"Kattie, I've got some news," Zayn's voice cuts through the tension, drawing my full attention.
I'm driving to work , mind you. I have no idea if I'm late or not. I don't check time these days because every hour feels like a day without this Emily issue getting solved.
"I've managed to track down Emily." His words hit me like a wave of relief, momentarily washing away the anxiety that had been gnawing at me.
"Really? That's incredible, Zayn!"
I exclaim, unable to contain my excitement.
"Where is she? Is she alright?"
My mind races with a flurry of questions. I ask less than I'm thinking. I tend to get some kind of satisfaction if I rather ask and answer myself some questions in my head.
"She's good. Don't worry."
"I'm on my way to work right now. Can we catch up during lunch instead? I am so glad you found her baby , thank you so much."
There's a brief pause before Zayn responds, understanding evident in his tone as he agrees to meet later. This man is my God on earth.
"Okay, drive safely," Zayn replies, his voice tinged with relief. "I'll fill you in during lunch. See you soon."
With a reassuring nod, I hang up the phone, my mind already racing with questions about Emily and what Zayn has uncovered.
As I stride into the workplace, my heart races with urgency. I summon my team for an impromptu meeting, their expectant gazes meeting mine. Taking a deep breath, I deliver the news,
"I have an important update. Emily has been found."
The room erupts with murmurs, a mix of surprise and relief echoing through the space. I scrutinize their reactions closely, attempting to decipher their thoughts on this unforeseen development.
I'm trying to see who becomes uncomfortable but none of them seems that way. He or she might be doing a professional job at hiding what's inside. I will find out who exactly sabotaged Emily and I'll bring them to justice.
Emily's culinary passion has left quite an impression on me! I'm sure I'll find a way to incorporate her into my team, even if it means making some adjustments. Perhaps I could arrange a private tasting session with her to sample her dishes and discuss potential opportunities within my establishment.
I've been sitting at this restaurant table. I got here earlier than the agreed time. I wanted to have time to myself before hearing what Zayn had to say about Emily. Oh, there is my man coming through the door. He always looks dazzling, no matter what and how he wears it. I can never get over how handsome he is.
I didn't even realize he was now right in front of me. He's kissed my forehead multiple times, switching from it to my cheeks, I love it! He finally settles down and looks at me, I'm sure he can tell how anxious I am, hence the kisses to calm me down.
"Kattie, I got Emily's contact information when I spoke to her today. She lives over on Oak Street, a few blocks from the grocery store. Her house number is 212. I also got her cell phone number for you. I figured you may want to reach out to her directly since this whole situation happened at your office when she came in."
"Thanks baby. I really can't wait to meet up with her , what did she generally tell you?"
"From what Emily told me, she's still really shaken up about whatever happened with her paperwork and CV. She has no idea who could have messed with her information or why. I tried to get more details, but she didn't have much else to share. I'll let you know if I'm able to find out anything more about what exactly occurred and who might be behind it."
"We'll figure it out together babe , thanks hey."
"I got you. Have you ordered anything?"
"Yes , I have. Lunch for the both of us."
"Thanks baby. I'd like to take the kids out tonight , if that's okay with you?"
"Sure thing babe. You guys can go , I'll use the time to catch up on some paperwork that I need to deal with."
"Okay cool. Hey , it's going to be okay. Don't worry too much."
"I can't help it, Zayn. I clearly have a criminal working for me. Someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty , I need to find that person and show them the way."
"I know my love.We will catch the culprit."
My lunch break is over. I'm certainly back at work now. Let me make a call to Emily.
"Hello Emily? This is Kattie from Lavish lifestyles. I got your number from my boyfriend Zayn."
"Oh hello Kattie. Yes, Zayn was very kind when he spoke to me earlier."
"I'm so sorry to hear about the terrible situation that happened when you dropped off your CV at my office. It's unacceptable that someone would sabotage your job application like that."
"Thank you, I really appreciate your sympathy. It was a very distressing experience. I thought maybe you won't call me back because I wasn't considered for the job anymore."
"Of course. Listen, I was hoping you could come into my office tomorrow, say around 2pm? I'd like to speak with you more about what happened and see if there's any way I can assist you."
"That would be great, I'd be happy to come in. Getting to the bottom of this is really important to me."
