Who Are You, Anthony?

The sound of birds in the morning awakens Brenda in the medium size white bed with a gray quilt. In a second, Brenda opens her eyes wide, looks around, and has just realized she is somewhere. Remind what happened yesterday after she left Broody's house, Brenda wakes up and walks through the white curtain near her bed. The sky is so bright, and the sun shines, but why is her heart still dark, in pain, and suffering? Brenda sits on the wooden chair, looking up above the blue-bright sky with light clouds.

"Have you woken?" Brenda was surprised to hear a male voice in her room suddenly. She stood from her chair, and greet the man that she remembered had helped her, at least that was what Brenda thought.

"M-morning, Sir." Said Brenda bowed down her head.

"Morning, are you already fine?" asked that man, smiling widely.

Brenda nods her head. "T-thank you for helping me, Sir. I- I don't know what would happen to me if you didn't help me last night." Brenda now bowed her body 90 degrees.

"Ah, never mind. I wasn't who helped you last night. You shouldn't be thankful to me."

"W-what do you mean?" asked Brenda looking confused.

But, that man smiled nicely and walked over to Brenda and lowered his thin body slightly, bringing his thin but very delicate face close as he said, "If it weren't for me getting paid, I wouldn't want to help a poor woman like you either."

Brenda is shocked! She looked at the man's two beautiful blue eyes with a look full of curiosity. Brenda wanted to ask a lot of questions, but the girl didn't want to. Brenda lowered her head as she clenched her fists tightly.

"What's your name?" the man asked again now sitting on Brenda's bed.

"B-Brenda Carleta."

"Hmmm, a nice and beautiful name. But, it's a shame if that name is yours." He smirked.

"What do you mean, Sir? That name was given by my parents!" Brenda didn't look happy to hear that white-silver hair man standing in front of her.

"Oh, I see. And who are your parent's names?" he asked again, never leaving his smile.

Brenda locked her mouth, silently. She no longer wanted to use Broody's name after her name. "I'm an orphan, I was raised by another family and ...." Brenda lowered her head, her clenched hands slowly opening.

"You ran away from home? Or ... were you kicked out?"

Brenda is shocked! Open her eyes widely.

"So that's right. You were kicked out? Why? Was it because you were mean to them? Or were they jealous of you?" quipped the silver-white-haired man smiling broadly.

"Who are you? And why was I brought here? What is this place?" interrogation Brenda looked around her room which was slightly larger than the one in the Broodys' house.

"My name is Anthony. This is my home and at the same time as a workplace for my 'employees'."

"What kind of workplace do you mean?"

"Are you interrogating me?" Anthony stood up and immediately pinched Brenda's pointy chin with a displeased look.

"N-no, no ... that's not what I meant," Brenda feared.

Anthony pulled himself away from Brenda, he glimpsed Brenda's unkempt face even though she was beautiful and had dull skin and beautiful long hair but not cared for.

'Tch, really troublesome! Why would he go soo much trouble to help this girl? Who's she actually?' Anthony kept looking at Brenda curiously. "I-is there anything else you want to talk about, Mr. Anthony?" Brenda stares at Anthony, a little bit confused and wondering.

"No. Once you've cleaned yourself up, hurry up and I'll take you around the place." Anthony immediately left Brenda's room. The girl saw a long, dark blue sleeveless dress with a butterfly ornament at the bottom of the dress. "Why do I have to wear a dress in the morning?" thought Brenda looking once more out of her bedroom balcony. "There's nothing to see as far as the eye can see but a collection of shabby houses and narrow alleyways filled with women in clothes...." Brenda rolled her eyes! She saw the women who were wearing dresses of the same style as the one he was holding now.

"W-what does this mean?" Brenda was shocked! She doesn't have another option yet obedient to Anthony's words. but, there's something that makes her confused. 'Who is 'he' that Mr. Anthony talked about? Is he someone I knew? Or ….' Brenda mumbled as she watched several women with disheveled clothes and hair come out of a small hut-like house.

***

In another room of Anthony's house, this pretty-handsome person was receiving a call from someone that made him keep changing his facial expression. Anthony even sighed several times when talking to someone on his cellphone.

"Why don't you just tell her right away if you're the one who helped her? Wouldn't that be easier for her? Besides, what's in it for me to keep her here? Dull face, unkempt hair, dry skin… agh, you want to make my business go bankrupt, huh?"

[She has something special and you will see.]

Anthony was silent. The man with the physical appearance of a woman and a face more beautiful than this woman was a little curious about the words that had just been saying.

"Something special? What is it? Could it be the talent to bring in lots of customers for me?" chuckled Anthony.

[Yes!]

"You're so sure. Have you ever proven it?"

[No!]

"W-what? If you've never proven it, how can you be so confident about saying that?"

[Because I will make her shine because she is my … savior]

Without many words, that person cut off the conversation with Anthony. "Hah, he's started again! What an unpredictable human being." Anthony shook his head.

Seconds later, Anthony heard a knock on his study door. A deep voice escaped from his mouth.

"Sir, this Miss would like to see you." One of the well-built, tall men in a tight black t-shirt and long black pants led Brenda to meet Anthony.

