Ryan was quick to stare at the door whenever it creaked open, but will end up with the same disappointing look. He's been sitting for the past fifteen minutes and the person he was expecting is yet to come.
After what seemed like an eternity to him, his face lit up when he sighted Sheila walking towards his table with another lady accompanying her. "Finally..."He breathed out sharply.
"Hey, Ryan." Sheila uttered, wearing an apologetic smile on her face. "I'm sorry I came late."
"It's okay." Ryan replied, trying to keep his frustration from showing. He was glad that Sheila had finally arrived, but he couldn't help but feel a bit put out by her tardiness. "I hope you had a good reason for being late."
"Well, I don't know if it counts as an excuse, but I do have one!" Sheila said, her tone a little defensive. "I was caught up at the office and couldn't get away -I'm new there, and I'm supposed to put up an impressive act. But I'm here now, and I promise I won't be late again."
"That's great, I'm glad you are here." Ryan uttered, forcing a smile as he turned his attention towards the lady behind Sheila. "And who's this new lady we have here?"
"Oh, right!" Sheila exclaimed, her face lighting up. "This is my friend, Milan. The lady I told you about, and she's overjoyed to finally meet you after I explained everything to her."
Milan stepped forward and extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Ryan." She said, her voice cheerful and friendly. "I've heard so many great things about you from Ms. Sheila."
Ryan shook Milan's hand, trying to put on his best smile. "It's nice to meet you, too, Milan." He said, trying to sound as friendly as possible. "You are just as Sheila described you."
Milan smiled widely at Ryan's compliment. "Thank you so much! That's so sweet of you." She replied, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I'm so glad to finally meet you in person. You're not at all what I expected."
"What were you expecting?" Ryan asked, curious to hear what Milan had thought of him before meeting him.
Milan hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "I don't know..."She started, her eyes darting around the room. "I guess I just thought you would be...I don't know... more intimidating, maybe?"
Ryan chuckled softly at her choice of words. "I'm sorry to have disappointed you, but I'll keep that in mind." He chortled, pointing towards the empty seats before him. "I feel guilty seeing you two stand while I'm seated."
Milan laughed along with him. "You're not disappointing at all!" She exclaimed, gesturing towards the empty seats. "Please, don't feel guilty. We don't mind standing for a bit. It's actually good for our health."
"Oh, I like the way you think!" Ryan said, laughing again -he finds her sense of humor amusing. "But, please, I insist you have a seat. We'll be here for a while, and I don't want you to get tired before we even start."
They both had their seats as insisted by Ryan, who cleared his throat lightly before speaking. "So, earlier today, I went to the psychiatric center to visit Ciara." He began on a calm note. "But I was denied the opportunity to see her."
"Yeah, no one aside Mrs. Kent is permitted to see her." Milan chipped in. "I'm uncertain if Herzl had gone to see his mother since she's been admitted -Mrs. Kent did not allow it; I was only able to visit as Gerald's accompany."
'Herzl...' the name rang continuously in Ryan's head; yeah, he remembered -the little boy he met at the reception area, the boy who had claimed to be Ciara's son.
"That's so strange." Ryan said, struggling to keep his voice even. "I met a little boy at the reception area with the same name too, he was with an older lady."
"That's impossible!" Milan exclaimed, her eyes wide. "There's no way Mrs. Kent would have taken that little boy with her; she's been trying to keep the boy aware from the outside world -why the sudden change?"
"I can't tell. My few minutes with her weren't perfect, she was being so strict." Ryan said, trying to recall the incident from the reception area. "Herzl was clouded with sadness, and he begged me to help his mother." "That's heartbreaking to see such a sweet boy as Herzl going through such a phase." Sheila said, her expression turning sympathetic. "What did you say to him when he asked you for help?"
"I couldn't even get the chance to reply since the old lady abruptly stopped our conversation, taking the boy away." Ryan replied, his eyes reflecting sadness. "I would have promised to help if I had the chance."
"Well, you have to, Mr. Ryan." Milan urged pleadingly. "You arejust the only hope for Ms. Fellers after Mrs. Kent had Gerald locked up -no one has the courage to stand up against her."
"I know, right?" Ryan muttered under his breath with a shallow sigh. "I can'tjust jump into action, I have to come up with a plan first, you know."
"Yes, Milan!" Sheila added in addition. "You can't just press everything on him without a proper plan, he might fail even before trying."
Milan sighed with a feeling of remorse. "I'm sorry, I just can't bear to see Ms. Fellers in such a state; poor Herzl is suffering too -and that vile woman doesn't care about anything else except making all the wealth hers."
"No, please don't apologize." Ryan said, shaking his head. "I appreciate your concern, and I know how much you care about Ciara. I just need some time to come up with a plan. I'm sure we can come up with something that will work."
"I'm just worried that time might not be on our side." Milan said, her brows furrowed in worry. "Mrs. Kent seems to be getting bolder by the day, and I'm afraid she might do something drastic."
"We have to try our best." Ryan said, his expression filled with determination. "We just have to come up with the right plan, that's why we are here in the first place, isn't it?"
"I'm not really sure on how this is going to work, Ryan, but the only way to start this journey is for you to go back to your company, remember you still own some share out of it." Sheila suggested. "But I'm afraid you've lost interest in the company -I can't think of anything aside that."
"You're right about that." Ryan admitted, nodding slowly. "I haven't been to the office in a while. I just haven't been able to find the motivation to go back. But you're right, I need to start somewhere, and the company is the best place to start."
"It's not going to be easy." Milan warned, her tone gentle. "You might have to deal with a lot of things that have been going on in your absence. But I'm sure you can handle it."
"I'm ready to take on the challenge..."Ryan said, his voice firm with determination. This was his only chance to make things right again, he couldn't afford to lose it...