THE ECHOES OF YESTERYEAR

On that day, Lucy's friend was having a birthday party and Lucy had insisted that Emily attend her friend's birthday party, even though Emily had no desire to go. After much pleading from Lucy, Emily reluctantly agreed to attend the party.

The party was in full swing when they arrived, the room packed with people. Lucy stayed by Emily's side for a while, trying to ease her discomfort, but soon Lucy adviced her to mingle with other guests and make friends, she didn't want Lucy to leave her, but Lucy had to go meet the celebrant.

There, in the corner of the room, she spotted an empty chair, and she gratefully sank into it. She took out her phone, hoping it would provide a welcome distraction from the swirling mass of peoople.

As she sat there, engrossed in her phone, a voice broke through the din of the party.

"You look a bit lonely, pretty lady," it said.

She looked up and saw a handsome young man standing in front of her, looking down at her with a friendly smile. She looked at him without uttering a word.

"Do you mind if I take a seat?" He inquired, pointing to the empty chair.

"Please do," she replied with a gracious smile.

"I must ask, what brings you here?" He asked.

"I'm here as a friend of a friend," she explained.

"Ah, so we're in the same boat, I guess," he said with a laugh. "Except that my friend is the celebrant."

"Why aren't you hanging out with your friend tonight?" She asked.

"I've been with him ever since, and I thought he'd enjoy a little breathing space to enjoy his party," he replied, his tone casual.

"I see," she said, turning back to her phone.

"My apologies for not introducing myself sooner," he said, extending his hand in a gesture of greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Richard," he added.

Emily looked up from her phone and took his hand, responding, "Emily."

After a brief but polite handshake, she withdraw her hand and turned back to her phone.

Their conversation flowed easily, as they discovered that they had much in common. They talked about their classes, their interests, and their lives back home.

As they chatted, Emily found herself intrigued by this man who had so much in common with her. She was surprised to find that they were only two years apart in age, and one year apart in college cause Emily was in her second year and they were in similar stages of their lives.

She found herself feeling strangely comfortable in his presence, as if they had known each other for much longer than they had. They continued to talk, sharing stories of their lives and experiences.

When it was time to leave, they exchanged phone numbers, with the unspoken hope of staying in touch. And stay in touch they did, meeting up some few times and chatting on phone.

Over time, Emily began to realize that she had developed feelings for Richard and was hoping they would get together until the whole contract marriage thing started.

***

Startled by the sound of the doorbell, Emily was pulled out of her reverie. Before she could get to her feet, the door burst open and Camilla burst into the room. Without hesitation, she hurried over to where Emily sat, taking a seat beside her.

Camilla's questions came tumbling out, one after another, as she tried to get to the bottom of what had happened.

"Tell me, did you see him? Is he as handsome as you thought? How did it all go down?"

But before she could get an answer, Emily cut her off, her voice quiet but firm. "He left before I came."

Camilla's jaw dropped and she stared at Emily in disbelief. "What do you mean, he left before you came?"

Emily took a deep breath, and told her the whole story.

Camilla shook her head in frustration, her anger bubbling to the surface. "What kind of person does that? He couldn't even wait, all for what? The nerve of that guy!" She crossed her arms, her expression turning stormy.

"I'm not sure I even want to see him again," Emily said, her voice trembling with emotions.

"Maybe he had a good reason for leaving," Camilla countered, trying to be reasonable. But Emily was having none of it.

"What kind of a person could possibly justify standing someone up like that? He could have waited a little longer, but he just left, would it have killed him. It's so disrespectful."

Camilla sighed, at a loss of what to say.

"Maybe it's best to just wait and see what happens next," Emily finally said.

Grazing into Emily's eyes, Camilla saw the telltale signs of tears. "Sweetie, have you been crying?" She asked gently.

Emily fought to hold back her tears, and turned away from Camilla's gaze. "No," she said, her voice wavering with emotion.

"It's just...when Richard's call came in, I felt so disappointed. I'd really started to imagine what it would be like to be with him. Now I just feel so let down."

"I know it's tough," Camilla said softly. "But I'm sure everything will work out in the end."

"It's fine," Emily said.

"So, what did Richard have to say?" Camilla inquired, her voice full of concern.

"He said he'll be coming to see me on Wednesday," Emily replied, sounding a bit more hopeful.

"I think that's the perfect opportunity for you to tell him everything," Camilla suggested.

"I'll try," Emily said, still sounding a bit unsure.

"For now, let's focus on what's most important," Camilla said. "You have a presentation and a test tomorrow, so let's make sure you're ready for those."

"Oh, yeah, need to get prepared," Emily said.

"I'm here for you, no matter what," Camilla said, her voice full of care and compassion.

"Thank you, Camilla," Emily replied, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. The two friends continued to talk.

In the heart of Solace city, in an office tower that towered over the city below, a man sat at his desk, going through his laptop, surrounded by luxury.

The walls were covered in dark wood paneling, and the floor was a plush, deep red carpet. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room. The desk was made of mahogany, and the leather chair behind it was clearly custom - made. The view from the window was stunning, offering a bird's eye view of the city below.

Without knocking, another man walked into the office, and strode purposefully to the desk.

"Robert Rawlings, have you seen this?" He said, holding up his phone and tapping on the screen.

Robert looked up, and the other man continued, "If you treat your finacée like this, then I'm scared for your foes." He placed the phone on the desk and slid it towards Robert, who picked it up.