The next day, Maxim went early to the public bookstore where he worked and saw Fred arranging the books as usual.
"Hey, Fred! I’m back!" Maxim exclaid after arriving by the door.
Fred raised an eyebrow at him while he fixed his glasses. "Ah, Maxim. It’s a good thing you arrived early. We have a huge order from an unknown custor," he explained and handed Maxim the list of books that needed to be packed.
Maxim barely stepped inside the bookstore, and he was already overwheld with work. "Okay, I will work on it," he replied as he went to his desk to put so of his stuff.
Fred started typewriting and ignored Maxim.
Maxim sighed as he looked at the list. "What kind of man ordered 100 books from this bookstore..." he murmured while shaking his head.
Even though it was a public bookstore, the books weren’t that great, and so were very old since they had been kept for a long ti.
"But money is money," Maxim grinned, knowing he would get his commission on that custor. He didn’t waste ti and started searching for books with the sa title on the list.
It took Maxim two hours, but he only found thirty books so far. He was full of dust from searching from the deepest and hidden shelves.
"Fred, when is the custor returning to get the ordered books?" Maxim asked, wiping the sweat away from his face.
"Today, at three in the afternoon," Fred replied flatly.
Maxim stared at the ti, which was only 8:30 a.m. "Okay, that’s enough... I guess," he replied and drank water from his bottle.
No other custors were around, making it easier for Maxim to move and focus on his job without distractions. However, he had underestimated the list.
There were books ordered that had been kept in storage and hadn’t been accessed for years, making it harder to get them since they were basically treated as garbage.
"Why does this custor even need these kinds of trash?" Maxim grumbled in annoyance as he started searching for the keys to the storage.
"Where are you going?" Fred asked after seeing Maxim fumble on the key cabinet.
"The other ordered books are stacked there. I need to get it," Maxim explained, showing Fred the keys.
Fred’s eyes showed anxiousness and hesitation. He wondered if he should let Maxim go in or if he should do it instead.
"Is there sothing wrong?" Maxim asked after sensing Fred’s discomfort.
Fred shook his head. He fixed his glasses and went back to his typewriter. "Go in, but don’t touch other unnecessary stuff, especially the chests."
"Sure," Maxim replied boredly, but that made him curious.
’What’s inside those boxes? Is it important? Does it contain illegal records?’ Maxim thought as he hastily walked to the storage.
There was only a tiny lamp in the storage, which was not helpful. Maxim stayed unmoving on his spot for a few seconds as he let his eyes adjust to the darkness.
Even though Maxim wasn’t a full werewolf, he still had so wolf qualities that he sustained.
"Hmm, it should be around here," Maxim muttered as he went to work. He had found several books inside, but a lot was still missing.
When Maxim continued digging further, he found a locked chest covered in books hidden by the corner. It was a dium-sized chest that looked old, but its design looked elegant even though the colors were faded.
"Hmm, what is this?" Maxim muttered, clearing the space to see the chest more precisely. "Is this what Fred talked about?"
Maxim touched the lock and tried pulling it, but it remained intact. His eyes darted at the set of keys he had. He reached for it and was about to try unlocking it when he felt a presence from behind him.
"Fred! I—" Maxim snapped back nervously and was about to explain himself since he got caught, but what he saw surprised him more.
A tall man wearing a white robe looked at him. "Hello, are you Maxim?" he asked.
"Oh, yes. I am Maxim," he replied, standing up and hiding the keys behind his back.
"That’s great. I was looking for you," the man stated, smiling kindly.
"Is there anything you need?" Maxim asked, confusion sketched on his face.
The man smiled as he stepped inside the storage. It was dark, and his face was covered with the hood.
It made Maxim uncomfortable since they were already in a tight space.
"I’m the buyer of this book. I ca here to take them," the man replied, stepping closer until he was an inch distant from Maxim.
