Successful Mission

She is now boarded on the plane back to Paris.

She's thankful that all goes well when she enters the Madrigal mansion. She prayed harder today while on her way to the Gold Coast, where the Madrigal mansion is located.

She took an air train to Gold Coast. She's lucky to have a chance to catch that train because the next departure will be in another thirty minutes. It only took ninety minutes to get to the Gold Coast train depot, and then she took a taxi from there to Madrigal mansion. Her hands were shaking when she pressed the doorbell. 

Someone peeped in the security hole and let her in.

"Theresa!?" The woman hugged her.

"Dana!" She hugged her back. "I just came to get Miss Shiloh's box in her room. Is Mr. Hansen in?"

"No, he went for a business meeting out of the country; that's what I heard. Come in," said the woman and guided her in. She looks around to see if there are any changes in this mansion. She noticed that there's nothing she could remember.

"Great! I'll go up and take what I need. I need to be back in Paris soon. Shiloh doesn't want me to stay long here," she said and ran upstairs.

Dana ran with her. They entered Shiloh's room and went to Shiloh's wardrobe. She knows where the box is, so she took it and found a cloth to wrap it.

"Do you have any paper bag that will fit in this?" she asked Dana.

"I'll find you one. Follow me in the kitchen," she replied and walked down ahead of her.

She followed Dana.

"Theresa?" said the other woman as she entered the kitchen.

"Naomi? You guys are still here?" She couldn't believe that they were still here in the mansion.

"Yes, Mr. Hansen kept most of the servants. But after Mrs. Hansen's funeral, he sent us all on vacation for about one month. The same day when you and young Shiloh left for Paris," Naomi told her.

"Not one month, Naomi, it's almost two," Dana cut in.

"Here, this will fit." She said after and handed the paper bag to her. She lifted the box and put it inside the paper bag.

"Thanks, Dana, Naomi, I have to go now. If possible, never mention to Mr. Hansen that I came. Shiloh has asked him to send this box to Paris, but he never sends it. It's fifteen years now, so Shiloh asked me to get it." She told them, and she hopes that the two women will keep their mouths shut. She hugged them once more and left the mansion.

When the taxi she was riding turned right to the highway, she saw a black car turn left too. She tried to see who's inside. Her spine stiffened when she saw who was in that black car. Years may come and go, and though he's in his grey hair now. She still can recognize him. He's Mr. Damien Hansen, her boss and father of her ward.

She thanks God for the luck she had. Very perfect timing.

When she arrived at the airport, she couldn't find Shiloh anywhere. So she sticks to what they agreed before they parted. If she couldn't find Shiloh, she must buy a ticket back to Paris, and that's what she did. She bought the ticket for the next flight. It is nine in the morning.

Now she's up in the air and back to Paris with Shiloh's box with her position.

In less than ten hours more, she will see Shiloh in Paris. She will be able to see her treasured box. She said her mother told her that she put a gift in the box for her thirteenth birthday. Let Shiloh check it.

She took a rest while in the air. Probably she will get multiple jet lags; they just came to Australia and then went back again. Twenty-one hours plus twenty-one hours more of the flying. Her head is spinning.

She drifted to sleep. The attendant has woken up for a meal. After eating, she went back to sleep again. She woke up only when the airplane finally reached their destination.

The airplane landed at eight thirty-one in the morning on Sunday, Paris time. She went home straight from the airport. The office is closed on Sunday. But Shiloh wasn't in the apartment, so she dialed Claire's number in case Shiloh was there.

"Hello!" answered Claire.

"Hi Claire, this is Theresa. I just want to ask if Shiloh is there?" She felt something strange already.

"No, she didn't. I thought you two were in Australia. Why did you come back so soon?" Claire asked her.

"She has changed her mind. She said she doesn't want to face her father right now. Not now." She started.

"What do you mean she doesn't want to see her father? I thought that's the reason why she decided to go home so suddenly," Claire said.

"That's what she said. She thought she was ready to face him," Theresa replied.

"What's in her father that she's afraid to see him?" Claire asked her.

"I don't know how to explain it, but in my twenty-eight years with Shiloh, I can't remember when her father held her or even got close to her," she said.

"That's strange; all the fathers I knew were closer to their daughters than to their sons," Claire commented.

"What do you think is in that box? Why did she ask you to get it?" Changing the topic.

"They were the photographs. From when she was a baby until she was thirteen, actually almost thirteen, because Mrs. Hansen died before her thirteenth birthday. She said that she put a gift for her birthday in the box."

"I see; she must be closer to her mom," Claire commented.

"Yes, only Mrs. Hansen adored her. Mr. Hansen never carried her even when she was a baby.

She heaved a sigh remembering those days when Shiloh was a baby.

Now she's a lady. But where is she? She dialed her number. It's out of the coverage area. She knows Shiloh; she doesn't turn off her cellphone, especially when they're far apart.

Where is she?

She suddenly felt nervous. Shiloh mentioned that she had a strange feeling when they were just on their way to Australia.