Flashback...
Daniel woke up in a hurry that morning. His alarm had gone off, but somehow, in the rush of things, he had overslept. The sun was already up, and the warmth of the rays filtered through the curtains, making him realize he was running late for his office. He threw on his suit jacket, grabbed his laptop, and was about to rush out the door when his mother, Mrs. Isabella, called out to him from the dining table.
"Daniel, why are you leaving without having breakfast?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. As usual, she had laid out a healthy spread of fruit, eggs, and toast on the table.
"Mom, I'm already late for the office," Daniel responded quickly. "I'll eat later, don't worry about me. You all have breakfast."
Mrs. Isabella sighed, knowing well that Daniel often skipped meals when he was in a hurry. "At least take your lunch box with you."
Daniel waved her off with a rushed tone, "Oh, mom, I'll eat something at Kantian. I have to go now. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad."
She shook her head as she watched him leave. "I can't handle this boy anymore. He's always in such a rush."
Outside, Daniel hurried to the car where his driver, William, was already waiting. "Driver, get the car out; I'm really late."
The driver, William, nodded calmly. "Okay, sir."
As the car rolled out of the driveway, Daniel took a deep breath and tried to relax. He opened his laptop, determined to get some work done on the way to the office. But as luck would have it, just a few minutes into the drive, they encountered heavy traffic. Daniel, engrossed in his work, didn't notice at first until the car came to a halt.
"William, what's going on here?" Daniel asked, looking up from his laptop.
"Sir, there's a traffic jam ahead. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it," the driver replied, sounding apologetic.
"Damn it," Daniel muttered, frustration evident in his voice. "I'm already late, and now this traffic jam."
There was nothing to do but wait. Daniel leaned back in his seat, sighing deeply. He had a full schedule at the office today, and this delay was the last thing he needed. As the minutes passed, he set his laptop aside and looked out the window to distract himself.
That's when he saw her.
A young girl stood at a nearby bus stop, waiting patiently for her bus. She was wearing a college uniform, her long hair falling over her shoulders, and she had an air of innocence that caught Daniel's attention. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Something about her seemed almost ethereal, as though she didn't belong to the everyday hustle and bustle of the world around them.
Daniel found himself smiling, captivated by her simplicity. It wasn't like him to stare at girls—he usually had too much on his mind to notice—but this girl was different. She seemed calm, unaffected by the chaos of the city. She stood there, almost serene, her eyes scanning the road for her bus.
Just as suddenly as the traffic had stopped, it cleared. The driver started the car, and before Daniel knew it, they were moving again. He turned to look back at the bus stop, but the girl had disappeared from his view.
For some strange reason, Daniel felt a pang of disappointment. But he quickly pushed the thought away and adjusted his sunglasses, chuckling softly at himself. He had a busy day ahead; there was no time to think about strangers at bus stops.
Arriving at his office, Daniel was greeted by Juli, his efficient and cheerful assistant. She had been with him for a few years now, and he trusted her with many of the office's daily tasks.
"Good morning, sir," Juli said with a bright smile.
"Good morning," Daniel replied, walking towards his desk.
"How are you today, sir?" she asked.
"Good," Daniel said absentmindedly, his thoughts still half-occupied by the mysterious girl from the bus stop.
"So, sir, we have a meeting about the new project today. Should I call everyone in now?" Juli asked, holding her notepad.
"Yes, get everyone ready. We'll start the meeting now," Daniel said, snapping back to reality.
Juli nodded and quickly left to make the necessary arrangements. The meeting lasted for over an hour, and by the time it ended, it was well past lunchtime. Juli noticed Daniel hadn't had anything to eat yet and approached him.
"Sir, won't you have lunch?" she asked.
Daniel, distracted by the morning's events, barely registered her question. "Hmm…"
Juli sensed that something was off. "Come on, let's have lunch together today," she suggested, trying to lighten the mood.
Daniel thought for a moment before agreeing. "Alright."
Juli seemed thrilled that Daniel agreed. She always looked forward to spending a little extra time with him. They headed to Kantian, their usual lunch spot, but while they ate, Daniel's mind was elsewhere. He couldn't stop thinking about the girl from the bus stop. He tried to focus on the conversation with Juli, but every time he looked up, he saw the girl's innocent face in his mind.
Juli, sensing Daniel's distraction, finally asked, "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, do you have a girlfriend?"
Daniel, startled by the question, looked at her. "No," he replied simply.
"Oh, then do you like someone?" she asked, pushing a little further.
Daniel glanced at her, his irritation growing. "Does this girl have nothing better to do than ask such questions?" he thought to himself.
He didn't respond directly, instead saying, "I've finished eating. I'm leaving."
Before Juli could say anything more, Daniel got up and walked away. She sat there, momentarily speechless, feeling a bit hurt by his abrupt departure.
As Daniel made his way back to the office, he couldn't shake the thought of the girl from the bus stop. He was tired, but still, he glanced again at the bus stop on his way home that evening, hoping to see her again. But this time, the bus stop was empty. He smiled to himself, wondering why he even cared.
The next morning, Daniel found himself looking out the window as they passed the bus stop. To his delight, she was there again, waiting for her bus. Seeing her filled him with a strange sense of happiness.
For the next few days, Daniel saw the girl at the same time, at the same place. It became a routine, and every time he saw her, he felt a little lighter, as if just her presence brightened his day.
But then, she disappeared. For two whole days, she wasn't at the bus stop. Daniel started feeling uneasy. "Why haven't I seen her? Is she alright?" he wondered. The thought of never seeing her again bothered him more than he expected.
Several more days passed, and Daniel found himself growing increasingly anxious. He didn't even know her name, yet her absence was unsettling. But finally, after nearly a week, he saw her again. This time, he didn't want to risk not seeing her again.
Without thinking, Daniel pulled out his phone and discreetly took a picture of her. He looked at the photo, smiling to himself. It felt good to know he had something of her to hold on to.
When he reached the office that day, Daniel showed the photo to his assistants.
"I need you to do something for me," Daniel said, handing them the photo. "Look at this girl carefully."
His assistants looked at the picture, unsure of where this was going. "Yes, sir?" one of them asked.
"Tomorrow, at 8:00 AM, all four of you will be at this bus stop. I want you to find this girl and get all the information about her—where she lives, who she is, everything. Do you understand?" Daniel instructed.
The assistants exchanged nervous glances. "But sir, we don't know her. How will we figure out where she lives or get her details?" one of them asked hesitantly.
"That's not my concern," Daniel said firmly. "Just do what I've told you. If you fail, you won't get your salary this month."
"Sir, please don't do that," they pleaded. "We'll try our best to find out."
"Not try—bring me the information I've asked for," Daniel reiterated. "And one more thing—make sure Juli doesn't find out about this. If she hears about it, you'll all be in trouble."
The assistants nodded, unsure of what else to do, and left to carry out their task.
About a week later, they returned to Daniel's office, looking a little apprehensive.
"Well, you're back. What did you find?" Daniel asked, leaning forward in anticipation.
One of the assistants handed him a paper. "We found everything you asked for, sir," he said.
Daniel looked at the paper and saw the girl's name: Fiona Christel. She was in her final year at Aiber College. Reading her name, Daniel smiled. "Just as beautiful as her name," he thought.
"Thank you so much," Daniel said, looking at his assistants. "You have no idea how much this means to me. I'll double your salary this month."
Hearing this, the assistants were overjoyed. They thanked Daniel profusely before leaving his office, leaving Daniel alone with his thoughts.
Now, with Fiona's information in hand, Daniel felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing that his mysterious girl from the bus stop was no longer a stranger.