"Oh... oh right!" Maxim bead as he pointed at the books he found. "Only fifty-five of them has been found yet," he explained.
"What should we do now? I need it imdiately," the man replied sternly, crossing his arms.
Maxim clenched his fist. "I still have ti left before three in the afternoon," he stated, confident that he would be finished by then.
"It’s already three," the man replied, showing Maxim his watch, The hands pointed to 3:00 p.m. sharp.
Maxim’s mouth hung open. He thought it was still morning. His stomach dropped as he stared at the man’s watch, blinking in disbelief. He quickly checked his own pocket watch.
"How did...?" Maxim mumbled, shaking his head. "I was sure— Sh^t," Maxim cursed under his breath as he didn’t notice the ti go by so fast.
"No ti for that now," the man’s voice cut through Maxim’s confusion, sharp but controlled. "I need those books. All of them."
Maxim swallowed hard, realizing that the custor wasn’t soone to upset. His calm deanor hid an underlying tension that sent a chill down Maxim’s spine.
"I—I’ll get the rest right away!" Maxim said, backing toward the door.
"Hold on," the man’s voice was soft but commanding, freezing Maxim in place.
"Hmm?" Maxim humd as he stared at the man.
"Let’s not waste ti. Bring the fifty-five books you’ve already found; for the rest, we’ll talk about it," the man said and walked outside.
Maxim hesitated but nodded. He hurried out of the storage room, heart pounding in his chest. Sothing about that man was unnerving, but Maxim couldn’t place why. He grabbed the stack of books he’d gathered earlier, straining under their weight as he brought them to the front counter.
"Did you gather them all?" Fred asked, seeing the books.
"N-no, I only found fifty-five of them," Maxim stated, nervous that he would get scolded, but Fred just shook his head and ignored him again.
"Let’s talk after this," the man stated, waiting for Maxim to finish packing.
Fred glanced up from his typewriter, his fingers pausing for a brief second before he continued typing as though nothing unusual had happened.
"I’m sorry again for the delay," Maxim stamred, placing the books down. "If you give a little more ti, I’ll find the rest."
The man didn’t reply imdiately. Instead, he ran his fingers over the books’ spines as if inspecting each one.
As Maxim finished packing, he lowered his head to the man as an apology. From how the man dressed, Maxim knew that he was either a noble or a wealthy one.
"Thank you. I will make sure to find the other remaining books," Maxim promised, keeping his head low.
"Well, I expect too much from a... public bookstore," the man sighed, taking the books with him. "My fault."
"Please, visit us tomorrow. I’ll make sure to get them ready in ti," Maxim stood up straight; his face was serious.
The man chuckled and was about to reply when he heard a sound. His eyes lowered to Maxim, and he knew it was coming from his stomach.
*Grumble~*
Maxim wanted to hide in embarrassnt as he clutched his stomach. He had forgotten to eat lunch since he was too preoccupied.
"Then... I will co back here tomorrow if you eat with today," the man stated smugly. He unheld the boxes and extended his hand toward Maxim. "You can call Alex."
Maxim looked at Alex’s hand and hesitated. "I’m Maxim... you already know my na, haha. My hands are dirty," he said, showing the dust on his hands.
However, Alex didn’t care. He grabbed Maxim’s hand and shook them as if he didn’t get bothered at all. "Co, let’s have lunch together."
Maxim’s eyes widened in surprise. He tried pulling his hand away, but Alex’s grip was tight. He felt that Alex would only get aggressive if he rejected the invitation.
"O-okay..." Maxim agreed, nodding his head. He glanced at Fred, who acted as if he wasn’t there in the first place. He thought Fred would interfere, but it was the opposite.
Maxim’s heart raced, not only because the unexpected proposition but also from the pangs of hunger gnawing at his stomach.
’His hand is warm and firm,’ Maxim thought, starkly contrasting to his cold, dusty fingers.
"I’ll wait for you outside," Alex winked at Maxim before exiting the library.
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