Surprises are called surprises because it always catches you accurately when you are most unprepared. Oftentimes it is shocking, on a positive note surprises can give you joy while on the other hand, it could also lead to huge trouble. 

“Here she is!” Ramsy waved to Sena as soon as she stepped out of the main house. “Grandmother finally let you go, huh?” 

Most in the film production division of Sparks University attended the old lady’s party to pay respect. The boys came only to huddle in one corner and gossip like bored housewives. Aside from cameras and scripts, the other thing you’ll incessantly hear coming from those mouths is the name of the professor they hate the most.

“Hello people.” She greeted enthusiastically patting Chang’an’s shoulder. “Wanna dance? I’m free.”

Before Chang’an could utter a reply Sydney’s voice drifted over. “Sena, we all know Chang’an is a very good dancer but with a girl? He will step all over her toes.”

Sena blinked. “Guess I’ll save my feet then,” 

Though Chang’an avoids her like the plague, he couldn’t very well stomach being dissed and glared at Sydney. “Put glue on your mouth.”

“I thought you’re scared of her?”

“Who said so?”

“Yeah right, as if you clamming up wasn’t enough proof.” Sydney snorted, “Hey Sena, what did you do to this lad? Stole his lunch money or something?”

Sena shrugged as she eyed Chang’an playfully, “His life was too perfect, I’d figure he needs a bully to toughen up so I volunteered myself.” 

“Stop, they might believe I’ve been attacked by a tiny mugger.” 

Sena, five feet and seven inches is mad. Everybody on the table laughed so hard when she unceremoniously pulled on his sideburns. 

“Ouch!” 

Ramsy motioned for the seat on his right but she joked that if she sat too far, Chang’an might feel abandoned. Actually, she just wants to pick on him some more. 

“Scoot.” 

The poor guy had to helplessly obey. “Are you… are you coming to Ren's open house party?”

“I have to, it’s business. Don’t tell me you want to tag along.”

Chang’an did not react to her teasing but instead looked at her for a few seconds. “Be careful.”

“Okay…” she replied, finding his attitude somewhat strange. Brushing it off, she then turned to Ramsy, “I haven’t seen granny for a while. I missed her. Didn’t expect you to come either.”

The other guy pouted, “Same reason, I miss her as well.”

“You should, you’re the biological grandchild after all.”

“Heard you argued with the guests?” 

“Yeah, the one you towed along.”

Ramsy heard the edge on her tone and felt his insides tighten. “Hey, hey, that was unintentional.” 

“The argument was unintentional either,” Sena said, giving him a dead-eyed look.

Why does this lady look like she’s holding a grudge against him? 

“What argument? A one-sided slaughter is more like it.” Chang’an murmured on the side, gaining him a pinch from her little claws instead. 

Ramsy shuddered playfully. 

“I’m not generous enough to waste more saliva for petty stuff.” she said plainly.

So you go for an instant kill. 

The guys fell silent looking at her like they were seeing two pointy horns poking on her forehead.

“Anyway, let's not talk about it. I dropped by to thank you all for lending your talent to us.” 

“You’re mentioning it now?” Sydney who had been quiet on the side exposed a row of pearly white teeth. “We got our exposure plus pay, it’s a win-win besides, you’re a friend.”  

Since he put it that way she cheekily said, “Oh, right friends. Thank goodness because I was thinking of abusing the privilege for the coming days. Hope you’re ready for it.”

She had no plans of changing this crew, not unless they get a huge offer aside from her. 

“No prob,” Sydney assured. “Abuse us in any way you like.”

Then his friends glared at him, especially Chang’an as though they had been sold to a human trafficker. 

There wasn’t much to talk about aside from casually passing by to say hello, they will be seeing more of each other during work anyway so after saying her piece she excused herself, ready to end the night. In the corner of the dimly lit patio, a pair of eyes followed her movement until she faded within the crowd. 

As soon as she got home that evening, her phone buzzed with the unwanted number displayed on the screen. 

Mr Luz.

She hadn’t heard of this person in years. Before, each call was always filled with blades. She assumed it would be the same this time so why bother? 

Either of the two must have tattled on her spectacular performance tonight. It wasn’t her father’s fault if he is overprotective of his family’s well-being. Most people are like that. One is the daughter of the sister he carefully raised while the other is the offspring of his true love. 

As a result of his coddling, those two think they can get everything they want by whining. 

He didn’t like hearing they were aggrieved in the slightest. The call right now is a positive sign of her getting a long-winded lecture about generosity, manners and pretty much about life. Sena wished she could casually answer the phone without ruining her mood. 

Since she decided to break away from her fate, she had to do it thoroughly. That includes cutting all ties with these hypocrites. 

But she was bound to bump into them one way or another. 

