His Sweet Girl

Chapter 02: Old friend.

The next morning, Anabella calls her best friend, Alex. She likes to have her old friend back in her life again. She got to know him while they were still in middle school and became best friends when they were in high school. They went to the same university in the first year. She studied interior design, and he studied marketing.

Aneblla hopes that Alex's old number still works. When his phone starts to ring, she feels excited. Alex cannot recognize the new number on his phone. He stared at the number for a couple of seconds, before taking the call.

“Hi, Alex. It is Ana calling”. Alex is surprised to hear her voice.

“Ana, is it really you? What happened? Why didn’t you call me before? Do you not have any pity for the friendship we have?”

“Hey… hey, cool down big boy. I am here. I am alive, not yet dead. It is all that mattered, isn’t it? Can we meet and talk?”

“I will not forgive you that easily for abandoning me for the last 6 years.

Sure, we can meet. I need an explanation. Better be a big fatty one”.

“Sure, I will explain everything. When can I meet you?”

“How about today? I cannot wait anymore to see you again. I can finish my work early, and we can meet for a coffee, about 4 o’clock, I say?”

“Sounds good. I also need your help to choose a car. I want to buy a second-handed one from the car sale”

“No worries. Where shall I pick you up?”

Even though Alex was her best friend, Anabella did not know him for six years. She is not willing to share her personal information with him yet, especially about her children.

“How about you pick me up from West Park? We will have more time for car hunting”.

“Sure, see you there, bunny, bye”. It was the name Alex had given to her when they were in middle school as she played a bunny in the primary school play.

“Bye, monkey”. It was the name Anabella had given to Alex based on the same school play. It brings up a lot of memories for her, memories they shared together in their childhood.

Pallavi is happy to know that Anabella is going to meet Alex. She always likes him. She even thought that they would get into a relationship in the end. When they were in high school, Alex was always with Anabella, especially after the death of Anabella’s father.

Ana is still young. They still have some chances to get together'. Pallavi thinks to herself.

Pallavi is always happy to take care of Maya and Manura. She told Ana to take as much time as she needed. Pallavi gave Anabella her old car keys. She rarely uses the car.

Anabella got her kids from school by three o’clock and left the house soon after. She reaches West Park exactly by four o’clock. Alex is waiting for Ana. Ana sees Alex, but Alex does not see her. She walks slowly and jumps onto him, scaring the hell out of him.

“Ana, you scared me. Don’t you have any nerve for my poor self and my handsome face?" Alex complained.

“A little for your poor self, but none for your so-called handsome face”. Anabella joked and gave him a bear hug. He also reciprocated the hug. They sat on the nearby bench, under the shadow of trees.

“How are you, big monkey? I want to know everything that has happened to you during the last six years”.

Anabella asked Alex. She wants to know about him, before opening herself to him. She has many insecurities, especially with her kids. After what happened two years ago, she is not willing to trust anybody, except Pallavi and her other family in Paris.

“I am doing really great. I am currently working in the marketing division of the Robinsons Group as an assistant manager. How about you? Where have you been in the last six years?”

“Wow, I am proud of you. You really did what you always wanted. I was in France for the last six years, studying and staying with my other Aunt. You may not know her.

What a coincidence, I am also going to work for the Robinsons Group as an interior designer for their new apartment complexes on the city outskirts. We both probably work in the same building. I have my appointment to finalize the administration procedure with the HR department next Monday. I will work in the main office in the city center”. Anabella told him.

Alex did not show the same proud smile he always showed to Anabella whenever she praised him. Anabella was surprised to see those small changes in him. She feels like she doesn’t know him as she knew him before. She cannot blame him. It has already been six years. What Anabelle did not know was that Alex did something behind her to betray her trust. He is not able to show her his old proud smirk anymore.

“You will work in that building”. Alex pointed his finger to the tallest building in the city, which is the main office of the Robinsons Group. Alex is excited that Anabelle is going to work with him in the same company.

“We will work in the same building, but on different floors. If you want, we can have lunch together. I can introduce you to some new people.”.

“That would be perfect”. Anabella acknowledged.

