The next day.
Morning.
Eva had gotten up early today. It wasn't by choice; Tim yanked her blanket off and switched the AC off. He made her start the day early, something she hadn't been used to for a long time.
"I swear the clock is faulty, it's not even 5", Eva said, still sleepy and drowned out.
"The clock can lie, but the Sun won't", Sera replied.
Eva sulked; she had no reply to that.
"Why do I have to wake up early anyways?"
"Because you, me and your mother are gonna visit the doctor"
Eva didn't reply, she just didn't know what to reply. She knew it was about her.
Tim sat next to her, "Hey, it's for your own good. We understand you, but it's never wrong to stay safe"
Eva just smiled back, which meant she was alright with it.
"Okay, get ready, come down and have your breakfast, alright?"
Tim had woken up early, and working out was the first thing he did. He had his own homemade gym in the basement. Working out was one way he took out his pent-up aggression and stress. Beating bad guys to pulp was another.
"I just got a mail", Sera told Tim.
"From Klaus?"
"Technically, it's from his assistant, but yeah, it's from Klaus. He wants to have an online meeting with me to discuss about the promotion"
"They said they would let you know when the meeting is, eh?", Tim inquired.
"Yup, they said they would send the time and details an hour in advance. I don't understand why he wants to talk to me. What's so serious that he doesn't want to wait till I come to work?", Sera said.
"Good point", Tim replied.
A notification popped up on her phone.
"Oh, speak of the devil!", Sera said with nervous energy.
"Calm down, it's going to be alright.", Tim tried to calm Sera down, knowing well that it wouldn't make a difference.
Sera took a good look at the message.
"Uh oh"
"What happened?", Tim asked Sera.
Sera was beyond disappointed: "I don't think I'll be able to make it to Eva's appointment. The meeting is in an hour!"
"Oh, we could postpone the appointment to the evening or maybe tomorrow,", Tim said.
"No, I don't want to postpone it. You go with her. It's okay,", Sera said, deeply sad she wouldn't be able to make it.
"Are you sure? I know it hurts."
"It's fine, duty calls,", Sera said, trying to hide her dejection behind her smile.
"Hey, why don't you just Facetime me while you're in the meeting? I'll mute the phone from my end,", Tim suggested.
"How about I just deal with it myself?", Sera didn't like the dumb treatment.
Tim snickered, and Sera gave a slick smile.
"Mom, dad, I'm ready,", Eva said.
Tim and Sera looked at each other.
"Did I miss something?", Eva asked after noticing something odd in their faces.
"Umm, I won't be able to come to the doctor with you. I have some very urgent office stuff to deal with", Sera said.
"What stuff?", Eva asked back.
"Well, we thought of keeping it a secret, but guess who got promoted at work?"
"Charlie?"
The disappointment on both Sera's face was beyond any descriptions. Her face itself told "no".
"Oh wait, is it you? OMG!"
Now everyone was excited.
Eva rand down the steps and immediately hugged Sera.
"Mom, I'm so happy for you! This is so awesome!"
Sera hugged her back, "Thanks hun"
"Oh, so you have to go to your office today? Is it your first day today?"
"Nope, I don't have to go, but I have an important online meeting in an hour, so I won't be able to come with you", Sera replied.
"Hmm, okay", Eva replied, not saying much.
"You're okay with it?", Tim asked Eva.
"I understand; she got her promotion, and she has to deal with her job. I can't control her job. I'm okay, mom; you can stay", Eva said with a comforting smile.
Before Sera got all emotional, Tim intruded.
"We better get moving; I'll message you"
After embracing Sera, both Tim and Eva left for the doctor's.
.
.
.
.
.
An hour later.
The doctor's room
"That would be it", Dr. Schultz said.
"So, Dr. Schultz, is everything okay with Evelyn?", Tim asked.
Dr. Schultz was the Delaneys' go-to physician. He was one of Tim's closest acquaintances, someone he'd known for decades.
"There's nothing particularly wrong with Evelyn here. You have to floss your teeth; I can't stress this much further,", Dr. Schultz said.
"Yup, I got it", Eva replied.
"Evelyn, do you mind if you wait outside while I have a talk with your father?"
"Sure, doc", Eva said with a wide smile.
She wasn't stressed about the conversation she was about to have; she knew it wouldn't be serious. The worst that could happen was her phone getting taken away.
Just as she was leaving, Dr. Schultz called her from behind and said, "Hey, get yourself something on the way back", and passed some cash to her.
"Oh yeah, thanks!"
And with that, she left the room.
Tim looked at Dr. Schultz and said, "Spill the tea".
Dr. Schultz looked like he had deep concern in his eyes.
"There's nothing wrong with her physically. I think we could do a blood count test if you want. And based on what you told me, it's psychological than physical.", Dr. Schultz inquired.
"What do you mean by psychological?", Tim was perplexed.
