NEWS HEADLINES
"CHANGE IN DATE OF THE PBP"
'The PBP event has been rescheduled, no longer set for next week but moved up to the coming three days. The White House has not confirmed the reason for this change.
'The sudden postponement has sparked an uproar and questions among citizens caught off guard, yet the President has not addressed the reasons for the rescheduling.
'The PBP date has been permanently shifted from...
"Fuck!!" Cass screamed after she had turned off the TV. "Dad, it's probably.....something is off"
David let out a sigh of frustration as he quietly sipped his whiskey.
"You're not saying anything, Dad?" Cass yelled at the top of her lungs, frustration evident in her voice.
Cass scampered round the living room. "It's so off, Dad," she said, breathing heavily as she tried to inhale and exhale for calmness, but it didn't seem to work, and she screamed again, "Shit!!"
David lifted his gaze from the ground to look at his daughter.
"It's unprecedented; there has to be a reason. I haven't even prepared my dress because I thought there was still time..." Cass took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling twice before continuing, "Three days isn't enough for me to prepare the surprise gift I had in mind for Cyril," Cass implored, "Please, Dad, you have to do something!"
As David was about to talk, Tan walked into the living room and bowed.
David nodded.
"The President has not summoned another meeting yet, Sir," Tan stated calmly, bowing.
Cass strode quickly toward Tan, her expression livid. "You must be joking..." she stated.
Tan bowed, "I'm so sorry ma'am"
Cass confronted David, who was lost in thought, "Are you just going to sit there, Dad?!"
"What should I do? The President has given orders; who am I to disobey?" asked David.
"At least y'all would have objected, or sum, to the decision."
David set his glass of whiskey on the center glass table, stood up, and said to Tan, "Get the car ready! I have an urgent meeting to attend." Then, he walked out.
Tan bowed to Cass before walking away.
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"The PBP has been rescheduled for the next three days," Lisa said, sounding surprised.
"What might be the reason?" Sarah inquired, deep in thought.
"The President didn't say," James said.
"It's not that bad, not like we gon sew new dresses or sum" Melissa added.
The majority of the workers in the cottage congregated to discuss the unexpected rescheduling of the event.
"And Mary?!" Melissa asked, concerned after searching the whole room and not catching a glimpse of Maryann.
"She is in the Presidential sickbay," James answered.
"What!! Why!!" A girl among the group added in shock.
"She fainted" Sarah said.
"Not again!!" Melissa sighed as she snapped her palm on her forehead.
"We can't visit either" Sarah said.
"They won't let us in" James said.
"But y'all were with her there, the last time?" Melissa asked.
"This time, the President gave strict orders not to let anyone into the Presidential sickbay," James said.
"Exactly what the guards told us; when we saw her being rushed there, we tried to follow suit, but we were restricted," Sarah said.
"That could only mean one thing..." Melissa stated, as the gathered workers looked on expectantly for her to continue. "It's possible she has committed another offense and is now confined to the Presidential sickbay, where she'll be monitored until she recovers and faces yet another punishment."
"No!" James interjected, "No, she wouldn't do anything wrong this time, especially after she just escaped a deadly punishment."
The workers sighed in frustration as they all departed to their different corners, leaving only the trio.
"But Mel might be right. Do you think Mary will be punished for going to see the President?" Sarah asked.
"You are right; it's not really easy to encounter the President randomly," Lisa remarked thoughtfully.
"But she broke the rule again" James said as he widened his eyes in shock.
"Oh no! Oh? no!" Lisa interjected in sadness.
"Oh, Poor Maryann!!!" Sarah cried.
"She should've listened to us when we tried to stop her," Lisa said.
"And consider this, did you witness the President storming into the sickbay at headquarters, in anger?"
"Fuck!!" Lisa added.
All three were deeply concerned, aware that Maryann was in serious trouble.
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Her heart was racing, her forehead damp with sweat, her fingers twitching slowly, her body motionless, aching and fatigued.
Maryann struggled to sit up in the ER hospital bed.
Although the oxygen mask had been removed from her face quite some time ago, an IV was still inserted into her left hand.
Realizing she was in the sickbay, she murmured, "What's happening to me?
Why do I always end up in the hospital?"
She struggled to sit erect and comfortably on the bed, but her body wouldn't cooperate because of the pain.
As she sat up, her head hammered severely, making her eyes turn.
She used her right hand to clean the sweat on her forehead.
She glanced at her attire and realized that instead of her torn nylon dress, she was clad in a loose-fitting hospital gown.
The entrance door creaked open, and a short, bald man entered, clutching an iPad.
He paused by the bed and gazed at Maryann.
"Miss Maryann Taylor?" The doctor called out.
"That's me" Maryann responded.
"The rapid response of your body to the medication within just thirty hours is quite remarkable," the doctor explained.
Maryann feigned a smile.
"You will be here for approximately a day and a half, so we can monitor your condition before discharge."
"I'm so sorry Doctor, but I don't like hospitals," Maryann said "I really need to go."
"I'm truly sorry, but you must remain here until further notice. You also need to rest and complete your medication course," the doctor said, turning to leave while glancing at his iPad.
However, he stopped mid-step when Maryann spoke up.
"Doctor, what of my friends? Please can they come visit me?"
"I'm sorry, but no. You are in the Presidential sickbay, and entry from the outside is restricted," the doctor said before he finally walked out and left the room.
Maryann let out a breath and pondered deeply about how she had arrived at the sickbay.
Her heart started racing the moment she thought she might have done something wrong that caused her visits to be restricted.
Maryann's eyes scanned the whole room, and she couldn't find her clothes anywhere.
Her gaze swept across the room, but as it locked onto the entrance's glass door, she froze, heart racing, upon spotting the shadow of a very tall, semi-lean figure with an alluring presence, both hands tucked into the pocket of his pants, leaning askew by the glass doorway of the ER room.