A wedding.
Sheila couldn't help but burst out laughing after finishing the letter.
This had to be a joke.
Washing her face repeatedly at the sink, Sheila returned to the table where she had left the letter.
Yes.
They had arranged a wedding for her.
She couldn't believe it.
It didn't make sense.
"Do they really think I need their help?" Sheila thought as she noticed a surname mentioned in the letter.
Long.
Despite being in another country, the Long family was known in Almia for being pioneers in developing new medications.
They could even be considered the strongest competitors against the laboratory where Sheila worked.
Were they really those Longs?
"No, no... it's probably just a coincidence," Sheila thought, shaking her head slightly.
It was a complicated situation.
"I'll have to ask for leave to resolve this matter once and for all," Sheila thought with some annoyance.
She didn't want to go back to that house, but she also didn't want her family to bother her again over these matters by coming personally to her residence, or worse...
To her workplace.
Grabbing the letter along with the note, Sheila threw it in the trash, not before saving the phone number they had left.
Going up to the second floor, Sheila headed to her room and took out one of her suitcases.
◇◆◇
Monday.
Monday had finally arrived, and soon Emily's alarm clock started ringing.
Getting up quickly, Emily turned off her alarm and went straight to brush her teeth and wash her face.
"Here we go…" Emily whispered softly, trying to mentally prepare herself.
No matter how many times she repeated this routine.
Mornings were horrible.
Despite her laziness, Emily prepared a light breakfast, ate, showered, and dressed in comfortable but neat clothes: olive green pants, a white T-shirt, and an emerald green jacket.
"Alright, I'm impeccable," Emily said happily as she left the bathroom.
It was time to go to work.
Luckily, Emily's house was close to Sheila's, so it didn't take long to get there.
"How strange," Emily thought as she noticed the lights in Sheila's house were off.
Had Sheila overslept?
Impossible.
For a few minutes, Emily kept walking to see if she was the one mistaken, but no.
Sheila's house indeed had the lights off.
Had something happened?
Hurriedly, Emily approached Sheila's house and, using the spare keys Sheila had once given her, opened the door.
Everything inside was tidy.
From the dining room, the glass door to the garden was closed, and there was no light on upstairs.
Checking her phone, aside from messages from her family or friends, Sheila hadn't written anything to her.
[Sheila], Emily wrote in the chat.
[Did something happen?], Emily asked, sending several emojis expressing her confusion.
Within seconds, her phone received a call.
It was from Sheila.
Without thinking twice, Emily answered the call.
"Emily?"
"Sheila, where are you? Did something happen?"
"So this is what I forgot…"
Emily couldn't hear Sheila's words because she had spoken too low and fast.
"Sheila…"
Sheila had been so focused yesterday on thoroughly investigating her family because she couldn't believe they had really teamed up with the Longs.
She discovered all this through a photo Rita had posted on her PanBok social media wall, where she was holding her book, and next to her was a man Sheila immediately recognized.
Alexander Long.
One of the younger sons, known for being the public face of all the recent achievements of his family.
But unfortunately, to investigate further, Sheila had to create an account on that social network, as she couldn't see more photos or access her relatives' profiles without registering.
What a tedious social network.
In the end, between investigating and booking the flight, Sheila completely forgot to inform Emily.
"Sheila…"
Emily's voice brought Sheila back to reality.
"Passengers of flight 314, please proceed to board the plane to Vespera."
The announcement over the PA system made Sheila make a quick decision.
"Inform Mikael that I'll be away for a while. Both the investigations and the treatments… put them on hold or try to handle them as best you can. You are in charge now."
"What?"
Those were the words Emily wanted to say, but she had lost the ability to speak.
What Sheila was asking was insane!
"We'll see each other later, Emily. Take care, I'll be busy, and don't forget to water the plants."
With those words, Sheila hung up the phone, and Emily was left frozen like a statue.
"Patients... investigations... those annoying people who keep pestering Sheila, now I have to deal with all of that alone!"
Emily screamed in her mind, trying to call Sheila again, but it was useless.
Sheila had turned off her phone.