Running down the street with the speed of a beast, he traversed a road that didn't resemble an ordinary street. Fancy houses adorned the surroundings. His hairy legs pounded against the pavement, clad in a short sports nicker and a top, his hair pulled back slightly, swaying in the breeze, and he had on a pair of sunglasses.
He slowed down and took a breather, bending over to catch his breath. Thoughts of Mara popped into his head once again, and he took off running down the street.
The water trickled down his hair, caressing his face and gliding over his bare skin. He ran his fingers through his wet hair, savoring the chill of the shower as he closed his eyes.
His thoughts suddenly turned to Mara, but he quickly shook them off and turned up the shower tap. Stepping out of the shower, he towel-dried his hair and grabbed his phone. After a moment of contemplation, he tapped the screen and swiftly sent a message: "I hope you're back in Cali." The message turned blue, indicating that the recipient had read it. He waited anxiously for a response, but none came.
His patience was wearing thin. Without saying a word, he raised an eyebrow and stormed out of the room.
"Good morning, Sir," greeted the guards on watch as he passed by.
Exiting the elevator, he still wore a hint of anger on his face. He made his way to the dining table for his breakfast.
"Mom Rossana!" Max called out when he spotted his nanny. Without hesitation, he rushed over to her and enveloped her in a tight, passionate hug.
"Oh, my baby," Mom Rossana cooed, returning the embrace and patting his back affectionately.
Mom Rossana had been like a mother and father to Max since he was two years old. She loved him as her own. She had recently taken a leave to care for her 99-year-old mother, and now she was back. Max held her in high regard and never took her for granted.
As they pulled away from the hug, Mom Rossana planted gentle kisses on Max's forehead and cheeks. "How have you been?" she asked, and Max nodded eagerly like a child.
"When did you arrive, and why didn't you tell me? I could have picked you up from the airport," Max inquired.
"Oh, I arrived here at midnight and didn't want to worry anyone," she explained softly.
"Come, come, I've prepared your favorite breakfast," she said, taking his hands and leading him to the table.
"You look so lean," she remarked, pulling out a chair for him to sit.
With a spoon in hand, she quickly filled his plate with scrambled eggs and toasted bread, urging him to eat up. "Eat, eat up," she said with a smile, gently patting his hair.
"Let me go and bring you more watermelon juice," she added before hurrying out of the room.
A notification popped up on his phone, and he quickly picked it up, staring at it for a moment before a smile spread across his face. "Perfect," he murmured softly.
The message on his phone read, "YES BOSS."
"Mr. Warren III," Mr. Moon approached him, holding a stack of files.
Mr. Warren gestured for him to join him at the table.
With a sharp smile, Mr. Moon fixed himself a plate and pulled out his phone. As he scrolled through his WhatsApp status, a grin spread across his face.
"Hahaha!" Mr. Moon burst into laughter so loud that it caught Max's attention. Curious, Max glanced over at Mr. Moon's phone to see what was so funny.
It was a video of a group of friends trying to dodge a water fountain underneath a tarp, but one of them wasn't so lucky and ended up falling into the water pit.
Max stared at the video without a hint of amusement, casting a strange look at Mr. Moon, who seemed on the verge of tears from laughter.
As the video ended, the next item on the screen was Mara's status, showing her happily browsing in a clothing store with the caption, "Having to clear my stress away."
Following that was a picture of Mara, zooming in on her face with her tongue playfully sticking out.
"Very funny young girl," Mr. Moon remarked, letting out a slight giggle.
Max withdrew from Mr. Moon's phone with a frown and swiftly switched to his own WhatsApp account, which displayed over 100 unreplied messages, missed calls, and video calls.
He hurriedly scrolled through the status section, which was filled with numerous uploads, searching for Mara's status but couldn't find anything.
Clearing his throat, he asked Mr. Moon, "Why can't I see her status from my side?" But Mr. Moon, lost in his laughter at his status, didn't pay him much attention.
Frustrated, Max hit the table, grabbing Mr. Moon's attention instantly. With annoyance evident in his voice, he repeated the question.
Mr. Moon, finally realizing Max's frustration, took his phone and began to search through, trying to find Mara's status for him.
"Oh, it might be because she hasn't saved your number, or maybe she has blocked you from viewing her status," Mr. Moon suggested.
Max withdrew from Mr. Moon's phone with a frown and swiftly switched to his own WhatsApp account, which displayed over 100 unreplied messages, missed calls, and video calls.
"Look," Mr. Moon said, turning his phone to Max. Mara was on the screen, passionately eating instant noodles.
"That looks delicious," Mr. Moon remarked with a smile.
"That is unhealthy," Max said annoyedly.
But Mr. Moon continued to look at Mara's status, laughing.
Max stood up, slamming his fist on the table, "You've ruined my peaceful breakfast."
"Get out of my house immediately after eating your food, and don't bother bringing the files to me upstairs. You can leave them here," Max said, storming out angrily.
Mr. Moon watched him go, muttering to himself, "Someone might have woken up from the wrong side of the bed."
With one hand holding his phone and the other clutching a slice of toasted bread, he burst into laughter again and took a bite of the bread.
He turned to see Max glaring at him from a distance. Quickly placing his phone on the table, Mr. Moon began to eat his breakfast hastily.
…...
"I'm literally full from all those noodles we had to eat on the way coming," Paloma said as she placed the shopping bags on the table.
Entering Mara's room, she spotted her standing in front of a large framed picture, as though she was inhaling some freshness from it. The frame contained a fair, almost pale white handsome man, with unfathomable golden-blue eyes that contrasted exceptionally with his light skin tone. His eyes were deep and expressive, drawing you in if you stared long enough, and his perfectly shaped hairy eyebrows framed his face. He had that faraway look, an indescribable expression.
Paloma called out to her, but Mara was lost in staring at the picture.
Paloma walked over and wrapped her arms around Mara, gently lifting her head to see the frame too, then cupping Mara's face in her hands. "Snap out of it," she said softly.
Mara came back to her senses, and Paloma pulled her to face her.
"You can't get enough of him, right?" Paloma asked, and Mara slowly nodded.
"When will you ever listen, Mara? How can you still have a crush on him after all this time?" Paloma lashed out.
"That man right there is my idol and my everything," Mara said, looking back at the picture with a smile.
"Does he know you have his face on your pillow and all over your room, even in your bathroom?" Paloma teased.
"I heard he's married with kids, and his wife is really beautiful," she added, teasingly.
"That's a lie! I'm always on his page, haven't seen anything like that. Even if it were true, it still wouldn't stop my love for him. I don't mind being a second wife and a stepmother," Mara said defiantly.
Paloma burst into laughter, and Mara shot her an annoyed look.
"Hey, okay, okay, I'm sorry for laughing at your dreams. Go for it, girl," Paloma said, smiling.
Mara pulled her into a tight hug as they both faced the picture.
"Do you think we would look good together as a couple one day?" Mara asked.
Paloma had no choice but to shake her head.
Suddenly, Paloma yawned and stretched. "Hmm, the noodles are getting the best of me. Let me get some rest for the girls' outing this evening," she said, giving a final glance at the frame as Mara still had her gaze fixed on it. Then she left the room.