CHAPTER NINE: PLAYMATE

ANNAZTAXIA WAS SPITTING profanities early in the morning since the trouble that happened last night deprived her of good sleep. She barely extinguished all the negativity that fills her heart after that ill-bred monkey— Alistair Zamora— humiliated her beyond measure! That certificate jerk, asshole, and bastard!

The slap was not enough for his thick-skinned face, he needs to be tortured, to be killed... And just because of the scandal that happened last night, here goes another scandalizing video circulating around the internet.

The part where the brute was denying to everybody's face that they were acquaintances while insinuating in his choices of words that Anna has been demanding for his attention like a whore was clearly shown. It's also hard to forget the humiliation she got from the people around her. . . ugh!

They all deserve to be thrown out of the earth.

Though that's a little impossible... But what's possible is to punish Alistair freaking Zamora until he regrets messing up with her.

As she said last night, she's not done with him just yet. The slap is just the start of his hell, something more is waiting for him and she'll make sure to wash the bastard's arrogance away when that chance comes.

Anna gave his godfather's phone a ring before she headed to her work. He is a high-ranked NBI agent and the only person she had in her mind to help her trace the person behind her scandalous video... Afternoon had not come yet when he eased Anna about the mastermind being caught and punished.

That put a smile on her face, so fast and reliable! She went out of the lift when she reached the right floor of their office.

Today they will have a short presentation about financial reports that the board had asked from their department. She's not the presenter, so she has all the time to chill in front of her laptop.

Nevertheless, she styled herself with her dark chic A-line knitted dress, which she topped with a bright yellow blazer. On her neck is a thin gold chain necklace with a heart pendant, while she styled her hair in messy waves.

For someone special, Anna bothered to style herself differently today.

While waiting for the board members to come on the scene, Anna busied herself a little by scanning their reports for a bit. Tom checked everything in there which makes her a proud kid. Of course, getting embarrassed is the last thing that that nerd wants to happen.

First on the list of the early birds is her father who's holding her grandma's thin arm, both are busy talking to some gentlemen. The subject they were discussing seemed pretty serious, yet her father managed to greet her when his gaze flew in her direction.

Each of the vacant seats on the long table was slowly taken up, but the person she had been waiting to see remained nowhere around.

He's in the office today, right? That's what Amelia told her!

Anna can't help pouting her red lips from time to time.

But she tried hard to push a smile when she found Tom watching her from the front. Of course, he's not the reason why she does herself beyond the normal but it seems like he's enjoying seeing her that way. She often catches his eyes staring at her intensely.

When footsteps in the hallway reached her ear, Anna planned to remove her blazer and start the show she prepared for Mr. Zamora. She'll draw more attention for sure, but this is her making up for her broken ego... Just a few more footsteps and her shoulder fell just when his secretary— Margot, who's busy chewing her gum— entered the room.

Just great!

So, Tom started the presentation. Anna lazily manipulates the laptop and also answers some follow-up questions whenever there are members who are asking her for some closure. Her smiles were forced, Anna wanted the day to end so bad.

"So, that's it for today, ladies and gentlemen," Tom finished their presentation that way.

She shut her laptop down and all the light inside the room lit up after. Applause brought some noises around, everyone got busy with their worlds. Some of the members approached Anna to congratulate her and part of them was her father who looked more than proud of her, though they didn't talk much because one of the board members took him away from her in a flash.

Gradually, the board members abandoned the place leaving her alone while cleaning all the materials they just used on the long table. Feeling irritated with how her plan came out, she was about to leave the wide conference room when she caught sight of Margot walking at a slow pace in the hallway while busy phoning someone. Anna jumped into the nearby wall to hide herself from her and to carefully eavesdrop on whatever she's been whispering to someone she's speaking with.

"Yes, of course. I'll give you some updates, I'll take care of everything here. Just be attentive to your plans." She then paused to listen to whoever she was conversing with. "I know. Anyways, there are new files sent to me. I'll take them to you right away... alright, bye."

Is it Alistair she was talking with?

Surely, he is! Margot is not dumb to take important files to someone who's not part of their company... unless she is up for something fishy.

Though, there's a loud voice screaming to her that it's Alistair and she will go to see him.

Will it be in his house? Or in a restaurant? Wherever that will be, she needs to know...

Anna had Margot follow along with her driver who was obviously wondering about what they were doing. In his face were questions etched there, but he can't dare ask her one because she's been busy with her phone asking Monet about those guys she can seek help with.

"Why are you asking, Ms. Contreras?" Hesitation was playing on Monet's tone. "What are you planning to do again, huh?"

