The Party (3)

  13 minutes from the B&C Enterprise. A little farther away from the center of Sargonde, Sargonde's Academy, the first and only in the state.

  Vniiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmbba~. Fox drove his Myertha in his biking gear and helmet, smoothly stopping, but he didn't slow down. When he was a kilometer away, he stopped accelerating, with his Myertha continuing moving. He didn't know what planing or flying a small jet felt like, but it might be just like now, as he leaned about and still drove a bit faster than any other vehicle.

  Fox gained quite some glares, but he was focused on the large precinct before him, which was as much of a touristic view as any temple in the First Sanctum Order. When he turned to the entrance of the parking lot, he was still fast, far from losing the power he already let go of.

  It was some time before the schedule where Lorena gets out of the academy, so Fox circled the parking lot. Some guards wanted to question Fox for his suspicious movements, but when they saw his Myertha, and how modified it had become, they felt apprehensive.

  At first, they were worried it was a high-end’s son from the organized crime. Their experience and training in their faculty kicked in, but they quickly remembered what ‘era’ this was. Furthermore, becoming a guard was like a free job, still paid as good, but much safer.

  While they saw many new guards in the job laze around and even rest in their working hours, they knew what it felt like to know how to assess a situation by sight than talking and knowledge. It was scary, but it was gone now.

  Regardless, since everything was peaceful and they in a mood, they just stared at Fox rapidly moving about, wondering how silent the engine was, as he barely slowed down. Overseeing.

  13 minutes later, he came to an almost halt, stopping near the entrance. The guards thought Fox got bored or dizzy, while he simply calculated the time of his Myertha’s ongoing sheer speed. It felt good to have such small gimmicks, even though he had a Pugor system, and double-loaded at that. With an auxiliary battery…

  Fox waited, standing beside his Myertha, which seemed off and resting, but the smoothest engine movement it made soothed him. At last, he saw a small group exit the main entrance.

  One of them was a young woman. Creamy cinnamon skin, smooth black hair, and small brown eyes. She was taller than back then. But Lorena was also older, an 18-year-old beauty who had matured a bit, and she still had 20 years to become a fine woman.

  She was already on her way to become a bombshell, at worst, and had grown an aura that speaks of her intelligence. This academy was for many things, but one of them represented Victor’s area of expertise, and even ‘future’ or advanced business categories.

  Space pioneering was just around the corner, with its initial success of group-sent rockets preparing to part from Resilient in about 80 years or less, depending on if the world didn’t succumb to more pointless wars like the Ters-Ly War.

  Anyone who was in business wanted a say in it, and while competition was nonexistent because it was still a bleak promise, some bigshots, like Victor, were looking forwards to it. Still, nothing was clear, so the only thing the ambitious could do was make offspring and prepare endlessly.

  “Ehee~!” Lorena had a smile, glaring at a young man with brown skin, who had short black hair, and smiled big time after seeing Lorena’s antics. A beauty just arched her back backwards and looked at you with fluttering eyelashes and a thin smile, to blush or to smile? It was simple.

  While the young man was astounded like a doofus, Lorena acted like a normal human being at last and faced the front, holding some books and notebooks against her belly. Then, she frowned, looking down and, not knowing why, picked her hair behind her ear in Fox’s direction.

  Fox watched Lorena clear her face towards him and smiled a bit, reminiscing and comparing the childish Lorena to young woman Lorena. It’s been a while. Fox then saw her feel something, and sure enough, she saw him, eliciting an immediate, quick-witted exclamation before rushing towards him.

  “Ah!”

  Lorena furiously stomped the ground, followed by Bruno, who ran behind her after his stupor. Lorena arrived near Fox after a minute or so. The entrance was a small staircase, but it had an extensive yard from the main doors to the parking lot, with a wide space just before another small staircase. That’s where Fox was waiting.

