Bruno pushed open the grand mahogany door of his family mansion, feeling exhausted all over. He dared to make a decision that may likely make his father roar like a wounded lion.
But for Beauty...
He took a deep breath and made his way across the marble-floored living room. It had been a long, intense day, and all he wanted was some peace and quiet.
Unfortunately for him, his sister, Abigail, was seated on the plush, cream-colored sectional, her eyes fixed on her laptop.
The soft glow of the screen reflected off the modern, glass coffee table in front of her. She looked up from her work as he walked by, immediately catching a familiar scent in the air.
"That... feminine perfume?" Abigail raised an eyebrow, closing her laptop slowly.
"Bruno, who is she?"
Bruno rolled his eyes subtly, too tired to entertain her questions. He simply ignored her and walked toward the hallway that led to his suite.
The smell she mentioned was faint but noticeable, a subtle floral scent of Beauty's perfume, of course.
Abigail smirked and leaned back into the couch, clearly in no rush to let her brother off the hook.
"I don't understand why you are keeping her away from us. Are you ashamed? A transgender? Gay? Black? I don't discriminate."
This time Bruno stopped in his tracks, his hand hovering over the ornate, wrought iron railing of the staircase.
"How about you mind your own damn business?"
"Did you take her out for a date? Tell me anything about her, a hint, or something!"
Abigail snapped in anticipation.
Bruno let out a sigh of frustration as he turned to face her.
"Can you just... give it a rest? I'm not in the mood for this tonight. I am not saying a word about her so just give up."
But Abigail wasn't backing down, not when she had caught even a whiff of gossip. She clicked her tongue and stood up, stretching as she did.
"Yeah... Yeah... I will find out eventually".
"Good luck".
Bruno muttered he was about to walk away then his eyes caught something that made him pause.
A petite, brunette woman standing by the hallway, grinning as she peered at him shyly from behind the massive archway.
She had a youthful energy, almost starstruck, and was holding a tablet clutched tightly to her chest.
Bruno raised an eyebrow.
"Who's that?" he asked, gesturing to the overly eager young woman.
Abigail turned and smirked.
"Oh, her? That's my new assistant, Trivia. You like her?"
Chloe straightened up immediately, beaming with excitement.
"Good evening, Mr. Bruno! It's such an honor to meet you in person, I-"
Bruno held up his hand, cutting her off gently.
"Sorry, I will get back with you".
He told her.
She nodded with a smile.
Bruno turned to his sister.
"Uh, okay... well, I see you've switched to a female assistant," he said, his voice tinged with skepticism. "What happened to Raymond?"
He asked curiously.
Abigail rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Ugh, don't even get me started. I'm done with male assistants. Seems like every male assistant is gay and every gay guy available wants to work here for your sake. Very straightforward individuals. I'm tired of it."
"Right. So you decided on... her?"
He glanced at Chloe, who was still grinning like she was meeting a celebrity.
Abigail shrugged.
"Why not? She's competent, and unlike the others, she's not here to swoon over you."
Bruno looked back at Trivia, smiling sheepishly at him and waving with her face flushed.
"Very convincing".
Bruno replied.
Trivia face flushed more red, and she quickly looked down at her tablet, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I.... I just admire your work, Mr. Bruno," she stammered, "but I promise I'm here to assist Ms. Abigail."
Abigail gave Bruno a pointed look, grinning like the cat that got the cream.
"See? She's here for me."
"Right..." Bruno muttered, unconvinced.
He turned and started climbing the stairs, intending to make a quick retreat to his room. But Abigail wasn't done with him.
"So, about this secret girlfriend of yours..." Abigail called out, following him halfway up the stairs.
Bruno groaned inwardly as he reached the landing. The grand staircase led up to the second floor of the mansion, where his suite was located.
The maids cleaning the hallway greeted him, and he smiled back at them.
They giggled and left the place as soon as they caught sight of Abigail.
Who noticed their little interaction with Bruno as always, rolled her eyes.
As Bruno opened the door to his room, two maids, both dressed in black and white uniforms, were just finishing up tidying his room.
They nodded politely to Bruno before scurrying out of the room, clearly sensing his need for privacy.
Their heart leaped as they met Abigail. They bowed to the Queen Bee and hurriedly left the place.
Abigail opened Bruno's door. Her arms crossed, her eyes gleaming.
"Come on, Bruno. You get to know all the men I dated, and you can't tell me the name of your girlfriend it's not fair.
Who is she? Is she pretty? Is a model?"
Bruno rubbed his temples in frustration. "Abi, for the last time," he said through gritted teeth. "If there was something, I wouldn't be telling you. So can you please let it go?"
"I told you about my dates! All of them".
Abigail snapped in annoyance.
"I never asked, you forced the conversation".
Bruno replied.
"Well, you did enjoy it."
"You think I enjoyed hearing about the different dicks that have been inside of you?!"
Abigail gasped loudly.
"You, quiet monster!"
She angrily left the room and slammed the door.
Bruno let out a long sigh as he shut the door behind him, finally feeling the weight of the day lifting off his shoulders.
"That's the only way to get her off my personal space. I hope It didn't hurt her that bad".
The door cracked open again.
"And for your information! Your girlfriend whosoever she may be, the bitch ... is not an innocent virgin and had been through a lot of dicks! Idiot!"
She yelled and slammed the door.
Bruno closed his eyes tightly, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. Abigail's words kept hunting his mind.
He thought of the men who have been with Beauty. His eyebrows arched in annoyance.
She does know how to hurt him, he will never win Abigail in a verbal fight!