The Young Mistress

CHAPTER II : HAPPINESS

....Anneth pov......

Standing on the balcony of my room I stared at the empty road thinking about all that happened.......three years have passed since my brother's death but the memories are still trapped in my brain and can't seem to escape out easily.

The cold breeze touched my soft skin making me wrap my arms around my body distracting me a little from my thoughts. I turned around to go inside and flinched a little seeing the man standing behind me
"Ronnie!!!!!" I skipped a breath.
"When did u came?" I asked yet surprisingly.
He chuckled and said
"We are going to be late don't u want to go?"
His words made me snuggle out of my thoughts as I quickly wore a jacket around me, took my bag and was ready to go to work.
"Let's go shall we?" He signalled me to move I nodded and moved out of the house with him. He handed me a cup of coffee and a piece of sandwich on the way as I hadn't had breakfast yet.
"Have this!!! you need lots of energy today" he said with a little smile on his face while sitting in the driver's seat.
"We have a very crazy yet important client to attend to" he started the engine and handed me a bunch of papers containing the contract of our deal with the man and started driving.

"I never met him, but he seems to be extremely accomplished at such a young age. He's exactly our age Anne can u believe that" I just hummed in response my eyes glued to the sheets he handed me not focusing on what he was saying.
I completed scanning the contract marking places that need rectification or to be revised again and kept the sheets back in the file.

The ride wasn't quiet though Ronnie being himself never stopped talking, telling me about anything and everything during the drive.
The whole ride was filled with laughter and his so-called mockeries.

After a good laughing session he halted and turned on the music. I looked out of the window thinking about all sorts of things. A memory approached me a happy one though!!!!

*****FLASHBACK*******

I HEARD SOME VOICES WHILE PLAYING IN THE HALL WITH BUGSY MY NANNY'S SON AND MY ONLY FRIEND THEN. I TURNED MY GAZE TOWARDS THE VOICE AS I SAW MY APPA SHAKING HANDS WITH A TALL AND HANDSOME YET SCARY-LOOKING MAN. MY EYES TURNED TOWARDS A BOY ASSUMINGLY OF MY AGE, HANDSOME, SHARP EYES WITH DARK BROWN HAIR. I WAS ADMIRING HIS FEATURES WHEN I HEARD A COLD YET SOFT VOICE IN MY EARS
"U SHOULDN'T EAVESDROP ON OTHERS LIKE THIS PRINCESS IT'S A BAD HABIT COME HERE" MY APPA CALLED ME.

I DID AS I WAS TOLD AND STOOD BESIDE MY FATHER.
"I WOULD LIKE U TO MEET MY NEW BUSINESS PARTNER AND MY OLD FRIEND MR BROWN AND HIS SON"

"HELLO SIR" I BOWED AND SMILED A LITTLE JUST AS I WAS TAUGHT.

"THIS IS MY BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS" MY FATHER INTRODUCED ME WITH A PROUD SMILE ON HIS FACE.

"OHH HELLO DEAR!!!! AIGOO!!!! U LOOK EXACTLY LIKE LILLY, DOESN'T SHE MR ROMANOFF?". THE AHJUSSI PINCHED MY CHEEKS WHILE LOOKING AT MY FATHER. I SMILED AWKWARDLY AT HIS ACTION WONDERING WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT AS MY FIVE-YEAR-OLD BRAIN WAS STILL SMALL TO UNDERSTAND HIS LANGUAGE.

I TURNED MY GAZE ELSEWHERE TO DISTRACT MYSELF AND I FOUND TWO SHARP EYES LOOKING AT ME MORE LIKE STARING AT ME. THE BOY WAS LOOKING AT ME WITH THE SAME EXPRESSION AS MINE HE CHUCKLED A LITTLE AS IF HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT I WAS THINKING.HIS FATHER WAS OBSERVING ALL THAT WAS HAPPENING.
" WELL DONT JUST STAND HERE AND STARE AROUND INTRODUCE URSELF"
HIS FATHER SAID YET COLDLY.

"HI MYSELF RONNALD" HE SAID WITH A LITTLE SMILE ON HIS FACE AS HE STRETCHED HIS RIGHT HAND TOWARDS ME GESTURING FOR A HANDSHAKE.

I LOOKED AT MY FATHER IN CONFUSION HE SIGNALLED ME WITH HIS EYES TO ACCEPT THE HAND.

"I AM ANNETH," I SAID AS WE SHOOK HANDS.

"NICE TO MEET U ANNETH," HE SAID WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE TO WHICH I REPLIED JUST WITH A SMILE.

"PRINCESS TAKE HIM WITH YOU AND SHOW HIM UR TOYS I AND AHJUSSI HAVE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT U GUYS GO AND PLAY."

I NODDED AND LEFT THE ROOM WITH THE BOY.

A smile dropped on my lips  remembering our first meeting.
My first encounter with Ronnie was so overwhelming that it still can't be forgotten we became best of friends since then we played together, went to school together,  graduated  and now are working together but the dummy is still the same, garrulous, clumsy but sweet and caring.
He was always there for me when I need support. I lost connection to the world after my brother died but he was the one who bought me back to the world and made me laugh and smile.

Pondering through my thoughts I felt a jerk in my neck which lead me to hit my head on the car dashboard as Ronnie applied breaks heavily.

"What the hell Ronnie!!!" I shouted as I lifted my head.

"I'm sorry Anne are u okay? This bastard here doesn't have eyes I'll go and give him eyes," he said angrily.

"Yaah leave it, he must be in a hurry," I said while rubbing my head. "I don't want to spoil my mood on such an important day."

"But how dare he overtook us, doesn't he know whose the car is this ?." Saying he got out of the car with immense anger in his eyes. I got out too to stop him as I didn't want to see a dead body this early in the morning.

He dragged the man out of his car and punched him in the face.

"Don't u have eyes huh?? U dare overtook my car!!!! Don't U know who I am?" He said while beating him like shit.

"I-I'm s-sorry s-sir!!! I didn't see it was ur car I was in a hurry.".....the man whined in a weak voice.

"Why didn't u see the car are u drunk?? Huh??" He held his collar tightly.
"Or are u blind!!! My friend here got hurt because of u and u are just sorry!!!!. How about I kill u today and then say sorry!!!!!
He said taking out his gun and pointing at his head.

"I am sorry sir, I am sorry ma'am.plzz, ask sir to leave me I have a family I have to return to. My daughter is sick I need to get to her I promise something like this won't happen again!!!!." The man begged me on his knees crying.

His words weakened me. They opened my loosely stitched wounds.

"Ronnie stop it!!!" I shouted angrily while pushing him back and snatching the gun from his hands.

"Just stop it already!!! U promised me no more deaths and this man was just going back to his family I am tired of all this violence just please stop it already." I said while tears fell through my eyes.

Ronnie frowned at my actions and took a step back.

"Get up and leave" I signalled the man to leave. He immediately got up and ran towards his car after bowing to us both.
I gave Ronnie a scowled look and ran towards the car and sat inside.

He came running after a moment, sat inside quietly and started driving. the ride eventually became quiet.

"I'm sorry okay!!!." He said breaking the silence. "U know how I am like when I get mad."

"Leave it now I don't want to spoil my mood any further just focus on the meeting this is more important," I said picking up my phone.

"Yes, we'll be there soon. Keep me informed." Cuts the call.

"He's here," I said as he pushed the accelerator harder and increased speed.