 

Early in the morning, Sena yanked the zipper of her jeans before giving it a pat and ran downstairs.

“I’m going out for today.” she told April while biting on her butter-filled bread.

“Remember your six o’clock appointment at Ren’s open house party. I already have the housewarming gift ready.”

In just three weeks of training and studying, April now has a good grasp of her routine, some of her habits and schedule. She still has a long way to go to become a full-fledged capable assistant but with her high observation and comprehension skills plus enthusiasm, it gave her a lot of advantages to developing faster. 

“Thank you,” Sena said, finishing her food in three bites then washing it down with milk. 

She poked her phone open for the weather report and headlines. Still the same. No big news, yet. The only good thing is that it had twenty missed calls from Mr Luz, the man is probably seething for not being answered and hadn’t slept much. 

Ah, the joys of being independent. 

Grabbing her shoulder bag, she stepped out of Paragon to the hot and clear Saturday. Last night she left a word with Ramsy to meet up at the restaurant nearby but first, she had to see one more person. 

The one she is trying to meet is someone who knows a little about computers. Sena walked along the lines of boutiques, restaurants and hailed a cab. The neat and tidy buildings faded behind her as she reached the most crowded area where the Capital and Pearl Marina City meets. The farmer's market.

It wasn't as organized as it was in her memory, she realized. The road is muddily littered with rotten vegetables and there are roadside stalls everywhere you look. Contrasting its messy atmosphere are men wearing neat shirts with brand names splashed on their chests like signboards. They walk in groups with their glittering imitation watches and mean smiles. Sena eyed them, not bothering to hide her frown. These parasites had been collecting money from small vendors who could barely sell their produce.

One of the men looked her way and winked. She turned away sharply in displeasure and walked towards the shop. She wondered if the place was as lively as the outside. When Sena found it and stepped inside she was instead greeted by a blast of air conditioner and white tiled floor.

It's clean.

It was a tiny space of about 40 sq meters with at least ten sets of computers. The walls had a peeling apple green paint but were not too hard to look at. Compared to the chaos outside, it was a lot fresher here. This was an old version of a computer rental shop. The kind where the moment you open your browser, there will be a bunch of audience lurking behind trying to see what you'll be searching about.  

“Can I help you?” a teenage girl with a sweet face manning the counter asked. 

“I'm looking for the owner?”

Her expression shifted from neutral to wariness while appraising Sena from head to foot. The lady wore faded jeans, a simple V-neck white shirt and a pair of black chucks. No eye-catching jewellery, just a little leather watch on her slender wrist and her little smooth face. Not exactly like someone who came to collect ‘fees’.

“Owner is busy at the back.”

“I'm not in a hurry, I can wait.”

“Suit yourself. If you need anything just call me. I'm Layla.” she pointed to one of the extra chairs by the wall near the counter and continued with her game.  

A short while he heard shuffling from the back door and voices of two people conversing. Later Layla stood up, her twinkling with unspoken excitement. Sena guessed it must be the owner but what made this young girl so happy? When the door opened, she got her answer.

“Big brother, are you done?”

A tall man with shaggy hair nodded his head. “Nicholas said we better haul ass outta here or else he will send thugs to break our equipment. See how heartless he is?”

Layla giggled and shyly looked at the other man in a black shirt and faded jeans. 

“Piss off Mike. Stop making me look bad in front of the kid.” 

“With her grinning from ear to ear like that? I doubt she’d be frightened of you even when you use your business face.”

“Brother!” Layla glared. “Oh, before I forget. A lady is looking for you.”

Nicholas elbowed the shaggy-haired Mike who looked like he needed a decent bath. He probably hadn’t seen a hairbrush in days too. Thankfully, the androgynous face made up for it. 

“You've been living like a hermit yet you still manage to attract a chi—”

He turned to where Sena sat and swallowed his words.

“Hi.” Sena waved her paw awkwardly. 

Inside she was jumping up and down, rolling left and right wishing to find a crack to bury herself into. Who knew right?

Nicholas paused, his eyes light brown irises vivid with something directly connecting to her hazel ones. Some memories floated back on the surface of his mind and reflected on his gaze. Some of which wanted him to grit his teeth and he better off forgets while most of it strangely wants to make him smile. He rubbed his lower lip, preoccupied with rapid observations and assessments. From the elitist party over a day ago wearing designer clothing, he suddenly finds her here in the most unlike part of the city he wouldn't have thought she would be. However, she did not appear out of place because she came ready. Both her clothes and bag were inexpensive, nothing in her body would draw unwanted attention except that striking face.

“Long time, hon.” he said, mustering the most natural expression he could manage. 

Sena's ears went numb. A mellow voice of a rich baritone with a lazy drawl. Just as she remembered it.  

