Zack was on his way to get the car, but he stopped as soon as he heard someone calling out to him. Startled by Matilda’s presence, he said, “Oh, it’s you. What’s the matter? Are you in need of something?”
With a smile on her face, Matilda asked, “Is John not in the company? He didn’t pick up my calls during these past two days, nor did I see him after waiting here for such a long time.”
Zack let out a grunt before replying, “My boss had left for a few days, so he hasn't been in the company. I think he has a weak signal over where he was, which was why he didn't pick up your calls.”
With a frown, Matilda asked, “He went out? Is he on outstation? Where did he go? Why would he go somewhere with a weak signal?”
Knowing that Matilda disliked Sophia, Zack wasn't sure if he should be telling the truth. He wondered if she would be angry if he told Matilda that John went to find Sophia. After some hesitation, Zack told her, “I don’t really know where my boss went, as he is on a private errand and not a business trip. Since it’s not a business trip, he didn’t tell me about it, nor did I ask.”
Shocked, Matilda stared at Zack. “A private errand? What kind of private errand?”
Zack let out a dry chuckle before replying, “That I don’t know.”
With a nod, Matilda said, “Alright, you can leave now. I will try to give him another call.”
After nodding to bid her goodbye, Zack left. However, instead of calling John, she hailed a cab to go to Sophia’s shop after giving the situation some thought. Robin was the only one in there, so Matilda entered the shop upon seeing that there weren’t a lot of customers. Out of reflex, Robin welcomed her, but she was soon startled to see that the person who walked in was none other than Matilda. “Madam, I didn’t realize it’s you.”
Scanning her surroundings, Matilda asked, “Where’s Sophia? Why is she not here?”
After some thought, Robin replied, “She has something else to do recently, so she won’t be here for a few days.”
Matilda looked at Robin from the corner of her eyes; it was an unconscious act of disdain. “Did she tell you what she’s up to, or why she needed a few days off?”
Thinking back on the situation, Robin told her, “No, she told me nothing, but it has been a few days since she last dropped by. She is my boss after all, so I can’t just ask her anything even if she goes missing for a few days.”
It wasn’t until a while later that Matilda asked, “Did you call her? Did you ask where she went?”
Robin shook her head before saying, “Nope. I don’t think it’s my place to ask since I am her employee.”
Matilda seemed a little displeased by the fact that she wasted her time to uncover nothing. After some thought, she turned to leave the shop. Robin, on the other hand, gave Sophia a text. She then put her phone down while heaving a sigh.
As soon as Matilda left the shop, she received a call from Isabelle, who asked in a sweet voice, “Mrs. Constance, do you have some time to spare?”
Matilda replied in the affirmative, so Isabelle told Matilda she would like to buy her a meal since it had been some time since they last saw each other. Grasping her phone, Matilda agreed to her proposition. They agreed on a meeting place, then Matilda hailed a cab after covering some distance on foot. Isabelle was already checking on the menu in a private room when she arrived. With a chuckle, Isabelle asked, “Mrs. Constance, what would you like to eat?”
However, Matilda dismissed her question with a wave of her hand. “Anything’s fine. You can order anything you like.”
Thus, Isabelle continued to check the menu without giving it much thought. Meanwhile, Matilda spent some time staring at Isabelle before averting her gaze, whereas the latter passed the menu to the waiter after ordering a few dishes. It wasn’t until the waiter left that Matilda heaved a loud sigh, which seemed to startle Isabelle. “What’s wrong, Mrs. Constance? You seem troubled.”
Matilda agreed to her statement before saying, “I was trying to contact John, but yet again, he hasn’t been picking up.”
Startled, Isabelle asked, “What’s going on? Did you two quarrel?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Next One Is a Babe