Chapter 4

Maya released a breath of relief as her alarm rang. It was finally time to get off of work, as Maya began to tidy up her desk she couldn't help but let out a groan, Tarnishing what had been an almost perfect day. Her tasks today weren't too taxing, she had flirted with a guy at lunch and had the nicest pastries she ever had. If only that jerk hadn't shown up today she would have rated today a perfect 10 out of 10. Finishing her cleanup, Maya picked up her stuff and dropped by Cherry's office.

"Cherry, wanna go eat dinner together?" Maya asked, knocking on the door.

Seeing her by the door, Cherry couldn't help but smile at the invitation. "Sorry Maya, I'm having dinner with someone." She completed slowly, uncertainty lining her voice

Curious, Maya raised an eyebrow and inquired, "Oh, who's the lucky guy?" It had been a while since Cherry had been on a date.

"I'm not sure. He just texted me, saying he got my number from my mother. And you know how meddling Mother is." Cherry responded, emphasizing Mother with a little bit of venom. "And I tried calling her to ask who she gave it to, and she couldn't even spare me the time to answer!" Cherry continued, ranting.

Maya knew Cherry too well, she knew that she would just continue ranting and wouldn't let up, she would drag the poor guy into the issue. So she approached her, put one hand on her shoulder, and drew circles on her back with the other.

"Come on Cherry you know Athena just wants the best for you. Plus, maybe the guy is cute?" Maya tried to lighten the mood. Cherry turned around, clutching both of Maya's hands, wearing a resigned look on her face. "What would I do without you?" Cherry sighed pulling Maya into a hug. "Be careful, ok?" Maya reminded, letting go of her friend. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" she added.

Starting her journey home, Maya started the walk to one of the waiting sheds near their office. It was a cool afternoon, the orange rays of the sun illuminating the trees that lined the concrete path. The afternoon air was cool, and the sun's orange rays illuminated the trees lining the concrete path. A refreshing breeze enveloped Maya, prompting her to reminisce about the cafe they had visited earlier. The thought of stopping by for a pastry to enjoy for breakfast tomorrow crossed her mind. Arriving at the shed, Maya settled onto the bench, patiently awaiting a cab.

"Well look who it is. Clocking out early?" a pitched voice taunted.

Maya sighed upon hearing the familiar voice, already annoyed even before she saw the speaker. Choosing to ignore Anthony, she reached into her bag to retrieve her phone. But before she could unlock it, he swiftly snatched it from her grasp.

"You can't ignore me, honey, tell you what, go on a date with me tonight and I'll give it back." Anthony sneered as he stepped back and twirled her phone in his hand.

"I've already told you that I will never go out with you," Maya calmly asserted as she stood up, ready to confront the obnoxious pest. "Now give me back my phone," she demanded, face-to-face with him.

A glint of mischief passed through Anthony's eyes as he advanced, wrapping Maya's waist with his free arm. "How about I give you something else?" He added as he reached lower with his free hand.

In a swift motion. Maya retrieved her phone and delivered a resounding slap to Anthony's face, causing him to stumble as he let go of her, and ultimately fell to the floor.

"Do not touch me ever again." Maya scowled as she finally hailed a cab and made to leave. Leaving a groaning Anthony sprawled on the floor.

Maya released a sigh of relief as she finally escaped from Anthony's presence. Getting into the cab, she instructed the driver to take her to her favorite diner near her apartment building. She needed a moment to calm down and collect herself after the unpleasant encounter. And a helping of her favorite pancakes would do her wonders.

Arriving at the diner, Maya stepped inside and was immediately greeted by the warm and inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The familiar surroundings and friendly faces of the staff put her at ease. She walked up to the counter and ordered her favorite food, along with a cup of hot water to brew some tea.

Finding a cozy corner table by the window, Maya settled in, taking a moment to savor the delicious food and enjoy the serene atmosphere of the diner. The soft background music and the gentle chatter of other patrons created a pleasant ambiance that helped her forget about the earlier incident.

It was only half an hour later and Maya left the diner leaving a healthy tip for the waitress. She started her short walk home, it was only a block away from her apartment building she disconnected from the outside world, allowing herself to find solace in the simplicity of the walk home.

Entering her apartment, Maya illuminated the hallway, revealing the familiar layout. She opened the bathroom door on the right, starting a bath for herself. Adjacent to the bathroom was her bedroom, featuring a simple double-sized bed adorned with an ocean blue duvet, a white-painted wardrobe, a mahogany bedside table, and a TV hanging in front of the bed.

Laying inside the bathtub, finally alone without any white noise, Maya is left alone with her thoughts. Anthony being the main proponent, her annoyance with him reached new heights, previously she could tolerate his teasing, but with his harassment, she need to do something about him. Reporting him to their bosses would probably do nothing but stave him off for a few weeks, as he was a nephew to one of their executives.

'Maybe I need to silence him permanently?' She thought to herself, it was a provoking thought but with her skillset, she could do it. Maybe not cleanly, as she had been out of the assassinating job for a while. Deciding against it, Maya played some songs on her phone to tune out the dark thoughts.

Finishing her bath, Maya dresses herself in one of her peach silk pajamas. As she turned on the TV, a movie was playing. Wall-E is a story about a cleaning robot left alone on Earth, but through the loneliness and the solitude he finds a way to power through, eventually finding a companion in EVE.

