Capítulo 9: Anne's best friend
Anne woke up to see herself lying on the sitting room couch, with a warm blanket covering her. She was confused. She tried to recall what made her sleep on the couch but all she got was a sharp headache.
After the pain subsided, she finally started recollecting recent events. She remembered everything from when she challenged an intoxicated Henry to when she lost to him. Henry had collapsed immediately after his victory and she reluctantly joined him on the floor.
Anne noticed there was a gap from when she passed out on the floor to when she woke up on the couch. She was about to address it, but suddenly an urgent need to vomit hit her like a train. She quickly ran to the closest of The Imperial Palace's bathrooms.
"Jeez, Anna. What did you do last night?" A voice said behind Anne, as she excreted her insides into the white ceramic toilet. She didn't need to turn around to know who was there. There was only one person that called her 'Anna'.
"Mira?" Anne muttered, as she shifted her gaze to see her close friend standing behind her.
Anne had a lot she wanted to say, but something else was about to come out of mouth instead. She faced the toilet once more and continued vomiting every single thing in her stomach.
"Is that how much I disgust you? Oh I knew I shouldn't have come." Mira said jokingly.
"Shut up. Rather than standing there cracking jokes, come and hold my hair."
"This isn't how I planned to start my day." Mira commented. Even though she was reluctant, she still assisted her dear friend.
———
Anne was finally back on the couch with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her stomach was completely empty, her liver ached and she still had a massive headache.
A pretty blonde woman came out of the kitchen and placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Anne.
"Thanks Mira." Anne expressed her gratitude, even though she had no appetite.
Mirabel sat down and examined her friend. Unlike herself, Anne was never one to drink to stupor. Mira hoped this had nothing to do with the loss of her father.
"You know if you're going through something, alcohol isn't the solution."
"That's rich coming from you. You drink yourself to stupor every single time you get sad."
"Anna, I'm serious. Whenever you miss him, I would always be here for you. You don't need to turn to alcohol—"
"Wait a moment. That's not what happened. I wasn't drinking to stupor because I miss William. Sure, I'm heartbroken but relying on liquor would only make me a threat to his legacy."
"Then why did you drink so much?"
"I challenged him when he was drunk, so he made us play a drinking game to even the odds."
Mirabel was beyond confused. Was the alcohol still in effect?
"Who are you talking about?" Mira asked, hoping her friend's reply wouldn't be "William". She wasn't sure what she would do if Anne gave such an answer, but she knew calling a mental institution would be her most likely option.
"Oh, that's right. I haven't told you about Henry."
"Henry?" Mira repeated, and she couldn't help but smile. Henry was a man's name. "Tell me all about Henry."
"He is a major pain in the ass. After moving in, he has—"
"Wait a minute! Did you just say he moved in? You're living with a guy?!" Mirabel asked. She couldn't believe her ears. Wasn't this the same girl that hardly cared about love, romance and everything in-between? Or wasn't this the girl that once said the only relationship she would be in would be a platonic contract-based relationship that would help her father's empire?
"Um, yes. I think it's okay since he is—" Anne was saying but she got cut off by the sound of emerging footsteps. They turned to see an handsome well-built man walking towards them.
Mirabel's eyes enlarged as she took in Henry's image. Henry noticed the unfamiliar face, so he waved and introduced himself. "I'm Henry."
"I'm Mirabel Foyer. Anna's best friend." She said and they shook hands. Anne couldn't help but roll her eyes. Why was he acting like a gentleman?
"What are you doing here? Don't you know it's simple manners to not intrude when your housemate is entertaining a guest?"
"I didn't even know you had a guest. And is this how you treat someone that carried you from the cold floor to a warm couch?"
"So it was you. I'm grateful for what you did, but knowing you, you probably had ulterior motives."
"There you go again with the ulterior motives. I've told you before, I'm not interested in self-centered girls."
"Just go back to the library or wherever it is you came from. I'm not ready to argue with you." Anne said, but Mirabel was sure they were already arguing. She witnessed the heated exchange of words like they were a dysfunctional newlywed couple.
Henry eyes moved to the plate of bacon and eggs. It was the real reason why he was here. All the reading he had been doing made him hungry, and couldn't just resist the aroma of Anne's breakfast.
"Ann, can I—"
"No." She quickly gave him an answer to a question she hadn't fully heard.
Nevertheless, he stretched his hand for a bacon and Anne slapped it before he could snag one.
"Ow! You didn't have to hit that hard."
Anne had a smug look on her face. "Does this look like a restaurant? If you're hungry go and make your own food."
"But you're not eating it. Besides I never had anybody to teach me how to cook." Henry replied. He truly didn't know the first thing about boiling water.
"Awwn. It's alright. I can make—" Mira was about to volunteer but Anne's deadly gaze cut her off. She became quiet once more.
"So you won't give me your breakfast and you won't allow Mirabel prepare another one for me?"
"I never said I wouldn't give you mine, I just want you to ask nicely for it." Anne replied.
"But I—" Henry was about to remind Anne that he had tried asking, but he chose to let out a frustrated sigh. He knew she was doing this because she was still sour about him winning their last challenge.
"Ann, can I—"
"No." She quickly gave him an answer once more. Anne let out a satisfied laugh, and even Mirabel couldn't help but let out a smile. Henry's shocked expression was truly amusing.
Henry, who was the laughingstock, chose not to take this insult. "Let's play for it."
Anne tilted her head. "Let me get this straight. You are initiating a challenge with my breakfast at stake?" She asked and Henry nodded.