Michael cleared his throat, breaking the brewing interlude. “I thought she was looking for me.” 

For a minute there, Nicholas doubted Mike's words. Mike and Sena had no involvement whatsoever so why would she even look for him? Meanwhile, he and she had…   

“I'm looking for him.” Sena confirmed pointing a finger to Michael.

“Him?” Nicholas repeated with a stunned face.

“Yes, him.”

"See that?" Mike said smugly. "Move away. I'm talking to the beauty."

 

***

 

Nicholas leaned back on the couch adopting a relaxed posture while the two talked seriously on the other end of the room. He appeared uninterested in the conversation but his mind had long been concentrated on their topic— and the girl.

“So Miss Erde is giving me a chance to redeem myself, is that it?” Mike said, kneading his forehead. 

“You don’t want to?”

He looked in the eyes and threw in his question as well, “Why would you?”

Sena casually tapped her fingers on the arm of the aluminium chair she primly sat herself on. She had a short mocking smile on her face looking as though she was ridiculing something. Whatever that is, that wasn’t aimed at him, however. 

“I know you’re doubting me because we just met today and you know so little of me. As I said, I’m asking you this because I merely wanted to set things right and give the culprit the punishment they deserved. If this helps you in the process then all the better.”

“Why not go to the right person who can help you?”

Sena chuckled while playing with the strap of her watch. Then her eyes came to him, “There was never a right person from the beginning.”

That stunned Michael and he was still lost in thought even when Sena left.

Nicholas, who went to the washroom somewhere in the middle, hoped to catch up with his ‘acquaintance’ Sena but the moment he stepped out, all he saw was her back hurrying to the exit as if her butt was on fire. 

“Do I look that scary?” he asked Layla who had her head poked out from the counter. The kid just rolled her eyes at him. 

When he returned to the back office, Michael already sorted his thoughts. 

“What did you guys talk so seriously about?”

“Traffic cameras.”

“Great.” He has no idea what that means.  

“Also, I may have to seriously consider your proposal.”

“Sounds good to me. You staying here won’t be long until those jackals get a whiff of your whereabouts. With the company in trouble right now, you are like a dangling juicy piece of meat. They were still determined to drag you back and have you work like a leashed dog.”

“It’s not my fault I have idiots for cousins who know nothing but to fail simple investments.” he said caustically. 

“Well, if you don’t want to work for them how about let me poach you instead?”

Mike rubbed his hands together, “Does it come with free food and a new house?”

“Do you think I’m such a cheapskate? I’ll add in wifi and an eighty-meter long pool if you want. You hid so hard it took me a while to find where you are after the task.”

“I had to quickly make changes for Layla's sake. She suffered enough in that place while I was away.”

Nicholas knew that the only soft spot his enemies could poke into that iron exterior was his sister from his father’s last lover. Although they came from different mother’s, he had always held Layla gently like a precious glass in his hand and he would do anything to protect her. Did Sena’s arrival help this bonehead change his mind? 

“Thanks, Nikki, for not giving up.” 

Nicholas was surprised, “You’re thanking me? Why do I feel like it’s reserved for somebody else?” 

“I’ll take that back if you don’t want it.” Mike said. 

The other man threw him a disgusted look. “Had I known you’d fold right away at the sight of a chick I should have brought one.”

“Says the man who avoids women like the plague.”

Nicholas's irritating smug smile froze. 

“So, what about traffic cameras?” He changed the topic skillfully. 

Mike put his hands on his hips and dug out a long sigh. “She wants me to hack into the system of the capitol to get through the city’s surveillance camera on a certain date in between 8:00 and 11:00 pm two blocks away from Millenium Bar.”

“Just that? I don’t see why you’re so reluctant. It’s not like a simple peeping can make their experts notice you.”

“Looks like you’re agreeing on my behalf. What happened to not breaching guidelines and protocols?”

Nicholas slapped his shoulder, “Are you chickening out?” 

“It’s not hard,” Mike sneered at him, completely disregarding that his question was not answered. “Only that I need a few more pieces of equipment and update a few things to secure my hub.” 

“Perfect. Pack your bags now, the black room in your new house is ready.”

Thirty minutes later, the little sister Layla was sent upstairs to gather their meagre belongings.

“It puzzles me as to why Miss Erde would ask something like this all of a sudden.”

“Who knows…” Nicholas said, rubbing his chin. “If you’re not keen on doing it personally, there are still others. Aren’t you friends with the mayor’s secretary? If you ask him, maybe he will even do the recording for you.”

Michael paused. 

What he said made sense, but that’s under the premise that he can trust that person. Mike had been friends with the secretary and he even helped him with his new documents for staying in this nifty place. For a long time, he had only gratitude for that person but what Sena said: There was never a right person rang in his head like a warning sign.