"Hmm, leave us." Anthony's orders look at Brenda who doesn't change her clothes. "Come in," he said.

With fear and worry, Brenda stepped into a room that wasn't that big, maybe almost the same as her old room in the Broody's. However, her eyes were immediately taken aback when she saw Anthony's study filled with the various kinds of paintings that Brenda had always dreamed of and wanted to own.

"Th-this ...." Brenda pointed to the two paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir with an astonished expression.

"You know about painting?" asked Anthony sitting on the edge of his dark brown table crossing his arms.

"A little," Brenda said while rubbing and fingering a painting of three naked girls bathing in a river and two women of different ages wearing 18th-century clothes sitting on a terrace. "Is this real, Mr. Anthony?" asked Brenda curiously.

"What's your thought?" asked Anthony with a faint smile.

"I think ... this is real. But, as far as I know, this painting is precious and has been painted a long time ago. How did you ...." Brenda turned to Anthony who was still looking at her with a smile.

"Hah, what's impossible if we have money, Miss Brenda," Anthony said while standing up and sitting on his chair with dark brown leather.

Brenda was silent. What Anthony said was true! Indeed, money can buy everything, even the happiness that Brenda felt was lost in an instant because of an item she couldn't afford.

"Why? Suddenly silence?" asked Anthony, cradling his sharp chin.

"It's all right, Mr. Anthony. Thanks for giving me a place to sleep, I won't be lingering here and bothering you." Brenda bowed her body and prepared to leave Anthony's room.

"Who said you can leave this house?" said Anthony with a sharp tongue.

"What do you mean, Sir?" Brenda feels shocked.

"I still want to show you this place, who knows you gonna like it."

Brenda raises her eyebrow, not knowing what Anthony does. "Should I?" asked Brenda convinced.

"Yes, you must. Come with me. I'll take you around."

Anthony and Brenda walk around the white and blue strip house slowly. The owner explains one by one room in that house. Brenda looks at Anthony's expression so cheerful and warm, unlike the first time they met.

"May I ask?" said Brenda, cutting off Anthony's words.

"Yes, please."

your house is in stark contrast to what I see around it

"You mean?"

"I couldn't see last night when I was suddenly brought to this place. But, when I woke up this morning and I looked outside, I saw that there were a lot of shabby and shabby-like houses surrounding this nice and big house. Don't you think this is weird?"

"What's weird? I don't think there's anything strange, quite the opposite. Don't you think this kind of scenery is good if poured into a canvas?" Anthony's smile continued to walk in his skinny jeans and white t-shirt with a scarf wrapped around his neck, making the man look like a model showing off a dress.

"How did you know I was a painter?" asked Brenda in doubt mixed with fear.

"So you're a painter?" Anthony suddenly turned around and was petrified.

Brenda nodded her head. "I am not a famous painter, but I have painted quite a few people around me, although it may not turn out as good as the painting in your room."

"What do you usually paint, Miss Brenda?"

"The faces and expressions of the people I've met."

Anthony smiled broadly. "Are you selling your painting or ..."

"I sold it, Sir. It's not much, but it's enough for my tuition."

"College? So you're still in school?" surprised Anthony.

Brenda nodded. "Something wrong, Sir?"

Anthony immediately turned around and his voice turned serious as if he was annoyed. "Don't ask too many questions and sit on that chair! I'll be right back!" Anthony left Brenda and went to his back porch. Brenda, who is still paying attention to the contents of the house and the objects in Anthony's house, is still amazed by the several paintings of various styles that are displayed in her living room.

"It's like being in a world-class art gallery. Classy home stuff."

Brenda, who was bored, had to sit quietly in place, walking around looking around Anthony's other houses, until she came to a painting of Monet which was hung not far from where Anthony had called. She heard Anthony's loud voice on the phone which made Brenda curious.

"You're crazy, huh! Turns out he's still in college! Are you trying to destroy my business?! Get Brenda out of here quickly! I don't want my business to be ruined and that girl ... you can make her a display in your house!" Anthony rudely hung up the phone. Brenda immediately covered her mouth with her hands and left the place. But unfortunately, his actions were discovered by one of Anthony's men and immediately brought him before the beautiful-handsome man.

"What is this?" asked Anthony, glancing sharply at Brenda.

"He was eavesdropping when the Boss was on the phone." It was clear the tall, well-built man was holding Brenda's hands tightly.

"Oh, so besides painting, your other talent turns out to be eavesdropping, huh?" Anthony cradled Brenda's chin with a grin.

"Who are you, Mr. Anthony? Why are you helping me if you dumped me?" asked Brenda sarcastically.

"Just ask the guy who keeps calling you his 'savior'."

"What? What savior? What are you talking about?"

"Bring her in and lock her in the room!" Anthony ordered, pulled out a cigarette of his and waved his left hand, and saw Brenda back to her room.

"Okay, Boss. Come on, let's go! Don't ask too many questions!" firm and curt Anthony's men.

"Yes, Sir."

"Mr. Anthony ... Mr. Anthony!" shouted Brenda but was ignored.

'Unlucky! Shit! Why didn't that bastard tell me Brenda's status first? Damn it!'