15 An Old Friend
'Brent Lee,' Sofia made a mental note. Out of a sudden, an image of a beautiful man, tall with dazzling eyes who was 3 years ahead of her replayed in her memory. She knew the man! Or to say precisely, the original Sofia was acquainted by this man!
Sofia adjusted her body to a comfortable position. She looked at the woman in the eye and smiled warmly.
"Ah! Brent? Yes, I know your squad leader personally! Don't worry, I'll message him after this conversation," Sofia asserted.
She found in the memories of the old Sofia that Brent and her, they have known on a different role-playing game. It was an MMORPG game with guilds, missions, and quests. They were both in the same guild. But time had drifted their interest in the game and they lose contact.
It was a typical bond that gamers shared. One can be so close with another player online like they have known for a long time. But this bond could also be cut without realizing that they have forgotten their bonds.
It's just how online life works. One day they would see a friend inactive in a day. Then, the day would eventually turn into a week. Weeks would go by months and the next thing they knew, they would be staring at the lobby looking at the screen as the months were converted into years that a friend had gone offline.
A cruel bond.
Sofia never realized that Brent still recognized her. He was like an older brother to him. But in their case, Brent was the noob. She was helping him finished quests so many times in the past.
Her confirmation surprised the woman as well, "You know our squad leader on a personal level?"
This reaction was normal since the man was too aloof. He was like a person with thousands of walls barricading within him. No one got close to him on a personal scale. Even his parents and siblings were not so familiar with the man.
"Ohh well, not really. We just played in the past. Anyway, I must go back to my unit now. I'll contact Brent, and explain to him the situation. Have a great day!" Sofia pushed her chair carefully and stood from her seat. She offered a warm smile again before she turned away.
The woman who was still sitting on the chair stared at Sofia's retreating back. She even admired how graceful the way Sofia walked.
"Is she the rumored girlfriend of Brent? Hmmn, I have never heard of anyone who could talk about Brent in a casual manner. I better asked him later. hihihi, " the woman murmured and her lips curved into a wicked smile.
After finishing the tea, the woman grabbed a black shawl that she had stuffed in her bag earlier. She covered it on her head concealing most part of her hair and face down to her shoulder. She also put dark and bigger sunglasses on her eyes and left the building.
There was also an air of sophistication on how the way she strode towards the exit. It was the kind of elegance that only the elites have mastered.
The building receptionist bowed as the woman passed through her desk. Just by looking at the woman's outfit, the receptionist knew that this woman was not simple!
A modern sports car was parked adjacent to Clark's car. It was from a regal brand that would be enough to demand attention and recognition. The woman took a key from her bag and pressed the button on it.
The car door quickly opened vertically. It was like a wing of an eagle that was ready to fly high! People quickly stopped on their tracks as they saw the car.
Some passerby looked at her car with admiration. Others quickly got their phones and took pictures of her car. It was a limited edition sports car that only a few people in district 7 owned.
"This car was just released today! Wow! I didn't know someone had already owned one!"
"Shhh... Don't make your voice too loud. You might offend its owner!"
"I know! I was just appreciating!"
"We must take a good shot and brag this on social media! hehe, This kind of thing rarely happens in our place!'
The onlookers could not keep themselves quiet. They started chattering and discussing how good the advertisement of the car was. Some even secured a selfie, and quickly bragged on social media. The post was directly a hype gaining many likes and comments!
The woman took her moment to slide her body inside the car. The car door slowly closed. In a blink of an eye, the gorgeous sound of the roaring engine echoed on the road as the car sped up and departed the place.
People who were left standing on the side of the street had the same thought at that time while watching the car drifted on the opposite lane. The woman or the car, those two were both products of luxury!
The sports car abruptly stopped at a grand and exquisite manor. The exterior design resembled that of the classical era. A servant bowed to the woman as she entered the inside.
The sound of her steps disrupted the silence of the place. Near the fireplace, a young man was sitting on an expensive chair. He did not bother to see who had just arrived. He continued to read something on the stacks of papers on his table.
"Bro, your girlfriend is cultured and acts properly. Although she lived in a cheap building apartment, she had manners. You have good taste!" the woman spoke with admiration.
The man finally looked up and threw the woman a confused expression. His lips formed in a line. But there was a hint of gentleness reflected in his eyes.
This man was exactly Brent, the squad leader of the Lee Gaming Squad. And the woman was not just a squad member but also his younger sister!
"What girlfriend are you talking about?" the man spoke and pushed the papers away from him.
"Hehehe bro, you don't need to hide it from me. Although the girl was not rich, I like how she presents herself during our conversation. I'm sure our parents would approve of her." the woman playfully said. In her mind, she was certain that her brother was keeping a secret relationship with Sofia out of fear that their parent would not allow it!
