Talk Of The Town ✔️

15

"Please, keep this in a food container or eat it yourself," Anya said to the housemaid.

"You haven't eaten anything."

"I'm not hungry. If Taylor calls, tell her I've left home at dawn and forgot my phone. I need some alone time."

"Okay"

Anya returned upstairs and locked her bedroom door. She plopped on her unmade, messy bed in her black tracksuit bottom and oversized Hogwarts T-shirt. She lay down, hair sprawled on the floral white and brown pillowcase.

Last night, she returned home instead of going to Taylor's. She texted her. Taylor's reply came at once, asking about Brody. Anya returned her phone to her bag. She'll explain everything when she has enough energy and a strong mind.

Fear gripped her heart. She ordered Noah to stop the car before he could swerve into the driveway.

"CCTV," she stated.

"You could say an Uber dropped you. I'm driving a new car."

"At two in the morning, I'll be grounded for life even if I'm an adult."

"They'll still see you enter the house. Can you erase the footage?"

"No, it's on my father's laptop. He has the code. I can't risk it."

Smiling, he declared, "I got a crazy idea."

"What"

"It may involve ruining your dress."

"This, I don't care if it works."

Noah grabbed the paper bag he placed behind his seat earlier. It still has empty bowls, wooden spoons, dirty tissues and some extra green chilli sauce. He dumped them on Anya's lap and gave her a tissue paper.

"Smear it across your dress. Say you went to a party with Taylor. This sauce fell on your dress, and some mean girls made fun. You were sad. You asked Taylor to drop you home instead."

"Noah, you are brilliant."

"Well, thank you."

The plan worked. Anya repeated the story when she came to refill her bottle in the morning. Her mother claimed she acted childish and could have spent the night at Taylor's house instead of disturbing the poor girl. Her father, on the other hand, laughed. He hugged her, shuffled her hair and called her, 'his little girl.'

Seven missed calls

Twelve text messages

Taylor would call home soon, or she may have already done it. According to the calendar on her phone, today's shoot is for a local perfume brand. Her co-star is none other than Noah. It's a little mean that she ditched him after what he did for her last night. But Anya couldn't bring herself to face any stranger today.

Paranoia will follow her for a while.

She immediately thought of Kiara and her potential date/kidnapper. Now, she has an answer to Kiara's question. The girls of this family are destined to attract trouble and have their hearts broken.

Anya took a nap, which ended up in a nightmare. Guess who has cornered her in a bedroom? Brody, freaking Farris.

The moment he slammed his disgusting lips on hers, her eyes opened. She sat, wiping sweat off her forehead and the back of her neck.