"sweetheart, allow me to introduce you to my best friend, Carl McAlester. He's a prosecutor and the current president of NYPD's company, he's one of the most humble, rich men I know and he's also my boss." Carlos bragged on behalf of his friend.
Carlos is that best friend who would hype his friend anywhere anytime. He was really pleased with what Carl has accomplished. No jealousy or hate at all.
Carlos added "I'm sure you must've heard about him on the news. He just moved to New York for close to two weeks now and he already owns different shares here and he has taken over some top companies,"
"oh my gosh, so this is THEE prosecutor Carl, Dexter has been so obsessed about. I barely watch the news and I didn't recognize him.
If Carlos finds out I have not been so nice to his best friend and his boss, I am totally screwed." Anne thought to herself.
She still hasn't recovered from the shock and now Carlos has added more fuel to the fire by introducing Carlos to her as his best friend.
"Did he just call her sweetheart?" Carl said in his head with creased brows.
The word 'sweetheart' from Carlos's mouth kept ringing in Carl's head.
"Carl, meet the love of my life and my girlfriend, Anastasia. She is the woman of my dreams, the girl I've been constantly talking about" he said proudly, holding Anne's waist.
"Anastasia Robyn Stewart, please to meet you," Anne said to Carl as she stretches forth her hand to shake him with a fake smile.
She was pretending to meet Carl for the first time and hoping for Carl to play along.
If only she could disappear into thin air because she felt embarrassed and nervous.
The so-called man who she despises was no other than a multi-billionaire who is Carlos's best friend.
'love of his life and his girlfriend?' Carl was dumbfounded.
He looked at Anne suspiciously for a while and returned the handshake.
"Carl McAlester,... hum.. haven't we met before? You look REALLY familiar" Carl smirked and winked at Anne.
He wondered why Anne was acting like it was the first time they were meeting when they had met more than once.
In fact, it was this same morning he saved her from the hoodlums that tried to rape her.
"no I don't think so," she nervously replied and Carl could see her nervousness.
She couldn't have forgotten him and Carl was sure of it except she was suffering from amnesia.
"oh okay...," Carl said.
Since Anne didn't want to admit they had already met, he felt like playing along.
"your BOYFRIEND has told me so much about you," he said, breaking free from the handshake.
Anne slightly bowed her head to avoid eye contact with Carl.
His stare was so intense that she could trip if she mistakenly locked gaze with him.
Carl emphasized the word 'boyfriend' because he couldn't believe they were actually couples. It was as if the universe was playing a trick on him.
"I'm glad you two finally met," Carlos said without suspecting that those two had already met.
"I'll see you later. I have to go back to my shop" she nervously said to Carlos.
Ever since Carl walked in, she had been eager to disappear from their presence.
"just now?" Carlos said and Anne nodded aggressively.
She was in a hurry to leave and Carlos gently pulled her hand and she turned to face him.
"alright sweetheart, I'll see you later... Just kiss me before you leave." Carlos said to Anne.
Carl nearly rolled his eyes at Carlos's last statement to Anne.
Anne pecked Carlos on his cheek in a haste manner and left the house without even glancing at Carl.
...
Anne took a deep breath to calm down her nerves immediately after she left Carlos's house.
She was standing outside in the front yard of his house.
"what just happened? …am I dreaming or what?" She muttered.
"So I slapped the president of NYPD... Oh my gosh, I think I'm going crazy." Anne groaned, massaging her temple.
"Why does he has to be Carlos's best friend, is this karma working in his favor?
I hope Carl, I mean Mr. McAlester doesn't tell Carlos I've not been polite to him," She said, regretting why she was mean to Carl in the first place.
"Carlos will be so disappointed in me if he finds out I've been unfair to his boss." She facepalmed.
"How should have known he's multi-billionaire when he lives a simple life and acts too much like a gentleman, …except for the fact he called me a witch," she frowned at her last sentence.
"but I called him a pervert... This is such a nightmare!!" she yelped.
She was literally having a conversation with herself
..
Meanwhile, Carl felt his heart leap. He couldn't believe his eyes at what just happened.
