You Belong to Me

Anastasia woke up dizzy and couldn’t believe what Bruno Lopez had done to her. She heard Mum calling, but she chose to ignore it.

“Francis, what are you searching for?” she asked as Francis Angel entered her room, looking for something he couldn’t think of at the time.

“Anna’s dad gave you something to hide last night,” she inquired, her face solemn. She had trouble remembering things when she was under the infl**nce of alcohol.

“I can’t seem to find them, Dad,” August Angel, her small brother, exclaimed as he entered the room.

“Give Anna something to drink,” Lauren Angel stated as she entered the room. She gave the order.

“What do you want as a family?” she inquired, her gaze falling on Lauren.

“Guns, Anna, darling,” Lauren says, smiling at her child. She replied.

Anastasia Angel is a professor at the country’s largest institution. Her father, Francis Angel, was the president of the country at one time and amassed a lot of riches during his time in government. As a result, he keeps guns close to him because he has a lot of opponents waiting to strike.

Lauren Angel, her mother, is a retired accountant, and her younger brother is a student at the country’s largest university.

“I’ll leave you, family, to continue your hunt.” She began by going to the restroom and taking a fast shower before dressing in her professional gear.

When she arrived at work, she found her best friend Liz waiting for her with a furious expression on her face. “Where have you been, Anna?” she inquired. “How did Mahlon Brown’s men find you, and why has he been following you?” Liz inquired.

“I’m not sure,” to which Anna replied,

“I’m late for work, Anna; I’ll see you later.”

“Please have a patient see you off.”

She attempts to recall the time when she lost her memory as she walks to her office. She was kidnapped for a year by individuals she can’t remember now; it’s that one year she’s lost and can’t seem to recall no matter how hard she tries.

She’ll be meeting Liz and Alice after work.

“Greetings, Professor.”

“What do you have for me, Justin?”

“Students’ assignments.”

“How many classes do I have today?”

“There are only two.”

“After that, you can clear my schedule.”

Justin said, “All right,” and walked away.

After Justin and her secretary had left the office, she began to go over the work that the students had presented. She went to the cafeteria after work to catch up with her pals and gab, usually about work and the hottest businessmen. As soon as she walked in, she focused her gaze on Gilbert Green, who was conversing with his assistant about something.

Gilbert Green is a fashion icon who reigns supreme in Country A’s fashion sector. Gilbert, Liz, and Alice attended the same university as them.

She had her friends chatting in the cafeteria nook.

“Come on, Alice, quit kidding around,” Liz said angrily.

“Stop it, you guys,” Anna said before the debate became heated. Country A has the largest cafeteria. It is exclusively open to men and women who work in the business world. One of Alice’s friends works in the cafeteria as a manager, so they had the opportunity to mingle from time to time.

“How are things going, Anastasia?” Liz inquired.

“I guess that’s good.”

“How’s your memory?” she inquired.

Before the questioning became too harsh, Alice decided to intervene.

“You’re asking too much, Liz,” Alice remarked.

Anastasia said, “It’s alright, Alice.”

She informed her friends what the doctor had told her.

“According to the doctor, it appears like I lost my virginity during that period.”

“You have to be kidding me,” Liz screamed, “I can’t seem to remember how I lost my virginity.”

“Don’t sever Anastasia’s limbs.”

“You stupid girl who says I’m crying,” Alice comforted her friend.

“How can you forget who you did it with?” Alice inquired.

“Alice, please don’t bother with Anna.”

“I’m just inquiring, girl.”

The ladies were well aware that chatting about something for too long would not end well.

They talked about a lot of things, and Mahlon Brown was one of them.

They departed the café after 6 p.m.

***

Anastasia got home later in the evening and immediately went to her room. After a quick shower, it was time for dinner.

She had to stand in the shower for a few minutes and let the water fall on her body. She had a flashback of herself with a man; she couldn’t see his face, but his shoulders looked familiar.

She was uneasy simply because she was sleeping with someone whose face she couldn’t recall; she had a lot of questions but no one to answer them.

“Does that man hold the key to the months gone by?” She mumbled something.

She went to the kitchen after bathing to assist her mother in the preparation of supper. Anastasia and Lauren didn’t have much to chat about because they were solely focused on cooking, which Lauren did.

After supper, August was the first to excuse himself, followed by Anastasia, leaving Francis and Lauren alone.

She received a notification from WeChat as she entered her room.