  He wanted to tease her, sounding the engine, but it was too soft and new, so Lorena might not know what he was doing, thus, he just looked around, ignoring her. This made Lorena furious, who expelled all her adrenaline and prepared to bump into him with all her strength.

  When Fox saw her intentions, he just set his right foot harder on the ground, preparing to mitigate this suicidal idiot’s actions. When Lorena counted her chickens, she stomped harshly, rushing into the air, but Fox caught her with his left arm after easily dodging her.

  The eyes put on her back from her strange behavior gained tons of gasps when this happened. Immediately after, Fox grabbed Lorena like a ragdoll by the armpits, flinging her left and right without saying anything. Lorena was stupefied, her brain getting used to whatever the fuck just happened. Then, she sobered up, demanding for justice.

  “Where were you all this long? Oh, wait! You were playing hero and bla bla BLA!” Lorena scratched Fox’s helmet, making noises with it, but he didn’t even move a millimeter, letting her play with his helmet. Fox smiled behind his helmet, not surprised that she knew it was him.

  “Nothing to say?” Lorena rudely said. But then, she grew a pout. Fox looked at her for a while before tilting his head. He said behind his visor, “It’s my fault. But I couldn’t help it.”

  “Oh yeah?” Lorena looked at Fox with disdain. Fox nodded, with Bruno arriving just a meter behind her. “Mhm. What if cute Lore, sweet Lolo made me unable to pursue my dreams, tricking me with her beauty and body?”

  “As if!” Lorena crossed her arms. She looked comical, ‘standing’ in the air with Fox’s hands pushing her all up into the sky. Fox continuously nodded, “Don’t think I never noticed your growing ass, chick. Wonder how thick it had grown by now?”

  “Don’t you dare!” Lorena yelled, covering her bum and glaring lethal daggers down at his visor. Fox victoriously grinned before dropping her. Lorena pouted even more before he patted her head. Then, he pinched the bridge of her nose for a second. She let him do all that.

  “Missed me?” Fox asked her, their surroundings becoming a little warm, and not because of the hot climate. Bruno walked closer to them, feeling it was opportune to do now, and clearly guessing what face-slapper was hiding behind that helmet.

  “Yes, big bro…” Lorena smiled softly before hugging his neck. She buried her nose and chin on his left chest, immediately transmitting some heat to Fox’s body. Bruno looked at them and remained silent. Meanwhile, Fox’s hands hovering in the air above her shoulders a little before lowering to hug her back.

  Fox pushed her shoulders off after a bit, which Lorena wasn’t ready for, cleaning some tears and looking at Fox, wronged and abandoned. Fox caressed the top of her head before rubbing her left shoulder up and down. “Let’s go elsewhere. Homework and whatever doesn’t matter.”

  “Shut up, I know you met my dad first. Else, you wouldn’t have dared to come here. So don’t try to stop me from taking over his business.” Lorena, the Intelligent, discovered Fox’s ploys and exposed him, forcing him to safe face and play pretense.

  “How dare you!” Fox pointed a finger at Lorena, slowly painting a smile on her beautiful face. As Lorena crackled up a little, Fox dropped his act and said, caressing his Myertha’s handlebars. “Nah, I don’t really care if you want to scare your dad to a heart attack from panic. Rather, I want you to take over my business.”

  “Hm?” Lorena looked at Fox, not knowing if he was being genuine at this moment or still pretending. Fox smiled, then pointed at his baby with his thumb. “Wanna ride, baby Lo?”

  “Oooh~! Your new ride?” Lorena widened her eyes and looked at Fox’s Myertha, savoring every modification and wanting to break some laws to do the same to her motorcycle. Lorena doesn’t bring hers to the academy, though, always opting to chat her boy a little before being picked up by Victor. Regardless, even Bruno could tell the beauty of such a Myertha.

  “Mhm, so?” Fox asked, simple and short. Lorena looked at him with upturned eyes from their corners, slowly forming a smile. She bit her lower lip before slowly nodding time and again. Fox smiled behind his visor. Now he knew; she was ready.

