CHAPTER 2
His mind drifted back to Haera but he tried to drift it off her. He didn't want to think about it but caught himself thinking of her. Her smiles, her scent, her manners and beauty captured him on their first day of meeting. He then remembered their last day also which took away the smile off his face.
"Why did she act do arrogantly like that? Why didn't she even say a "hi" to me? Is she mad at me for what happened? Did something bad happened to her because of me?" He thought as he remembered when Mendy told her about her losing her job and also her debts. He decided to find her the next day and if she couldn't, he'd ask the other staffs of her whereabouts. He needed to speak to her and do something about it if she was mad at him.
But then, he remembered the baby he saw with her. If that child was hers, does it mean that she's married? No, she can't be. He couldn't remember seeing a wedding ring on her fingers on their first day. But then, wise child was that? Or could it be that she removed the ring probably she wasn't in a happy home? Is the child hers or was the child stolen? All these ran in his thoughts as he remembered how he walked and acted when he tried to talk to her. Something was fishy but then, how could he be suspecting someone who was friendly to him? What was really happening? He thought.
"I know what to do and how to get all my answers. If Haera isn't what I think she is then… but why do I care? Okay, I care because of the baby…at least I need to know if that child is safe with her or not…but what about her? Is she in some kind of danger? Well I don't care…I'll get all the answers tomorrow and stop thinking about her." He fought all alone with his thoughts before drifting to sleep without changing his clothes.
The next morning, he reported at work and drove out to the restaurant, after giving his secretary some assignments and instructions to carry out. He drove to Sundy restaurant and waited for some seconds in his car before getting off and heading into it. He went to the counter and approached one of the staffs working there.
"Good morning." He greeted a female staff.
"Good morning sir. How may I help you?" She asked him.
"Do you want to place an order? What would you like to have?" She quickly added.
"No, don't worry. I'm not here to eat. I just need your help on few things please if you don't mind?" He asked politely.
"Yes, sure." She replied.
"Thanks. I want to ask after a female staff that works here…" He started his question.
"Okay, what's her name?" The lady asked him.
"Haera." He replied.
"Haera?" She asked with a different expression.
"Yes…she works here…she's a waitress." He added to help her with the information.
"Yes she was…but no anymore." The lady replied him back which left him confused.
"What do you mean please?" He asked her again.
"It's been four days now since she got fired. She's no longer working here with us. I'm sorry I couldn't be of help." She told him.
"Err...okay… can I at least have her home address and maybe her digits please?" He asked, scratching his headz not knowing how to react to the new information.
"Well actually sir, those are private informations that we don't give out to others for the privacy of the staffs here." She told him apologetically.
"Well, I need to see her…it's urgent that's why I had to rush down here from work and besides, she doesn't work here again so…there's no need for that." He responded back as though he was in a hurry.
"Okay sir. Give me two minutes please." The lady said as she carried a big book and started flipping tbrought the pages. She got a pen and a paper and scribbled down the information to him.
"Here's it sir." She handed it to him.
"Thank you very much. One last question please, do you know if she had a child?" He asked the lady again.
"No sir, she doesn't. She's not yet married…hope there's no problem?" She asked.
"No, there isn't. Thanks very much once again. Do have a nice day and oh, you can keep this." He said as he dropped her some money and kept the paper in his pocket.
"Thank you sir." He thanked him as he turned to leave.
"Don't mention." He said and made for his car.
He sat in his car for a while after which he removed the paper and stared at it for some seconds before bringing out his phone and dialed the number written on the paper but there was no response. The phone was switched off, he tried several times but it wasn't getting through.
"Her number is not going through, where could she be? If the child is not hers…then who's child was that? Is Haera into some sort of bad company? No, I don't think so. She doesn't look it. Why was she fired? Was it because of me or was it because the found out about her bad character? But she doesn't look like a bad person…the who was that lady and wy did she act so suspiciously? I need to talk to her now, that's the only way to find out what's going on." He told himself as he started his car engine to make for her house, following the address written on the paper.
Ryan arrived at the address on the paper. The houses there look shaby and he could tell that the people living there weren't wealthy. The area was rocky and one had to park his or her car on the street before climbing up the rocky stones.
He was surprised that Haera lived in such a place with her appearance of the previous day.
He got down from his car as he examined the area. He asked around for her apartment from passers by.
"Hey, excuse me please. Do you live here?" He asked a passed by.
"Yes, I do." The old man replied.
"Okay please…I'm looking for this house address." He said as he showed him the paper.
"Okay… when you go up, just go straight then turn in your left, the house has a green gate. That's the address." He told Ryan, who thanked him as he left.
The old man walked away too but then stopped, thinking for some seconds and called back Ryan.
"Excuse me sir." The old man called out to Ryan as he turned. Ryan turned back to know if he was the one being called as he saw the old man looking at him.
"Yes?" He replied the old man.
"If I may ask, are you going to the house?" He asked Ryan.
"Yes, why?" Ryan asked back after replying him.
"There's no one around…" He told Ryan.
"Okay, I'll just wait a little." Ryan said to him as he turned to go to the house.
"What I mean is, the lady is in the hospital. She had an accident three days ago." The old man explained to Ryan.
"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" Ryan asked in awe.
"Haera Sanders." The old man replied.
"What? Haera? Which hospital is she at?" Ryan asked as he came closer to the old man.
"Union Teaching Hospital. I'm not sure of her bed number…you can ask that when you go there." The old man gave out his best description to Ryan.
"But…for how long have you known her? Where does she work and is she married?" Ryan asked the old man again.
"I've known her for three years…after her uncle died. She lived here with him before he passed away. She's an orphan who was adopted by her uncle before he died. Such a nice sweet girl…she works at a restaurant." He told Ryan.
"Okay but have you ever seen her with a small child?" Ryan asked suspiciously.
"No…what child?" The old man asked him.
"Never mind. Thank you sir, I'll go and check on her." Ryan said as he walked quickly past the old man.
"Buy her flowers…she loves them." The old man added as Ryan was walking. He stopped when he heard what the old man said then continued walking. He got into his car and drove to the hospital. He asked for the patient at the reception and he was directed to her ward.