Chapter 4 IV. The Re-Research

Meanwhile, outside the dining room, Hana paced back and forth in the corridor, worried something bad might happen to her friend who was talking with Sir Edric. Will was also crouched at the edge of the corridor, staring at his phone, waiting for a chance to talk to Sir Edric. One of the servants was standing guard at the entrance of the dining room, preventing others from entering and disturbing Elly and Sir Edric's conversation, also to stop Will and Hana from fighting again.

"Your friend is being screwed!" mocked Will, still busy with his phone.

Hana's eyes widened, her face turning furious after hearing Will's insult about her friend. "What do you mean by your disgusting words?" snapped Hana, who immediately stopped pacing.

"Everyone has their own way of making peace, and maybe my father chose to make peace by screwing your friend. Billionaires often do that," Will speculated carelessly.

Fed up with Will's behavior at Houndshill and his current words towards Elly, Hana stomped in front of Will, standing right in front of him while glaring at him. "My friend is too pure to believe the words coming out of your filthy mouth! You better go and fix your father's company!" Hana retorted while mocking him.

Not wanting to lose, Will stood up from his crouch, facing Hana with a glare full of anger. "What you mean is my company! How dare someone like you speak disrespectfully to me! Someone suitable for cleaning toilets shouldn't speak like that!" Will retorted loudly.

Seeing Will and Hana's childish behavior, the servant guarding the door quickly took the initiative to intervene. "Sir and Miss! Sorry if I'm being presumptuous, but Sir Edric's meeting could be disturbed by your quarrel. End your fight, or I'll be forced to take firm action!" threatened the servant, making both of them fall silent, though still exchanging sharp looks.

Not long after, the dining room door opened. In the midst of the conflict between Hana and Will, Sir Edric came out of the dining room, followed by Elly, who was walking while feeling her way with her cane.

"Are you done, old man?" asked Will.

Sir Edric sighed at hearing his son mock him. "The correct term you mean is 'father,' Wilfred. And I want to talk to you alone," he asserted. "David! Escort these ladies home, my business with them is over for today," he ordered his servant.

"Umm! Eh! Sorry! If possible, don't use the helicopter again, Sir," added Hana, not wanting Elly to panic again.

"We'll take our leave now, Sir Edric, thank you for your hospitality today," Elly said politely.

The servant who had been guarding the door guided Elly and Hana out of the mansion, leaving Sir Edric and Will at the entrance of the dining room. "That's it? You let them go just like that after what happened to my company!?" snapped Will angrily.

"All subsidiary companies are still under the control of Thorn Enterprise, which means I still hold control over all the assets you have, including your company. Eleanor and her friend are under my supervision. So, you better leave them and start fixing the mistakes you made. You weren't the one speaking in front of the media, were you?" Sir Edric replied, then walked away, leaving Will with a sour, disgruntled face.

***

Two days after her meeting with Sir Edric, Elly spent most of her time in the small apartment where she lived. Her gray tank top and shorts looked so shabby with sweat stains, indicating Elly hadn't left her room even once.

Elly sat cross-legged, staring at the laptop, which was the only source of light in her room. Accompanied by many open books and scattered papers around the bed, the papers were documents given by Sir Edric, which she continued to feel with her fingers using Braille.

The laptop Elly used was equipped with a screen reader, making it easy for her, who couldn't see, to listen to what she typed and what was displayed on the screen. Fifteen empty coffee cans on the nightstand and under the bed were signs of how long Elly had stayed awake studying the documents given by Sir Edric.

"The war between the Dal Riata kingdom of the Gaels and the kingdom of the Picts ended in the ninth century. Both the Gaels and the Picts agreed that the united power after the peace between the two nations would be under the reign of King Caustantin of the Picts. The union of these two nations formed a new country known today as Scotland."

Carefully, Elly felt one of the sheets of paper in her hand while listening to the encyclopedia information presented by her screen reader. Thirsty, Elly reached for the nightstand to drink canned coffee, but there was no can left with any content.

Soon after, there was a knock on the door of Elly's apartment. "Hey Siri, what time is it now?" asked Elly to her Homepod on the nightstand.

"It's 8:00 PM local time," responded Siri.

Elly bowed her head and furrowed her brow upon hearing the information from her Homepod, realizing how long she had spent just inside her apartment room. "Bloody hell," Elly cursed.

The knocking on the door continued, forcing Elly to pause her activities for a while. Elly got off the bed and accidentally kicked the empty cans. Staggering, she walked out of the room, feeling the wall to guide her steps towards the entrance of her apartment. When Elly finally reached the door, she opened it to find an old woman standing right in front of her apartment, her face etched with worry.

"Good evening, Elly," greeted the old woman.

"Hello, Mrs. Margaret," Elly responded, recognizing the woman's voice.

Gradually, the old woman scanned Elly's entire body until she was startled by how alarming the girl's condition was. "Oh! My! What happened to you, my dear?" asked the old woman, shocked at Elly's pale face.

"I ... I'm fine, Mrs. Margaret, just feeling a bit unwell," Elly lied, trying to hide her exhaustion.

"No! Your lips are pale, and you look like my late husband at his funeral! When was the last time you ate, Elly? No! When was the last time you slept? You look so worrying, dear," Margaret asked, concerned.

"I-I ... I-I'm ... f-fine ... ju-just nee-need a li-little ..."

Elly's voice sounded hoarse, and her breathing seemed labored. Out of energy, Elly collapsed unconscious in front of Margaret, causing her to cry out in shock at seeing Elly suddenly lying down.

"Oh! Lord!" exclaimed Margaret.

~TO BE CONTINUED~