Abandoned Dream.

Elena stretched on her chair and looked at the computer with sadness. Half a day had already passed, and she did not finish sorting out the issues which occurred as the result of the fire in the gallery. The fact that the paintings and property were insured was, of course, a plus, but the fact that the gallery burned to the ground along with the exhibits on the very first opening day caused a big negative impact.

"The Lenali Enterprise exhibition almost became a tragedy!"

"Who will be held responsible for a defective fire safety system?"

"The management team of Lenali Enterprise was reckless in organizing the event, which could result in deaths."

During the day, the headlines of articles of various newspapers began to replete with accusatory and unflattering words, followed by the active connection of the Internet community, commenting and adding their points of view to the event. The company's shares have fallen in their price for the very first time since the day the company was established. Although this fall was insignificant and by the standards of the stock exchange market it would even go unnoticed, it was about an organization whose reputation has been an exemplary one for several years.

Elena turned off the monitor, turned around in her chair, and looked out the window, which was floor-to-ceiling. The megalopolis was in full view before her eyes, this view would awaken a sense of power in most people, but Elena never chased it, even being the head of one of the largest and most influential organizations in the world.

She sincerely wanted to help people and do everything in her power to ensure that Lenali Enterprise projects are based on humanism and positive development. Who would have thought that the exhibition, which she was preparing by her own initiative and which was in no way connected with the activities of their company, would thus affect the company itself? And David has worked for so many years to make Lenali successful.

Elena understood that the fire was not her fault, but still felt guilty and thought that she had let down not only her husband but also her father. Although Chen and Jun were in China and planned to attend the exhibition upon their return, she could not save the paintings of their wife and mother from death. She did not even have time to examine the portrait of her mother in more detail, and yet it was so beautiful.

A knock on the door returned the girl from the cycle of sad thoughts; she turned back to the table, straightened up and answered, "Come in."

As soon as a familiar figure appeared in the aisle, Elena immediately relaxed and stretched out in an armchair in an imposing position, "Lord, Corey, could you come in normally? As you usually do, without any knocks and warnings. I really thought that one of my directors came."

"Sorry, CEO Anderson, I'll take your advice into account," a friend winked and plopped down on a leather sofa across from Elena's desk. "You know, Harry was so nice today that he let me through to you without any problems. He even asked me to distract you from business, since you didn't even have lunch, as you had been sitting in your office since morning."

"Hmm, somehow hear the second time that Harry is sweet, it makes me worry because with me he is always as cold and stiff as ice," Elena sighed.

"Ahaha, maybe he doesn't like you much as his boss?" Corey suggested.

"What? Common, I am the most loyal, understanding and democratic boss! You still don't know how David holds a meeting of directors. The poor managers are shaking and praying before entering the hall," Elena grinned. According to the staff, she had long known that David was a very strict and demanding boss, so many were afraid of him, but they respected him immensely, since the man was sharp when analyzing mistakes or problems, he was just as fair and generously rewarding his subordinates for hard work, regardless of their status.

The newspapers even wrote that the happiest cleaners in the world work in Lenali Enterprise, so the company's offices are always clean, beautiful and have lots of greenery. They take care of the premises as if that company's their home. And many did not believe in it until they found out that the motivation system in the company was at the highest level, that even the cleaners at the end of the year received bonuses comparable to those of the heads of departments.

People who worked in the company sincerely loved their work and fulfilled all the tasks assigned to them with responsibility. Maybe that's why the situation with the fire in the gallery emotionally affected everyone, and in the morning Elena received encouraging messages starting from cleaners and ending with chief directors.

"By the way, can you call my phone number?" Corey asked her friend.

"Didn't you lose your phone during the fire? I thought you had lost it," Elena took her cell phone and pressed the call button.

"Ha, you won't believe, but the thing is that my phone wasn't burned in the fire! I called my own phone from Daniel's phone yesterday and some unknown guy picked up the phone. I understand that he is a firefighter, but, tell me, why the hell did he hang up?! At first, he said that he would return the phone to me in three days, and when I began to call back to agree on a specific time and place, he stopped answering my calls! No, how can one be so impudent, eh?" Corey cursed with indignation.

Elena grinned, looking at her friend, if it had been Corey six years ago, she would obviously not be ashamed to express herself harsher. But, as she herself once said, this is all the influence of Daniel. Corey never heard vulgar words from his lips and she herself did not notice how she became more restrained in expressions when she was angry.

Elena brought the phone to her ear, but in response, only beeps were heard, after which the call ended, "No, he is not picking up."

"Ah, to hell with him! He will call when he wants. But if he doesn't give me the phone back the day after tomorrow, I'll go to the police," Corey shook her head in affirmation, her determination was at her best, then she remembered another detail that bothered her, "You know, for the whole day I've been having a feeling as though someone is watching me. I just feel that a little bit more and I'll have a hole in my back."

"Are you sure? What, do you feel that even now?"

"Uh, no, now there is no such a feeling. Probably, it all just seemed to me," Corey rubbed her temple, most likely it was a game of her imagination.

"I think the only one who has already made hundreds of holes in your back is Daniel. When will you finish your children's games and do something more serious?" Elena asked, looking at her friend with a provocative look.

Corey's cheeks flushed, "Khem, I just wanted to ask you for help in resolving this issue."

"I'm afraid David will not approve," Elena grinned.

"Ha Ha, funny," Corey showed her friend her tongue and sighed, "Ahh, I invited Daniel on a date tomorrow and asked if I could stay with him for the night."

"Oh, can Sean finally have a cousin brother or a cousin sister?"

"You know, El, I think David has a bad influence on you," Corey narrowed her eyes and looked at the girl from head to toe, "Since when did you start trolling your best friend, huh?"

"Well, common, stop it, I didn't think of anything like that," Elena looked at Corey with innocent eyes, "Dina called me yesterday and at the same time asked about you and Daniel, she cannot wait to dandle her new grandson or granddaughter."

"Oh God, they definitely conspired with my mother! My mother had asked me this question several times already, and this is even despite the fact that we are not even married yet," Corey rolled her eyes, Daniel's mother was obsessed with Ashley no less than with Sean and dreamed that Corey and Daniel would soon have their own baby too. But the strangest thing is that such conversations did not cause irritation in Corey and she sometimes thought that in the distant future it would be nice to make those thoughts come true.

"So what about you? Are you planning on getting a second one?" Corey asked cautiously. This was a sensitive issue for David's family.

Elena sighed and closed her eyes, "David is totally against it. No, he is not against having the second baby, but he is still afraid that the incident that happened to us that time might occur again.

My comments have not convinced him yet."

"I can understand him, dear. You did not see what condition he was at that moment, I could not imagine that a man can be so broken and lost. He didn't even want to approach Sean because of this," Corey's eyes filled with sadness. Those two weeks, while Elena was in a coma after giving birth to Sean, were the worst for all her family members.

Elena sighed heavily, "You know, it seems to me that he still thinks that it is Sean's fault that I fell into a coma. But if that was the case, as Armand suggested, and Sean really took almost all of my life energy from me when I fed him for the first time and I fell into a coma as a result of this, then why didn't this happen again?"

"I do not know, and no one knows. But maybe it's because you're his mom? And for me, he is also like a son, after all, who was feeding him while you were sleeping like a sleeping beauty, eh?" Corey winked. When Elena fell into a coma on the second day after giving birth, Corey was the one who was breastfeeding the baby. But when Elena came to her senses, David did not allow his wife to continue feeding her son, in fear that she would lose consciousness again.

Fortunately, this did not happen again. And neither Corey nor Elena had any signs of feeling unwell, and Sean was growing up a strong and cheerful kid.

But the simple truth was that Elena lost consciousness during the first feeding of her son, and then fell into a deep coma for two weeks. Doctors could not do anything and just waited for her brain to stop working. But by the end of the second week, her vital signs began to improve gradually, and within three days she fully came to her senses and opened her eyes as if nothing had happened. What was an ordinary dream for her was the two weeks of nightmare for others. And it especially affected David.

That is why he was afraid to have a second baby because he did not know what the consequences could be. The man really wanted to have the second child, but even the small opportunity to lose Elena made him abandon this dream forever.

"Does Sean know about this?" Corey asked.

"Oh, God, no, of course not," Elena answered right away, and then added, "I hope he doesn't know. Given how sensitive he is, I don't even know how he can react if he hears this story. So let the past be better left in the past. Moreover, he no longer is asking for a brother or sister, he is saying that Ashley is more than enough for him," Elena laughed.

"Ahaha, given how Ashley is always following him wherever he goes to, it is not surprising that he does not need anyone else," Corey smiled back.

"Mrs. Anderson, there's a gift for you," Harry, Elena's secretary, knocked on the office door and went inside, bringing in a flowers bouquet of indecently huge size.

Elena widened her eyes in surprise. Who could be so careless and eccentric to spend money on one hundred half meter roses?!

"And who is this ... this bouquet from?" Elena wanted to pick up some other word to describe this huge armful of flowers, more like a stack than a bouquet.

"This bouquet is from Mr. Carter, Madame." The secretary answered in a steady voice.

The woman's face changed from surprise to disgust, she covered her face with her hand and sighed heavily, "Damn, when will this unbearable man calm down? Was it not enough that I broke his nose? What does he want?"

"This, as you called him, unbearable person, asked you to apologize him for his inappropriate behavior during the incident yesterday. And he also asked for a meeting with you tomorrow to express his apologies personally," Harry told her Carter's words.

Elena did not want to meet this man, but knowing his eccentric character, she suggested that refusing to meet him could cause even more problems since Carter was not one of those people who kept their mouths shut. And she did not want any additional scandals for Lenali Enterprise at all.

"Okay, tell Mr. Carter that I will meet him the day after tomorrow. Schedule a meeting for the afternoon or some time at the end of the working day, I do not want to spoil the morning with his presence. And yes, tomorrow is my day off, so you will be in charge," Elena instructed her secretary.

"Wh-what? But Mrs. Anderson, you have an appointment with one of the partners tomorrow," the secretary replied, hiding his indignation, although Elena noticed it very well.

"Harry, even if my husband hired you, you are, first and foremost, my secretary. I respect your professionalism and pedantry, but show some understanding and reschedule the meeting. Tomorrow, I want to go to the park with Ashley and Sean. Leave all the work for the day after tomorrow," Elena said her last word.

"To the park? You didn't say anything about this," Corey said in surprise.

"But haven't you come to me to talk about this? Your mother will return to the city only the day after tomorrow, and if you planned the evening and the night who... well, you know, who with, then where were you going to get Ashley? Of course, you wanted to ask me to look after her. Which I will do with great joy," Elena smiled.

Corey jumped up and squeezed her friend in a tight hug, "Honey!!! That is why I love you! You are the best! I didn't have time to say, but you understood everything!"

Harry shook his head, he had no choice but to fulfill the order of his charming boss, "Mrs. Anderson, what do I do with flowers?" He knew that the woman would not be happy with this bouquet, but he had to at least deliver it as it was required by the protocol. If it weren't for the rules, he wouldn't even let the courier on the threshold, knowing who the sender was.

Elena rolled her eyes, she felt sorry for throwing out flowers, since they were not to blame for anything. But looking at this bouquet did not give her joy either. Corey noticed a dilemma in her friend's eyes and offered her a solution,

"Hey, El, can I have them? They will look great in my cafe! Yes, that's right! And I will save at least a couple of thousand bucks on floristry! You agree?"

Elena smiled, one task was solved so easily, "Of course, take them. You will really help me out," she replied. Now the woman had to solve the problem with the annoying sender of the bouquet, after which she would be able to do what she was going to.

Namely, to solve the riddle hidden in the burnt paintings in the gallery.