Back in London, Chelsy had arrived at the London Paddington international train station. It was the biggest and the most beautiful train station she had ever seen. ''Oh my goodness. This train station looks like an airport. The train station in Wolverton is still a million years behind this.'' She muttered with her eyes shimmering both with amazement and excitement.
Chelsy was about to enter a new era in her life. She pulled the two suitcases she had with her, and walked over to the taxi stop where she took a taxi to her new apartment.
Chelsy's apartment was on the sixth floor, and it was made up of a small living room, a bedroom, a little kitchen and a bathroom. It wasn't a big apartment, but it was space enough for Chelsy.
When she walked in, she stood in the center of her living room. She lifted her head, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ''Chelsy Powers, this is it. The beginning of a new chapter. The old, naive and stupid Chelsy is gone.''
She smiled and started unpacking her suitcases and putting her clothes in the closet.
Chelsy spent that whole evening unpacking her stuff and getting acquainted with her new home.
The next day, which was Saturday, Chelsy woke up to the bright morning sun shining through the French window in her bedroom.
She walked up and opened the window. It was already the beginning of summer.
The weather was balmy, nice and pleasantly warm. She sniffed the air and spread her hands through the window and shouted at the top of her voice. ''Good morning London.''
Her voice echoed through the quiet alley. The passersby who walked in the street looked at her like someone who had gone off her rockers. An old lady passing by shouted back. ''Hey. Shut up you crazy woman. Get lost.''
When Chelsy heard this, she smiled and said to herself. ''Well, well, well. This is London and its people. When you go to Rome, you do what the Romans do. So when you come to London, you become a crazy Londoner, innit?''
She gave a little chuckle and walked into her bathroom and took a quick shower. Chelsy had two weeks until her first day at Rivers Holdings as an intern.
She decided to get acquainted with her neighborhood and city center.
From where she lived, it was about thirty minutes on a bus to the city center. Chelsy put on a knee level sky blue floral midi dress. She paired it with a brown boho straw hat and brown sandals. Chelsy looked really beautiful in her outfit.
''The weather is beautiful, and I have to be beautiful.'' She gave a shy smile and left her house.
She visited some of the shops and did some eye shopping. She was already tired and wanted something to drink. She entered 'The Plaza', which was the biggest mall in London.
There was a stall inside which made freshly squeezed juices. Chelsy ordered a freshly squeezed pineapple juice which cost ten pounds. ''Jeez, even the juices here are so expensive.'' Chelsy murmured with a cranky expression.
The Plaza was known for its high-end stores and luxury shops. It was owned by the Fitzwilliam group. Those who shopped there were mostly rich and influential people. Most of the celebrities in the United Kingdom do their shopping there.
Chelsy walked round the mall enjoying the display of beautiful outfits and jewelry. She walked to a shop where they sold French couture dresses and high-end clothing. She stood there for a while looking at the beautiful pieces, and she looked as though she had a retrospect of her past.
Her mom used to be a very stylish and classy woman. She had good taste when it came to fashion and high-end brands.
When Chelsy was six, she took Chelsy shopping to most of the rich and famous clothing shops and brands in Monte Carlo and Paris.
Chelsy was used to high-end fashion, and she knew a lot about fashion, styling and design.
She quickly snapped out of her daydream and walked into the shop. One of the shop attendants walked up to her and asked with a smile. ''Welcome to our shop ma'am. How can I be of assistance to you?''
Chelsy saw the warm smile and responded with a warm smile too. ''Hello. Can I take a look around first? If I don't see what I am looking for, I will get back to you for help.''
The shop attendant nodded and went back to her station.
Chelsy knew she wasn't there to shop. She just wanted to feel like a kid again, who went shopping with her mom.
As she passed through the shelves and stands, she slightly touched the clothes and felt their quality. Suddenly, a memory came to her mind like a flash. She remembered her mom taking her to Paul la Porsche, the most famous designer in the South of France. ''Hey my petite Cherie, when you grow up, always remember your style is your identity. Never bring down your standards for any reason. Be like your maman Cherie, okay?'' Little Chelsy nodded with a smile and said, "oui maman."
Chelsy stood there reminiscing about her childhood. Then suddenly, came a warm voice from behind. ''Excuse me miss. Can you help me with something?''