  Fox mounted his Myertha before looking back at Bruno while Lorena sat behind him. Fox then ignored Bruno and pressed a button, whereas the Myertha opened a concealed/camouflaged lid retracted, revealing a wide open space, where Fox took a helmet out of.

  “Hoo hoo hohohohoh.” Lorena laughed her ass off, knowing how bad this baby was, and what would happen to anyone who was caught with it. Only someone as daring as ex-Chief Secretary of Security and ex-Senior Minister, Fox, would dare to do this and show it out in the open.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Ehm, what about me?” Bruno asked, his chest out, but quite apprehensive of Fox. Not only was there an inconclusive relationship with Fox where Fox seemed a bit in the superior side, Fox was also of a most beloved status in Lorena and the Ruva family’s hearts.

  “Mmm, I suddenly don’t want an ugly duck like you, baby.” Lorena looked back with her visor up, winking before Fox looked back again and shrugged before driving off. Bruno was just about to shout bullshit at his girl, who couldn’t be serious for a minute, when a limousine drove and stopped before him.

  A White Blood agent looked at him from the driver’s seat, nodding upwards. Bruno got the message and went to the door for passengers. More eyes descended on this spot. Having a limousine as transport was a bit too much, and a lot of image, but it still showed wealth.

  … While Bruno was sent to the outdoors restaurant right away, Fox rode his baby Myertha for half an hour, bringing Lorena around the streets before down the tunnels. There, she screamed and felt free like never before, going at speeds that made her feel afraid, but with Fox’s sudden maneuvers and things she didn’t comprehend, she was safe.

  Lorena missed this sensation; not of plain speed and thrill, but of her elder brother showing her some fun and enjoyment. It’s been quite a few years, although even a month became too much for her back then, when Fox went ‘missing’.

  Her body broke apart when he appeared in the news that fateful day. She was still a young girl, after all. But she grew strong and determined. While she indulged in more and more studies, which the Victor back then was unafraid and doted on her to no end, she trained her body and achieved her new bike.

  Fox’s bike was her trainee years, from which her parents didn’t want her to grow too addicted to them, but failed, of course. She now had 7 different bikes of the greatest quality in her new garage, which was expanded to Fox’s old small garage. But it was never the same without him.

  Lorena hugged his back and leaned the side of her head on his back, enjoying and nothing more these moments together. She hoped, very much so, that he’d contact them more from now on. Not just contact them, maybe come here every 3 days, or at least 5? It would be better if it was many times a week. She wanted to see him lots of times a week.

  When they were on their way to the outdoors restaurant, Lorena smiled and took Fox’s helmet off. He didn’t have the combat ready mode on, so it went off with ease. Fox didn’t move his head, with Lorena smooching his right cheek countless times on a red light.

  “There, there. Wanted to give me a good reputation, huh? Nasty rep, huh? There you have it. I improved it.” Lorena spouted nonsense before putting his helmet back down his head. She sat back down on her seat and grappled his torso, leaving Fox helpless, only able to shake his head.

  By then, countless flashes and phone cameras were aiming at them, recording and wide-eyed, before the red light finally changed. Fox raged his Myertha, boosting at half maximum speed, eliciting Lorena to scream in the thrill, more used to Myertha’s scary properties.

  5 minutes later, they neared the outdoors restaurant, with many people stopping and taking photos of the limousine and Bruno. Fox smiled and teased, wanting all the forests in the world to burn, “I think I accidentally made your ‘baby’ too famous. A hot chick must’ve stolen him by now.”

  “Hmph, what do you know? It’s true love, you know? True love~.” Lorena spoke with a haughty tone, a well-trained one at that. Fox stopped accelerating and even stopped a bit, but the Myertha continued, just like Lorena rambling on, “But what am I expecting of a guy who ruthlessly cuts his family off? Hmph.”

