"Oh." Maya nodded with a chuckle and hoped her friend was just bluffing, hearing the determination in her voice.
They continued chatting happily and after a long time, bid each other goodbye and finally hung up.
Clara lazied around all day while playing with her new phone and downloading many things. She also came across a comic drawing app and instantly downloaded it, while planning in her mind to make good use of it and also made a mental note to buy a laptop. 'Hehe.'
********
__ That Night __
Carl sighed heavily as he stared down at his phone which he had been holding for some minutes now. He had driven to her apartment earlier today and found out that she had moved out.
His heart ached painfully, not wanting to think of how her reaction would be if they meet again. Has she really forgotten him? He sighed again.
Some minutes passed by before he dialed a number that was instantly answered from the other end.
"Big boss, we have tracked her." The voice sounded anxious from the other end and Carl sighed in relief while his mood instantly elevated.
"Bring her," he commanded curtly then hung up the call.
At least, he has to confirm for himself.
Several minutes later, the doorbell sounded and he hurriedly pressed the remote then watched as two bodyguards walked inside with a girl, only dressed in her pajamas and his eyes widened slightly.
He speechlessly watched as the girl sat down beside him excitedly then glared at the guards who instantly cringed.
"Ahhh, Big bro... I didn't know you could be so romantic... At first, I thought they were bad men but when we arrived here, my heart was instantly at peace."
Carl stared down at the girl who was smiling foolishly at him and he sighed inside.
He was about to say a word when his cell phone started ringing and he glanced at the caller's name displayed on the screen with another sigh.
"Dude, you can't believe this, please I need your help... My sister had been kidnapped!!!," Ken's anxious voice came from the other end after the call was answered.
Carl sighed again and passed the phone to the girl who was still gawking at him with a sweet smile.
"Hello," she muttered dreamily after placing the phone on her ears and Ken gasped.
"Gina, where are you? What happened to you? Are you alright? Talk to me __ wait, are you with Carl?"
"Hehehe, brother, I'm in heaven," Gina chuckled with a wide grin as her gaze was still fixed on the handsome man beside her.
"What!!!? You're in heaven!!!?" Ken erupted and anxiously paced around from the other end. "Did they kill you already!!? Wait, you're speaking to me on the phone... Gina, answer me!!!"
Carl sighed again and slowly took the phone from the girl's hand. "Don't worry, she's safe," he softly explained to his friend at the other end then hung up the call.
"Where did you get this bracelet?" His gaze landed on the diamond bracelet on the girl's hand, remembering how he had put a tracker in it.
"Oh, this?" Gina glanced down at the bracelet then chuckled again. "A friend gave it to me, said he bought it from a pawn shop," she replied unhurriedly and Carl's expression darkened.
'Clara!?' He pinched the space between his brows and nodded to the guards to take her back.
"W..Wait__ Big bro?" Gina's eyes darted between the guards that were about to take her away.
"Go home... It's late," Carl said softly and the girl sighed in disappointment then slowly nodded and stood up.
"Next time you want to see me, just call, okay?... And I'll be right here in a blink of an eye. Hehe," Gina glanced back at him with a sweet smile then walked out with the guards.
Carl rubbed his forehead after they left then picked up the phone again and scrolled through his contacts. He dialed Lily's number and it was answered after a few rings.
The girl explained to him for a long time the same thing Mira had told him that morning and he sighed again and ended the call after thanking her.
'Clara, we still have a long way to go.' He smiled sadly then sent a text and finally stood up.
He slowly walked upstairs and entered his room then his gaze landed on the small picture frame on the bedside table.
Picking it up, he sat down on the bed and slowly caressed it for a very long time before pulling out the drawer.
He put the frame inside then pushed it back and lay back on the bed again then finally fell asleep after gazing at the ceiling for a while.
********
__ The Next Day __
Clara rushed out of the house with an anxious expression while tying her hair in a ponytail with her bag hanging loosely on her left shoulder.
Spotting the taxi which was luckily passing by in the silent neighborhood, she quickly stopped it and got inside while glancing down at her wristwatch.
'Argh! I can't believe I'm almost late for work.' She sighed exasperatedly and gave the taxi driver the company's address, then took out a small makeup palette from her bag and started applying light makeup.
After she was done, she looked down at her wristwatch again and glanced out of the window with another sigh.
This neighborhood is really far from the company, she can't wait for Jack and Lily to return so she could move to her new apartment tomorrow. Luckily, it would be the weekend.
Forty minutes passed by before they finally arrived at the company and she quickly paid the taxi driver and rushed out of the car toward the company's entrance.
She didn't have time to notice the shocked looks on the employee's face and ran toward the elevator which took her directly to the programming department.
"What has gotten into her?"
"Hehe... Isn't it obvious?"
"Yeah... She's going to receive a good scolding from the CEO."