"Are you crazy?! It's not one of William's assets."
"There's nothing in the rules that says the challenge prize only has to be William's assets."
"I guess you're right. And even if there was such a rule, we can easily change it if we're in agreement."
"Exactly. So are you accepting or not?"
"It's not like I have a choice. You can't refuse a challenge, remember? Though I'm not wasting my game right on something as trivial as breakfast. So what is the game you're choosing?"
"Give me a minute. I'll be right back." Henry said before he headed towards the library.
"What just happened? What do you guys mean by challenge?" Mira asked. She was dumbfounded.
"It's something we do to share William's assets. It's also the reason I drank so much yesterday night."
"Why are you sharing William's assets with him?"
"Why? He's Henry Great. William's grandson." Anne revealed, and Mira didn't know where to start from. Henry footsteps could be heard returning, and Anne noticed Mira's expression.
"I promise, I will explain everything once I'm done thrashing him."
"I went to get this." Henry said, revealing a notebook and pen.
Despite the challenge happening suddenly, Henry had thought it through. He wanted a quick challenge so the food wouldn't get cold, and he also wanted a game where he had an advantage.
"We are playing Tic Tac Toe."
"Tic Tac Toe?" Anne repeated. It was such a random choice.
"Do you have a problem with it?"
"No, I guess."
"Then let's start." Henry said. The truth is that Henry didn't randomly choose Tic Tac Toe. While he was reading, he stumbled upon a guidebook that thought him both the basics and some advanced techniques of the game. After reading the book, he now knows how to end his match against Anne in three moves.
He drew his first "x", then he watched Anne draw a circle. He kept on a straight face as he tried to conceal the joy in his heart. He had learnt that revealing he was winning was a rookie move.
She drew her circle just where he wanted, which made him even more certain that she wouldn't know what would hit her in his next couple moves.
He drew his third "x", and was certain he had won. Henry watched Anne study the three-by-three grid. Had she finally realized the game was over from the moment he drew his first "x"?
Anne took the pen from Henry and drew a circle, and immediately after a smile broke on her face. "It's your turn, Hen." She said, while stretching the pen to him.
Henry couldn't help but be confused at Anne's expression. He returned his gaze to the grid to see Anne had countered the technique he recently learned.
"Why do you look so shocked?" Anne asked, with a wide smile. "Did you really think you could beat me with a technique you learnt from my book?"
Henry could only laugh at himself. The book he had read belonged to Anne. He draw his last "x" and accepted defeat. Anne didn't need to draw a circle since her victory was already clear, but she did it anyway.
Stroking her three circles in a row ended the short battle in her favour. Henry rested his back on the couch, and without saying a word, Anne stretched her breakfast to him.
"Huh, but I—"
"Just take it...before it gets cold. Consider it thanks for carrying me from the floor."
Henry took the plate from Anne's hand and Mira was finally tired of being confused. "Are you guys done? If so, can someone tell me what is going on?"
Anne filled Mira in on everything that happened in her absence. After the lengthy explanation, Mira kept one and two together. "So let me get this straight, Henry is William's grandson. And William stated in his will that each of his assets should be shared equally between the both of you. So in an attempt to not infringe on each other's right of ownership on an asset, you guys created a challenge system where you can challenge those ownership rights. Is that it?"
Anne and Henry looked at each other before nodding in unison and Mirabel couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad I came over today." She stated. "So which asset are you guys fighting for next?" She asked with much enthusiasm.
Henry and Anne glanced at each other before returning their gazes to Mira. "I think you're misunderstanding the situation. We don't challenge each other for the fun of it." Anne explained.
"I'm surprised you even put 'fun' in that sentence. Every challenge which you have be nothing but stress. I only partake because that's the only way to stop you from bullying me out of my inheritance." Henry stated.
"Same here. I hasn't been fun for me either. I only challenge you to reduce the risk you pose to William's legacy."
"Hm, what about The Imperial Palace?" Mira asked. She couldn't care less if it was fun for them. All she knew was that it was fun to watch. Never had she seen a Tic Tac Toe match as interesting as the one she just witnessed. She wanted to see more.
"What about it?"
"Have you guys challenged each other for it?"
"Yes, we both own half of it."
"Ahem, not exactly half. Cause I own William's bedroom."
"Don't tell me you've forgotten that I won the library last night." Henry replied Anne.
"Then I guess we both own half."
"What about William's cars then?" Mira suggested. She had been deep in thought and this suggestion was a result. And successfully, it made Henry's ear twitch.
"William's cars?"
"Yeah you know, the ones in the twenty-car garage." Mira said, fanning the flames of Henry's curiosity. When she saw she had him hooked, she decided to apply more pressure. "I heard they were a couple of one-of-a-kind supercars there."
"Mira, what are you doing?" Anne asked, sensing her friend was up to her usual mischiefs.
"One-of-a-kind supercars?" Henry muttered.
"Don't tell me you haven't been there?" Mira said, striking the final nail in the coffin.
Henry quickly rose up. "I'll be right back. I forgot something in the library."
"Like hell you did. You are going to check out William's cars, right?" Anne asked.
Instead of replying, Henry sprinted towards the garage at full speed. Anne simply rolled her eyes, before pursuing after him. "Thanks a lot, Mira." She expressed her gratitude to the cause of the mess.
Mira stood up from where she sat with a smile on her pretty face. She was certain that this would lead to a challenge, and she couldn't wait to see what a challenge that involves millions of dollars worth of cars would look like.
— Un nuevo capítulo llegará pronto — Escribe una reseña
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder