"Stop it! Don't do this" Katherine pleaded, struggling against the burly men who dragged her out of the exhibition hall.
Her voice echoed with pleas but the men showed no indifference, her heels skidded against the pavement but it was no use. Her mind raced as she helplessly watched them lock the museum, and the whispers of customers outside buzzed in curiosity.
She finally broke free from their hold, stumbling forward as she trembled with rage.
"How dare you lock up this establishment without proper investigations? This museum belongs to me! Who authorized this?"
The man in charge moved past her with a sigh to the museum. He locked the doors then placed a seal from his clipboard bearing "SOLD" in bold red letters on its double doors.
Her eyes paled as she saw the seal, the world tilting around her. The murmurs of the onlookers were drowned out by the rapid pounding of her heart.The man finally glanced at her, but it was with a scowl etched on his face. handing over some papers to her.
"Lady, if you have a problem then take it up with the court. I only do as I'm told, and these are official directives to close down this property." Katherine snatched the paper, her eyes hastily scanning through the them and her mind swirled on seeing that the property was indeed sold.
"What?" She uttered, her eyes falling on the name of the seller of the property.
Boldly written under the signature was Robert Anderson, her uncle's name.
She staggered backwards with a small gasp, blinking at the paper rapidly in hopes that it would disappear but it was real. Before she could recover, the paper was snatched from her, then the man in charge continued walking towards his car with his men. Katherine followed with desperate pleading but it fell on deaf ears.
They only ignored her, driving off leaving a trail of dust behind and Katherine's knees almost gave out. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions, and the comments from the crowd behind her soon got louder.
"I didn't know she was a scammer! I want my money back!" someone called out angrily, thus the murmurs of disagreement grew stronger.
She turned to face them, her eyes wide with panic. "N-no, I'm-"
"She isn't even the owner of the museum, yet she stood here so boldly to collect money.
Thief!" Another said loudly, causing Katherine's heart to sink to her stomach.
Their words sliced through her, and tears stung her eyes as she stared at their accusing words. She did not know what to say to them because she already used the money to pay the staff on ground today. At the moment her mind was blank , she had no words to say.
"The thief is not speaking! Let's have her arrested if she doesn't give us our money back!" they said, immediately moving towards her.
Katherine braced herself, her hands held up in weak defense against the angry mob. As they were about to reach her, someone came in between and she sighed in relief on seeing her friend.
"Enough!" She declared, her voice echoing through the streets, causing the crowd to freeze in their spots. Giving them a sharp glare, Tiffany continued speaking firmly.
"There's no need for all this. Your money will be refunded before the end of today, just drop your details with the staff behind you."
"We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. Have a nice day" she said evenly, leaving no room for questions.
Katherine's eyes shone in gratitude as she watched the crowd turn to the direction of the staff waiting.
"Tiffany thank you so much, thank you" Katherine choked a sob, hugging her friend tightly. Tiffany held her firmly, patting her head gently as her arms wrapped around Katherine as well.
"It's okay. Thankfully I got here on time, otherwise those people would have mauled you."
Unable to hold the heavy feeling in her chest anymore, Katherine sobbed quietly and Tiffany only held her quietly.
"It's okay Kat. Let's go somewhere else before any of them change their mind." Tiffany assured, pulling her away from the museum to a coffee shop.
*********************
The calm atmosphere of the coffee shop with the smell of freshly baked pastries calmed Katherine down a bit. However, as she looked through the windows to see the glaring seal on her museum's doors her heart sank into her stomach.
"It was the only thing left for me from my parents ….. now it's gone as well" Katherine whispered. Tiffany reached for her hands across the polished table, squeezing them gently.
"Everything will be fine, Kat. Just tell me what happened first."
"What do i say, Tiffany?" Katherine responded, her voice trembling as she settled her gaze on her.
"My uncle has finally sold my museum, they came to seal the property." Tiffany slammed her fist on the table.
"Katherine, that man is despicable! You have to do something about him before he sells you as well" Her heart burned in bitter regret, as she knew she had no say in this matter.
Her father had foolishly given the power of attorney to her uncle before he died five years ago, and after he passed away he has sold a lot of her father's estates so he can acquire his instead.
"What do you suppose I do?" Katherine asked bitterly, "I have not spoken to my uncle in the past five years. Even if I do speak with him, will it change anything?"
"Then we can go to the courthouse, or speak with-" Tiffany tried to suggest again, but Katherine held her hand up.
"And how much can you do for me Tiffany? You've already done so much earlier by paying off those people. How much can your salary really bear?" Katherine reasoned, and her friend gave a small pout in response.
Katherine felt more burdened by her friend's selflessness. She had taken her in for the past five years since her father passed away and she was thrown out by her uncle's family. Tiffany footed all bills for both of them, always helped her when in need and did much more with her small salary as for desk worker. However, she knew that there was a limit to everything, and she would not let Tiffany cross that limit.
"This is a battle I have to fight on my own, but the problem is how to fight it" Katherine stated, her shoulders falling as she leaned into the chair.
Tiffany leaned back with a leaned back with a sigh. "If you say so. But at least let me help you find out who sold the museum."
"Okay then, if that'll get you off my back. " Katherine relented with a sigh, and Tiffany smiled.
As the waiter returned with the pastries and coffee, Tiffany stood up to leave the shop with the phone to her ears and Katherine's heart pounded. She bit into the fluffy pastry, waiting unbearably for the minutes to pass by and for her friend to return.
After a while, Tiffany rushed back in urgency. "I have spoken to my contact at the courthouse, and he has sent the pictures of the sales documents" she started hesitantly, handing her phone to Katherine.
"The new owners are Turner Development plan to demolish the building in four days" Katherine's blood ran cold on seeing the name written boldly.
Turner Development is the largest rising development company controlled by an elusive CEO, and they are notoriously known for ruthlessly acquiring properties to construct commercial buildings. Katherine sank back to her chair, her hands falling limply to her sides. Tiffany leaned forward to save her phone which fell freely from her hands.
"There is still time Kat," she said, her voice firm. "If you can somehow manage to meet the CEO, then you can prove the museum's value or at least postpone the demolition."
Katherine felt a flicker of hope rise in her at Tiffany's statement.
"Do you really believe so?"
"Yes I do, Kat." She stated firmly, thus a firm resolve flowed through Katherine's veins.
She clenched her fists firmly, her gaze hardening as she looked back at the museum.
"Then I'm going to find the CEO." Katherine vowed.
"No matter what it takes."