Anonymous and Incognito

Chapter 6

Anna

Today I have to go to the hospital to get my results from the doctor so yay for me. Not the sarcasm.

Hospitals are not necessarily my thing because seeing all those sick people just makes me sad, and besides I am not really used to the environment because I grew up where whenever you were sick you had your own doctor who would come to your house and do their thing, not the other way around.

I guess one could say I had a soft life in some aspects of it but non the less I still go to the doctor regardless of my fears and feelings about hospitals.

Anyways, back to this morning...

I decided on making an appointment at twelve for the hospital thingie... I should stop using that word it's turned into such a bad habit. 

Anyways so that gives me more than enough time to drop by the coffee shop and check on how things are going and see if everyone is doing alright.

So I get up a bit earlier than usual.. weird I know even I stunned myself on that one, not going to lie. These days I have a tendency of doing things I would not usually do, like cutting my hair and getting some bangs and highlights. Nearly got a tattoo but I honestly don not know what stopped me.

I take a quick shower, as always. I debate on washing my hair or not but I am feeling a bit lazy today so I'll do it some other day, and besides today is a Monday I could really care less about my looks.

I wear a black turtle neck with fudge trouser pants, a pair of black suede ankle boots and I decide on topping it up with a fudge fleece overcoat that matches the colour of my trousers.

I decide on leaving my hair wavy but tying it in a ponytail should do.

I am sure you are asking yourself why I'm all dress up today. Well, after dropping by the hospital I have a job interview at the one and only Dalton Holdings so I need to look my absolute best because first impressions can make or break pretty much everything. I have the interview at one thirty p.m. so that gives me more than enough time to do whatever I need to do and arrive at Dalton Holdings at a minimum ten minutes early.

Today really is a jam packed day but you know what, I'll make t out alive.

Guess what?! 

I bought a new car and sold my old one, was not about to take that risk after what happened at the park, maybe I should get some more weapons for just in case.

Anyways... mind and eyes on the road Anna.

I mean I am a good driver but with my eyesight I need to be super duper extra careful cause if I miss one little detail things can go bad. 

I speak from experience but story for another day.

After a short drive I finally arrive at the coffee shop and business is booming, as always. 

Danm, I mus admit it does feel good to finally say that but I should put it off before it turns into another habit of mine.

"Good morning everyone. Morning Brenda." I smile as I walk my way to Brenda to give her a hug.

She looks up and she returns the smile before getting up to return the hug. "Good morning sweetie pie. My oh my you look so gorgeous today and seem extra chirpy, what is the special occasion?" She wiggles her eyebrows up and down and making sure that I heard her emphasize 'special occasion'.

I give her a smile and a casual shrug before I start getting all giddly. "Well my dear Brenda... remember that I signed up for a studentship program at the one and only Dalton Holdings?"

She takes a couple of seconds to remember what I'm talking about then she suddenly smiles. "Oh yes hunny... how's that working out so far?"

"Well today I have an interview at the company and if I'm lucky enough the CEO might even be there and interview me himself."

She takes my hands in her hers. We both have small hands so the scenery is actually cute. "Sweetie those are great news! I hope everything works out for you okay." 

"I hope so too and thank you so much."

She looks at me with a suddenly serious expression making me almost s**t my pants. "Anna why are you here at the coffee shop when you have an interview to prep for?"

Okay we all know what I'm doing here cause I mentioned it earlier in the morning but how the f**k do I tell her that? "Well I just wanted to come check up on everyone and see if my help is needed in any way." I tried sounding as cute and innocent as possible but that failed miserably cause I ended up sounding like Minnie Mouse, yay for me!. Note the sarcasm.

"Urghh Anna, always worried about her business." She gives a small laugh before continuing. "You so up and about with every aspect of your life, you should relax and prep but since you are here, I need help with the new employee okay hun." 

"Sure thing, what can I help with?"

"He's new on the job and is working as a waiter so I am going to need you to give him a few rips and tricks. He looks like he needs them." 

I laugh a little at her last comment about the new guy. "Poor guy, and what makes you say that of all things?" 

She sighs before turning to look at me, again. "See the kid is really shy so maybe he could warm up to you since you shy. This is also his first job in the food and consumer industry so help a kid out will ya?"

I give her a knowing smile to her suspicious words. "Okay ma'am, it's not like I have anything better to do." I walk off heading towards the locker room where I assume the new guy might be at.

Brenda screams since I'm not close to her to hear anything. "Oh and his name is Noah and he's your age, don't be weird Anna."

