Mr. Nobody: Owns It All

Let it go

“And what would that purpose be other than finding a job?” Anderson sneered.

“Simple, I was invited.”

Anderson, mistaking his seriousness for a desperate attempt to save face, burst into laughter. It was a harsh, grating sound that echoed in the stillness of the night. 

"Invited?" he wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes. "Oh, that's a good one! If you were invited, then I'm the King of England!"

Anderson let out a bark of laughter, "Come on, sweetheart," he said, his arm tightening possessively around Norah's waist. "He's obviously bluffing. If he was really invited, he wouldn't be standing here like a lost puppy."

Shane-Leo met his gaze, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Oh, I assure you, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be." He reached into his pocket, his movements deliberate, and pulled out his phone.

"In that case," Anderson sneered, leaning in towards Norah, "if he's such a big shot, why doesn't he prove it? And if he was actually invited, I’d strip and run around the building."

The air crackled with tension as Shane-Leo locked eyes with the sneering man. The suggestion to strip down and run around the building felt like a childish taunt, a pathetic attempt to assert dominance. But instead of anger, a spark of amusement ignited within him.

A slow smile spread across Shane-Leo's face, a smile that sent shivers down Norah's spine. It wasn't the same warm, genuine smile she remembered, but a calculating one, a hint of something dangerous lurking beneath the surface.

"Excellent suggestion," he drawled, his voice laced with a dangerous undercurrent. He tapped on his phone's screen and held it to his ear.

"Run around the building without clothes, you say?" he chuckled, "Sounds like an interesting proposition."

Norah, momentarily forgetting her own surprise at his earlier revelation, interjected with a frown. "Shane-Leo, don't be ridiculous. Just accept the offer and find a decent job."

Her words, laced with a hint of condescension, grated on Shane-Leo's nerves. "Why do you always assume I'm useless, Norah?" he countered, his voice taking on a steely edge.

“I never took you for a liar Shane-Leo," she continued, “There's no shame in starting from the bottom.” 

“Let him to call his 'host' and tell them he's being harassed by the doorman. See how fast they come running." Anderson interjected. 

“Actually," he said, dialling a number, "let's put that to the test."

He spoke into the phone, his voice low but clear. "Blake? It's Shane-Leo. There seems to be some confusion at the entrance. Apparently, some…gentleman here believes I wasn't invited. He says he’s going to run around the building without clothes if I actually am, want to watch it together?"

A beat of silence followed, then Blake's voice crackled through the speaker, laced with concern. "Mr. Shane-Leo? What's going on? Security is on their way if there's any trouble."

Shane-Leo chuckled. "No trouble, Blake. Just a misunderstanding. Tell them to stand down. This will be settled shortly." He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"See," he continued, his gaze fixed on Anderson, "a simple phone call can clear things up."

Anderson sneered, he thought Shane-Leo was just bragging, or maybe it was a staged call. He looked at him from head to toe with skepticism. ‘There’s no way this loser is an actual big shot, it has to be a staged call.’ he said to himself. 

“This party is held by the Mirano family and no one would dare make trouble here, so it’ll be in your best interests to pack your worthless self and get out of here before security comes to disgrace you.” 

Shane-Leo shook his head, disgraced on Norah’s and Anderson’s behalf. Why was Anderson so arrogantly stupid? What the heck? 

Anderson continued, “If you even think of staying to cause trouble here for Norah, or anyone else for that matter, the Mirano family would punish you severely, You’re already a good for nothing anyway.”

Anderson, however, wasn't buying it. He scoffed, his bravado faltering slightly. "This is a private party," he blustered. "There's no way you could just call your way in."

Shane-Leo was about to retort when, 

"There you're wrong," a voice announced from behind them.

Shane-Leo turned to see Blake hurrying towards them, his face etched with worry, and sweat on his forehead. 

As Anderson’s eyes landed on Blake, a flicker of recognition crossed his features. His confident stride faltered for a moment, then he regained his composure.

“I’m sorry Mas-” Blake began, but stopped as Shane-Leo signaled with his eyes. He cleared his throat, and a small smile grazed his weathering face. “I apologize for any inconvenience you might have encountered Mr. Shane-Leo.” He said, without losing composure.

Shane-Leo nodded and turned to Anderson, while Blake trailed the path of the young master’s gaze and settled on 

"Mr. Quinn," Blake acknowledged with a curt nod. "A surprise to see you here."

Anderson puffed out his chest, a hint of unease still lingering in his eyes. "Just here with a…business associate," he stammered, gesturing awkwardly towards Norah.

Blake's gaze shifted to Norah; his expression unreadable. "Indeed," he murmured, then turned back to Shane-Leo, his voice low and apologetic. "My apologies for the misunderstanding, Mr. Shane-Leo. There seems to have been a miscommunication."

Shane-Leo waved a dismissive hand. "No worries, Blake," he said, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. 

"So," he turned back to Anderson, his voice cold and hard, "about that little exhibition you were suggesting..."

Anderson, sensing a shift in the power dynamic, puffed out his chest in a futile attempt to regain control. "What are you talking about?"

Idiot

"The offer to run around the building with no clothes on," Shane-Leo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Seems like you might have a chance to put your money where your mouth is."

A bead of sweat trickled down Anderson's forehead. The bravado he'd displayed moments ago seemed to be evaporating quickly. "This is a private party," he stammered, his voice losing its earlier bravado. "You can't just... Ask me to run around naked!" 

Anderson gave Blake an awkwardly flattering smile. “I am from the Quinn family, and my father is Michael Quinn, I’m sure you know it will be an insult if you disrespect me like this. My father-” He continued, but he was cut off by Blake’s impatient remark. 

“You should have thought about the disgrace it will bring you and your family Mr. Quinn, before you decided you were going to run around nude in public. I am aware of your family’s status, everything is due to your father, and not your glory.” All color drained from Anderson’s face as he heard the Butler’s words. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

‘This old nuisance dares to berate me, because of this loser? How do they even know each other, I would have never thought he would be of acquaintance to the butler of the host family. Oh God!’ He thought to himself as a lump formed in his throat.  

Before he could think of what to say to get himself out of the situation, Norah spoke. “Why are you being so serious? I’m sure you know his words were merely a joke. I’m sure my business partner was not trying to cause trouble. He was even trying to make the trouble go away.” She said with a frown.

“Just let it go, you don’t need to push him so much.” She placed her palm on Anderson’s arm as he finished. 

Shane-Leo clenched his jaw. Jealousy and rage filled him. His heart ached and he wondered yet again if Norah ever loved him.

He was disappointed when he heard what she said, he was even more disappointed that she was busy defending another man.