Annabelle Laking?Zayn did not recall ever giving her his number before, so if he had to take a bet—he would bet it was from Peter.Of course, he skipped all that and asked, “Okay. Hi, Miss Laking. How can I help you?”There was marked apprehension in her voice even as she tried to plaster it with overt caution. “Well, um, Mr. Larson… I’m really, really sorry to bother you, and I’m sorry I called you on such short notice, and…”Hearing the unease in her voice amused Zayn. Was he really that terrifying?“Miss Laking, c’mon now. Relax; there’s nothing to be nervous about. I mean, last I checked, I wasn’t Godzilla or anything. It’s fine to just tell me what you need,” he said, trying to assuage her anxiety with jocularity.Annabelle’s face turned red as she cursed her incompetence. She was supposed to be a whiz at conversations! How was it that when it came to Mr. Larson, she suddenly turned into a bumbling, blabbering buffoon?Luckily, her identity as one of the most popular, high
Annabelle’s trance lasted for a good few minutes until Esther walked in on her, who then responded to the former’s blank-eyed stare by waving her hands in front of her eyes.“Hello? Earth to Annie?” Ester tried, “You called Mr. Larson as we planned? Did he say yes? …Oy, Annabelle Laking! Snap out of it!”Annabelle jolted with a rush of rosy blushes to her cheek. “Est?! Oh, hi. W-What did you say? I, uh, wasn’t listening…”“Of course you weren’t,” Esther scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I asked if you called Mr. Larson like I told you. What did he say? Did he agree? C’mon, Annie. You don’t really think I haven’t noticed you staring into space at inopportune time, do you? I even wonder if you’ve got someone living in your headspace up there, rent-free.”Annabelle’s heart skipped a beat, but outwardly, she shook her head. “No! N-No way! I don’t have someone on my mind! I mean, my career is my priority, Est. And, well... Idols like us aren’t really allowed to be in relationships, are we? Th
A guffaw escaped Smith as he raised a thumbs-up to Kenneth’s face. “You’re a force of nature! That guy’s bound to be left sprawling on the floor after a punch like that!”Kenneth was all muscles and sinew, topped with a severe expression supported by a neck as thick as a pillar. He was the kind of man whose expertise in boxing could be conveyed via a single glance at his musculature—if the observer managed to not pee their pants after a look at his glare. Kenneth was a professional boxer, the kind who could boast winning a golden belt back in his home country. He was so good and powerful at his craft that it could strike terror; when coupled with him being at the prime of his life, with all the strength and vigor at his disposal, he could easily overwhelm twenty-odd assailants unarmed.He had come to Rheasia for his vacation, but after taking up his friend’s call and hearing about the incident, Kenneth forfeited his plan and rushed to Smith’s side hoping to teach that bastard a lesso
“Mr. Smith! You’re here!”Seeing the named man and a few companions exiting from a Porsche Cayenne, Esther was quick to greet them. In response, Smith nodded and asked, “So, is Mr… Mr. Larson here yet?”“He’s on his way. Pretty sure he will be here shortly.”A cold glint flitted through Smith’s eyes as he nodded. “Good. I’ll be waiting upstairs. I hope he doesn’t back out!”Esther felt a jab in her gut instincts—a subtext nestled within his word choice. Still, she decided to forgo delving too deeply; after knowing who Zayn was, Smith would know to restrain any display of aggression and antagonism, right?“Huh. Where’s Miss Laking?” Smith inquired after a cursory scan around failed to show him where Annabelle was.“She’s waiting for everyone in the reserved room,” came the reply.“Great,” Smith said, nodding again before leading Kenneth and the rest of his retinue up the stairs.Sure enough, the first thing that caught their eyes upon entering the room was Annabelle. Kenneth’s r
A storm shadowed Annabelle’s mien.That crossed the line—he was openly objectifying her!Even her two bodyguards, who could not understand Esperanto, were aggravated. They could read from the cavalier half-smile and lustful expression on his face to know that Kenneth must have made a sexual remark against Annabelle.Smith himself was flummoxed, too. In his case, it was because he never expected Kenneth to be so open about his advances. Of course, it soon occurred to him that his companion was aiming for more than just a sexual request: Kenneth wanted to take the girl in as his mistress. He wanted her.To that, Smith decided to not interfere. As the nation’s champion boxer who earned thousands of millions of dollars a year, Kenneth was more than capable to regale a Rheasian celebrity with splendor and riches.Honestly, if he had the chance, Smith would gladly beat Kenneth to owning such a pretty little thing himself!Annabelle tried hard to suppress her broiling blood, but it was
Zayn could already sense in his guts that Smith’s intention was impure. He could sniff the ulterior motive, the trap hidden behind an apologetic pretense. To think, some foreign celebrity would have the audacity to set up a trap in what was effectively Zayn’s home-turf! How amusing.Zayn could not wait to see what kind of surprise Smith had in store for him.Esther pushed the door open, and Zayn’s eyes came face-to-face with the newcomer, Kenneth, and the full glory of his pillar-thick neck, his almost similarly-sized face, and his bulking muscles pushing against the man’s shirt. He had the potential energy of a loaded shotgun. Then, judging from the calluses paving his knuckles as he set his fists on the table, Zayn was sagely enough to know that he was looking at a professional boxer with commendable skills.So, Smith managed to get a pro on his side. No wonder he worked his damnedest to secure Zayn’s attendance—things were about to get interesting.Zayn, impossibly perceptive as
Smith and his people were so red, the tips of their ears were crimson. Despite the humiliation, no one raised a rebuttal. No one wanted to risk going against Kenneth.“Hey, man. You shouldn’t underestimate that guy over there—he knows Rheasiano, man. He’s tough,” one of Smith’s bodyguards warned in an undertone. After experiencing Zayn’s terrifying prowess, he thought it would be better to caution Kenneth.Unfortunately, it sounded more like an insult to Kenneth’s ears. With a forceful sneer, he snapped, “Shut up, trash. I can’t believe a wimpy little Rheasian scared the balls of out of you dumb*sses! Rheasiano’s a performative art, for God’s sake. All style and no substance.”The lion’s share of disdain Kenneth felt for Rheasiano could not be understated. Even when the foreigners had taken to speaking in undertones—thus eluding Annabelle, whose attention had all been trained at Zayn—the man could still hear it all.A new veneer of frost had shadowed Zayn’s mien. He had hoped that
Zayn curled into a lopsided smile. Riling these foreigners was his precise intention.So what if a few Rheasians with inferiority complex had humbled themselves so much that it inflated these foreign races’ ego that after a period of time being served as master, they thought they could lord over everyone else. But Zayn, oh he would not feel welcomed and entitled at all. They were in Rheasian land; they were the ones who should bend under the host and their rules!Smith was balling his fists so hard that he could hear his knuckles popping from under the table. With almost impossible willpower, he managed to keep his ire from spilling out while forcing a mechanical smile out of his lips. “Excuse me, Mr. Larson, but I was wondering where did you learn—”He had not even finished his sentence when Zayn suddenly turned to Annabelle and said, “Oh, Miss Laking, I forgot. I’m craving some top-notch pork ribs, so please help me order it.”“O-Oh!” Annabelle was stunned for a second, but her e