  Lorena waited until she could get off and walked away from Fox as he secured it. She went to Bruno, and he came to her like a lost puppy. They then went to the restaurant to order something, and sat on the best spot.

  When Fox came over, they were already crossing a dozen different items in the menu, a digital panel. Fox gave the White Blood a quick nod before the limousine departed. Then, he went to the other two, wondering what Lorena might have in her mind.

  She and Bruno sat a little together. Thus, Fox grabbed a chair and planned to seat half a meter away from her around the circular table. But she leaned over and dragged it all the way to connect with hers, giving him a pout and sweetened eyes.

  Their afternoon meal began. Fox met Bruno better. After he left, Bruno started studying alongside Lorena, meeting more often until she was sometimes seen sitting on his lap on a park or waiting for food at a restaurant chain. The fools were in love and didn’t bother hiding it.

  To him, it was the legendary chase of the frog after the swan, not only getting the swan to look down at him from above the skies, but even want to be eaten… To her, it was a surprise and discovery. Besides, how could she not know she was conquered? Love was in the air.

  Lorena slowly became a young girl again, wanting to hear Fox’s opinion on everything, asking him how even the air seemed after having a few delicious tastes of this or that. Everything seemed perfect now, and she loved every moment. Besides, she worked both of these fools with her up so they could ‘make up’ for past misunderstandings.

  Little by little, Bruno became more at ease with Fox. Fox wouldn’t play bad big brother, even though Lorena called him a bad big bad brother every now and then.

  At last, finishing their meal, tasting many things they had already gone through in some dates, only wanting to experience them with her elder brother, Fox brought them to the Ruva’s mansion. This time, he didn’t speed too much, but still gave some boosts to Lorena, so she would enjoy the ride and scream to her heart’s content and her arms flung backwards in the air.

  The limousine followed behind, with Bruno watching Lorena excited and contented like never before. Those intermittent, desolate feelings from her gone forever, hopefully.

  When they went through the gates, close to 7 PM, Lorena forced Fox to park his baby Myertha in her garage, showing off her bikes, and even showing him the one he used to have. The dirt bike was in the middle, with some modifications, which according to Lore, made it as good as a top-notch bike nowadays and maybe even until 1,030.

  The next IVP was bound to be a big thing, which Fox would be incredibly interested on, and so would Lorena be now. It had to be credited to Fox, who showed Lorena the craziness of bikes, or she wouldn’t have given such attention to her garage, filling it with so many babies.

  Finally, they went into the mansion. Fox felt a bit nervous, wondering how Marisela Noches would be like now. Aged? More beautiful? Angry?

  Looking at Lorena, he wondered if a matured Lore was more understanding or fiery. From what he remembered, hearing some things back when he lived here, deep in the night, he hoped Victor hadn’t decreased the budget on wifey-gladdening.

  The door opened, with Fox at the vanguard, and Lorena and Bruno all the way to the rear. Fox welcomed a face, hoping it was Victor. This time, knowing what he wanted, the universe played Fox hard with his desires.

  “Phesx…” Marisela opened the door, with Victor several meters behind, smiling smugly. The house looked exactly the same as years ago. Fox was momentarily paralyzed with nostalgia, looking at the beauty scrutinizing him with a slight pout, threatening to tear up from seeing him.

  “You should’ve told me!” Marisela looked back at Victor, whose eyes widened, not expecting to receive rage himself. Fox smirked before stepping up. His closest motherly figure turned her head back on him on time and jailed him by the shoulders, hugging him tight.

  “You’re such a monster!” Marisela exclaimed, “How can you be this tall? Aiyo, so muscular. What a pity Lorena wasn’t cajoled. I wonder what my grandkids would’ve looked like.”