I roll my eyes in a playful manner at the last part of her statement.

I'm not weird. Or well that is what I tell myself.

I like to think of myself as rather unique than weird. Everyone these days is trying so hard to be the same thing and it's so mainstream. People are trying so hard to fit into society's standards and all that, they forget to be themselves and actually enjoy life.

It's kind of like wanting to look like a Barbie doll. Plastic... it's fucken plastic what the hell. Those dolls have the most unrealistic bodies ever. Like she has this big ass head but one long and thin as f**k neck. How is a small neck like that supposed to support the weight of your head? Wouldn't it just snap? 

And don't get me started on how small her waist is and how it's supposed to support the rest of her upper body. Wouldn't she like... you know what nevermind let's just leave it there I don't really want to think and even know what would happen. This mind is pure and innocent and I am not about to traumatize it any further.

As I am about to walk into the locker room I suddenly bump into a hard chest making me stumble and take a few steps back to regain my balance.

I hear a deep and husky voice speak but my mind is elsewhere. "I am so so sorry. Are you okay miss?"

It takes me a few seconds to register what is happening before I gain my sanity back. "Uhm yes I'm okay thank you."

I feel a set of hands hold my shoulders gently. "Are you sure? Are your glasses fine, no c***k or anything like that?"

I take my glasses off to attempt inspecting them and they look good to me, just a bit smudged. "Yeah my glasses are fine." It takes time for my eyes to adjust to my surroundings since I took off my glasses. I mean, smudged glasses just irritate my eyes so it's more or less the same thing.

Shucks! Focus Anna.

I see someone wave their hands in front of me. "Earth to miss..." The deep and husky voice keeps on saying this.

"Uhm sorry about that I zoned out. I'm sorry to ask this but who are you again? I can't really see without these and them being smudged won't do any good." I squint my eyes trying to recognise who is standing in front of me.

He laughs before answering. "I'm the new guy. My name is Noah which you probably already know so yeah." 

I'm getting this vibe that he's nervous and feeling awkward but he's trying so danm hard to hide it. But I mean hey his laugh is so sexy but you know what enough about it before my mind goes places.

I quickly wipe my glasses and put them back on.

"Oh Noah. Brenda told me about you. I'm Anna and I'll be helping you out here and there so if you need anything, and I mean anything at all please don't hesitate to ask me or Brenda if I'm not available." Stay professional Anna. Don't drool over the Greek God standing in front of you okay and don't pay any attention to those muscles bulging as if begging for the material to be removed so they can just flash themselves before your eyes. Note the irony.

Haha... not helping subconscious... not helping at all.

I familiarise Noah.. Noah.. Anna focus! I'm acting as if it's my first time being around the male species or as if I am not familiar with the male species. 

Oh who am I kidding?! I only got introduced to the real world at seventeen, only because I ran away.

I familiarise Noah with the cafe and the works of the cafe and anything and everything related to the cafe.

After some time Noah gets the hang of it, just in time for me to leave and head to my doctor's appointment.

"Hey Brenda, I'm off to the hospital then afterwards I'll just head to the big guy... wink wink hint hint nudge nudge." 

After a decent drive I arrive at the hospital wanting to get this over and done with.

Ten minutes later I am sitting outside the doctor's office waiting to be called in.

"Anna Lennox?" The same nurse from last time asks as she peeps her head out of the office.

I slightly raise my hand and mumble. "That would be me." I give an awkward smile.

The nurse turns to look at me and smiles. "Please follow me."

I've been sitting on this chair for the past ten minutes listening to the doctor talk about brain tumors and the different types and explaining them briefly.

My legs are shaking uncontrollably and I feel like I am about to throw up my insides.

"Uhm so I am sure you are wondering why I am blabbing about brain tumors. So the tests we conducted show us that you have a brain tumor which has spread to the breasts. So in simple terms you have metastatic breast cancer." The doctor looks at me expectantly but she goes on when realising I will not be saying much anytime soon. "Unfortunately it cannot be cured but there are several treatment options. Unfortunately the tumor is inoperable meaning that surgery is not an option in which we can the remove the tumor but we can try out endocrine therapy which stops the progression of the tumor. Let's start from there and see how things work out okay."

"Doc..."

She looks at me with a warm smile "Yes?"

I take a deep breath and move my hands from my thighs to the table. "Slow down a bit will ya. All this is making my head spin doc."