Anna rolled her eyes, she once again instructed Mario to follow the goddamned blue car and keep an eye on it.

"I just need to teach someone a lesson, his arrogance is somehow getting on my pretty last nerve and it pisses me off big time. The urge to teach him a lesson about colliding against Annaztaxia's world is getting stronger in my head."

"And who's this someone? You have never told me anything about him, hmmm... Anna? You are keeping something from me, aren't you?"

Oh gosh! Her annoying questions and the delay. For once, can she just stop being nosy?

"I'll tell you everything once it's done. Just please, Monet! Just give me Josh's number. I just need his help and of course, his men."

"Alright, then. But you keep your promise, alright? You will keep me in the loop."

Anna was quick to phone Josh to seek help from him and his men while she was staring at the tall gate where Margot's car came in. Meanwhile, their car stopped from a distance to observe the place for a while.

It took thirty long minutes before Josh and his friends arrived, she immediately informed him about Alistair's house... Well, she's not quite sure yet, but her gut feeling says so. All of them waited outside the house, attentively keeping their eyes from the large gate that had never moved since Margot came in.

"What's with the businessman, anyway?" Josh broke the ice. His chinky eyes were giving her a puzzled look. "Is he your father's business competence? Do you want to dispatch him?"

"No, Josh. We won't reach that far, all I want is to teach that jackass a lesson. Something that an asshole of his sort deserves!"

The clock continued ticking, more minutes passed until Margot's dark blue car eventually came back into her view. Anna got up from her seat with a bit of surprise when she saw Alistair with his dashing look in his coat and tie while he was sending her car off.

"I knew it!" Anna snapped her fingers, heart's racing fast. Her fingers flew in the air to point to Josh, their target who's standing just at the front of the gate. "That's him, Mr. Zamora. He is the target! I want him battered until his face ruins together with his unfaltering haughtiness."

"He's got a well-built body, and his figure screams so much power," was all Josh said.

The tone of his voice made her lash out. "What? Are you chickening out now?"

"Of course not! What I meant is it'll never gonna be easy, his body-built was not the type to easily knock down, can't you see?"

She could... but that's overpowering her anger more than her fear.

"Ma'am Anna, what are you really up to?" The doubt is visible in Mario's voice when he finally took the chance to butt in. "It will never be alright to hurt someone without the right reason."

"Shut up, Mario! I'm not asking for your opinion. Just hold the steering wheel properly and drive because that's the only work you're allowed to do here."

"Just saying... What if he has a lot of men inside and they will harm you more than you can give him?"

"He's got a point, Anna," Josh seconded as he threw his eyes on the window— towards his five friends standing outside the car. "What if we might not be able to execute the plan properly?"

If she doesn't just need something from Josh, she will surely slap him on the face because the doubt he's been highlighting since he came keeps on annoying the hell out of her. Is he that afraid of Alistair's physique?

"Josh, do you really think I will put you in harm's way?" She raised a brow. "Of course, I have executed my small background research before I asked you and your men for such work."

Although she's lying because Mr. Zamora could pass as a ghost in their world because he leaves no prints anywhere he goes. Nobody knows anything about the guy, he was like a phantom known by very few people... But of course, she won't say that to Josh. This jerk might back down if ever, it's so obvious that he's a bundle of nerves.

"And where did your small background research lead you?"

The corner of her lips rose. "In here. . . in his wonderful mansion. I ended up in a chance to finally have my way to my vengeance against that jerk for disrespecting and humiliating me. I want him to pay, I want him to suffer!" Her teeth were gritting in so much anger, causing some indistinct words. "So, please Josh, don't be a chicken right now—"

"And who says I'm chickening out?" he questioned in a normal thick voice. "I'm not afraid of those jackals. I was just asking for more information because trouble is just everywhere, you know. I just can't afford to sleep in jail once again, Anna. My dad won't save my ass anymore, he's livid more than you can imagine."

"I know. But I got you, alright. I won't let you down... Oh! and one more thing, Zamora has no bodyguards that protect him. Never in each of our meetings have I seen any of his men, he's too self-contained and private, I could see..."

So far, that's the truest of every piece of information she told him.

When things in between them were settled, Josh eventually prepared his men and his gun inside his faded jeans. He went out of the car to give his friends some instructions as well. They exchanged pieces of information for a bit before he went to Anna's car and peered through the window.

"Give us five minutes or ten to cut his horns down," he said with guarantee in his voice.

A smile made its way to her lips. "It's alright, take your precious time. No need to rush things, Josh. Just take your time, make him suffer more than he's done to me."

