Miss Anonymous

“You think you can play me?”

“We’ll see about that.”

~×~ ~×~ ~×~ ~×~

“Hey Max! Where are you?”

“On my way. I’m stuck in heavy traffic here. Is Damon there?”

“Yeah.”

“He got the girls?”

“According to him. I’m keeping my fingers crossed on your suggestion. ”

Maxwell chuckled as he honked the car in front of him to get moving. “Trust me on that one. It will. I promise. Before I forget, what happened between you and Chelsea?”

*Beep*

The line went dead immediately.

Maxwell removed the phone from his ear to his face and stared at it without doing anything. All of a sudden, he burst out laughing.

Did he think he could run away forever?

‘Don’t worry, I’m on my way.” he turned his attention to the now free road, stepped on the gas pedal and zoomed off.

Maxwell hummed a song as he parked his car in the underground garage before stepping out to the elevator to Valerian’s flat.

He hoped his idea worked out. It had to.

As he rang the doorbell, he couldn’t even think what would happen if it didn’t.

The sound of approaching footsteps were heard before the door was opened from inside and Blondie came in full view with a tablet in his hand.

Maxwell furrowed his brows seeing that.

was there need for that?

“Dude,” Blondie called, “You’re late.”

Maxwell ignored him and got into the house, removing his coat and placing it on the rack, “What happened to ‘Welcome’? Or ‘Good day’? Huh?”

“Sorry man, I think I forgot my manners, maybe you could borrow me yours, that’s … if you have some?”

Maxwell was about replying him when Aiden walked into the scene with his hands in his pockets. “Welcome, Max.”

Maxwell scoffed as he untied the lace on his boots, “At least, someone got some manners here.”

Aiden sure didn’t understand Maxwell’s remark but he made no effort to comment on it. They waited for Maxwell to finish before moving to the sitting room and getting themselves all comfortable when Blondie suddenly walked to the wine shelf and took out a wine and three glass cups.

He was about to uncork the wine when Maxwell spoke, “Hey! Are we here to drink?”

“Hey? I need to drink to keep my brain working!”

“Really?”, Maxwell stood up, about to start a fight.

“Max! Max! ” Aiden called him, “Let’s focus, and leave the drunk alone.”

“Huh! Who are you calling a drunk? Are you talking to me?!”

Maxwell scoffed, “We didn’t mention anyone’s name. Now would we get this done with?!”

“Fine! But just because of Val! So, what’s the plan?” Blondie later calmed himself down.

“I thought we already mentioned it?”

“Damon’s right. Let’s rewind. What’s the plan?”, Aiden suggested.

| FLASHBACK |

AT THE KARAOKE

“I have a plan but I’m not sure you’d love to do it.” Maxwell stared straight ahead, deep in thought.

“Tell me, anything to get off my parents neck.”

Maxwell smiled at his determined spirit.

But, that idea was just a bit tricky.

Before Maxwell could speak, the Blondie interrupted them, “Yeah! I just got an idea!”

Maxwell and Aiden looked at him with bored look on their faces as though they could already predict what was coming next. “What?”

“I won’t tell, buy me a drink! Another drink, before I tell!”, he grinned like a child.

Aiden hissed and turned to Maxwell, “What’s your plan?”

Maxwell fought the urge to laugh at Damon’s level of reasoning.

“Well — ”

“What? No one’s buying me a drink? No one loves me again”, Blondie was flabbergasted.

“No one’s buying you a drink. Over to Maxwell.” Aiden replied him firmly.

“Unfair! This is unfair! My poor eyes had to near the oppression and I had to follow you guys and that crazy Big sister of yours to this dry karaoke and you don’t want to buy me a drink? Help! Somebody! I’m being bullied! Someone!”

the crazy Blondie began to whine and Valerian pinched the space between his forehead in impatience.

He wondered what exactly had endeared him to that dummy and he didn’t know which one was better; Chelsea or the dummy, Damon.

Sigh!

Just for that day, he had to endure.

Maxwell felt the same way, he gestured to the waiter to attend to the Blondie so he could tell Aiden his suggestion.

“Since you don’t want to use the Big Sister, why don’t you… make a contract, or anything, something of that sort, what the novels call ‘arranged marriage’, then after you get the throne, boom! You divorce her!” the Blondie suggested and both Valerian and Maxwell stared at Damon in wonder.

That was the first time something reasonable came out of his mouth.

It was bitter, but the truth was bitter.

Too bad, everything got ruined the moment he opened his mouth to utter the next statement, “Hey! Why don’t I be in charge of finding the girls, while Damon, in charge of the contract, who knows, I could find my soulmate! Hehe!Aren’t I a genius?!” he stared at the men in front of him, waiting for them to praise him.

“You are… Impressive!” Aiden confessed.

“Max! I told you! I’m the best —”

“An impressive fool.” Aiden finished and immediately, Maxwell burst out laughing uncontrollably while Damon stared at him in horror.

