"Mum," Phoebe ran to her mum hugging her tightly. She was glad she didn't die. She was very happy.
"Baby, are you alright?" Her mum asked worriedly. Mum and daughter embraced each other very tightly, forgetting that there was another face who was breathing halfway in the sand.
Perry watched Phoenix from his car. He had wanted to get to her side, but his secretary warned it wasn't safe.
*****
Perry rushed into the backseat of his car. A man closed it behind him.
"Sir, here are the biographies of the men you asked me to search for." John, his secretary, who was in the passenger seat, handed him some files.
"Drive," he told the driver.
Perry placed the files gently onto the empty seat beside him, feeling the weight of frustration on his shoulders. He rubbed his eyebrows, trying to ease the tension that had built up during the meeting he had just left. It had been a challenging discussion with one of his opponents, and he couldn't help but feel that it was a futile effort.
Instead of agreeing on fifty-fifty, the guy wanted seventy-thirty. He got up and left without looking back. He had left City F all the way to City D to hear some shit. He really was angry.
"Should we go to the charity home or..."
"Let's go back to City F." He cut his secretary off. The guy had even ruined his mood. He planned to visit the charity home, but he was no longer interested. He would send some gifts and items over there.
As the car journeyed through the tranquil woods, it eventually arrived at City A, where a beautiful beach greeted the travellers. The sight of the shimmering waves and sandy shores was a comforting reminder of the joys of nature. Passing through this lovely city before continuing on to City F felt like a much-needed moment of respite, adding warmth to the journey.
Perry was taken aback to find the beachside so desolate. He gazed out over the sprawling land and the swift rise of the water current, and a deep sense of concern washed over him as he realised why no one had chosen to come here. He shifted his gaze from the ominous waters to the road ahead, where a glimmer caught his eye—something that hinted at a deeper story waiting to unfold.
"Stop the car," he ordered. The car stopped abruptly. He saw two girls swimming in the water. He saw that they resembled each other. His car was close, but they hadn't realised it yet.
That face was familiar. He had seen that face before.
Phoebe..., that was her. They met at
Uni. They once went to lectures together. She was a twin. How come he never knew?
"Boss, that's the CEO of FACE. But I don't know which one. I never knew she was a twin." John told his boss.
Perry gazed at him with piercing eyes. "How come you know her and I don't?"
John was in trouble. If he hadn't accidentally gone to that place, he wouldn't have seen her. The girl was very private. Nobody knew a thing about her.
He had gone there to deliver something to one of the employees. He had accidentally bumped into her. He had no idea who she was and was petrified when all eyes fell on him.
Then he was told she was the boss. He didn't even have time to apologise. She had already walked away.
"I had no idea it was her. How about we collaborate with her.?You know..." He tried to take Perry's mind off the question.
"I will think about it." He said, not taking his eyes off them.
A car was parked at the far end of the sand. That means they were there to swim. Didn't they know that the sea's current wasn't stable?
They weren't in swimsuits but they were comfortable swimming in the salty water. Then he saw a big wave coming up.
The ladies swimming had no idea and
continued to swim forward.
Perry panicked. He wanted to get out of the car or even call out to them. But it was too late. The big wave had swamped them.
"Ohh!" John, who didn't know why his boss asked for the car, cried. He too saw what just happened.
"What the f*ck! Open the door." Perry cursed under his breath as he tried to get out of the car but it was locked.
"I truly appreciate your kindness, sir, but...," John implored gently, his voice laced with emotion as he faced his boss.
He knew how warm-hearted he tried to be when life was at stake. He had told the driver to lock the doors. He couldn't dare to lose his boss.
How was he going to explain to his family?
Perry watched the water which had just swamped the two women.
Were they going to survive? He wished he could do something.
He lowered his head into his palms.
"Sir," John called out.
He didn't even look at his secretary and focused on the scene in front of him.
He watched with a heavy heart as the two girls battled against the strong currents, desperately trying to reach safety. A flicker of hope ignited within him, momentarily overshadowing his earlier concerns about the meeting.
All he could think about was their survival. Hand in hand, they swam valiantly toward the shore, clinging to one another for strength and support.
He saw how strong the bond between them was. Then they got out. The two girls lay in the sand, gasping for air. They were almost out of breath. But they didn't want to die.
They didn't have their own family yet. They had not yet explored the world.
Perry saw that one was up and had started to run towards a woman who was also running to their side, leaving the other one still in the sand.
Perry, who saw that the woman was their mother, hugged the girl who ran to her with her arms protectively around her. They embraced each other forgetting about the one on the floor.
She was now sitting in the sand. She was still catching her breath. She turned to look at her other self and the woman. She didn't even make a bulge to get up.
The mother and daughter, who kept hugging each other, also did not bother to look at her end. They began to walk hand in hand to the parked car leaving her there.
Perry witnessed the shocking scene in front of him. What the heck? Weren't they family? How could they just leave her there?
Wasn't the bond between them that strong? Or that was only for surviving!
As he watched the girl in the sand rise gently to her feet, a wave of compassion washed over him. She picked up her shoes and made her way to the car. Perry watched her with a quiet determination that tugged at his heartstrings.
"Sir, we must leave," his secretary reminded him. He nodded and they drove. He saw the girl get into the backseat before that.