"What? Are you thinking about him again?" the person standing in front of her asked, shaking his head in exasperation.
"Shawn… I met him here" Anna whispered, her voice barely audible but enough for Shawn to hear.
"Here? How?" Shawn asked, shocked. There is a genuine concern in his eyes.
"He is a family friend it seems" Anna answered as she turned her phone off.
"Ahh...girl! It's not gonna be easy on you" Shawn said, pitying her.
Anna just gave a bitter smile.
"Yeah… have the reports come?" she asked, changing the topic.
"Well, yes. We were waiting for you to come" Shawn replied, relieved that Anna had charged the topic. Otherwise, it would have been really difficult for him to console her...
"All right. Let's go" Anna said and stood up.
However Shawn could notice her trembling legs.
He could only pity her for going through this. She can't go back to Aiden nor could she come back after seeing him again. The love she has and had for him is indescribable.
….
After driving for a few minutes, Shawn and Anna stopped at the helipad where the chopper was waiting for them.
There were dozens of guards on wait who saluted as soon as Anna and Shawn alighted the car.
After a few minutes of travel, the chopper landed on the huge , stone building which is situated in the deep forest.
Unlike its exteriors which reminds of old, middle age buildings, the interiors are modern and highly sophisticated.
To be precise, the building is a lab, a secret research lab of the mysterious organization called HOPE.
HOPE is a world class, highly advanced organization.
Getting into it is extremely impossible and only the best of the best will get a chance to know of its existence. .
Normal people, not even the top business magnets of the county are aware of this organization. And, who knows about the existence of the organization are not an ordinary people.
Anna is one of the people in HOPE and her position in the organization is highly respected and feared of.
Her grandfather insisted that she pursue business administration; however, Anna was stubborn in following her dream.
"Madam Anna" , the doctor who was waiting for Anna to come, greeted politely and stood up in respect.
In order to hide the real identity of anyone in the organization, they are only allowed to use first names rather than surnames.
Anna nodded her head in response and asked, "Did reports come, Dr. Mark?"
"Yes, madam." the doctor answered and handed her the envelope.
Anna took the envelope and opened it.
The reports are her grandparents' postmortem. As she is suspicious of the reason of death, she has asked to do a thorough check up again.
As someone from HOPE, it is a piece of cake for her to pull up this without causing any suspicions.
"Natural death?" Anna murmured to herself, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Yes madam. We have done all the tests but it seems everything is normal. We have done every possible test but there are no suspicious elements present." the one who has assisted the postmortem replied.
"I see" Anna mused, flipping the papers as she skimmed through the information.
"All right then. You guys can return to headquarters and, thanks for the favor" Anna thanked the two guys who have come here all the way just because she asked. This is her personal work and they are not obligated to assist her in this matter yet they came here out of respect.
"It's our pleasure, madam." they replied with a big smile on their faces and left the room.
After they left, leaving her alone in the room, Anna sat down, deep in thought as she held the reports in her hands.
Should she let this go return to her work or should she stay here till she is convinced that her brother will be safe?
After seeing Aiden here, she simply didn't have the heart to go. Though seeing him brings up bad memories, he is like an addiction which she is yet to move on from.
….
"You got into an accident, brother?" Felix, Aiden's brother asked, incredulously.
"Got a problem with that?" Aiden frowned as he scornfully looked at the casting done to his left arm.
"I am worried," Felix pouted, examining his brother's sprained ankle.
"Bro, you will be needing a lot of rest and it means you have to take a break from your 'work'" he added after inspecting the ankle.
"I know," Aiden sighed.
"How did this happen?" Felix asked.
He knows his brother well. There is no chance his brother would have driven recklessly. Something too disturbing should have happened and that would have distracted him.
'It's because my first love, my ex-girlfriend, disturbed my whole being' Aiden thought inside.
He still couldn't forget that moment when he removed her scarf. Those bluish gray eyes, her cherry lips... they are still livid in his mind, disturbing his heart over and over again, making him remember all those beautiful moments they had in the past.
"It's nothing, Felix. I was just distracted after Mr. and Mrs. Danvers funeral." Aiden lied.
No-one in his family knows about his ex-girlfriend and their breakup. And, Aiden is adamant to keep it this way.
"Oh" Felix pursed his lips. Their death is shocking indeed. He boarded the flight as soon as he got the news, however his flight was delayed because of the weather and it was already late by the time he returned.
"Anyway, brother, I have already asked grandfather to help you get a one month leave. You can rest" Felix informed.
One month is more than sufficient and Aiden's injuries don't need that much time to heal. His injuries will be healed completely in couple of weeks.
It is just that their grandparents are worried about him. He barely comes home and he is always busy.
This time could be the only chance to make him take a rest.
"Are my injuries that serious?" Aiden asked, looking suspiciously at his brother.
"Yeah... actually..yes. I am an experienced doctor, brother! Believe me" Felix managed not to stutter on his words.
"I...I will be going now. I have other pat.. patients" Felix hastily excused himself and hurried out of the room.
Aiden could only chuckle looking at his silly brother. After Anna, his siblings are the only ones he cares a lot about..
"As if I didn't know that I didn't need a month," Aiden chuckled. He might be a cold and heartless person to outsiders but he is actually quite emotional and sentimental when it comes to the people he cares about.
That is one of the reasons he can't forget Anna though it's been years since they broke up.
Thinking about her, he opened his gallery and looked at the thousands of pics which belonged to only one woman… Anna. Ranging from photos of her daily life to vacations they went together, the photos have endless sweet memories.
"Are we going to meet again?" he asked the smiling girl on his screen. His finger lingered on her hair, as if caressing it.
His eyes are filled with nostalgia but at the same time they are mixed with complex emotions.
"Am I ready to see you?" he asked himself, a bitter smile playing on his lips.
Only he knows the turmoil his heart is facing now.
He knows that it would hurt him to stay here and pretend like a stranger with a woman who was once his girlfriend, the first love and one and only love. Though his mind is screaming at him to run away from her, all he could think is of seeing her again and holding her in his arms.
Their love is strong and so is the pain the break up inflicted on them.