Camellia’s House, 8:30 am. 

Employees from Camellia’s parents’ private hospital crowded the house. Camellia smiled at them while she was going downstairs to her mother. She couldn’t hide the anxiousness that washed over her face. She had an attractive beauty with an hourglass slim body and a round face. Wavy brown hair, full round naturally red lips, and light hazel eyes that shine when encountered with her glowing tanned skin.

She went to the backyard garden where her mother Layla was having breakfast next to the pool. Her mother was a psychiatrist. Famous for her calm and friendly personality. “Good morning, Mama,” Camellia said and sat on the chair next to Layla.

“Good Morning, did you sleep well?” she asked and then eyed her, noticing Camellia’s anxiousness. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m worried about Nadine,” Camellia said, taking one toast to eat.

“What happened yesterday was a lot to take in,” Layla said, sipping from her cup of tea.

“I can’t believe what he did; how could he hurt her like that? I tried to call her yesterday, but her phone was off the whole time,” Camellia said and sighed. “She always keeps herself busy and does not share what she’s feeling.”

“Not everyone knows how to express their feelings, so don’t leave her; she definitely needs someone with her,” she said and eyed her daughter again.

“I won’t.” She tried to call her again yet no answer.

At the Azmi corporation, 9:10 am.

“Sorry Mr. Adam, you’re not allowed to go inside,” the security man said firmly.

“I want to talk to her now!” — Adam held the man’s collar roughly — “Move.”

The security man held Adam’s hand, shoving it away, causing him to slightly lose his balance, and said, “You’re not allowed to enter, and your belongings are already here.” Adam looked beside the man to see one big brown box with all his belongings.

It took Camellia a solid forty minutes to get to the company. After she parked her car. She saw Adam walking in the parking lot. He noticed Camellia and hurtled toward her, calling her name.

She didn’t respond. She put her bag over her shoulder, grabbed the coffee she bought for Nadine and locked the car. Adam stopped right in front of her in a quick movement that almost pushed the coffee cups over her. She gave him her iconic death stare that sent shivers down his spine along with an apology look washed over his reddish-sweaty face.

“Can we talk? Please, I need your help,” Adam said and left the box in her car. She cringed at his action and quickly shifted her body and walked away, yet Adam followed her fast steps. “Come on, Camellia, just give me a chance to explain myself! You owe me.”

“I owe you?” her stare was dark and cold.

“We are friends, and I need your help.”

Camellia looked back and chuckled. “Don’t flatter yourself. You know I hated you from day one.” She left Adam standing behind her about to cry. Camellia mumbled cursing words, till she reached the elevator button. She rarely gets angry; she has a joyful, optimistic personality, yet when she gets angry or nervous, she curses nonstop.

The elevator reached the ninth floor of Nadine’s office. Everyone was nervous and sweaty as if they were running for their lives. Camellia walked slowly as she reached Nadine’s secretary’s desk and found her about to cry. “What’s wrong?!” Lena’s entire face blushed.

She was trying hard not to cry. “Everything messed up… she is furious, and I don’t know what to do!” Lena blubbered. “I tried to fix it without getting her involved, but I couldn’t.”

“Calm down, go wash your face and I’ll talk to her,” Camellia said. Hopefully, she could calm the beast inside whom she could hear her loud voice from behind closed doors. She knocked on her door and opened it to find Nadine standing in the middle of her office. Talking in a high angry pitch, not paying any attention to anything else.

Camellia entered and sat on a chair in front of Nadine’s desk. “Finish this damn project before the end of the year!” She had never heard Nadine this angry before. “What! Now you realize that we have a problem! We had one year to finish! But now we only have two weeks!!” Nadine ’s loud angry voice made her jump a little.

Camellia whistled shrilly. Nadine glared at her; Camellia smiled and pointed at the coffee. Nadine moved her eyes and continued her call.

After a painful ten minutes of yelling, Nadine hung up the phone and sat on the chair across from Camellia. “Hey, angry bird,” Camellia said with a big smile, trying to change the mood. “What happened here?”— she put sugar in her coffee — “Everyone is running, and you made the poor girl cry!”

“Who?” Nadine said, raising her eyebrows.

“Lena. Is Adam the one who makes you yell at everyone?”

Nadine stood up suddenly. “Did she really cry?” she asked. Camellia answered her and waited for Nadine’s answer about Adam.

Instead, Nadine left the room and went to check on Lena. After five minutes, she got back to her office. “Hey, I asked you a question. Are you okay?” Camellia asked.

“Yeah, great,” Nadine said, holding her coffee. Camellia held her hand, “I’m fine really,” she said while resting her back and taking a sip of her coffee.

“I want you to tell me the truth, and I know all of it is overwhelming. It’s okay to open your heart and tell me how you feel—”

“I am fine. Nothing is overwhelming, but this coffee needs sugar.”