Trying not to aggravate Tim, Dr. Schultz tried to approach it much better.
"I'm just trying to understand this better. Based on what you said had happened in school, it seems like there's some sort of trauma in her mind. I don't know what it is; Eva didn't say much to me either. I think you should ask her about it and find it out."
"So you're saying Eva had gone through something traumatic, and that is causing her to get these sort of dreams?", Tim asked.
"Sometimes, our deepest fears manifest as our dreams. When we fall into sleep to find solutions, our problems linger in our minds,", Dr. Schultz said.
"I never knew she had any sort of issue. If there was anything that was bothering her, she wouldn't be keeping it away from us. She would tell it to Sera, even if she didn't tell it to me,", Tim replied.
"How about you try to get her to open up more? You're her parent; try understanding her more. Teens now suffer and struggle a lot internally. Be there for her, and maybe she might open up,", Dr. Schultz said.
Tim nodded.
"What do I do to make her feel better?", Tim asked Dr. Schultz with a heavy tone of humility and desolation.
Dr. Schultz just gave a comforting smile to help Tim ease out.
"Tim, the best thing you could do for her is be a good dad; that's what she expects from you. What you have to do is be there for her, let her feel free, and let her explore a bit. Try distracting her bad thoughts with good interests."
Tim was deep in his thoughts.
"Take her on a road trip, Tim. Let the girl enjoy her life a bit,", Dr. Schultz said.
"Yeah, you're right."
.
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At the same time.
The Delaney House
Sera was having an anxiety attack, dramatically.
Sera usually never minded such meetings, but with Mr. Klaus dead set on finding out who the mole was and almost close to exposing her, she didn't know what to expect.
At the same time, she was not happy that she wasn't able to make it to Eva's appointment. It was a feeling that no mother would want to feel.
Despite all the emotional turmoil, she was ready with all the answers to Mr. Klaus' possible questions.
She was waiting for an email from one of Mr. Klaus' assistants.
And alas, it was here.
It was an email with the meeting details and certain instructions to follow.
"Do not screen record; video should be enabled at all times, should be audible, and shouldn't take more than 15 minutes."
Sera rolled her eyes after reading it.
She typed in all the details and joined the meeting.
Mr. Klaus was already in the meeting, and it took Sera by surprise. It was just an old man staring coldly into the camera.
"Good morning, Mr. Klaus."
"Greetings, Mrs. Delaney; I was waiting for you", Mr. Klaus said.
"Sorry about that; I apologize,", Sera replied.
"So, what's your answer? So have you accepted the offer or not?"
"I have taken my decision, and I have decided to take that offer,", Sera replied.
Mr. Klaus had a smile on his face, and as usual, it wasn't comforting.
"That's a very good choice, Mrs. Delaney", Mr. Klaus said.
Sera smiled back, not having any reply to it.
"Mrs. Delaney, now that you have accepted the offer, here's your first major assignment"
Sera's smile instantly faded away. But Mr. Klaus didn't notice it; he continued talking regardless.
"Some of the employees from our company are being sent as representatives to a conference in Paris. It is set to happen in three days. And I want you to attend the conference."
Sera was taken aback; she felt like she should have said no.
This was a trap; she was now put in a situation where she had to go to the place where an actual arms sale was going to happen.
"Am I going to be framed for this? Am I being set up?", Sera was stuck, not knowing what to do or say.
In an attempt to further convince Sera, Mr. Klaus said, "Also, you can bring your family along with you. All expenses will be paid by the company. If you say yes, you have to leave by day after tomorrow and attend the conference the next day."
Sera hadn't replied to anything yet.
Sera was at a crossroads of emotions. She was thinking about Eva and Tim.
Tim would have implored her to accept the offer, but she knew that he would try to get himself into trouble by trying to stop the sale. Eva would be enthralled to go to Paris, and it would make her happy.
She knew how bad it could turn out to be.
"You haven't said anything, Mrs. Delaney,", Mr. Klaus said.
"I don't know how to respond; I'm not sure if I'm ready for that", Sera replied.
Now Mr. Klaus looked evidently aggravated.
"Mrs. Delaney, please don't waste my time. I have immense trust in you, and that is why I chose you. You seemed like a fit representative from your department. But you have let me down."
"Sir, with all due respect, I have been dealing with some personal issues as of late. I really apologize. I'm content with the roles I have now, and I will continue to serve the company just as I have and even better. Today has just not been my best day,", Sera replied.
Mr. Klaus didn't say much.
"Fine, have it your way; you have twelve hours to give me a definitive answer. Do you want to do it or not? Otherwise, I'll pick someone else."
And with that, the meeting ended.
Sera sat there, distraught, unable to say anything. She was still haunted by her thoughts, but at least the pressure of having to answer someone had subsided.
She checked her phone to see if she had any messages, and she had two.
It was from Tim.