Caily bit her lower lip in contemplation, she was hesitant to voice her concerns to Emily who seemed busy on the laptop resting on her lap,
[***Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
This is your flight crew speaking.
We are now preparing for takeoff.
Please ensure that your seatbelt is securely fastened, your seatback and tray table are in the upright position, and all electronic devices are turned off and stowed.
Thank you for choosing to fly with us, and we hope you have a pleasant journey***]
Once the announcement was over and Emily had stowed her laptop away in her bag, Caily took the chance to finally vent her concerns,
"I don't think it was a good idea to leave my parents behind. What if they do something crazy again?"
Emily exhaled loudly,
"Enough, Caily. For once, only worry about yourself. You've given up enough for them already."
Caily nodded in agreement. She laid back on her seat and was halfway to closing her eyes when she suddenly jerked up again,
"But what about Alex, I didn't even get to say goodbye to him…"
Emily abruptly turned to her with disbelief etched on her face, "Are you being serious right now?"
"We are on a freaking plane to a freaking new country, and all you can think about is Alex, the same man who used and dumped you?!" She slightly snarled,
Caily sighed, fidgeting with her fingers,
"I just …"
"Uhh…Let's just stop talking about it before I throw you out of this plane," Emily groaned tiredly, resting her head on the headrest of her seat.
The rest of the journey went on in silence.
And after hours, they finally arrived in Canada, Glovedon City.
Outside the airport, and just close to the road waiting for Emily's pick-up, Caily closed her eyes, with her head slightly tilted upward at the sky, she deeply inhaled the fresh air of a completely new city.
A happy smile crowned her beautiful face.
Emily couldn't help but beam at her best friend's first feeling of freedom and the feeling of a new city.
It wasn't Emily's first time in the city as it was the place she originally grew up in.
"Hello, Miss Emily Thompson?" A man's unsure voice called from behind,
Caily and Emily abruptly turned around to see who the caller was.
Their eyes rested on a geeky young man, standing beside a tinted yellow car that seemed too old to function, waving anxiously in their direction,
Caily and Emily exchanged confused looks, wondering if the man was waving at them. And their curiosities were answered the moment the man cantered to them.
"You are welcome to Glovedon City, Miss Thompson. I am your escort," The man greeted.
He proceeded to take the luggage from Emily's grip but she immediately drew back, confused and slightly terrified,
"Oh, thank you. And you are?" She questioned, her eyes raking over him,
The man seemed to be aware of her uneasiness, he took a few steps back,
"Forgive my manners, my name is Charlie Brooks from Glovedon Law Firm, and I will be your assistant for the time of your stay here,"
"Oh…" Emily was bewildered. Her eyes aggressively scanned the man from his head to his toe, and he just did not sit right with her.
He had a tiny bit of handsomeness on his face but he looked like the rough type that could suddenly steal from them and throw them off the car at any moment.
Emily's eyes rested on his face, and when she noticed his sad-looking hazel eyes and awkward pale white skin, she immediately clapped her hands and feigned a big smile,
"Brilliant!"
Charlie's face flared up in a big smile as well, revealing a set of beautifully made dimples on both sides of his cheeks,
"This way, please." He said, finally able to take the luggage from Emily and a quiet Caily who kept a fixed anxious smile on her face.
They followed him to the car.
Charlie finished dropping their luggage in the booth, he then proceeded to open the car door for Emily and Caily.
And just as they stepped in, their hearts jumped to their mouths at the boisterous shrieking sound the car made,
"Oh, I'm sorry about that… Baby Charlie is twenty-four years old today. And so am I," He grinned,
Caily's eyes widened, 'A twenty-four years old car?'
"Wow…That is… That's amazing. And… And Happy birthday to baby Charlie and you too," She stuttered, dumbfounded,
"Thank you, Miss…"
"Oh, I'm Caily Thornefield…"
"She is Caily Windsor and she is my friend," Emily cut in, side-eyeing Caily who guiltily avoided her gaze,
"Welcome to Glovedon City, Miss Windsor. And Please, buckle your seatbelts. We are about to move," He instructed,
Emily reached out to grab the seatbelt… but there was none,
Caily seemed to be in the same haze as she was struggling to find the supposed seatbelt Charlie was referring to, they stared at each other completely lost for a few seconds until the car suddenly moved, almost flinging them off the seats.
Emily and Caily held onto each other for their dear lives.
They turned to hopelessly stare at each other,
Emily shook her head dejectedly, this was definitely not the kind of assistant she had asked her boss for,
'Why am I even here?' Caily pondered to herself,
*Ring_Ring*
Caily flinched a little when her phone unexpectedly buzzed out, she reached for it.
Her eyes widened when she saw the caller… It was her Mom.
What were they up to now?
"Caily? Where are you?" Her Mom questioned the moment she picked up,
Caily's eyelashes batted, sensing the urgency in her Mom's voice, "Mom? What is it?"
"It's your father," Came her quick reply,
Caily struggled to grab a good balance on the seat,
"What?! What happened to him?"
"He suddenly collapsed!"
"Oh my God!" Caily gasped, Clasping a hand to her mouth in shock,
"He was rushed to the hospital. But the doctors said they won't proceed with the surgery he needs if we don't provide the sum of one million dollars!"
"One million what!!"
" … "