What is all this happening? Why is it even happening? What am I missing? Once again, I was locked behind the bars of confusion, hesitation, and helplessness. It felt as if the floor beneath my feet had vanished. I didn't know what to do next. Could it be that Leo was lying—or perhaps confused, or even manipulated?
At this moment in life, I was left only with assumptions, and assumptions could do nothing. They twisted and tightened the knots in my mind until I felt trapped, lost within myself, stranded in a deserted place.
My mind and heart were not working in coordination. My mind advised me to keep an eye on Bella, warning me not to trust her blindly in the future. She was up to something—something that was for none of us.
But my heart revolted against this thought. My heart was certain Bella would never do anything harmful to the family.
Deep down, even my mind agreed with this belief of my heart. Yet the situation, the circumstances, left all three of us helpless, compelling us to amend our thoughts.
In the end, I decided to look into it again the next morning. I placed the tuberose inside a book on the bookshelf, a few inches to the left of the table, and went back to bed. Within minutes of lying beside Leo, exhaustion overtook me—I fell asleep, drained both mentally and physically.
When I opened my eyes, it was already morning. My wife and son were gone. The house was silent—silent like the moment before the truth comes out. I rose from bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
When I came out, my eyes immediately fell on the book in the bookshelf, waiting to be opened. I decided to be the one.
As soon as I opened it, I was shocked. The only evidence I had—the base of all suspicions—the tuberose was missing.
I flipped through the entire book, shook it up and down, but nothing fell out. It felt as if the flower had been devoured by the book itself.
At first, I thought it might have fallen somewhere in the room. I searched every corner—behind the curtains, under the table, beside the drawer near our bed. But in the end, all I found was failure and frustration.
Furious, I kicked the chair beside the table. It crashed to the ground, and the silence that followed was louder than the crash itself.
Suddenly, I heard a knock at the main gate. "Again, a knock," I exclaimed angrily. I rushed to the door. When I opened it, I saw Leo, standing with his arms full of grocery items.
"Daddy, come on! Hold them fast," Leo appealed.
I took the groceries and carried them to the kitchen, arranging them in their places. Leo followed me, sat at the dining table across from me, and stared.
"What is it? Spill the beans," I asked, recognizing the gesture he always gave when something was on his mind.
"Daddy, how did you know I had something to say?" Leo asked.
"Because I'm your daddy," I replied.
"Now tell me."
"Daddy, when you left me at the table near the stage, I saw an uncle. At first, I thought it was you. But when he turned, he wasn't you."
"So, what's so special about that?" I asked.
"Daddy, he was wearing exactly the same shirt as you. And he was tall, just like you," Leo replied.
"So why are you telling me this?"
"Because at that moment, I thought both of you wanted to get rid of me," Leo said, making an emotional face.
"What! Puff… hahahaha… Why did you think so?" I asked.
"Because whenever one of you left for any work, the other left me alone," Leo sobbed.
"But when did Mommy leave you alone?" I asked.
Just then, Bella appeared at the doorway and shouted, "Who did this to my Stella?"
A chill ran down our spines—we were guilty.
"Go and complete your assignment. School will reopen shortly. I'll take care of this matter," she ordered.
Leo jumped off the table and rushed to his room. I went to the gate.
"What happened, honey?" I asked.
"Both of you did this, didn't you? I'm not going to spare you this time," she said, grabbing the watering can nearby and pointing it at me like a weapon.
The chase began. She came after me like a warrior, waving her weapon.
"Please forgive me, honey. Next time I won't let it happen," I pleaded.
She froze. Only the strands of her hair moved.
"Hahahaha… Next time I won't let it happen. Aren't those the same words you used last time? No—actually the last ten times. And you expect me to believe them? Do you think I'm that dumb?" she said with an evil smile.
"It was just a plant. You'll do this to me just because of that plant?" I asked.
"That's what you think. But for me, they were like my children. I nurtured them so they could bloom, but none of you let that happen. First my lily, then petunia, orchid…" she replied.
"We didn't do it intentionally. And wait—you made a list?" I asked.
"Oh, well, yes I did," she said, with a gesture like a psychopath.
Suddenly, a car arrived at our main gate. A peon from my office stepped out.
"Why did you come? Didn't I tell you today is my day off?" I asked.
Normally, my office sends a car to pick me up, since I am one of the nine gems of my workspace.
"No, sir, I didn't forget. But I'm here to pick you up because there's an emergency," he replied.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Sir, you'll know once you get there."
I glanced at my wife. By now, she had dropped the can and was looking at me nervously. Our eyes locked on each other. I went towards her and patted her to calm her down a bit.
After comforting her I rushed inside to get ready. Within minutes, I was dressed and in the car. The driver started the engine, and we headed to the office.
On our way to office, we experienced heavy jam on the main road near the flyovers. This jam kept us stuck for half an hour. Even in time span the driver didn`t utter a single word about the reason of all this commotion.
As soon as I arrived, the atmosphere was tense.
"Sir, you are invited to the meeting where the board of directors have assembled," the peon told me.
I hurried to the cabin.
At the doorstep, I realized everyone was already there except me. I pushed the door open. Every eyeball turned and locked onto me, as if they wanted to whisper something through their gaze. Yet I couldn't understand.
I walked toward my seat, but before I could sit, a voice rang out: "Don't you think you should take the permission of the host of this meeting before sitting?"
I looked up. The voice came from the person in the chair of the Chairperson. But the chair was facing the glass, not us, so I couldn't see his face.
"Sorry, sir, I didn't understand. May I have the honor of hearing your introduction?" I asked.
"Sure. But first, I'd like to educate you a bit," the man replied. Suddenly, the chair turned 360 degrees. It creaked, revealing the stranger—yet his face was still hidden.
He wore a mask: black, with a golden dragon pattern. His left ear lobe was pierced, adorned with a diamond stud. A few strands of his hair were dyed golden.
Perhaps another chrysophilist—one who loves gold. He was tall, with a strong physique.
"What type of education?" I asked.
"Maybe about manners, ethics, and more importantly, punctuality. You're fifteen minutes late," he replied.
"Sir, it happened because of traffic," the peon intervened.
"Oh, so you mean to say we don't suffer from traffic?" the man asked. Not a single word escaped anyone's lips. Silence filled the room.
"But sir, it was Aiden's day off," the peon added.
"So what? Should I award him for coming to the meeting? Today was his day off, yet he showed up," the man shouted. "Aren't you one of the nine gems, Mr. Aiden? You should know that position comes with great responsibility. And responsibility doesn't leave your shoulders just because you have a day off."
"Sorry, sir, for being late and not asking permission to sit."
"Yes, that's the point. Always respect your seniors—and more importantly, when that senior is your boss."
What! My boss? When did all this happen?