The nurse and the doctor exchange a look before they both turn to look at me with both of them having huge smiles plastered on their faces. "Okay. In simple terms you have metastatic breast cancer and I would love to start putting you on hormone therapy as soon as possible and see how that works out."

I nod in understanding. "So how does this work doc?"

She smiles as if seeming pleased. "So because breast cancer uses hormones to grow, I am going to prescribe to you a pill that stops the growth of cancer and in some cases there is a surgery done in which we remove some of your ovaries so that the production of certain hormones is decreased meaning that the cancer doesn't have enough of its hormones to grow therefore the growth of the cancer stops. Does that make sense dear?"

I take a moment  to think about her words which make sense to me. "Yes that does make sense. But at first you did say surgery is not an option but now you're talking about the removal of some of my ovaries through surgical procedure... you get where I am going with this?"

Her smile grows wider as if impressed by something I said. "I did say that. So in terms of removing the tumor from the source, we cannot do that because it has spread to the brain. But we can attempt to stop or slow down the progression of the tumor through what it uses hormones as 'food' to multiply and spread. So we kind of like killing the allies since the big guy is immune to our weapons. Makes sense?"

I smile and nod in understanding. "Yes doc, makes perfect sense. I'd like to try the surgical procedure which removes some of my ovaries. Just one question though, is breast cancer hereditary?"

The doctor looks at the nurse for a brief second before clearing her throat. "About five percent to ten percent of breast cancer cases are though to be hereditary, meaning that they result directly from gene changes, mutations, passed on from a parent. BRCA1 and BRCA2: The most common cause of hereditary breast cancer is an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene."

I face palm myself not understanding what is being said. "Doc simple terminology would be much appreciated."

"Okay. So basically only five to ten percent of breast cancer cases are hereditary. But, if any one side of your family, either mother's side or father's side, has a history of the cancer then you are potentially at a high risk of having the cancer. Does that make sense dear?"

Finally I am satisfied with her answer so I nod in understanding. "Thank you doc."

She takes a pen and a paper and starts writing down something. "It's always a pleasure dear. In the meantime I want you to take these pills as instructed until I see you in our next appointment which my assistant will email the details to you. You can get the following at any pharmacy if you don't want to stand in line at the hospital pharmacy."

She hands me the piece of paper which is a prescription. "Okay thank you. Have a lovely day on wards." I bid my goodbyes to both the nurse and the doctor.

I place the prescription carefully in my bag, walk out the hospital and drive over to Dalton Holdings. I'll go to the pharmacy straight after my interview.

I shortly arrive. 

In front of me, stands a building made out of glass and steel, if not glass alone. The building is tall and has God knows how many floors. It has modern architecture which is quite plain and simple. The building makes the other buildings look tiny compared to this big guy.

I step out of my car, take a look at the tall building and take a deep breath before walking towards the entrance. 

Do not forget Anna, walk like you about to own the place, walk with pride, elegance and confidence so that when you enter a room, your presence is felt.

Keep your head up.

When you’re walking, focus on standing tall with your chin parallel to the ground and your ears aligned above your shoulders.

Imagine your head being pulled up gently by an invisible piece of string that’s attached to the ceiling. This may help prevent you from dropping your head into your chest while you walk.

Keep your eyes and gaze forward.

Lengthen your spine.

Focus on elongating your spine while you walk. Try to avoid , hunching, or leaning forward, which can put stress on your back muscles.

Keep your shoulders down and back.

Bring your shoulders up high in a shrug-like motion, then let them fall and relax. Using helps relieve tightness or tension, and puts your shoulders in a natural position that allows you to move your arms easily.

Try to keep your shoulders loose and relaxed, not tensed up toward your ears or slouched forward. You can do shoulder shrugs occasionally while you’re walking to ensure that you’re keeping your shoulders relaxed and in the right position.

Engage your core.

As you take each step, focus on tightening and engaging your core muscles by pulling your belly button in toward your spine. This can help you maintain balance and stability. It can also relieve stress and pressure on your back as you walk.

Swing your arms.

As you walk, gently swing your arms back and forth at your sides. Make sure you swing your arms from your shoulders, not from your elbows.

Don't swing your arms across your body.

Don't swing your arms up too high. Keep them around your midsection, not around your chest.

Step from heel to toe.

Maintain a steady heel-to-toe gait. This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe. Avoid flat-footed steps or striking the ground with your toes first.

Don't look down at your feet or phone frequently.

Don't roll your hips. Your hips should stay as level as possible when you are walking.

