Chapter 3 Don't Trust Anybody!

Bang! Before the gang of thugs could attack, there was a sudden sound of a gun going off that the driver fired upwards while Kent rushed into the car and picked up the black bag that was lying in the middle near the steering seat. "Stop, everyone! If anyone moves an inch, this hot lead will stick in your body!" shouted Alex Maxfield, Kent's loyal personal driver who had worked for him for years. The man then pointed his gun at the thugs; they stopped and looked at Alex, who was still holding the gun. The green color of the laser that came out of the weapon seemed natural and pierced the chests of the thugs standing in front of him. "The others back off! We want to bring home our master's wife; we don't want to make trouble in this area!" he said again while giving the code to the employer. All of Mr. Hugo's men were silent and looked at Alex unfriendly. Shortly after that, Kent threw a wad of money that he had taken from the bag towards the thugs. The banknotes floated in the air, making Mr. Hugo's men cheer because money was raining on their heads. They hurriedly picked up the bills one by one while scrambling, colliding, and shouting at each other. Alex used this moment to get into the car and drove as fast as possible. "Where are we going, Sir?" asked Alex, glancing back through the center mirror. "We're going to the hospital!" "No, Sir." Briana interrupted quickly. However, Kent shook his head hard as he said, "Your wounds need to be treated, Miss. Otherwise, they'll get infected. And I don't like to help half-assed; I need to make sure you're okay." he said while looking at Briana sharply, as sharp as a ninja knife aimed at a target. "Oh yeah, my name is Kent. And this is Alex, my driver. What's your name?" "My name is Bbb-Agnes," Briana replied awkwardly. The girl was not used to men as stern, authoritative, and handsome as the man sitting next to her, so it was no wonder that Briana hesitated to say her real name. She knew enough about herself not to expect more. The vast difference in life strata between her and Kent made Briana inferior and afraid to expect much. Only a miracle could reunite her with a man like Kent. "Thank you, Mr. Kent, for the treatment and the transfer to the front of the apartment," Briana said as the black car pulled up in front of a luxury apartment near her modest apartment. The girl deliberately did not show her ordinary apartment behind the luxury apartment, feeling embarrassed to reveal her true identity in front of this classy man. "Okay, you're welcome. Next, be careful; don't easily believe what people say, even if it's your friends, like what you said earlier that you got the apartment address from your friend, especially since you're new here," he said while nodding slowly. "New York is a big city; anything can happen here." Briana nodded as she said, "Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind, thanks again. Bye," she replied as she opened the car door handle and got out. It wasn't long before the black car drove off into the night. She hurriedly stepped into a narrow hallway that connected two luxury apartments while her modest apartment was at the back. Briana remembered Kent's words about not trusting people easily, especially since she was new to New York City. Her existence in this big city was as an intern at an advertising company, and many new friends she had just met at the office, including Felicia Chayton.

***

"Good morning, Briana. How come you look so rumpled? What's wrong?"asked Hanny, her office mate that morning; at that time, Briana went to the office looking less fresh. "I'm confused, Han. In three months, I have to find a new apartment." Hanny Thornton's forehead wrinkled to the middle. "The owner of the apartment's niece will use my apartment. Yesterday, he came to my apartment and told me about this, and I got a headache. I've only been using it for a month." Hanny became sad and felt sorry for her friend. "If I were alone in my apartment, I would invite you, Bee. I'm sorry, I'm already in the same apartment as my friend from the village," she said fretfully. "It's okay, I understand. I'll try to find an apartment through advertisements in the newspaper or on social media; you want to help me, right?" pleaded Briana, hopefully, while holding the girl's hand. Hanny also nodded. "Yes, of course! Of course, I will help you." "Hey! What's going on? There seems to be unpleasant news," interrupted Jonathan, another office mate who suddenly appeared in front of them while looking at the two girls in turn. "What is it, Bee?" "Briana has to find a new apartment. Because the owner requested her apartment." The man was so shocked that he gaped and opened his mouth momentarily. "The niece who owns the apartment wants to use it if she studies here," Briana replied to Hanny's words with a sad expression on her face. "How about you live in my apartment? My apartment has two rooms; you can live in the other room; how about it?" Jonathan asked hopefully. Jonathan Smith was starting to fall in love with this wavy, black-haired girl. "You don't have to pay; it's free. I'm serious." "Yes, Bee. You can stay at Jonathan's apartment for a while. His apartment is nice. It's a great prestige to live in an apartment like that." Hanny responded to Jonathan's words with enthusiasm. However, Briana was not. She was still having second thoughts about living in Jonathan Smith's apartment. "I'm sorry, Jo. It's not that I don't want to, it's not that I refuse, but I will try to find another apartment first; who knows if I can find one within three months." "You only have three months. Then we have to move fast. I'll help you, Bee. But for the next four days, I can't because I'm going out of town; I want to take my mom to California." Deep down, Jonathan was eager to accompany Briana in finding an apartment for the woman he was beginning to like. However, the girl seemed unable to respond to his love signals. "It's okay, Jo. I can search with Hanny later. You should accompany your mother first; I'm fine," she said, flashing a sweet smile. "Well, now it's time for us to work first." "Ahaa! I have an idea," Hanny interrupted excitedly. "How about you ask the interns or other office staff? They might have acquaintances or know of an apartment to rent." Briana's eyes shone brightly; the girl seemed to have a new hope. "You're right. Why don't I ask the employees here first." Hanny nodded in agreement. "I'll ask them during lunch break or after work." "I'll help you, Bee," Hanny said enthusiastically.

***

It was tiring because the tasks the managers gave were getting more challenging by the day. All 20 interns had to demonstrate their respective abilities in the following two weeks. These two weeks were tough days for Briana because besides having to focus and seriously think about office work, she also had to find a new apartment. The girl had to fight against time before the three-month period passed. "I heard you need a new apartment," asked Felicia that afternoon when Briana was preparing to go home while Hanny had left first with Thomas. "Yes. So what?" "I have a friend who wants to rent the apartment; it's cheap. I'm sure you'll like it." Briana's brow furrowed to the middle. "How rare that this woman is so nice to me. Usually, her words are always scathing." she thought suspiciously because she could not fully trust Felicia Chayton, even though the girl did not ask Felicia for help or about renting a new apartment. The rumor had been spreading around the office for two weeks that she was looking for a new apartment. "I don't need your help." Briana curtly said as she averted her gaze and cleaned her desk. "Some people want to help you, but you ignore them. Here it is!" said Felicia as she placed a paper on the desk. "This is the address! You can check it yourself. Whether you take it or not is up to you. The important thing is that I just want to help you. That's all. Good afternoon!" The girl hurried away, leaving Briana with a sour and annoyed look. Briana only smiled wryly at Felicia's departure. She glanced at the paper on the desk. "Bronx? Where is it? It won't hurt if I try; I'll go there; who knows if there's a cheap apartment," she thought as she read the paper and hurried out of the office.