“Didn’t you hear? Gilbert Green will be throwing a party to commemorate his father’s passing. Sr. Gilbert Green. The gathering will take place over three days, throughout the day.” Liz explained the situation to her friends.

“Prepare appropriately, women; this will be our moment to show off our gorgeous bodies, and don’t forget, ladies, there will be plenty of attractive males to select from; oh, I can’t wait.” She ended it with a series of love emoticons.

“This is my chance to flaunt my Gucci dress and bag,” Alice said, smiling.

“Are we invited, or do you want us to gatecrash Gilbert Green’s party?” Anastasia inquired. “I’d hate to embarrass myself in front of my peers.” She also added.

“Do you think Mahlon Brown will be there, Lizzie?”

Anna had inquired, “If he isn’t at the celebration, where will he be?” Gilbert Green and Mahlon Brown have known each other since they were children. “Let’s talk about it after work tomorrow,” Alice explained. “Sleep well, ladies.”

***

“I’ve admired you since you were a child; your father brought you here so I could teach you how to arrange numbers; please give me this chance to show you how much I love you; look at me, Anna,” her alarm goes off just as she was about to look him in the eyes. It’s the sixth time my alarm has sounded. She had overslept and couldn’t believe how she had slept; she had four classes to cover and no way of knowing how she was going to do it. She found her parents waiting for her just as she was about to leave.

Lauren was the first to speak. “Anastasia, Dad and I have something important to discuss with you,” she said.

“Can’t we chat later, Mom, because I’m late for work?” She responded with a solemn expression.

Lauren responded, “No, Anastasia, this is more essential.”

By the way they looked at her, she could tell something significant was about to happen. Lauren motioned for her to have a seat.

“Anastasia, your mother and I negotiated an arrangement with the Brown family,” Francis Angel said.

“What is the deal?” she inquired.

“Shhhh, Anastasia, let your father finish.” Lauren acted as her interpreter.

“We signed an agreement stating that when you are old enough, you will marry Mahlon Brown.” Anastasia was dumbfounded, unable to believe what her father was saying to her.

“How could you do this to me, Dad, and why didn’t you agree on August Angel’s behalf?” She begged, her eyes welling up with tears, that she had a memory to recall, and instead of giving her ample time to heal, she got out of her chair and walked away without looking back.

“Anastasia Angel, return; your father continues to talk,” Lauren yelled.

She called work and requested a one-week leave to clear her head.

She texted Alice Lee to let her know she was on her way. She came to Alice’s house and parked her child next to Alice’s.

“Anastasia, are you sure about what you’re saying?” Exclaimed Alice

Anastasia smiled as she nodded.

“What are your plans?” Alice asked

“I don’t know,” Anastasia responded.

Alice was puzzled. If they found out she had lost her virginity to a stranger,

“However, do you believe Mahlon will accept someone who is not a virgin?” She asked her friend.

Finally, they took to drinking.

Anastasia didn’t want to disappoint her parents, and she knew the proposal would be coming soon because of her father’s connections, but she didn’t know when.

Liz was staring at Anastasia as she awoke.

She felt pity for her friend, but she realized she couldn’t help her.

Anastasia checked the time on her phone, only to discover it was past 2 a.m. and she had missed fifteen calls from her father and six missed calls from her mother.

She was not in the mood to chat with them because she knew they were worried and sick.

Liz and Bruno were not a surprise to her; she knew Alice had informed them.

“How are you doing, Anna?” Bruno expressed his sadness.

“I’m all right.”

“Why are you excited, Bruno?” Lizzy inquired, her brows wrinkled.

“Do I appear like someone excited to you?” Bruno responded.

Bruno Lopez serves as a personal assistant to Mahlon Brown. He’s been with Muls for a year.

***

Anastasia returned home to see her father outdoors, looking tired.

“What have you been up to, Anastasia?”

“I’m OK, Dad,” she says.

She walked in and found August and Lauren eating breakfast.

Lauren inquired, “Where did you go, Anastasia?”

She didn’t react and went inside her room, closing the door behind her.

She couldn’t believe it had been two days already when she heard her mother calling, “Anastasia, Liz and Alice are here.”

She bid her mother farewell as she walked downstairs.

They arrived at Green’s five-star hotel, where Liz was surprised to find three invitation cards.

Anastasia hit her head on something hard as they walked in, ouch! Ouch! She screamed.