Back To School

Chapter one

Anya stood on the rooftop with a cocktail in her hand, surveying the scene. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and there were no complaints about the event, which made her happy. As an international event planner, Anya had a reputation to maintain. She was widely regarded as one of the best in the continent. However, some believed that her rapid rise up the ranks was due to her family's name and were waiting for an opportunity to bring her down.

"Everything seems to be perfect, you should loosen up," said the man in a white suit with a flower on it. He stood beside her and stared ahead while speaking.

"I'm glad everything seems perfect," she replied, glancing at him. He nodded and picked up a drink from a passing waiter. "We had a deal and you completed yours, now I'll complete mine."

As requested, here's a revised version of the text:

As soon as her phone beeped, she looked at it and nodded. Raising her cocktail, she said, "I hope we can close more deals in the future."

"Me too! Have a great rest of the year," he replied.

They clinked their drinks together and he took a sip of his. With a satisfied grin on her face, she also took a sip from her cocktail and glanced at the timer, which read 00:20.

As a well-known celebrity, she was aware of the numerous messages she would receive from both known and unknown individuals. Moreover, she had scheduled automatic messages for the people who were close to her heart.

Suddenly, an explosion occurred, causing her to almost drop her phone. She scolded herself for being startled despite having planned everything. The crowd erupted in cheers and began hugging each other, and eventually, the excitement began to die down when the fireworks lit up the sky.

Still grinning from the celebration, she reached for her phone, but her frown returned when she realized she had no network coverage. She resisted the urge to yell in frustration and bit her lip, thinking about how the year's best first-year gift to her was no network coverage.

Shortly after her phone buzzed, she assumed that her network was back on. However, she was surprised to see that it was a new message from an unknown number. She felt confused because other people around her were making video calls, indicating that their network was working properly.

Out of curiosity, she opened the message and tapped the video to download it. However, before the video could start playing, some people approached her and she had to attend to them. After a while, she excused herself and went to the restroom. She closed the door behind her and picked up her phone. To her disappointment, she still had no network connection. Nevertheless, she tried to remain calm and clicked on the video from the unknown number.

"What the f **k!" A few minutes into the video, she shouted in a high-pitched voice.

~~~~~~~

Betty was jolted from her sleep by a blaring sound. She reached for her phone, inwardly cursing the caller, and made a mental note to change her ringtone. "What?" she asked the caller, a boy, as she glared at him through the video call.

The boy greeted her with a smile, "I want to be the first to wish you a happy new year." She playfully glared at him, "That's why you disturbed my sleep?" He shrugged it off, "I know you're happy to see me."

She asked, "How are you?"

"I'm good, and you?" he replied.

"I was doing great until someone thought it was okay to wake me up," she responded with a hint of annoyance.

"Sorry," he apologized, looking down. She took a deep breath and said, "It's okay, I'm already up. So, what's up?"

"I already told you..." He started.

She cut him off, speaking firmly, "Don't waste my time, Tim."

"You know what, go back to sleep. Happy New Year," he said, abruptly ending the conversation.

"I suppose your parents should be informed of the fake extra sessions at 6 o'clock," she whispered with an enigmatic smile.

"if they find out, you could be fired," he responded.
She faked a gasp and sarcastically spoke, "Oh no, I'm so scared because you're the only client I work for."

"Okay, I didn't follow your advice to write a resolution, but I did fill out the forms and send them," he said, avoiding eye contact.
"I'm happy to hear that you took those steps and I promise you won't regret it. It wasn't so difficult, was it?" She smiled genuinely.
"Tomorrow will be our last session, and I'll miss you!" he announced.

"Tell me tomorrow with a parting gift and I'll be touched," she said, and he nodded.

"Happy New Year...." The call went off immediately, not letting him complete his sentence. She immediately noticed her network was gone.

"Of all times to go off, you choose now? I have messages to send!" she shouted, throwing her phone on the other side of the bed. It beeped, and she moved towards it and picked it up.

"How did it get in when there's no network?" she asked, not directing the question to anyone in particular. She clicked on the message, only to find that it was a video. She played the video curiously, but a few seconds in, a hysterical panic gasp escaped her lips as she tightened her grip on the phone. "Ayesha...." she shouted, her eyes full of disbelief and anger.

~~~~~~~
"I'm not happy that you turn me on and then leave," Asad complained.
"I feel the same way," Ayesha replied as she headed towards the restroom

"What's going on?" Asad asked.

"Well, your sisters and cousin made sure that our wedding was postponed by three months, and you didn't say anything to stop them," she accused, pointing a finger at him.

"I didn't object because I thought you would," he defended himself as he walked towards her slowly. However, she stopped him with a hand gesture.
"Don't come near me until you've taken a cold shower," she announced, and he nodded with a chuckle.

"I was expecting it to happen this month, but those silly girls," she groaned in annoyance.
"I don't have a problem with waiting, but I just have this feeling that those girls will try to break us up," she asserted firmly.

"I won't let that happen," he assured her as he looked into her eyes, even from a distance. "Neither will I. Let's finish up and go back to bed; I'm feeling sleepy," she replied before disappearing into the bathroom.

The phones on the bedside table buzzed, prompting Asad to walk over and pick up his own.

"You owe me 10k, babe," he hollered. She rushed out of the bathroom and picked up her phone. "There is no way that your messages came in before mine," she groaned, realizing that it was true. "I don't have any network," she announced. "Now, that's sad."

"Did you do this?" she held her phone up, questioning him with her eyes.

"Did I seize your network? Do I look like some kind of tech guy?" he laughed at his joke.

"Whatever!"

"I will be expecting the alert. By the way, Happy New Year!" he pecked her cheek and stepped back immediately, remembering her words.

"Same to you," she pouted.

"I don't have a network," she whined and went back to the bathroom.

"I'll take my shower in the opposite room," he raised his voice so she could hear.

"Where were you planning on taking it before?" she equally raised her voice.

Back in the bathroom, she sighed, frustrated, and begrudgingly clicked on the message from the unknown number. After downloading the video, she clicked the video a few seconds later. She flipped and stepped back, almost dropping her phone.

"I knew this girls would cook up something," she clenched her teeth as she simmered with anger.

《》...《》
What's up, guys?
What do you guys think about this chapter?
And which of the characters did you find interesting?