10 Meeting a monster

Anna felt sad having to say goodbye to her grandmother and her brother. Yet she had to head back early the next day to address the new email she had received. 

With her need to keep her identity hidden, Anna never used her number to make the necessary arrangements.

Nikki, her best friend, had set up the right accessories and gadgets in her office. 

It was safe for her to use those to respond to emails and phone calls. If the plan ever backfired, there was no way that the other person could know where or who she was.

Anna had erased her existence a long time ago. She would not be easily found. 

She had deleted all of her social media accounts, and with the help of Nikki, every last photo of her that might be searchable was nowhere to be seen.

If anyone tried to look for her, it would take forever and maybe never to find her. 

Anna was partly grateful that she had a small inner circle. Otherwise, it would have been hard for her to try and hide away from everyone else. Due to the circumstances that had broken her heart, she resigned from her job and started the agency. 

Anna had to admit that it was good to have her heart broken. Before that, she hardly even knew how to make herself look acceptable. 

In short, the Anna Mendoza that they had known before was different from the Anna Mendoza now. 

Making the drive back, Anna felt a little drained. She was craving her favorite drink at a particular shop. 

Thinking of dropping by to grab one and some food before heading straight to the office, Anna turned the music on. 

For the first time in a while, she smiled and appreciated the lovely scenery she was passing by.

Anna would have visited her grandmother often if she had wanted to. However, memories of the past she wished never to remember would often resurface whenever she was there. 

She hardly slept the other night. 

Her grandmother was aware of it and tried her best to make her feel more comfortable. Anna appreciated the effort. Unfortunately, it was not enough to make her nightmares go away.

Anna sighed upon seeing that she was close to being back in the city. 

She was already missing her grandmother. 

There had been quite a few times that she had asked her grandmother to come and live with her. But her grandmother preferred to stay where she was, and Anna respected her decision.

Remembering that she wanted to buy her favorite drink, Anna stepped on the gas. She wanted to get through her day quickly. 

If there was a fast-forward button, Anna would have grabbed it and pushed it with no hesitation. Unfortunately, there were none available for her. 

Admittedly, she kind of missed having the regular day job. However, there was no turning back for her now. 

The instant she clicked the enter button on Nikki's computer, Anna braced herself for the point of no return. 

She had prepared herself to disappear and never show up for anyone except those close to her. 

Aside from Nikki, her grandmother, and Elijah and his girlfriend, Anna had cut off all ties with the rest of the people who knew her.

Finally arriving at her destination, Anna stepped on the break. She grabbed the glasses hidden in the compartment to hide her face a little. 

Though she was not scared of being recognized as the woman in the photo standing next to Kristofer Almodiel, Anna knew she needed to take some precautions. 

She can't afford to be caught.

Despite deleting the information about her, Anna knew that being caught alive by the media was a totally different story. 

She might stand a chance, but once they connect one tiny detail about her, her effort to conceal who she was will all go in vain. However, her agency would remain untouched. 

At least for the agency, Anna has taken extra lengths to ensure that if she gets exposed, her identity as Prim should never be revealed.

Anna could only imagine how that would go. It would be chaos, and she would probably die the next day. 

Everyone who had met Prim had suffered immensely. 

Anna was confident that if her identity as Prim had been disclosed to the public, there was no way that she would be spared.

Anna shook her head.

"Don't think about those, Ana. Just don't," she said under her breath, pushing open the double glass doors of the shop where she was to order her favorite milkshake. 

Upon reaching the counter, Anna made two orders, deciding to drink one on her way and reserve the other for later. 

While she waited, the waffles on the menu caught her eye. In response, her stomach grumbled, and it was only then that she remembered she had no breakfast.

Mentally sighing, Anna added two waffles to her order, a blueberry cupcake, and some chips, remembering that she had to restock her fridge.

Drumming her fingers on the counter, Anna let her thoughts wander. She had no idea how Kristofer Almodiel was faring in trying to find her. The thought brought a smirk to her lips. 

She had to suppress it, though. Someone might notice and think that she has gone mad. 

After a few more minutes of waiting, her order was finally ready, and Anna was relieved that she could now leave. 

Anna thanked the cashier lady briefly as she handed the goods to her. Her stomach grumbled a little louder when the scent of the waffles wafted through her nose. 

Now she can no longer wait to devour the sweet-smelling goodness in her hands.

With a faint smile on her lips, Anna almost skipped on her way towards the same double glass door that she had entered. 

But before she could even make a conclusion inside her head about how her day had seemingly been a good one, Anna found herself face to face with the last person she had wanted to ever see.

'Ah, hell.'