Chapter 37 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“Trust me, it’s going to make her even more curious about a lot of things. You said she has become more friendly towards you, right? Why should she worry about a playboy friend?” Bryan asked, and Benne nodded in agreement.

“I guess you’re right. I’ll do that.”

“Good. So make sure you report tomorrow. And let me know when you get the costumes,” Bryan added before hanging up.

Bryan looked around the house with a bored expression on his face. He needed to get out soon, else he would die. But the question now was where could he go to? He definitely couldn’t be seen in public with another lady after only just proposing to one. He would have invited some girls over, but with the way his penthouse was being watched by many eyes, he knew there was no way it wouldn’t make the news.

He dialed Mia’s line, “Have you…”

“No. We are still trying to find her,” Mia interrupted, knowing why he was calling.

“How can it be so difficult to find just ONE DAMN PERSON?” Bryan yelled at her in frustration.

Mia pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to tell him to go find Sonia himself if he thought it was such an easy task. She didn’t ask him to propose to a stranger, after all, so why was he taking his frustration out on her?

“We are doing all we can while trying to be discreet. We can’t let people know you proposed to a stranger,” Mia pointed out, making Bryan raise a hand to his massage his temple. If only he could remember the name of her editor… Or maybe he could.

“Mia? Can you get me some of her books? Go over to any bookstore around you and find me some of her books,” Bryan said excitedly.

“Can’t you just download soft copies online if it is urgent?” Mia suggested politely, since she was getting ready for a date, and didn’t want to be late.

“No. I prefer hard copies. I’ll be waiting,” he said and hung up immediately. Maybe he could read her books to kill his boredom while understanding her crazy personality from the way she writes.. And who knows? Maybe he could get her editor’s information from the book. Why hadn’t he thought of that all along?

Mia was burning with anger by the time her cab pulled to a stop in front of Bryan’s penthouse. She had had to cancel her date because of the books he had asked her to get. She had gone from one bookstore to the other searching for it, and by the time she finally found it, the time was far spent already.

She didn’t need to knock since she knew his passcode already in case of any emergency, so she unlocked the door herself and walked into his apartment. She pasted a stiff smile on her face as she approached where he was seated by the dining tapping away on his laptop, “Here are the books you requested for,” she said, dropping them beside him on the couch.

“You can leave,” Bryan said without sparing her a glance as he continued with what he was doing.

Mia remained where she was, waiting for him to at least raise his head and acknowledge her presence, but when he didn’t after a while she shook her head and headed for the door, promising herself that she was going to quit her job after receiving her next paycheck.

“Mia?” Bryan called before she got to the door, and she turned to look at him with a stony expression.

Bryan raised a brow when he noticed the makeup on her face, “I don’t assume you’re going out on a date, are you?” Bryan asked, eyeing her outfit.

“I was, but had to cancel because of your important books that couldn’t wait,” She said grudgingly.

“A boyfriend or a blind date?” Bryan asked since he had no idea whether or not she was in a relationship. He was not the type to get himself involved in the business of his staff.

Mia’s brows pulled together in confusion, “Blind date,” she said, waiting to hear why he was asking, and what he wanted to say.

“Well, you should be thankful I made you cancel. Your blind date would have gone in the opposite direction after taking one look at you in that hideous outfit,” Bryan said looking her over with disapproval.

“What is wrong with what I’m wearing?” Mia asked in confusion.

“Your colors are mismatched and the skirt is plain ugly with too many ruffles. Seeing your skirt, I’m glad you only wear suit pants to work,” Bryan said as his eyes fell on the books which she had dropped.

Mia looked down at her clothes uncertainly. She didn’t know what to say to him, so she pressed her lips together. She liked to believe that she was a fashionista, and maybe he was saying that simply because he didn’t understand female fashion.

“When next you have a date let me know beforehand, and maybe we can get you something better to wear to make up for making you cancel your date plans. And that way I don’t interfere with your plans next time,” Bryan said, and Mia felt her anger dissipate.

That was something she was getting to learn about Bryan. He could be insensitive and sensitive at the same time. It was only because of times like this when he acted like a decent person that she has been able to keep working for him for the past eighteen months.

“Thank you,” Mia murmured as she turned to leave, knowing that was as good as an apology that she could hope for.

“Don’t forget to send the package to my brother’s office tomorrow. The name on the package should be Harry Jonas,” Bryan said.

“I haven’t forgotten,” Mia assured him.

“Alright. Thank you,” Bryan said dismissively as he picked up one of Sonia’s novels.

There was a picture of her at the back. She was dressed in a white strapless gown, and her long blonde hair was packed in a ponytail while she smiled directly at the camera, her green eyes gleaming with mischief, “Pretty psycho,” he muttered as he gazed at her picture.

A small frown creased his forehead when his eyes fell on the short note which was written about the author, but contained next to nothing about her as a person but more about her as an author and her other books, “You love to stay hidden, huh?” Bryan asked no one in particular as he flipped open the book to see if he could get any information on the publisher and editor.

Good enough he got information on the publishing company, and scribbled it down on his notepad. He was going to contact them tomorrow since it was late in the evening already. For now, he would just immerse himself in the book and see what surprises his psycho fiancee had between the pages.

The particular novel he was reading was a fantasy novel, the title of the story was ‘The Witch And Her Hunter’. It was about a king who abolished the use of sorcery and magic within the kingdom because of evil witches and set up a committee of hunters which consisted of the most powerful men in the kingdom. He ordered the execution of the leader of a coven when she was caught using sorcery to save her daughter’s life.

The leader of the coven had mismatched eyes of blue and green, and just before she was executed she told the King she would love to see how he would execute his own child. Some weeks after her death, the King found out his barren wife was pregnant, and months later she gave birth to a beautiful girl with mismatched eyes of blue and green. Knowing what this meant and that his barren queen would never accept for their only child to be executed, they proceeded to keep her hidden from the public, and the palace staff was made to keep the colors of the Princess’s eyes a secret. One day the little princess snuck out of the palace in search of playmates, and all the other kids ran from her when they saw her eyes.

Tearfully she returned to the palace, and her mother realizing that her identity has been exposed ran away with her from the palace before she could be gotten by the witch hunters.

She took her to a cave where she had been told other witches were hiding and handed her to them. The witches knowing the little girl was the reincarnation of their coven leader used her energy to open a portal through which they escaped from the kingdom where they were being hunted, into the future.

Soon Bryan found himself engrossed in the story. He decided he would love to have it adapted as a movie because the storyline was very interesting.

“Wow! She’s good!” Bryan murmured as he continued reading.. He wondered if she was into screenwriting, and made a mental note to recommend her books to some movie producers he knew.

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