“How about we go to the car sale to check a car for you first? Meanwhile, we can talk”. Alex suggested.

“Sounds good”.

They both walked into the City Car Sale, where anyone can buy a second-handed vehicle. Alex is amazed at why Anabella wants to buy a second-handed car, not a brand-new one. In the past, she always liked fresh things. She worked hard to have them. She has indeed changed a lot. After many recommendations and talks, Anabella chose a Hyundai i10, which has low running and maintenance costs, and an impressive amount of space inside the car. The space inside the car was something Anabella paid attention to the most. The manager promised to have the car ready in two days. They will check the engine for any possible errors and have it fully serviced. Anabella paid an advance as the sale required.

Anabella asked Alex a lot of questions about his life. She wants to know everything about him. After she left, Alex had several girlfriends, and at the moment he is single. When he sees her again in front of him, his old feelings toward her come rushing in. He has known her since middle school and became best friends in high school. He always had feelings for her but was too afraid to ask her out. He did not want to ruin their friendship. He knew that she was going through a hard time at home and did not want to bother her with anything else. He had planned a surprise party for her eighteenth birthday as she did for his, but she did not answer her phone that day. The next day, he did not see her and came to know that she had left the city. He tried to contact her any way he could but all attempts led to dead ends. He knew that something bad must have happened at her house, but he could not find out what happened.

After she left, Alex felt devastated. To ease his pain, he slept with any girl who laid their hands on him. Alex is a very attractive guy. Being an eye candy, many girls in the college wanted to have a piece of him. His unhealthy lifestyle led him to many problems. He could not do very well in college and barely had the marks for graduation. He did not tell any of those to Anabella. He wants her back in his life, not only as his friend, but also as her lover, if possible as his wife, but he very well knows that he betrayed her trust for his own gain three years ago.

Anabella was proud of her friend. She thought that Alex had achieved everything by himself. It is extremely competitive to get any kind of job in any company that belongs to the Robinsons Group. Anabella had gone through a similar experience. She had multiple interviews and workshops before getting the acceptance letter from the HR office. She thought that Alex worked very hard in his colleges and internships afterward.

Like Alex, Anabella also had a huge crush on him when they were teenagers. She did not want to make things awkward between them. She thought that one day Alex would ask her out on a date. She waited for that day, but unfortunately, it is now too late. She has no plans of getting into any kind of relationship, probably it may stay like that for the rest of her life. What happened on that dreadful night made her afraid of being intimate with anyone.

When they come out of the car sale, it is past six o’clock. Alex invited Anabella, not only for a drink but for dinner. He knew that he would be able to convince Anabella to have dinner with him if he showed her his puppy eyes and sad face. Anabella never likes to make others sad or angry. Before he came to meet Anabella in the evening, he made a reservation in one of the most elegant restaurants in the city. The restaurant belongs to the Robinsons’ Group. For staff members of the group, the restaurant always has some reserved tables. Alex was able to get one of those tables in the morning. He wanted to surprise her. He still feels guilty about what he had done three years ago towards Anabella. It is a way for him to ease some of his guilt. He hoped that she would never find out the truth behind all his achievements.

Anabella accepted Alex's request. She does not want to make him upset as she is meeting him for the first time in six years. In her mind, she still feels guilty about leaving the country suddenly without telling anything to her best friend.

Anabella did not think that Alex would take her to an elegant restaurant. Alex parked the car in front of one of the most expensive restaurants in the city.

“Alex, why are we here? We can go somewhere small like we always did”.

“Relax my lady. You have nothing to worry about. This restaurant belongs to the Robinsons’ Group. For the staff of the group, they always have some free reservations, and also a good discount. You don’t have to worry about anything”.

“But I am not dressed for this kind of place”.

“Nonsense, Ana. You look perfect and elegant. Not everyone in the restaurant wears something very expensive to be elegant. You can be elegant with something very simple like you do now”. Alex told her. She is wearing a very simple dress with only a necklace.

“Okay if you say so”. Alex got out of the car and opened the door for her. He extended his hand to her and she took it without thinking twice. As friends, they used to have the same behavior in their old days.

