind of blow. Closing his eyes, waiting for the punch to come, he didn’t realize that the storm had stopped and the suffocating air dropped suddenly. Andrew’s large palm held Lila’s punch just an inch from Professor Gustav’s nose. “Don’t!” Andrew shook his head, gazing into Lila’s eyes. “Not worth it.” Few seconds Andrew endured Lila’s deadly glare while still holding her fist. “What are you doing here?” Lila hissed through her teeth, jerking her fist free from Andrew’s grasp. “Saving you…” Having his sense back as the still and silent surrounding assured him that Lila’s punch was aborted, Professor Gustav opened his eyes and blinked few times to calm his shaking nerves. Feeling calm, his cocky attitude back again. “Listen to him,
“What is your problem, woman?” “I said, let’s go to the vet with me.” Lila repeated in a tired tone. “Your dog looks in pain.” “I heard you!” The man retorted sharply. “Again, my dog is just being naughty, he’s not sick. Besides, it’s my dog, my decision.” Lila’s voice started to raise. “Not anymore when you kick your dog in front of witnesses.” “Or we can go straight to the police.” Andrew added as he positioned himself standing next to Lila. “That way, you can no longer be with your dog, and your dog will be safe and sound in the vet. Your choice.” The man cursed in foreign language. He threw belittling angry looks while pulling his dog, getting ready to leave. “I can make you deported from this country, you know.” Andrew slid to the same foreign language, halting the man’s step. He also noticed Lila was astonished, probably within the moment her mind was forming questions for him. Thinking he would cross that bridge when he got there, then he told the man. “You can kiss your
Barry Barlow was sitting alone on the private rooftop in Angela Barlow’s downtown restaurant. He was one of the best lawyers in the country and also a major shareholder of Angela Barlow restaurant and café’s chain which was founded by his grandfather and the restaurant named after his grandmother.It had been a year, on the first Saturday of every month he gave legal advice in his office to those who needed it but could not afford it. Thanks to his troublesome assistant whose son hinted in his social media account lately that Barry Barlow, the famous lawyer, was doing charity by giving free legal advice. Though the son said occasionally, it didn't stop people from coming, making the usual ten to fifteen clients become countless clients. Today was busier and more hectic than his weekdays. The last session ended two hours ago, and he felt extremely burnt out. That’s why he came to this particular restaurant branch. The familiar atmosphere calmed his nerves.Besides the food, he liked t
“They fought with Hell Rhino without knowing he’s Hell Rhino.” Concluded Andrew indifferently. A cynical chuckle came from Evan. “How come they call themselves Blue Rings’ members, if they didn’t even know their leader.” Andrew hummed softly. “I don’t think low level members like them would be introduced to Rhino. It’s natural that they didn’t know what their leader’s looked like.” “Yeah, no one would think a short and pretty guy like him would be a dangerous Gang leader.” Evan snorted. Inside The Arena, headquarter of Evan’s organization, Andrew and Evan were sitting on the long plush sofa, from which their eyes were fixed on the floor to ceiling screen. The two of them were studying a profile of the four thugs that they called chickens on the same screen where there was a real-time situation of a dim underground room with the chickens in it. “You get this information because…” Andrew turned to his assistant, Max, who sat on the armchair. “Well, they have an eastern accent, sin
“Alright, I’m going to hand you the result of last week’s quiz.” Lila walked towards the corner table. Handing a stack of paper to the student who sat behind it. For some moments, she watched the stack spread quickly as each student took the paper with their name on it. “Before we end today’s class, any question?” Two hands lifted. One by one, Lila listened to the question that was asked by her student, then carefully answered it. After making sure there was no other question to be asked, she dismissed the class. It had been a month since the new term began and five weeks since the University gala, Lila was still adjusting with the tight teaching schedule. She felt her life rotated around teaching and studying for her research. Although, the research was going nowhere, since she didn’t have the blood sample from Andrew yet. He said he will give it to her. But up until now, not a single drop of his blood was given to her. Due to her busy schedule, she couldn’t steal a time to go to
“Arthur and Arthur founded by Arthur Mac Miller, Senior and Junior. In 1889. Wow, old.” Susan read aloud what was shown on her laptop screen. On Susan’s laptop screen was the company website, they were reading its history. John suggested that they looked into what kind of enterprise Arthur and Arthur operated. Trying to reason on why the company wanted to invest their money in Lila’s research. “Bank of Framery, the National Bank is under our Arthur.” Susan continued. “So is the largest resort in our country, The Island.” Her eyes lightened. “Oh, and blocks of commercial districts at Mayor Street, also the hotel, Arthur’s Icon. Wow…” Susan’s eyes grew wider, knowing the hotel was all over the country. “And…” She checked Lila and John’s attention. “And the amusement park.” “So, their field of business was nowhere near science.” Lila concluded. “It seems half of the country belongs to them.” Added John. “I don’t understand, I thought the University gala invites people with money onl
“I’ll be at the lobby by the elevator, okay?”Lila only gave Andrew a single nod then she walked faster to the nearest lady’s room. She regretted it, drinking the two glasses of ice tea in Andrew’s office. Making her bladder feel tighter in Andrew’s car on the way to the mall where they agree to meet Barry.Feeling relieved, Lila went to wash her hand. In her mind, she needed to go back to Andrew quickly and finish the things in here.She told Andrew about her afternoon schedule. He promised to take her back to the University before her class began. So, she rinsed the soap in her hand excitedly.“Lila, what are you doing here?” Lila heard a familiar voice when she looked up, wanting to reach the paper towel.Reaching the paper towel, Lila observed her surroundings through the reflection of the mirror in front of her. Next to her, a tall slender woman holding lipstick and staring at her was her cousin, Carla. A similar figure as Carla stoo
The next day, early in the morning Lila was sitting alone in her office lab. Intending to update her research data and write a very good report about it. Instead of doing any of that, she was staring at the distance.In her hand was the contract of conditions between Andrew and her. Something was bothering her. Not the contract though, the reason behind its existence tickled her mind since leaving Barry's office yesterday.Yes, they knew each other for thirteen years, she admitted that. Still it wasn't like they were in each other's life for that long, because they learned each other's name just recently. Why was Andrew willing to fund Lila's project from his super deep pocket?Why? Was it because of his rare blood type which happened to be Lila's base research idea? Because he cared for his continuous well being.Yes. It must be because of that. It was safer to conclude it that way.There was no way he had any romantic feelings for her,