"But we don't even know who sent it in the first place." Confused, Abby asked, "How will you find the person behind the letter?"
The only clue they had that led her back to city M was the location of the letter's origin, but they had no idea who had written it to her.
"I will pay a visit to the postal service first. They might be able to assist me in locating the precise address where it originated. I can confront the person once I locate it," Clara said, hoping to avoid staying in this city for too long. She wanted to finish up her work here so she could return home.
Abby agreed with Clara and nodded her head. She was aware of Clara's strong desire to never go back there, so it would be best if she completed her work and went home.
"All right, then, let me know if you find the person, and keep me updated," Abby said, defusing the tense situation.
They both kept chatting for some time before Clara ended the call. With that, she got out of bed and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. There was still something left from the previous takeout, so she ended up making something simpler to eat this time.
*****
[Skylar Corps]
Everyone inside the quiet meeting hall was sweating profoundly. Just like every day, their boss was not in a good mood. His grumpy, deadpan face was making them lose their soul with every passing second.
Adrian surveyed the large circular table, smirking at the staff members who were unable to generate a compelling proposal. His patience was further tested after listening to their pointless presentation for an hour.
For a whole minute, he didn't speak a word, scaring the shit out of everyone. They were all aware that he was not happy with their suggestion, and time was running out.
BOOM...
Everyone flinched at Adrian's sudden outburst. With lowered heads, they prayed to God in silence for guidance to escape this dangerous location.
"Is this what I am paying you all for? This ridiculous suggestion!" Adrian yelled. "Do you all think we can reach our annual margin with these useless ideas?"
Austin sensed the tension in the room and wiped away his perspiration as well. He just hoped his boss wouldn't come after him after he took care of them. He looked at the pitiful people who wanted to cry buckets right now.
Adrian sharply exhaled as he cast a glance at the throng in front of him and said, "I want an effective proposal with proper points mentioned in it... and that too by the end of the day."
With a final decision in hand, Adrian stormed out of the meeting hall, leaving the staff relieved.
They had been walking on the ice every day because their iceberg boss never gave them time to come up with a better proposal. They would try their hardest to avoid his wrath now that they had some time at last.
Giving a pitiful smile at the pale faces, Austin too tailed behind his boss in a hurry.
Everyone exhaled a breath of relief once they were all alone.
One of the staff members, who was seated through and through, asked, "Can somebody please turn on the heater?"
He attracted the attention of fifteen pairs of eyes with a cheeky smile as he wiped away the perspiration.
****
[Cabin]
Adrian pulled out his chair, sat on it, slid open his laptop, and began working. "I want a good proposal by the end of the day and if they fail to give one they fire them," Adrian said.
Austin gaped at Adrian in disbelief but soon composed, understanding how hard it was to go against his words. Austin obeyed his order and departed from the cabin.
No one in this world was born to change their boss's mind. His instructions were like inscriptions on stone that would never be removed.
Adrian lifted his head and peered at the closed door once Austin had disappeared from view. He reclined in his chair, squinting his eyes. The event of that morning was weighing heavily on his mind.
He didn't want to think of something impossible. The emotion he had buried deep inside his heart surfaced after all these years.
Rubbing his chin, he murmured, "Who was that woman?" recalling the figure he just happened to see earlier.
****
Clara finished cooking the lunch and stepped out of the kitchen. She decided to take a shower first before eating the food.
Heading to her room, she pulled out a new pair of clothes for herself and placed them on the bed before she stepped inside the bathroom.
She turned on the tap and let the chilly water run off her body.
Clara closed her eyes, remembering the previous dream. It wasn't new for her since she had been haunted by such nightmares every night.
These dreams would keep her from getting the restful sleep she had always desired.
After giving herself a quick wash, she stepped out of the bathroom and quickly got changed into a fresh pair of clothes.
Clara finished eating lunch and got ready to visit the postal service office. She placed the letter inside her handbag before she pulled out her cell phone and booked a cab for her.
Since she was familiar with this city, it didn't take her long to reach the local post office. She could've checked the address being in city J, but it skipped her mind as she rushed to come here without any proper backup plan.
Her cab soon arrived at the specified location, and she exited the vehicle to find herself facing a two-story structure.
She sighed and made her way inside the building, where she ran into an elderly woman.
"Oops, I am sorry," Clara said, apologizing to her as all of her possessions fell due to her abrupt change of heart.
Clara bent down and picked up the stuff from the floor and got up passing to the woman when her eyes widened in shock.
Just like Clara, even the lady was baffled to see a familiar face that she hadn't seen in many years.
"Clara..." the lady gaped covering her mouth as she watched the girl standing still with an unreadable expression on her face.
Clara quickly composed herself when her thoughts cleared and she answered with a plain tone," Sorry ma'am but I am not Clara"
She gave the woman her belongings and dashed away from her walking deeper inside the building.
The old lady watched her speed ahead without turning back and she felt her eyes tear up watching how much she had changed in these few years.
"My old eyes can't be wrong. I can recognize you even in my sleep" the lady mumbled confidently and turned around walking out of the building.