"Damn!! I'm so in love" Carlos said in excitement as he sat down on the couch immediately after Anne left.
Carlos's face was filled with a heartwarming smile. He looked so in love.
Carl also sat down on the couch. He felt a little upset about Carlos and Anne's relationship and he didn't know why he felt that way.
"Tell me, bro, what do you think of my girlfriend? She's beautiful isn't she?" Carlos confidently asked Carl with a smile on his face.
"mmm mmm" Carl cleared his throat.
"Carlos, if I wanna be dead honest with you, I'd say you deserve better" Carl answered with a serious face.
"I deserve better??" Carlos asked Carl with a puzzled look. "what the fuck bro, what do mean by that?"
"That girl is just too mean and rude," Carl said, referring to Anne.
Carlos raised a brow "seriously? but you too just met, how is she mean and rude. My girl was even nice to you" Carlos said
"Well, actually we... "
Carl paused for a while.
"…yeah, I mean girls like that are mostly rude. See how pretty she is" he said.
Carl was just about to open up to Carlos, he and Anne had already met but he decided not to.
He saw that Carlos is head over heels for Anne and saying any negative thing about Anne would be a waste of time.
It might even result in a fight between the both of them because of Carlos's bad temper.
"Brother, I told you not all girls are the same. My girl is beautiful, both in and out" Carlos argued.
"Kay, if you say so" Carl answered sarcastically.
Hours later at Anne's house**
"Anne, Anastasia are you home?" Carlos voiced out.
"no one's home just me" Anne's grandfather said coming out from the room to the parlor where Carlos was sitting.
Anne hasn't come back from her diner. It was just her granddad, alone in the house.
"oh, then I must leave," Carlos said, He only came to see Anne.
"Carlos, before you leave, I have a question to ask you. Anne's grandfather said, sitting opposite Carlos.
"I'm listening," Carlos said.
"Anne told me you couldn't go with her to a birthday party because you said you had something important to do,"
"That's true, I had something important to take care of. Got any problem with that? Carlos rudely replied.
"In case you don't know, your bipolar disorder might scare everyone but not me. I'm the only one who sees right through you" Anne's grandfather said, standing up to face Carlos.
"where is all this coming from pops?" Carlos said, also standing up to him.
"You said you had an important business to take care of but I saw you Saturday night with the drug lord extorting illegal drugs and I heard you clearly when you said you had trouble succeeding to rob a bank," Anne's grandfather said vehemently.
Carlos laughed "that's bullshit! You're probably mistaking me for someone else"
"Carlos, there's no need pretending, I know you're a bloody criminal… Do you know how dangerous that drug lord is??"
He yelled, pointing at Carlos "I'm sure you're far more dangerous and just wait until I tell Anastasia who you really are and you'll definitely lose her for good"
With gritted teeth, Carlos said with anger "Stop it! stop it!! don't shout at me"
"or else what, you good for nothing criminal!! I'm going to tell my granddaughter everything I heard and saw about you" Anne's grandfather continued yelling at Carlos not minding the bipolar disorder that has taken over Carlos.
Carlos clutched his hair with both hands and his chest heaving up and down. He looked like a maniac as Anne's grandfather was yelling at him to his face.
He felt like tearing Anne's grandfather apart to shut him up.
"Please, you better not tell Anne okay? She's going to leave me if you do" Carlos said in a shaky voice, now covering his ears with his palms.
He didn't want to hear any of Anne's grandfather's screams.
"well that's what I've always wanted," Anne's grandfather raised his voice at him.
He wanted Carlos to hear what he was saying and it worked. His loud voice got into Carlos's ears like a needle despite him covering his ears tight with his palms.
Carlos hated it when he was being yelled at. He can't stand it and he becomes violent whenever someone yells at him or say harsh things to him.
In a flash, Carlos collected an air freshener that was on top of the center table close to him and sprayed it on Anne's grandfather's face.
"argh, I can't breathe" Anne's grandfather falls to the floor gasping for air.
He started coughing non-stop and he felt his chest tighten.
The mist from the air freshener got into his nose and it made his asthma attack flare up.