"Yeah, but if he's really alone inside then it might be a piece of cake."

Hmmm... music to her ears. Anna just hopes that there is no one inside and that things will go easy with Josh's group.

"Great! I'll consider it a victory, then."

Finally, the group rushed inside the house. The gate was closed so they had to climb the tall tree near it. One of his men did the climbing job. He hopped inside Mr. Zamora's yard, and after just about a few minutes he successfully opened the gate, her heart skipped a bit at the sight.

They're getting closer to the plan, just a little bit more time, she could feel it in her hands.

"Ma'am Anna, what is it really that Mr. Zamora has done to you? Why does it seem that your anger for him is igniting?" Mario asked after a moment that silence reigned inside them. "Why don't you just tell this to your father and let him have the revenge instead?"

"That's the last thing I would do," she answered. Her eyes fell to her golden watch on her thin arm, five minutes have passed. Are they done now?

"So, what did that guy do to you? He looked well-bred to me anyway."

"Well-bred?" Her eyes bugged from what she heard. If telling every bullshit he did was just easy...

How did this guy define such a term anyway?

"That man is a big asshole, I just can't tell you why? But he's evil and today, I'll make sure that he will regret the day he dared to enter my world and messed up with it."

The tenth minute came on her watch and just like what was in their plan, Anna came out of the car to follow her men inside the mansion. She ramped like Maleficent— with head held high— as she headed towards the gate. She examined the silent road first before she finally went in.

The deafening silence was what approached her in every part of the house she was walking in. The wide front yard looks refreshing with the well-kept lawns around, there are lines of fine trees from the corners, and a huge fountain located at the center.

Not bad for a businessman like him, only his behavior was bad… more like the worst!

The pathway is made up of brown bricks and they were making sharp sounds with Anna's five inches stilettos. Anna didn't bother herself examining the house because she trusts their plan so much, she headed directly to the living room by the wooden door left open.

"Josh..." she called out.

There were no noises around, it seems like they have knocked that motherfucker out... but where are they really?

"Josh— my goodness!" Both of her palms flew over her mouth when she found Josh unconsciously lying down on the staircase, his face was filled with blood and he was barely opening his swollen eyes. "What happened?"

Right on the carpeted floor were the three of his companions— also unconscious and wounded. The other two were out of her sight, and she has no freaking idea where they are!

This is not how she assumed things to happen. Anna felt no presence when she went in, so how come these masculine and tall guys were battered severely?

Until an arm audaciously curled around her waist, stopping her to think of anything. His scorching warmth from her back sent shivers down her spine, there goes his addicting scent again— spreading crazy sensations around her body.

"Oh! f*ck..." she hissed with pain.

Why does it seem like the plan backfired?

Through the corner of her eyes, she saw how the muzzle of a gun kissed her temple. It was so harsh on her skin that it gave her a pang of pain... is this really happening to her?

"I was not expecting any visitors today. But your presence— Ms. Contreras— brought me fun, to be honest," he stated under his deep baritone voice. "It's been a while since I exercised my martial arts skills, and that revitalized me... If you are a friend, I will take this as a gift but I know why you sent these men."

He pushed the gun harder against her head, her lips twisted out of tenderness. This will earn a scar for sure because of the nth time— this bastard!

"What? Aching to kill me?" he asked.

Despite the fear, Anna kept her cool because she was certain that this jerk would never kill her. He won't like it very much to be her father's enemy.

That man looks sweet and all, but he could be a beast when it's Anna who's on the lane. And she's certain that he'll explode more when he finds out what this asshole has done to her in the hotel room.

"But as far as I can see, it's you who's holding a gun. You forgot?" she jested despite the situation. "So, who's planning to kill who now?"

Fake chuckles came out of his mouth as well. "I didn't know you were a joker too, huh? I like your humor. Do you think you could take that in purgatory if ever?"

"Wanna find out? Point the gun over your temple and shoot yourself, just like an experiment. Surely, your queries will all be lightened."

Another bark of laughter made its way out of his mouth once again. Irritation filled her more when he caught her by the shoulders just to force her to turn around and face him. Alistair gripped her neck in just a snap, due to shortness of breath plus the pain it was causing, Anna tried to slam her hands on his.

She's trying hard to remove it, but it went so firm like he’s really planning to end her.

"How about you try it instead?" The smirk on his delectable lips was so cold that she shuddered more. "I know you can play with boys without lifting a finger, Anna. But spare me. . . if you still love your life, you better choose the right foe for your level. Obviously, I don't fit to be your playmate. I'm pretty sure you won't like it very much once I put your game in my hands..."