XX

Her heart fluttered with eager apprehension. Her feet padded hurriedly across the hard, boarded floor. Her dark eyes were wide with consternation. Her hands clenched and unclenched in nervous trepidation.

"Anne! What brings you to the office?"

Anne paused before slowly turning to face Phillip, who had quickly risen to his feet upon seeing her tall, slim form.

"I - I need to see Mr Barnum," she shot him a small smile. "Do you know where he is?"

"I believe he's out the back going over some last-minute constructions plans for the set," he returned with a shrug. "Anything I can help you with?"

Anne hesitated. Should she let Phillip in on the secret? "Well...I know registrations closed a few days ago but my best friend would really like to be a part of the show. I - er - was going to ask Mr Barnum to set up an interview..."

"No need," Phillip waved her statement aside. "I own ten percent of this show. I can do the interview just as well as he can."

Anne's face brightened. "You? You'll do the interview?"

"Of course. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

"Even still, you should probably tell Mr Barnum if you're adding randoms to his show," a flat, dry tone resounded from right beside the two.

Anne and Phillip turned to see Bec leaning carelessly against the corner of Barnum's desk. He had a pair of thick-rimmed glasses perched on the end of his nose and he was flicking a pen niftily around his fingers.

Phillip let out a loud chuckle. "Why don't you mind your own business, Mr Ivans, and let me handle the complicated side of matters, hmm? Last time I checked you were Mr Barnum's assistant not his mother."

A deep flush stained Bec's cheeks upon hearing these words. His brow furrowed slightly in anger and his eyes narrowed in disgust.

Trying to ease the tension, Anne piped up, "Great! I'll go and tell her the good news."

As she was about to leave, Phillip placed a restraining hand on her arm and said, "I'll go with you. I'd like to see your friend."

Bec scoffed under his breath which earned him a glare from Anne.

Hoping that his actions didn't complicate matters any further, Anne wheeled Phillip away from the office and towards the front door. Maybe, just maybe, Deng Yan would be allowed to participate in the upcoming show thanks to the kind Mr Carlyle.

"Deng!" Anne called out as she approached her friend who was fidgeting nervously from the wait. "Meet Phillip Carlyle. He's a partner in Mr Barnum's business."

Phillip bowed his head in acknowledgement of the introduction. "I'm sorry Mr Barnum couldn't be present. He's busy with other matters. Having his show open at such an early notice is taking its toll on him."

"Yes - yes, of course," Deng Yan stuttered. "I understand ... completely. So, about that interview..."

"I'd be happy to meet up with you and go over a few questions," he assured her. "How about tomorrow? At eight o'clock?"

Deng Yan nodded eagerly. "T-that's perfect. Thank you, Mr Carlyle."

"Please, call me Phillip," he flashed a charming smile at her.

When Anne returned inside, she ran into Barnum who was excitedly calling everyone over. "Look at this!" he shouted, waving a notebook covered in penciled lines over his head. "I didn't expect for this to happen but..."

"But what?" Lettie shouted out. "Just tell us already."

A ripple of laughter sounded around the room.

Barnum rolled his eyes, took a deep breath and started again, "We're booked out! Every single seat in this auditorium has been taken! Ladies and gentlemen, you officially have an audience of four hundred and fifty-five people!"

A loud round of cheers erupted at this announcement.

"Well done, Barnum!" Phillip called out above the applause. "What an achievement. You should be very proud."

"Well..." Barnum paused before laying his eyes on Anne. "The tickets only started pouring in when I put up the trapeze poster for Anne. Everyone wants to see her and her crazy acts."

As all eyes settled on her, Anne, struggling to breathe from all the attention, shook her head and smiled, "This was not my doing, Mr Barnum."

"Maybe not but you definitely contributed," he grinned as he stepped forward to clasp her hands in his. "Thank you."

"Well, if that is the case, I'd better go and rehearse," Anne chuckled as she pulled away from him.

For the next several hours, Anne worked alongside Lettie, Charles and several other performers, trying to perfect her act. She couldn't afford to make a mistake. Not in front of that many people.

As dusk settled across the bustling city of New York, Anne, exhausted and out-of-breath, stepped out of the arena for a drink of water.

As she walked over to the table that contained a large, transparent jug filled with the desirable liquid, her gaze settled on Bec's figure, who was hunched over a mountain of papers in a far corner.

A spark of anger ignited within her and, with steps purposeful and full of determination, she strode over to him and slammed a hand down on the table-top in front of him.

Bec adjusted his glasses and looked up at her. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. You can. I have a question for you," she snapped. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" he exclaimed, confused.

"You jeopardised my friend's career as a performer in this show because you were being a smart-aleck and pushing Phillip's buttons!" she exploded.

"Oh, is that all?" he rolled his eyes sardonically. "I think big baby Phil can take care of himself."

"No!" she shouted. "You don't understand! This is my best friend that we're talking about here. I don't care what kind of feud is going on between you two and frankly enough, I don't want to know. But your attitude, when it comes down to it, is really putting me off...big time! Just grow up, Bec, and stop stringing along with your emotions! You're a grown man. Act like one!"

Before Anne could walk off, though, Bec leaped from his seat and seized her arm in a vice-like grip.

"Let go of me, Ivans!" she growled.

"Not until you hear me out," he responded, in a dangerously low tone. "First of all, I don't take my orders from you, even if you are a gorgeous, doe-eyed trapeze artist. Secondly, what happens between Phillip and I is, like you said, none of your business. So do not bring it up again and do not go around thinking that you can order me around like I'm your little slave boy. I answer to Mr Barnum. No one else. Not even you. Do you understand?"

Anne was so taken aback all she could respond with was, "What I understand right now is that you're an imprudent, preposterous zounderkite [an idiot]! Now, let...me...go!"

Something within Bec snapped and he released her arm in one swift motion. Grinding his teeth together in fury, Bec slammed his books together, snatched up his papers and stormed out of the room, brushing past Anne as if she wasn't even there.

Anne, recovering from the initial anger and shock of the situation, swallowed hard and watched his retreating figure.

What the hell had just happened?

Gif: Anne as she talks with Phillip and Deng Yan.

Question of the update: Which side of the argument do you think is mostly right? Anne's or Bec's and why?

XX