Perhaps she was jealous, envious, or just plain lonely. Maya unlocks her phone looking for someone to talk to, she thought about messaging Cherry, but she was on a date, and Maya didn't want to intrude upon her night.

Scrolling through the apps open on her phone, she finds the unsent message to Jesse. Maya took a deep breath and decided to edit the message, it had been a while since she last texted, and didn't want to seem too forthcoming. Glancing at the movie playing in front of her, it was the scene where Wall-E was showing Eve around his home. Deciding to take a chance she finished composing her text and hit the send button, feeling a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

~Hey Jesse, It's Maya, It was nice meeting you today~

Feeling her face heating up at the simple greeting she sent, Maya rolled around her bed a few times before settling down on her back, flipping her phone to her side. Jesse was well-mannered, a bit of an extrovert, handsome, self-composed, and a bit of a flirt from what Maya had seen. 'Not really my exact type, but he's got appeal' Maya thought, plus he had a business going, a booming business that is, just based on the number of people she had seen coming and going from his shop.

Maya's thoughts were interrupted by the soft ping that came from her phone. Butterflies fluttered in Maya's belly as she softly unlocked her device to read Jesse's reply.

~Hi Maya I could say the same, didn't expect fire from someone like you, anyway, how were the cookies?~

The mention of cookies instantly brought a smile to her face, prompting her to rummage through her bag. She still had a few left and couldn't resist taking a bite, instantly transported back to their meeting at the cafe, relishing the memory of Jesse's charming smile as he handed her the bag of pastries.

~Those were so good! Do you bake them yourself? What's the recipe for it? Can you teach me how to bake cookies like that?~

Fueled by the delectable treat, Maya swiftly typed her response, brimming with curiosity and enthusiasm. She eagerly inquired about Jesse's baking skills and the recipe for the cookies, even expressing a desire to learn from him. Without overthinking, she clicked send, completely disarmed by the combination of the delicious cookies and Jesse's engaging texts.

Their conversation flowed effortlessly, with Jesse displaying an endless repertoire of topics, and Maya finds herself constantly curious and engaged. Their discussion seamlessly transitioned from pastries and baking to their explorations of Los Angeles. Maya happily recommended a few places she had discovered through Cherry's guidance, prompting a response from Jesse that caught her off guard.

~That sounds amazing, would you accompany me there sometime?~

His message rattled her most delightfully, inviting her to accompany him to the recommended spots. The idea seemed amazing, and Maya's heart skipped a beat. With a mix of excitement and anticipation, she contemplated her response, eager to embark on this new adventure with Jesse.

-Break-

Anthony was angry, it wasn't the first time that she had been slapped, heck it wasn't even one of the first ten times. But, getting rejected was still maddening. As he sat by the bench at the waiting shed, a black limousine pulled up. As the window rolled down a hand extended out flashing a red card towards him. Recognizing the inscribed golden pattern on it Anthony quickly tidied himself up and joined the person in the backseat.

Situating himself comfortably in the seat Anthony got a better look at the two passengers, one was a bodyguard-type, dressed impeccably in a sleek black suit, while the other was a striking woman with blue eyes and black hair. She wore a form-fitting red dress and skin-tone heels. Recognizing her, Anthony bowed respectfully.

"I had no idea you were in town, boss," Anthony greeted, bowing toward the woman.

"We saw the exchange back there, what happened?" the woman asked naturally, not even showing a hint of displeasure, but fear was starting to well up within him. The boss didn't usually get involved with things but when she did, someone was bound to get hurt.

"Just a bit of progress with the task I got assigned, boss, nothing out of the ordinary, right?" Anthony answered dutifully.

"Update me." The woman ordered.

"Uhh. Ok. I was told to get that woman you saw before, fired. I couldn't find a decent excuse as her work ethic was impeccable-no tardy records, no absences, nothing at all, so I thought maybe I could get her to quit if I harassed her." Anthony listed out, a bit surprised and elated that he was reporting directly to the boss, not to one of his normal lower-class superiors, this was something that he could brag about when he gave his weekly report.

"But nothing worked. That woman proved to be quite resilient. So, I decided to take a different approach. I attempted to escalate to physical aggression, hoping that if she hit me, I could use it against her," he continued, a grin creeping across his face as he believed his plan had succeeded.

"Interesting plan." The woman complimented, "But, don't you think a mere slap is too weak, that'll have faded in the morning." she pointed out.

"That's….. true." Anthony admitted, realizing a small flaw in his scheme, "But I can still have my uncle fire her." he quickly added.

"Let's rectify that," the woman suggested. "Burt, break his arm," she commanded.

"Huh?" Anthony looked up at the bodyguard in bewilderment.

Burt, the bodyguard, rose from his seat and approached Anthony, forcefully gripping his arm and offering it to the woman for approval. Confusion engulfed Anthony as he struggled to comprehend the situation. 'I already have an excuse, so what is this?' he thought to himself.

"Do the elbow." The woman ordered.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Burt took hold of the struggling Anthony, and without hesitation, Burt tightened his grip, and with a swift motion, snapped Anthony's elbow in the opposite direction.

"Fuck!" Anthony cried out in pain.

"And maybe a black eye for good measure." The woman added casually, and the ever-dutiful Burt delivered a solid blow to Anthony's left eye.

"That will suffice, Burt. Thank you," she nodded, tapping on the window behind her. Satisfied with the outcome, she instructed the driver to stop the car, and Anthony was unceremoniously dropped off by the side of the road, nursing a broken arm and a swollen eye.