As Chelsy turned around, she saw a good-looking man about six feet tall, wearing a brown stand collar, short sleeve polo shirt and black trousers. He looked quite warm and polite.
Chelsy responded with a smile. ''Greetings sir. How can I help you?'' The young man gave a smile and said. ''Please, I need your help in picking out an outfit for someone special. I don't know much about the things women like and fashion. So will you please help me?'' The man had puppy eyes which made him look so cute.
Chelsy gave a warm little chuckle and replied. ''With such puppy eyes, how can anyone say no?''
The man gave a warm smile and responded, ''Finally.''
Chelsy just shook her head with a smile. ''Okay sir. Is this special person a young woman, a middle-aged woman or an older generation woman? And secondly, what is this person's taste like? And what is this person's profession, if I may ask? All these questions will help me pick something she might like.''
The man stared at Chelsy with lots of admiration and said. ''She is an old woman. She should be in her eighties. As for her taste, she likes simple and not extravagant things.''
When Chelsy heard this, she said, ''Okay sir. Just follow me, and let's go around and pick up something for her.''
They walked over to the section where they sold scarves. She asked the man. ''Do you know her favorite color?'' The man said she loved bright colors.
Chelsy looked and picked up a feather-like cashmere scarf made of dark pink, white and gray. She handed it over to him and said, ''This is stylish but very simple. It exudes class, confidence and elegance. I think she would love this.''
When the man saw this, his eyes glistened with joy. ''Thank you very much miss. I really appreciate your help.'' Chelsy nodded and waved him goodbye. She walked away and disappeared into the busy mall.
Before the man could realize it, Chelsy had vanished.
He quickly stepped out looking for her. ''How could I be this stupid? I didn't even ask her name.''
He just shook his head in disappointment and walked over to the cashier to pay for the scarf.
Chelsy got back home, looking so tired and exhausted after walking all day. She went in, took a warm shower and made something to eat. She sat back on her couch and decided to watch a show. She sent her hand to her neck and discovered her necklace was not there.
Chelsy jumped up and panicked. ''Oh my goodness. Where is my necklace?'' She remembered she hadn't felt it on her neck for some days. She rushed into her room and scattered everything in her suitcases, but couldn't find it. ''No, no, no. I can't believe I lost the heart of the earth. Daddy warned me never to lose it for any reason.'' Chelsy burst into tears and started crying profusely.
It had been two weeks since Hank had returned home. His leg was doing much better now. He was asked to stay in bed and not put too much pressure on his leg. He sat by the window in his room reading the daily newspaper. It was his favorite routine every morning before going to work.
But this time around, most of his work was done from home. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Daniel walked in. ''Hey H. Hope you are better this morning.''
Daniel and Hank were not only cousins, but they had been best friends since childhood. Hank had always been cold and aloof, but Daniel was warm, kind, gentle and had an outgoing personality.
''And what are you doing here this early in the morning? Don't you have a company to run?'' Daniel was already used to his cousin acting like a jerk. It didn't bother him one bit.
He casually walked over and sat on the other sofa opposite Hank. He had a mischievous look on his face. ''H. Please tell me what happened on that mountain. It shows you were there with a girl. Like bruh, you finally made out with a girl on a mountain. I am sure your waist does feel relieved now after starving it this long. Don't even think about denying it because there is enough evidence.''
Daniel had a little smile on the corners of his mouth. Hank looked at him with piercing cold eyes and replied. ''What the hell are you talking about? Who made out with whom? Are you high on crack this early?''
Daniel gave a laugh and responded. ''Don't even think about denying it. Remember you asked me to keep the floral scarf safely and the necklace as well. Then we found a female black lacy thong in the tent you occupied. If it isn't a woman's thong, then are you trying to say you wore the thong? Come on mate, don't tell me you are actually gay now.''
Hank looked at Daniel with eyes burning with fury. Daniel could feel the chilling aura coming from him. ''Daniel, I will say this only once. Get out of here before I send you out through this window.'' Hank sneered.
Daniel knew Hank was not someone he could offend and still stood beside him. He knew Hank could actually break his bones in a minute. ''Okay, okay. I am leaving.''
He rushed to the door and continued. ''By the way, the thong has been placed together with the other items. See you later mate.'' He stuck his tongue at Hank and ran out with a little laugh. Hank gave a little smile and said, ''He is as crazy as that girl.''
Who is Hank? And how did he find himself at mount Halo?