“Are you serious now, Val? Really, me? An impressive fool? Just you wait, waiter! Another shot!”

Aiden ignored him, “Max, your plan, and it better be good.”

It wasn’t that his idea wasn’t good, infact Valerian thought it be the best, but he wanted to hear what the ‘smartpants’ Maxwell had to say, he considered his idea to be the best.

But, he was proved wrong that day.

“It’s somewhat similar to Damon’s suggestion: you hire girls, have an interview with them, then the girls who passes the test, you make as a wife. Simple!”

Aiden wasn’t impressed with Max’s suggestion. It was obvious on his face.

“What difference is that with what my father is planning?”

Maxwell gave him a bored look, “You got any other ideas?”

“Apparently, no. So we’re sticking with yours.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What would I do without you guys?”

“Absolutely nothing.”

| END OF FLASHBACK |

“So, we’re the girls?” Aiden asked.

“That’s where I come in! I present to you our contestants for today!” he said as if he was a TV presenter.

“Today? Why didn’t anyone tell me there were other days?”

“Don’t mind his drama, ” Maxwell scoffed.

Aiden grabbed the tablet from Damon and scanned through the names.

“We have, Kylie Shawn, Morgan Freeman, Valerie Pickett, Riele Johnson, …” he stopped when he came across a strange name, “Anonymous? Who’s that?”

Damon laughed, “I thought that way too. We’d see her during the interview. So let’s begin.”

“Wait, how did you get them?”

“Simple, I made the post online with an enticing pay, and you know girls, they were drawn to it.”

This time, Blondie didn’t asked if he was a genius ’cause he knew what that would mean.

“Okay, are you ready?”

“More than ready.”

~×~×~×~

*THE INTERVIEW*

The first girl walked in stylishly and the trio stared in awe, wondering if she’d mistaken the Villa for a club.

She was dressed in a red, short body hugging dress, with her long artificial fingernails, fake lashes, her heavy makeup and her six inches heels.

“This is Imperial Villa madam?”

She blew her gum noisily, “Of course, I know.”

“And… you’re Kylie Shawn?”

“Who else will be?”, she cast a seductive look at Aiden which made him almost puke, right there.

Maxwell coughed to bring them back fr their reverie, “So, we presume, you should know why you’re here? For formality sake, we’re looking for a wife, so could you state your use to the home?”

“I’m very wonderful in the bed. Wanna try?”

That was it. That was the height of it all.

Damon spat out the wine from his mouth, completely shocked and Aiden along Maxwell had disgusted expressions on their faces.

How blunt she was!

“Care for a —?”

“NEXT!!!” Aiden was outraged. He didn’t allow her to finish. They didn’t

even know when the guards appeared and bundled the slut out, ignoring her loud pleas.

“What was that?” Damon asked, completely stupefied.

“Your plan!” Aiden said angrily and Damon knew he was done for.

He silently hoped there’ll be a sensible person among all the girls.

“Next!”

The next girl, perhaps in her early twenties was stunned when she walked into the room and was met with three hotties.

“Have a seat.” Maxwell gestured towards the sofa in front of them.

“Huh?” she had been too occupied staring at the guys that she didn’t hear what he said. By the time she realized it, she was as red as a tomato.

She quickly took her seat and turned to face them.

“So, you should be —”

“Morgan Freeman,” she cut in sharply.

Maxwell stared at her blankly.

Why the rush?

When she saw the stares they were giving her, she blushed again.

Maxwell began, “So Morgan, we believe you are aware why you’re here. Care to tell us what you can bring to the home?”

“What did you say?”

Again, she wasn’t paying attention. She had blown it.

Maxwell sighed, “Thank you miss, we’ll contact you for a feedback. Do have a nice day, Miss. Freeman.”

She pouted hearing that.

No one needed to tell her that she has failed.

she got up slowly and left the room.

Aiden breath in when she left.

Second person failed. His hope already began to dwindle.

“Next!”

The next person was worse.

She wore a face cap with a black nose mask, a black turtleneck sweater and a black joggers.

Only one thought was in the trio’s head: assassin. Well, except for one person.

Aiden stared at the female intently, “You’re the… anonymous?”

The girl chuckled, “Yeah. Can I have a seat?”

Aiden winced at the person’s straightforwardness. She reminded him of a certain person.

And even without waiting for their response, she sat comfortably, amidst their gazes.

“Are we doing this? Are we not doing this?” she began to feel impatient just seconds after staying there while they had been staying there for hours.

Nicely done!

“Ehh… before we proceed, there’s a problem.”

They could feel her frown, “What? Why? You think I’m not qualified?”

“No, not at all but, we need to see who we’re talking to. ”

“Oh! I thought you’d never ask.”

Then, she slowly removed her cap first, revealing her strikingly familiar sharp brunette hair and then, her nose mask, revealing a smirk on her face.

The trio stared in shock on what or who they saw.

“What?!”

…