Wendy had taken a nap at her desk on a Friday afternoon,
but when the time came for her to start working again, she didn’t manage to wake herself up.
This spurred Linda to nudge her a few times. “Miss Evans?” she called her name and
Wendy started opening her eyes in a daze.
“Wakey wakey. How come I keep finding you sleeping so soundly in the afternoon lately?” Linda asked.
After lazing about on her desk for a few more seconds, Wendy finally sat up and rubbed her temples.
“I suppose it’s because it’s been pretty quiet this week, so I thought of savouring the moment while it lasts,” Wendy answered while getting up from the reclining chair. She then proceeded to roll up her blanket and fold the chair properly.
“Anyways, when did Carmen and Ian take their leave?” Wendy asked.
“Ian just left, while Carmen has been standing there for more than half and hour already,” Linda explained.
Wendy gave a yawn as she took a seat at her desk.
“How strange,” she thought. She clearly just got up from a nap, so why did she still feel so sleep-deprived?
When three o’ clock rolled around, the both of them descended the building together to head to their usual meeting spot on Friday.
However, they noticed that the entrance to the basketball court was different from usual today.
Even at a distance away, they could see that there was a crowd surrounding the entrance.
The both of them exchanged confused glances at that. “What’s with all these people today?” Linda remarked.
“Let’s head over to see what’s up then,” Wendy nudged as she tugged on Linda’s wrist.
As the two started walking towards the crowd, they heard a student yell, “Miss Evans is here!”
Soon after, they saw a few people making a beeline towards them.
Wendy was stunned at this. “What on earth is going on right now?” she thought.
A man was the first to run over to her. “Miss Evans, I’m a journalist for the press, and I’d like to ask you a few questions,” he said in all seriousness.
So, these were journalists? Her heart started beating faster now.
“Apologies, but I’m just another ordinary citizen. I will not be accepting any interviews,” Wendy said calmly.
“May I remind everyone that this is a higher learning institute? I’m afraid you all have broken the law by entering campus grounds without permission just to interview our staff members,” Linda added.
“We just want to ask a few simple questions, that’s all. Many students we interviewed just now told us that Mr. Charles’ girlfriend isn’t the Young Missus of the Nicholson household, but is a professor’s assistant going by the name of Wendy. May I know if you’re the person they’re referring to?” he pressed.
She had an inkling that the reason she was hunted down by the press was because it had something to do with Henson. Turns out she hit the bullseye.
“Apologies again, but I’ve already made up my mind. I won’t be answering any questions nor will I accept any interviews from the press, so please take your leave immediately,” she said firmly.
However, the journalists had no intention of leaving whatsoever.
They continued to badger her with questions about her and Henson,
like how and when they met, and when they became lovers.
A few of them also dared to ask if the two of them were dating, and if Julia’s engagement to Henson was actually real or not.
All the questions were starting to make her head spin. Linda shot her a worried look then shouted to the crowd, “If you all don’t stop now, I’m going to call security,” Linda shouted to the crowd.
A few students standing outside the circle then hollered, “Why don’t you just admit that you’re dating Master Henson already, Miss Evans? Weren’t the two of you acting lovey dovey towards one another on campus just a few days back?”
Wendy frowned. The fact that a few students were joining in at the side was enough to turn her headache into a migraine.
Since the journalists refused to leave, the three parties were in a deadlock.
Just then, the students from the basketball team slowly bulldozed their way into the crowd.
A dozen people or so started to form a circle around Wendy and Linda, shielding them from the journalists.
Since they were all tall and well-built, they managed to form an impenetrable wall around both women.
Eventually, the head of the team walked up to Wendy and chuckled, “Miss Evans, Howell wanted me to let you know that your saviour is on the way, and that you should hold on for a few more minutes,”
“My saviour? Who is it? Is it Howell? What can he even do?” she quizzed.
“To be honest, I actually feel kind of safe in here,” Linda whispered in the center of the wall of boys.
Wendy merely giggled in reply. “No sh*t,” she thought.
A few minutes later, they heard a commotion coming from outside the crowd.
Since the two of them were at the centre of it all, naturally they didn’t know what was going on.
“What’s going on?” Linda asked, puzzled.
“I have no idea,” Wendy replied while shaking her head.
They suddenly heard a random journalist speak up. “Is true that your girlfriend is working in this here campus, Master Henson?” they probed.
While Wendy frowned at the question, Linda looked pleasantly surprised instead. “Master Henson’s here,” she said giddily.
Wendy started to pay more attention as she wanted to hear his answer.
A brief silence took over the crowd.
“Why’s that any of your business?” Henson spat in an indifferent tone.
His reply managed to stun the journalist. “I’m a journalist, Master Henson. It’s my duty to answer questions for the public,” he replied.
“Then, that’s your problem,” Henson snapped.
“But I need your answer, Master Henson,” he pressed.
“Give me one reason I should humour you,” he scoffed.
“Master Henson, as a well-known figure-”
“I don’t know about that, but there IS one thing I’m sure of,” Henson answered as his gaze grew chilly. “And that’s I’m not public property, so my private matters are frankly none of your business. Why’s it any of your business that I refuse to explain my private life to you? To think a small fry journalist like you has the balls to stir the pot in front of me. Who do you think you are?”
Fits of laughter erupted from the crowd afterwards.
The journalist became flustered in an instant. “The fact that you’re saying that implies that you do have a private life. Well, do you, Master Henson?” he probed shamelessly.
Henson raised an eyebrow and took a step forward after hearing that.
The journalist knew that he’d f*cked up the moment the question escaped his lips.
The aura Henson radiated was extremely intimidating.
When Henson stretched out his hand, the journalist immediately dodged to one side, as if he was anticipating a punch from Henson, but Henson merely reached out to check out the landyard he was wearing. He then shot one of his staff, who were standing behind him, a look.
“Give Dayne a call for me, will you? I’ll only allow him one hour to make the Daily American disappear completely from the mass comm realm of San Diego. Also, please blacklist this man so that no company can ever hire him to be a journalist ever again. Any company that hires this man, I won’t hesitate to pulverise them to the ground,” he ordered.
“Right away, Master Henson,” they obliged.
“I just wanted to report the truth, Master Henson. I didn’t mean for us to be enemies,” the man hollered. He was livid.
“If you even have the nerve to come up to me to pester me like that, what more innocent people, all while justifying to yourself that you’re just doing your job as a journalist. You’re no more than a measly journalist, not a God seeking justice, so stop thinking so highly of yourself.
“If you were really a professional, and if you really loved your job that much, then you would’ve used your skills to help other innocent people who need you to report on the truth for them.
“The fact that you’re hounding me now means that you’re just doing this for the money, because you’re fully aware that this gig pays more and has the potential to raise your standing. However, I’m afraid that you’ve messed with the wrong person today. Now, let me make an example out of you so that there’s one less rat in the world of journalists,” Henson lectured.
The moment he finished, his eyes swept through the rest of the crowd and he continued, “Anyone here who plans to follow the footsteps the Daily American are automatically made my enemy as well. As a word of caution, if I catch anyone here who dares speak about me, the staff or students here at San Diego University, I’ll see to it myself that your career is destroyed completely,”
The remaining journalists could only look at one another in worry before slowly leaving one by one.
The students surrounding the two women then started scooting aside to open a path. This let Henson walk through to get to Wendy afterwards.
“Surprise,” he teased.