"Wonderful. I'll make sure to clear some time in my schedule. Please just ask for me at the front desk tomorrow at 2pm."
I instruct. Emily agrees. That's all I was praying for.
"Sounds good, I'll see you then.Thank you again for reaching out."
"You're very welcome. I look forward to speaking more tomorrow."
I concluded , very much satisfied with our conversation.
I just hung up the phone after speaking with Emily. Wendy, one of my hair stylists rushed into my office looking flustered. She didn't even knock , I'm still shocked.
"Boss lady! We have a situation over at the salon." she blurted out, slightly out of breath.
"What's going on Wendy?" I asked with concern.
"One of my clients, Mrs. Jones, came in for her usual root touch-up today. But something must have gone wrong with the hair color mixture because when I applied it and left it on for the standard processing time, it burned her scalp pretty badly!"
I gasp, what on earth?
"Oh no, that's terrible! Is she okay? Did you call for medical assistance?"
"Yes, Don is with her now applying a cold compress. I already had Jessica call an ambulance to come check her over and treat the chemical burn."
Wendy replies
"I feel just awful, I've never had anything like this happen in my 10 years doing hair."
I have to try to calm her,
"Accidents can happen, the important thing is you respond quickly. Let me know if Mrs. Jones requires any further assistance from us. And let the other stylists know we may need to do some safety refreshers on color application."
Wendy nodded,
"You're right, I'll debrief everyone so we can prevent this from occurring again. Thanks for handling this so professionally."
As I'm still trying to process the shocking news from Wendy about the accident at the salon, my phone rings again. It's Jill, the manager from the Lavish Lifestyles restaurant calling with another crisis.
"Miss Kattie, you need to get over here right away,"
Jill's voice sounds frantic.
"A woman just collapsed shortly after finishing her meal!"
My heart sinks right away!
"Oh my god, is she okay? Did you call an ambulance?"
I can barely get the words out as my mind races thinking about the potential liabilities.
He responds.
"Yes, the paramedics are on their way. But Kattie, this looks bad. The woman was grabbing her throat and turned completely red in the face before falling to the floor unconscious."
"What did she order? Do we know if she has any food allergies?"
I feel sick, is there some kind of contamination issue in our kitchen?
"She had the Chicken Caesar salad."
Jill says.
"I've already instructed the staff to save all the ingredients and utensils used in case we need to have food testing done."
I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm.
"Okay good, thank you for being so proactive Jill. As soon as the paramedics arrive, have them examine the woman thoroughly. I'll head over to the restaurant now as well."
This is turning into a nightmare day at Lavish Lifestyles. First the terrible accident at the salon, and now a potential food-related medical emergency at the restaurant. I can only hope both situations would have positive resolutions.
I cannot do this without Zayn , but I feel like I've been taking him away from his own businesses.
After the back-to-back crises at the salon and restaurant, I am an emotional wreck. Tears are streaming down my face as I frantically dialed Zayn's number.
As soon as he answers, I break down crying.
"Zayn...you need to come right away. Everything is falling apart at Lavish Lifestyles!"
"Woah woah, slow down babe. What's going on?"
Zayn's concerned voice came through the phone.
Between sobs, I explain what had happened first at the salon, then at the restaurant just minutes later.
"There was some kind of horrible accident where a client's scalp got chemically burned during a color service. And then a woman collapsed and stopped breathing after eating at our restaurant! I don't know what to do!"
"Oh my god, Kattie, that's terrible! Are they both going to be okay?"
Zayn asked anxiously.
"I don't know!"
I'm wailing.
"The ambulances are on their way to both places. But Zayn, what if they try to sue us? What if we get shut down?"
"Hey hey, try to stay calm okay? We don't know all the details yet. I'll make sure eevrything goes well, okay?"
He's trying to soothe me and it's working.
"I'm leaving work right now to come to you. Just take some deep breaths."
But I can hardly catch my breath as the worst case scenarios plays out in my mind.
"Our whole business could be ruined over this! Years of hard work, gone in an instant!"
"Don't think like that."
Zayn says firmly.
"We'll get through this together, I promise. I'm almost there, just hold on."
I stay on the line, my cries turning to hiccups as I'm waiting for Zayn's arrival. Never could I have imagined such chaos would unfold on what started as a regular day. I need his strength to get me through this nightmare.