Arwen was about to turn to finish her job, but her steps halted when she heard Alfred suggest accompanying her.
Usually, he wouldn’t do that …
So, confused, she turned to glance back at him.
Huh? her doubt came out soft.
However, Alfred’s expression seemed wary, as if he was on his toes, ready to face the danger lurking around the corner.
Madam, I won’t be at ease here if I let you go alone. Kindly let me accompany you, he requested, already urging Arwen to not refuse him.
At first, she didn’t quite understand the reason behind his cautiousness. But when she noticed his gaze full of vigilance, moving around, she understood.
She let her eyes dart around to follow his as slowly her lips curved up. She hadn’t explained much earlier when she asked Alfred to drive her here. No doubt, the dark empty alley was keeping him on his toes.
This place isn’t dangerous, Alfred, she spoke softly before glancing at him. Although this street and place looked abandoned, the whole area is under surveillance. No threat is lurking around and you don’t need to be so careful. We would be fine.
But, Madam —
Even though Arwen had explained it that way, Alfred could bring himself to ease. He knew there were several bodyguards around them in shadows, yet still, when he was around, he was the one responsible for the lady’s safety.
How could he not be cautious?
Alfred, this place is my place, perfectly safe for me, she repeated, however, then understanding his worry, she nodded to him and agreed. But since you still want to come with me, then sure. Come along.
With that, she turned and walked in the direction of the building that looked deserted.
Alfred followed after her closely, not for once putting down his guards.
As they entered the building, suddenly the whole ambience changed.
Alfred’s gaze darted as he looked around stupefied. This …
This place didn’t look abandoned at all. On the contrary, it looked rather bright and lively.
He never knew such a place existed in such a place.
He was about to ask which place it was when he heard a young voice calling, interrupting his intent.
Queen Sister, is that you?
Arwen probably recognized the voice at once, because the moment she heard it, she turned to look in direction. A soft, cherry smile adorned her expression.
Harris! she greeted back. It has been a long time.
Her voice not just surprised the young boy, who had called to confirm her identity earlier. But it also made several young guys rush out of the room to check on her themselves.
Realizing she was truly there; their excitement knew no bounds. Their loud cheers rang in the air as they all made a run towards her —one after the other embracing her.
Queen Sister, we truly missed you.
Yes, Queen Sister, we missed you.
It’s been long, Queen Sister, how have you been?
They were a total of six in count and since their question has been almost the same. Arwen didn’t respond to them immediately. She simply hugged them before replying, I have been doing great. And of course, I missed you all and that’s why I thought to drop by today.
Her gaze darted to look around once again. I must say you guys are still maintaining the vibe of this place. How is everything going?
They all chimed in at once. It’s better than when we started.
We now have a good number of regular clients and … the guy named Harris tried to give more details, but when he felt the pursed looks of his other friend, he scratched the back of the neck before sheepishly concluding it at once. In short, we have grown our business well, Queen Sister. Our results wouldn’t disappoint you.
Arwen was noting them all and when she saw Haris flustered, she could hold back a chuckle. You sure haven’t changed much. You still love to detail it down everything when asked.
Harris was about to defend himself, but before he could Sam spoke. Queen Sister, don’t mind him. He is still as boring as before. You come with me. I will show you what new I have developed recently. As he said that, he was already ready to pull Arwen along.
But then another one spoke up to fight for the same opportunity.
In the end, Arwen had no other choice but to agree to check them all, one by one. And it was then everyone calmed down.
Amid all this, she hasn’t forgotten about Alfred.
Turning to him, she said, Alfred, you can now be at ease. I am fine here. She then darted her gaze to the six youngsters. They are quite capable and won’t let anything happen to me. This place is fully secured.
Alfred still looked confused. Although seeing them interact, he knew that the lady was quite familiar with everyone there. But this place still raised his suspicion.
After all, not everyone built such a place in a deserted place like this. No matter how he looked he couldn’t understand what this place exactly was.
One corner looked like a studio, while the other seemed to be the desk of a programmer. There was even a cabin inside which he could see the anime characters hanging around —all of this was not letting him understand what shady business these kids were running here.
Shouldn’t they be going to university instead?
As if Arwen has read the suspicion in his gaze. Chuckling softly, she explained, Alfred, this is the group of youngsters. Don’t expect to see the kind of maturity you are used to here. They love to break the rules and stereotypes. And this place is just a small example of it.
Although he knew this question would be a little out of the line, still, out of curiosity, he asked politely. Madam, what is this place?
This is … Arwen paused suddenly, finding it difficult to explain. She gave a glance around before continuing with a slight hesitation. This place can’t be quite defined as it has a lot to it. You can call this a … freelancing firm. All these kids are freelancers. They do all sorts of stuff.
Yes, Brother. We can do everything. So, if there is anything in future that you are unable to do, find us. We will help you. Harris said, and Arwen simply shook her head.
Sam, who had been observing Alfred’s cautious gaze could not help but ask, Sister this is …
Oh, he is Alfred, Arwen introduced. He drove me here and kind of family.
While Alfred was slightly taken aback when heard the lady introducing him as family, the guys around seemed very used to it.
They simply nodded in understanding without asking much and then greeted Alfred warmly.
Arwen thought it didn’t take her long here. But now that she knew that these people wouldn’t be leaving her soon, she turned to Alfred and said, It will take some time for me. You can either wait here, Alfred or return to the car.
Alfred understood. Since he had already made sure about Arwen’s safety, he decided to return to the car and wait.
Arwen agreed to him and watched him leave.
Once he was gone, she turned her attention back and looked at the six kids. Noting that one was still missing, she asked. Where is Alice? Is she not here today?
Although she had said that she had come to meet them, she had another reason to visit. One in which Alice could help her.
Enhance your reading experience by removing ads for as low as
!
Remove Ads From