Once they were inside, a waiter showed them to their table, which was near the roadside in front of the parking lot. Alex still remembered Anabella's favorite dishes and pre-ordered some of those while he was making the reservation, assuming that her taste had not changed. Anabella was surprised that Alex still remembers her all-time favorite dishes.

“You remember”.

“How can I forget? We always had our meals together”.

While they are having dinner, Anabella tells Alex her story. She tells him what happened to her six years ago, what her stepmother and stepsister did to her in order to steal her money, and why she decided to leave the country immediately afterward. In her story, she left out the entire part about how she was getting pregnant by that strange man, her kids, and what made her come back to the city. Alex is surprised beyond what he has ever been. He knew that her stepmother and stepsister were cruel and did mean things to her, but he never thought that they would do something that cruel to her. He feels more guilty after hearing her story.

After Anabella left, Alex did not do well in college. It was Anabelle who always pushed Alex to do his best. He had marginally enough marks and credits to obtain the degree. He always had a dream to work for a big company. His father is a retired doctor, and his mother is a middle school teacher. They could not help him with his career goals. After graduation, Alex tried to find an internship in a big company, but none wanted to hire him due to his bad marks and recommendations from the university. He did some internships in some small companies but could not find a stable job.

Anabella's stepsister, Georgianna Stone, is always jealous of Anabella, especially about her friendship with Alex. Georgianna always fancied Alex, but he never showed any interest in her. In his eyes, Anabella was the only girl he wanted. Georgianna envied Anabella for not recognizing the love in Alex's eyes for Anabella and for not taking advantage of him. Georgianna tried to seduce Alex many times, but he pushed her away. Several times, when Alex was waiting for Anabella in their old house, she asked Alex for some help in her room and stripped in front of him. She had a gorgeous body, and she took care of it. Alex showed no interest in taking advantage of the situation and just walked away.

Georgianna went to the same university Alex and Anabella went to but dropped out after the first semester. She always wanted to be a model and an actress. She was in many small acting parts but had no luck finding a bigger role. Just after Anabella left, her popularity skyrocketed. She took major roles in several big dramas and movies. She is the main actress in all the Robinsons Group’s telemarketing advertisements. She participated in all events organized by the Robinsons Group. She is the only woman Paul Robinsons, the CEO of the Robinsons’ Group, ever stands beside. She even publicly admitted that Paul was her boyfriend. Paul never denied or accepted it. She is the only woman Paul has ever appeared in public with, besides his grandma. He escorted her to all events organized by the group. She always took him with her whenever she was invited to some festivals or events outside the group. Everyone envied the relationship she has with Paul.

Paul is known as a cold-hearted person. He rarely smiled at anyone. He allowed no mistakes in his group. He single-handedly managed the Robinsons Group, which has nearly 100 companies in different fields. He is known as the emperor of the business world, and no one dares to challenge him. He is the youngest CEO the country has ever had. Besides being the richest person in the country, he is also very famous for his handsomeness. Whenever he goes out, the paparazzi try to follow him, at least to have a gleam at his personal life. Paul respects his personal space and has no mercy for whoever comes to challenge it.

When Alex could not find a job, he went to Georgianna for her help. She promised to help him based on a single request, to bed with her. Alex was amazed by her request. She had the most powerful and handsome man as her boyfriend, but she still wanted to sleep with Alex and cheat on her famous boyfriend. Alex thought to himself that Paul might be the best in management and business but might not be very good in bed. He did not think twice. He desperately wanted a job and was proud of his ability in bed. He thought to himself that at least in one aspect of life, he was better than Paul. Alex shared a steamy night with Georgianna in her own bedroom. She did what she promised. She helped him to get a job in the Robinsons’ Group, as an assistant executive. Alex felt extremely guilty about what he did to Anabella and how he got the job. He worked very hard to prove himself in the company. He got promoted several times and is now an assistant manager in the marketing division of the group. He tries his best to avoid Georgianna, especially when she is with Paul.

What Alex and Anabella do not know is that someone is watching them from afar. She observes all their movements. She is not happy to see Anabella again, especially with Alex. Georgianna feels extremely jealous and angry when Alex is openly flirting with Anabella.