Back inside the airport,
The group of three men was furious to see how the young lady had just messed with them and then left without another word.
The man standing at the front, the head of the group, kept staring at her back without averting his gaze.
[She grew up well~]
A whistling howl echoed in the man's mind, which made him break his gaze and grimace at what he had just heard.
'Shut up!' Hugh Grimsa, the leader of this group, chided the voice that had just resonated in his mind.
The voice with which he had conversed with the one he called the 'runaway brat' was not the same voice that had just been heard in his mind.
They were two distinct voices but they most certainly belonged to the same person.
'Don't even think about looking at h-' Hugh could not complete his command as his eyes narrowed at what was taking place right before him.
Forgetting about what the voice had just said, his entire attention was now directed at that same young lady who had now placed her hand on some man's shoulder.
To be precise, his narrowed gaze and unwavering attention were focused on that delicate hand covered by the black glove, which was currently resting on that blonde man's shoulder as she guided him towards the exit.
[Why does she have to keep her hand on him!?]
The same voice from before echoed once again but this time it growled in anger, causing intense vibrations to ripple within his mind and body.
Hugh had been momentarily dazed at the sight of the brat leading that other man out of the airport but hearing these words made him snap out of his thoughts and regain control of his senses.
'Anyone but her!' He retorted, authority clear in his tone, which made the other voice whimper after discerning that the fierce aura now radiating through his body had extinguished its earlier anger.
Scoffing at this whimpering voice that had just been growling at him earlier, Hugh Grimsa shot one last glance in the direction that Anita Valken had left in.
When he found that she was no longer to be seen, he turned around and began to walk away.
He still had a flight to catch and work to finish so he wished to toss this strange and unwelcomed interaction to the back of his mind so that he could focus on why he was going on this trip and how he would accomplish the task at hand.
Unfortunately, he was bound to be disturbed thanks to the voice that once again spoke up inside his head.
[You never said that before though…]
It sounded like a sulking grumble coming from within and Hugh did not need to be reminded about what this sentence meant.
The 'anyone but her' statement from before had been pointed out once again in an attempt to change this answer.
However, Hugh was not one to give in so easily.
'Shut up!' He internally yelled in response, this time in an angered growl, which made him sound just like the voice he had been conversing with in his mind until now.
The two men walking behind him could sense the seething fury oozing out of him, which only made them direct their animosity towards the young lady who had caused their Boss's mood to sour.
Hugh had no clue that his subordinates were associating his sullen mood with the lady whom they had just met.
However, he would not be able to deny their thoughts entirely as no matter how he looked at it, in one way or another, it had been the lady of the Valken family who had caused this mess.
"Let's hurry," Hugh commanded, which made the men behind him nod in immediate acceptance.
Meeting the Valken brat had already wasted enough time so he wished to get his schedule back on track by reaching their terminal ahead of time.
However, he did not have to rush as there was no way that the plane meant to fly him to another city would dare to take off without him in it.
Yet the head of the renowned Grimsa family did not want the other passengers to be delayed on his account.
Therefore, even if he could be late if he wanted to, he chose to be punctual instead.
With this thought in his head, Hugh continued to stride towards his designated terminal with his men while trying not to think about the woman and the conversation they had just had.
'Hope she stays out of my way.' He growled inwardly as meeting her was always bad news for him.
His men, who once again sensed the anger radiating from him, could not hear what was on his mind but judging from what had taken place, they knew that he was still troubled by this unwelcome encounter.
___
While Hugh Grimsa and his men were heading towards their terminal, the car that had departed from the airport was halfway to its destination.
Anita sat alone in the backseat as she appreciated the view outside that brought back old memories from the past when she was still a resident of this city.
Teluson, the country she was born in, was neither too big nor too small but was known for its high percentage of forest lands.
Amid these densely populated forest lands were situated its huge metropolitan cities.
The country divided its area into cities rather than states and in Teluson, there were five major cities.
The city she was currently in was her homeland, Metro K, the northern city and also the second-largest city in the country.
Similarly, the western city, Metro P, was the largest one in both area and population, while the southern Metro V was the smallest with the least population density.
There was also the eastern city, Metro L, a place known for its tourist destinations and beautiful beaches as it bordered the ocean.
The four cities in four directions of the country were interlinked by a diamond-shaped highway and the area situated at the center of this diamond-shaped highway was also the last city established in the country.
Diamond City was named after its shape which was formed thanks to the highway which formed its borders.
These were the only five cities in the entire country and the rest of the area was allotted to the wildlife preserves.
Teluson gave great significance to the conservation of wildlife and its sanctuaries, implying that the cities could not expand and encroach on the forest areas around them.
Thanks to its efficient population control through the years, their country never had an issue with the limited space they possessed.
However, people like Nita, who wished to spread their wings, would often relocate to different cities or the neighboring countries to start afresh as they had no such limitations there.
Anita had her reasons for leaving this place and moving away but now she was back after many years yet had no time to enjoy her stay here as there was still a crisis at hand.