Don't slouch. Keep your shoulders down and back when walking or standing, and focus on keeping your spine elongated.

These are all things I was taught at a very young age. Working on my posture and how to walk. My dad made a walking artwork out of me, he wanted me to be perfect in every little aspect, just so he can boast about me to his so called friends or as I like to call the... the people my dad is friendly to just because they are of high social status and they make him a lot of money.

I walk into the building and... wow!!

The lobby is so stunning.

It is not what I expected it to look like that's for sure.

The lobby has marble flooring with gold decor. There's a simple black desk which I assume is the front desk. Behind the front desk there is black wall divided into three panels, the middle panel has some decor which of course is gold. To the left of the front desk there is a set of stairs with simple steel railing leading into the lobby, the floor transitions from white marble with gold inserts to black marble with silver inserts. To the right of the lobby there is a tiny seating sitting space but as you look further there are a couple of more sofas.

The grand masterpiece, the crystal chandelier hanging above me. The light from the chandelier is bounced of the mirror from the sitting area.

The lobby is quiet, not busy which is surprising. There's so much peace here and everyone is minding their own business, as they should.

I walk over to the front desk and the lady was super duper nice. She helps me get wherever I have to be and I am just shocked as to how she knows this building like the back of her hand.

"You can sit here so long. You'll be called in when it's you turn to be interviewed. Good luck."

I take a seat and give her a small smile. "Thank you miss."

She walks away. Finally I can be alone with my thoughts. I noticed that I was the only one which was odd but also gave me some nerves.

It made me nervous that I was the only one sitting here but then again... competition is tight.

I have this unsettling feeling in my gut that something is going to happen. Don't know if it's going to be a good or a bad thing but nontheless I hope it is nothing major that can jeopardize my chances of getting this studentship.

After a couple of minutes, God knows how long cause I lost count. 

I see a girl walk out of the board room with tears streaming down her face.

She sniffles. "Good luck girlie, you're going to need it with those arrogant assholes in there."

It takes me a couple of moments to register that she's talking to me.

Before I can even say anything a tall and thin lady calls out my name. "Anna Lennox." 

Is it just me or is there some deja vu s**t going on?

I get up from my seat and follow her direction. We walk into the boardroom and wow.. I don't know if my breath has been taken away by the beauty of the room or if I am intimidated by the people in front of me.

"Please, have a seat." She smiles at me.

The tall lady scans her eyes around the room as if looking for someone before she sighs heavily. "Where is Mr. Dalton? I thought he said he wanted to be here when we interviewed Ms. Lennox."

The guy next to her just shrugs casually. "He said he's coming, something must've held him up so I'm assuming we wait for him."

The tall lady face palms herself before taking a deep breathe. "Typical as always. Okay okay okay. I guess we wait." She continues to mumble. "Whatever is holding him back better give me a raise increase."

Everyone on the table simultaneously responds. "You and me both sister."

Everyone then turns to look at me and they start smiling. They introduce themselves to me and I do the same and they tell me what they do at the company.

"I profusely apologise to everyone." Everyone turns their head towards the door where the voice is and they all mumble something. But something tells me to keep my eyes where they are and dare not to follow the voice. "I'll buy everyone lunch okay, how does that sound?" He sounds like he's trying to negotiate with his people. Everyone just looks at him and they simultaneously mumble a "meh". "Okay okay you can have the weekend off." He seems to have hit the spot since everyone started smiling and nodding their heads.

He walks all they to the other side of the table and takes a seat.

The seat across mine...

"Good afternoon Ms. Lennox."  I can feel the smirk on his face.. but why is he smirking.

Wait!! Hold the phone!!

I know that voice....

No no it can't be... the voice I'm hearing now and the voice I heard a few seconds ago are nothing alike.

What is all this tom foolery?!

"Good afternoon Mr. Dalton." I finally have the courage... not bravery but courage to meet his gaze.

Big mistake!!

Mr. Dalton is none other than Anonymous.

Yes... Adrien

And there it is... that smirk. 

I nearly choke on something, I don't know if it's the oxygen or my own saliva but I nearly choke on either of the two.

I can feel him starring at me with so much tension and with such great intensity as if trying to study me.

I can see why he chose the seat cross mine, so he can have a perfect view of me.

Have I been transported to some other alternate universe??

Cause that would explain the scenery before me.

"Shall we begin?" He looks at everyone in the room but me when he asks that question and quite ironically, everyone answers "Yes" in unison.

This is going to be torture...

And don't even get me started on how long this is going to be...