  Fox scoffed and grinned, looking down at the beauty whose mirthful eyes paused him a whole velocity level on all fronts. Meanwhile, Lorena knitted her eyebrows and defended her purity and relationship. “Mom! Don’t start! Bruno is so glad he’s finally properly invited here. Don’t treat us like that, eh. Right, I’m also a bit elated…”

  “Hehehe, Bruno, was it?” Marisela went over to tousle Bruno’s hair and welcome him in. Lorena was gladdened! So much attention to her boy, and this was the first official meeting. Of course, she would only realize later on that it was her mother giving Fox bonus points for reappearing. For the time being, she looked at Fox like he was her lost charm luck.

  In the meantime, Fox met Victor again. He had casual clothes now and looked at Fox with praising eyes and a praising silence. If this was pride, Fox didn’t mind being looked at like this. However, he felt it was a waste of time he didn’t bring… his women here.

  Soon after, once talks and tours around the mansion were over, the dining table was prepared, and conversations became warmer than ever. Lorena sat beside Fox, with Bruno on the other side, where Victor sat. This time, there were no arranged seats, only proximity and family.

  “Mermelada will soon arrive.” Victor commented amidst their dinner. Fox looked up at him and jumped his eyebrows, Victor smugly added, “She’s bringing company. I couldn’t bear to see her part away, so I married her off with one of Little Lorena’s cousins.”

  “You sell your people off now, Victor?” Fox said before drinking from his glass with a full mouth. Lorena ignored them and shared food with her boy. Victor narrowed his eyes, thinking before speaking out loud, ‘Like I won’t now know you’ve made your research, kiddo.’

  “While that was a bit sudden, she was glad about it, and they were to each other’s liking. Mn, Lorena’s cousin works in my company, too. Better make good terms with her as well, no?” Victor said. Fox was taken aback, ‘her’? Then, he remembered a few things he read and nodded.

  “Aha.” Fox exclaimed with a shrug before digging in his plates, which had to be served twice already. Of course, Marisela prepared for many people, wanting to make her best and bewitch Fox to remain here until next week or so. Her little Lore wanted to see him so bad, after all.

  Soon after, Mermelada and a hot tomboy, which made Fox mentally shake his head, feeling for men like him, walked through the door and sat around the table before beginning to eat Marisela’s delicious dishes. Fox exchanged words with Merme’s wife, who was interested in knowing about him. Fox caught on the opportunity for connections, and going against his nature but for his future possible family, he befriended an influential new person.

  “Right, there’s this celebration at the end of the month. Should we attend?” After exchanging some bro-to-bro-like words with Merme’s wife, Victor looked at Fox and asked, his eyes curious.

  Fox stopped eating, thought, and cleaned his hands while looking at the ceiling. He looked back down at Victor while everyone looked at him, and Lorena fluttered her long eyelashes at him, already thinking what to wear to look perfect.

  “It’s mostly for show. Only some people already in good terms with the government are going, and the opposition. There won’t be cameras, and nothing of work. Me going there is mostly for security purposes, and that’ll be after the President’s presentation of the new systems.”

  “All in all,” Fox placed his wrists at the edge of the table, “I don’t think it’s a good opportunity. I’d also like you to meet my… ahem… women in a genuine meeting, not in a superficial banquet, or party, for that matter. I’d also like for you to meet some public servants by me, not in the party, and with our objectives clear.” Fox ended his words, looking around.

  “Wait a minute, women?” Marisela asked first, astounded and even praising Fox with her eyes. Fox blinked at her response, but Bruno was worse off. Under Lorena’s scenario-reading woman abilities, he lifted a thumb, arched the corners of his mouth downwards, and nodded a few times ever so slightly.

  “Hey! Behave or else!” Lorena demanded. Fox smirked a bit, with Victor narrowing his eyes for a split moment. Merme’s wife became a little lost, pensive. After admonishing her future husband, Lorena also fell silent and pensive, staring ahead into the empty space. Fox smirked a lot. This family was high EQ. As for Marisela, she didn’t care and just began asking Fox so many things…

  …