Familiar face

Clara got up and moved to the bedside table, where she tucked the envelope into the drawers. She didn't want to keep thinking about it for now.

After she had finished putting her things in their proper places, she went outside to get some supplies for the kitchen.

She needed to work for a living now that she was back in the city, but first, she needed to stock her refrigerator. Not a fan of take-out food, Clara preferred cooking for herself.

She left the building and strolled to the nearby supermarket, which was a short walk from her home.

****

A man in his late twenties was looking through some emails inside the car. A frown formed on his forehead as his brown eyes panned over the document file displayed on the screen.

"We have an appointment with Phoenix Enterprise, boss. Looking at the schedule, Austin told his boss, "They seem to have a good deal to make."

"Hmm..." 

Multibillionaire by birth, Adrian Emerson was the aloof, conceited CEO of Skylar Corps. Even though he had eyes that could melt any woman's heart, the stone-like man never gave them a second glance.

The fact that he was frequently spotted with his assistant, who frequently tagged him as his girlfriend, gave the impression that he was gay at times, but he was now worn out.

While Austin looked into the matter for the company, he wanted another assistant to take care of his personal needs.

The man closed the tab after reading the emails and looked away at the street they were walking down.

"Have you mentioned the requirements that I need for my assistant?" Adrian inquired as he watched the streets outside.

Even his assistant, Austin, struggled to respond to him because of how emotionless his piercing, cold eyes appeared.

"Yes, boss, everything is done as you have instructed." Austin was well aware of Adrian's volatile temper, which would flare up if his instructions were not followed.

This was also one of the reasons why women who came to him intending to seduce the devil were met with his unpleasant disposition.

Few people are aware of a rumor that Adrian once dated a woman, with whom he fell in love, but their relationship did not work out. Nobody was aware of the reason behind their breakup, but following it, his boss appeared to have lost all emotional connection and had turned into an iceberg.

Austin was lost in thought when a certain someone in the back seat narrowed his eyes after spotting something he was not sure about.

He straightened up and watched a woman go by while keeping a close eye out of the window. Her face was hidden from view, but the way she walked made him think of someone he did not want to.

When Austin turned around after sensing the tension in the back seat, he saw Adrian staring intently out the car window.

"Boss, is something wrong?" Austin worriedly inquired, severing his connection.

Adrian turned to face him, but Austin's concern was met with more than just a blank stare.

Austin gulped as he saw the intense glare and said, "Okay, I get it. There is nothing wrong with looking outside."

Austin looked ahead quickly and continued to chant a prayer, pleading for someone to spare him from that lethal glare.

'I am surely going to work more today' With knowledge of the outcome of his actions, Austin braced himself mentally.

When Adrian turned to look behind him, their vehicle had already traveled too far from the location where he had last seen her. 

His chest tightened as the emptiness in his heart grew.

'No, it can't be her'

Annoyed, Adrian leaned back on the seat and closed his eyes without uttering a word until they finally reached their destination.

*****

After finishing her grocery shopping and getting everything she needed, Clara returned to her apartment.

Clara finished loading the refrigerator and quickly made a cup of coffee for herself before going into her bedroom.

Sitting on the bed, Clara quickly made a call to a certain someone, and she finally came into contact with her face.

Did you finish your meal, and how is your headache? Have you taken the medication?" Abby bombarded Clara with questions as soon as Clara's face appeared on her mobile screen.

"To begin with, thank you for being so... considerate. Secondly, I apologize for being rude to you earlier," Clara said, waiting for the girl to finish. Clara apologized while holding her ears.

She was not the type to get angry easily, but her irritated behavior was caused by a headache.

"Oh my goodness, when did you start saying sorry, Clara?" Abby dismissed her words with a wave of her hand, understanding her predicament.

"But still... I want to," she said to Abby, the only friend who had supported her during her life's crisis. She was more like a sister to her who would always be there for her.

"Okay now, you're making me teary," she said wiping off her fake tears which made them both burst into contagious laughter.

"Now tell me, did you like the place? Do you feel comfortable"

Abby was a little skeptical about Clara being cozy in her new house. She had been with her the entire time, so it did not seem like she was considering moving to a new home.

Clara pursed her lips, thinking about whether she liked her new house or not. She could say yes because it was just a few hours of her being here. But she also couldn't say no because she didn't want to upset Abby.

She would not have been able to find a place to stay in such a short amount of time without her help.

Abby understood her situation and didn't push her more. She was confident Clara would not reject her out of concern for her feelings.

"In any case, did you discover who sent you that letter?" Abby inquired, shifting the subject.

She had been informed by Clara about the anonymous letter she got a few days ago.

She initially assumed it was a joke that someone had played on her, but Abby was the one who had some doubts.

She asked her not to ignore it because the things mentioned inside were something she couldn't ignore. She decided to agree to return here because the letter she received was sent from this city, which also happened to be her birthplace, but it was kind of personal to let go at that point.

"No, I am still figuring out how to approach the sender" Clara had no idea what she was supposed to do after coming back to city M.

A few years back when she left this place, she had sworn not to return. But look at her now, an anonymous letter brought her back to the same city which took everything away from her.