“—you’re not okay! You were screaming hard on the phone and you’re furious.”

“It’s the norm of my job, sugar please?” Nadine said and pointed her palm at her, waiting for the extra sugar packets. Camellia had extra packets inside her bag; she always carried some with her. She likes the intense sugar taste any time she drinks coffee counter to Nadine, who only drinks it black with no sugar.

“Don’t lie to yourself”— Camellia took two sugar packets from her bag and put them in Nadine’s open palm — “What happened yesterday turned you into this angry yelling person.”

“No, I’m always an angry yelling person in here. It is just how it works,” Nadine said and put sugar in the coffee.

Nadine took a sip and looked at her phone, expecting a text, while Camellia eyed her suspiciously. “What the hell happened to you?!” Camellia snapped, looking deeply into her eyes.

Nadine frowned and looked at Camellia, who didn’t blink. “Yesterday, you looked like you were about to explode and now you look fine! You’re even putting sugar in your coffee!” Camellia sounded surprised.

“You don’t want me to put sugar in my coffee? Because I’m sure you have more packets, or you don’t want me to be fine?” Nadine said deadpan.

“What’s wrong with you?! I need an explanation now!” she said, pointing at her angrily.

“About what? It’s just two sugar packets.”

“I’m not talking about the damn sugar. It’s about what happened yesterday! You left my house and headed home. But you went to the airport, and you didn’t even tell me. Yesterday I kept calling you, but your phone was off all day!”

“Yes, I went to meet Liam.”

“Liam! Our Liam?!”

“I don’t think we know any other Liam.” Nadine held her phone, writing a text.

“And?”

“Nothing, we just hung out and I came back.”

“So, you went to Liam and talked to him and not me!” Camellia said and gasped.

Another ten minutes had passed with Nadine writing a long text and Camellia staring at her. Nadine finished and put her phone on her desk and looked at Camellia. “Blink Cami,” Nadine said and laughed at her unusual reaction.

“Don’t act like that,” Camellia said, still not blinking nor changing her seriousness.

“Like what?” Nadine sneered.

“You just went to his shoulder to cry on and not me!”

“Who said I even cried on his shoulder?” Nadine said, laughing.

“I’m disappointed, you went running to Liam and not me,”—Camellia rested her back — “Why do you prefer him over me?” she blurted out. “You have known him for only two years. I have known you all your life,” she said and pointed at herself.

“I remember nothing before the accident; so technically I know you for only eight years,” Nadine said in a deadpan tone and shrugged.

“You don’t remember, but I do!”

“Really? Can you recall any childhood memories we had together?” Nadine said and raised one of her eyebrows.

“Well...” Camellia looked at the floor and opened her mouth for seconds, trying to remember. “No, I can’t recall anything now, but of course, we had childhood memories together. We’re cousins, for god’s sake.”

“I doubt it… we didn’t even have any pictures when we were young. I mean I have ones with my brothers but not with you… wait, I don’t have any pictures before the accident, not with you or anyone,”—Nadine shrugged her shoulders again — “I don’t think I ever saw any childhood pictures for either of us… that’s odd.”

“Maybe the pictures were lost in the accident,” Camellia said, looking more relaxed.

“Even yours? I was in the car alone… probably we’re aliens,” Nadine said.

“No, you’re not that cool to be one.” Nadine smiled and looked again at her phone. Camellia took a sip of her coffee. “Hey! don’t change the subject. I’m still mad.”

Nadine laughed; she knew Camellia would never get jealous, especially with Liam. Nadine got up and headed to her door, calling for Lena to get her the number of the company’s lawyer.

Camellia’s phone rang; it was her mother. “Where are you? Your shift is about to start.”

“At Nadine’s office, I’ll be there on time. Papa signed for the new equipment, right?” Camellia said and waited for her mother to respond, but she heard her talking to one maid.

The maid called Layla informing her about a mystery box arriving at the main door of their house. The maid sounded confused when Layla asked her who put the box there. She said a man was already walking away when she saw the box, but he halted and turned. He told her to give the box to Camellia and then gave her a white envelope and immediately left without looking back.

Her mother asked her if she ordered anything, which she did not, and felt odd when her mother told her about the maid, though the delivery man looked suspicious. “I ordered nothing,” Camellia whispered after she hung up.

“Did you say something?” Nadine asked without looking at her.

“No,”— Camellia put the phone in her bag — “so, what did you do to make Lena cry?”

“You know the project we have for the Sweden company?” Camellia nodded. “Well, some morons ruined it, they didn’t follow the exact designs for two buildings and I’m pretty sure the Sweden company is going to sue us,” Nadine said while checking some work papers.

“Does your father know about it?”

“Oh yes! I have been in this mess since yesterday,” Nadine sneered, and her office phone rang.

“I have to go; my shift is about to start,” Camellia said while heading to the door. Nadine waved at her and started the phone call in the same high, angry tone.