On the other hand, Brent was at loss! He had no idea what his sister was talking about!
Just as he was about to speak, his phone buzzed. As he glanced at the screen, he saw a message from a long-time online friend. Brent subconsciously smiled as he opened the message.
From: sofia
Is this still your number? I'll call.
The girl used to call his number directly whenever there were unfinished quests that they needed to do. But now, she seemed more distant and professional.
In a blink of an eye, Brent managed to type his reply.
To: sofia
Yes, long time no see!
His sister was silently observing the expression that her brother was showing on his face. Then she remembered that Sofia did tell her that she would contact Brent!
"EHHH... is that the girlfriend?" she said with a teasing tone.
Brent glared at her as his phone buzzed again. This time it was an incoming call from Sofia.
"Yo!" he casually answered the call and walked few steps away from his sister.
His sister quickly jumped near him and placed her ear on the phone to catch their conversation.
"You have sent your squad member to recruit me. It would have been great if we play in the same group. But now, I have a squad and we will be participating in the 1st Online Tournament of our district also. Heh, be sure to survive in the elimination round!"
Sofia's last tone was serious but Brent knew that it was meant as a joke. The two of them were just like this. They could throw arrogant nothings or hateful words with no real meanings. A trashtalk between close friends.
Brent eyed his sister. The woman just gave him a peace sign. "T-that, well I'm glad for you if you have a squad already, Sof. Be ready, I'll make sure to crush you on the tournament."
Brent heard Sofia's taunting laugh. One that he had been accustomed to hear a few years ago. The kind of laugh she would only make if the quest was too easy to finish. "Hehehehe Crush me? You bet! Alright, I gotta go. See ya at the tournament!"
The other line ended their call without waiting for Brent to speak his goodbye. His sister was completely astonished! No one had ever dared dropped a call from her brother. Yet, Sofia had done it!
And what made the woman more amused was that her brother just shook his head with a grin on his face.
"Bro... wiped out that silly grin on your face. You look like an idiot! Why don't you introduce your girlfriend to the family already?" his sister asked.
"Oh, Sofia and I are not in a relationship. She is a reliable friend of mine."
Reliable friend! For his brother to acknowledge someone like that in such a high credit... it was but once in a blue moon!
"Wait a minute, you are the squad member that she was referring? Bah! What a blunt lie!" Brent criticized.
"Haha, Bro, remember last week. I asked you who are the best players that could possibly join our squad. You said her name. So I made a little digging and was impressed with her gameplay. I called her contact info but she did not answer. So I searched her address and talk to her earlier directly."
In the end, the woman just used his brother as an alibi. She had not intended to use the man though. It's just that, she was slightly shaken by how Sofia asked her that she end up mentioning her brother.
"Well, she is not available. So, don't pester her. And by the looks of it, I have a foreboding feeling that she already had this tournament in the palm of her hand." Brent told his sister.
"Bro, you are single. I think this Sofia is also single. Since you have established a friendship, why don't you level up your relationship? Anyway, you are rich! No woman would reject you." the woman made a casual remark.
Brent coughed slightly, "Don't meddle on my personal life." His tone had quickly turned distant. As if the woman in front of him was not his siblings.
The woman shrugged and gave him an look that could be interpreted as 'you -are-impossible!'
"Assemble the squad members and tell them to practice thoroughly. Maybe I will join the tournament. Put my name on the line-up," Brent ordered.
Although he was the squad leader, the Lee Gaming Squad had many members. So, Brent did not pay attention to this competition at first. But after knowing that Sofia would be joining, his interest also perked.
His sister beamed in delight after hearing his words. "If you are joining, then, it would be a sure win! I will register your name right now!"
"Ahhh... I'm just going to play for fun. Don't put your hope too much into winning this tournament. There is already a beast waiting to devour us." Brent chuckled and recalled how Sofia laughed earlier. It was really the kind of laugh that had given him an assurance of victory a long time ago. But now that they would be facing as an enemy, her laugh could also meant as an assurance of defeat!
"Is she that good?" his sister sat on the couch and hugged the oval pillow.
"She was the one who taught me the ropes of how to complete difficult quests on the game that we were playing once. To say that she is good would be an understatement," Brent replied.
"When she rejected my invitation to join us, I kinda offered her money. I even told her to name her salary and our squad would comply," the woman recollected.
"There are gamers that cannot be swayed with money. Some of them are hungry for victory. They just want to win and win." Brent looked at his sister with sympathy. He could feel that for his sister to resort to money, she must have wanted to get Sofia on their side badly!
"I guess, she is that kind of gamer. I looked for her information. Her gaming styles. She plays a tank but her gameplay is versatile. She can adjust. Her tank would take all the damage from an opponent. And she could also manipulate her tank and deal damage. This is a rare skill I have not seen before," the woman confessed.
