The Sassiest Man

. . .

Back in ZA International's headquarters, the mob continued closing in on Zeirenne.

High frequency sounds were ringing in her ears from the loud noise surrounding her. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the flashing lights in front. But before she could open her eyes, she felt two hands grabbing her delicately on both arms before a thick cloth enveloped her head.

The riot continued for a few seconds before the reporters realized their subject for today was nowhere to be found. Zhi Lin was gone as if she'd been kidnapped on plain sight—in the blink of an eye.

"Where did she go?" They asked one another—checking every person beside them. "She's not here."

Meanwhile, on a different room, Zeirenne had her head covered in a man's suit. Her nostrils were greeted by a familiar sweet scent of orange. She smiled.

"Thanks, Dylan."

Dylan sighed before taking his suit off her head. He made her face him.

"Why did you have to admit that?" He said, "You could've been dragged by those reporters."

Zeirenne gave him a bittersweet smile in return.

"We're still gonna tell them the truth, eventually. Why delay?"

"I know… but we could have prepared everything inside the conference room. You'd be up on the stage with the security team organized. Not like this. Your position was so vulnerable. You could have been hurt from all those people."

Zeirenne brought her gaze down low. "Right… sorry for making this mess. But I just couldn't bear to see my employees defending me. Or getting hurt because they believed me just to turn out what they believed was wrong. I couldn't bear it anymore."

Dylan sighed. "Okay. I understand." He paused for a moment before tapping Zeirenne on the shoulder. "You can leave now. I'll handle everything. I'm sure you need some fresh air."

Zeirenne smiled. "I hope that works."

"Of course, it will."

In a different exit, Zeirenne found herself out to the parking lot. There she boarded Lala—zooming out of ZA International in a breath. What she saw outside their headquarters was even more surprising. There were dozens of News Vans parked in a long line that stretched up until the highways. She stepped on the gas.

For hours, she drove and drove. Away from the city… away from the crowd. With the windows down, the cold breeze awakened the sense of relief she needed right at that moment. There was no denying it, how everything that was happening felt burdensome.

She used to think having a bad reputation wouldn't bother her much. But now that she's in this situation, hearing your own character from another person's perspective… it didn't feel great. Adding the fact that the people she cherished had their hearts broken along with the trust they've given her.

The feeling of betrayal could make any person weak to their knees. She knew that, and having this experience right under her shoes, it surely did not feel great in any way.

"Why?" was all she could utter, "Why would he do that?"

For hours, the highway watched her sorrows. And she, watched the trees as they blur into the background but enough to provide her a sense of relief. Eventually, night came and the world turned dark. It was time for her to head back.

"Should we go home now, Lala?" she said, "Hmmm. That won't probably be a good idea."

In a swift maneuver, she u-turned down the empty highway. She had to greet the blinding lights once again on the busy highways before heading up a peaceful path.

This path lead to the prestigious Hillside District known to house the most expensive homes in the country. A peak of its landscape, with well-trimmed bushes and perfectly lined trees, everything screamed royalty. Everything was in great order. Neat.

As Lala faced a tall and accentuated gate, a long line of guards bowed in chronological order. They were clad in tailor-made uniforms with their hairs slick back. One of them approached Zeirenne.

"Good Evening, Madame."

She pulled a golden card out of her bag, and the head guard flicked his fingers—as signal for his subordinates to open the gates.

Zeirenne had to drive for another 20 minutes before reaching the last house at the end of the district. There she parked Lala in front of another gate.

She stepped out of the car and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, the owner of the house stepped out and Zeirenne watched him approaching from a distance. Because of the long front yard, it took him a few seconds to reach the gate. Zeirenne greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Assistant Wang," she said while looking at her subordinate who was still wearing his suit. He had just got off from work. "Is Dylan Wang, my favorite friend, inside? I'd like to talk to him."

Assistant Wang smiled before raising his pointer finger, "Please wait a second." He did a 360-turn in place while taking his office attire off to look more casual. He also ruffled his hair and loosened his tie.

"Who could this be?" He said upon turning. "The Young Miss of the Honorable Lynn Family paid me a visit. Nothing else could be more thrilling than this. Please come in."

Zeirenne scrunched her nose with a smile on her lips. "You have a huge place by yourself. Can I stay here for a while?"

Dylan smiled. "You can stay here for as long as you'd like."

* * *

Inside a private restaurant, the sassiest man to ever walk this earth—as he'd always considered himself, closed a deal.

"Pleasure working with you... Misterrrrrr!" he said with an escalating pitch that turned into a squeal on the last 'rrr' that he said with his tongue sounding like rotors.

"Uhm... yes. Pleasure working with you too Mista--ssistant Romero."

He smiled before wiggling his fingers goodbye as his 'business partner' left the room. Once alone, he tucked a few hairs behind his ears before semi-cat-walking out of the place.

He drove for a few minutes before reaching his Boss's whereabouts.

"Did you manage to convince them, Romero?" Mr. Dela Cuesta asked him as he walked through the door.

His boss was sitting on a sofa inside a poorly lit living room while drowning himself with booze. Romero switched the lights on before walking towards his boss.

"They agreed on the terms and wholeheartedly accepted the bribe money, Sirrrrrr!"

Mr. Dela Cuesta smirked before downing another bottle. "Let's see who's about to go down now. Hmm."

"Oh! Are you watching American Ninja Warrior as well?"

"No. Shut up."

"Ow-KAY."

. . .