CHAPTER FOUR

For most of that Friday, Jane remained indoors. Her initial plan was to spend her free day outdoors at some packed bar or driving down to a beach or something, but after breakfast, she had found herself changing her mind at the last moment and retiring indoors to sort out some paperwork that was left over from the previous day.

The mansion felt empty and silent except for the beeping notification sound from her phone. Mr. Morrison had stepped out immediately after breakfast to another business trip, promising he would check in on her regularly. She took in a deep sniff of the air and could still perceive his strong masculine cologne still stuck to her after they had hugged goodbye. She knew his absence must have grown on her by now but she couldn't help missing him. Sighing away the growing sadness, returned to burying her face in her laptop screen.

Jane's errand in Berlin was a tasking one and as such, she thought it better to use the extra time to do her research, and equip herself with any detail that she could muster from the compilation of records the branch had sent to her laptop.

As a kid, he had accompanied her father on one or two of his business trips to Berlin. Back then it was the main cash pig of her family's enterprises, with affluent citizens and big names coming in to have their accounts managed by the firm. It would have the other accounting firms avoiding the news bulletins and headlines so as not to get intimidated by the huge income the company was piling up by the day. But now, judging from what Jane saw in those images, ledgers and heard as rumours amongst coworkers, the famous Berlin branch of Morrison's Accounting Firm was slowly turning into nothing short of a black site.

Jane knew the slow dwindle of the branch could be slightly traced to her father, Mr. Morrison. He was always glad about what he and his team had built, no doubt. But when everything was going fine, he had begun shifting his focus to his other enterprises and the neglect turned out to be catastrophic. Mr. Morrison also began relieving the task of overseeing the company into the hands of those he taught he could trust but soon reports of fraudulent activities, embezzlements, and unbalanced ledgers came piling up. Company faithful began raising complaints and withdrawing their accounts, huge debts were owed, and to crown it all, lawsuits robbed the company board of their joy. That was the situation she was supposed to tackle!

Jane groaned in frustration before turning to attend to her noisy phone. She knew that ignoring it would simply leave an unending heap of messages for her so she had better attend to whoever was buzzing her. The screen came alive with an infinite scroll of notifications but the first that caught her attention was a missed video call request from her dad. Curious, she returned the call and in a matter of rings, Mrs. Morrison picked up with a teeth-baring smile, while seated in what looked like his office.

"Hey, dad!" Jane greeted, returning the smile. "I see you are already settled in. How's Denmark?" There was a break in transmission for a while but soon the smooth flow returned.

"I'm great, Jane. I just landed about an hour ago and Denmark is great. I hope you aren't starting to miss me so soon?"

"Well, I'm not who called first, am I?

"Alright I surrender," Mr. Morrison retorted, raising both hands dramatically in the air. "Just wanted to see if you're doing okay."

From the tone of his voice, Jane was quick to sense that there was more. "What is it, Dad? Just get it out of your chest already."

"I am calling to talk to you about Berlin."

The mention of the German capital made Jane sit up. She didn't remember ever telling her father about her trip to Berlin, but at the same time wasn't surprised, after all it was his company. She only tried to pacify him. "Everything will be fine, Dad. Don't worry, I have the whole trip planned so there isn't…"

"Well, then you better start unpacking because you won't be going anymore!"

"Dad… Uhm… "

"No need to object, Jane. It has already been decided. I will speak to the board of directors earlier and instruct them to cancel your flight and pass the case to another individual."

"Dad, no. Please don't pull me out. You know I'm the only person who you can trust to handle this."

"I know, Jane. But I can sit back and let you walk into that branch alone. It's not that safe for now."

"Dad, will you stop worrying? I have Marcus looking out for my safety. Besides, you know I'm the only one you can trust to do this right. Just let me go there and see what I can do, okay?"

Mr. Morrison stayed silent for a moment and heaved a long and deep sigh. "Fine, you can go. But the moment you start figuring things out and the threats begin coming in, I'm bringing you home, deal?"

"Deal. How's mom?" Jane asked, changing the topic.

"She's doing alright. She just stepped out some moments ago for a meeting, but she'll be back soon. I'll tell her you sent your greetings. Remind me again, how long will you be in Berlin? I would love to stop by sometime and see how things are going."

"I was told my stay would last for a month but I don't think it would be enough. Anyways, whoever things pan out I'll let you know."

"Please do," Mr. Morrison said, sipping on a sizzling cup of coffee. "How about Marcus? I hope he isn't giving you a hard time?"

"Other than being all over the place, he's okay."

"I know it's probably hard adjusting to the whole bodyguard stuff, but trust me it's for the best. In fact, I promise you, that as soon as things go back to normal, his services won't be needed anymore. In the meantime, just go along with it, okay?"

"Yes, dad," Jane replied, rolling her eyes. "I better attend to these files then. See you later."

"Okay, darling. Call me as soon as you land in Berlin," and with that, the call was disconnected.

Hardly had she laid back the phone, had it beamed with a call from Sophia.

"Hey, girl. Oh my gosh!" Sophia shrieked as she looked around. "What the hell are you doing indoors? You're supposed to be out there having some fun."

Jane rolled her eyes. She knew her friend had the wont to be dramatic most times and she probably deserved the outburst. She wanted to retort back but Sophia beat her to it.

"You know what? I'm coming over there and by the time I arrive, you better be ready and change into something nice and comfy."

"Why? If you're thinking about dragging me to another of your wild house parties, I'll have you know that I'm not…" before she could complete her statement, the call was hung up on her.

Immediately, she began packing up the pieces of paper that littered the table and heading back to her room. After over a decade of being best friends, she knew better than to take Sophia's words for granted.

The friendship between Sophia and Jane had roots back in their high school days. When Jane's interests had tilted to the path of an accountant, perhaps to fill in her father's shoes, Sophia's prospect was to be a fashion icon, a path she knew could afford a flexible life.

Sophia was the wild one between the two, one of those few breeds of humans who chose to live life the way it pleased them and not the way anyone expected them to. When she was not in a show or on one of her world tours, she was spending her free time in clubs, bars, and parties, having so much fun it would seem she never left. Her parents would complain countless times that she was not putting as much energy as she should into her craft, yet she kept on with the lifestyle and the only thing that changed was her returning home for a while. Yet, somehow, the two of them— Jane; a nerdy accountant and Sophia; a fashionista and fun enthusiast, managed to achieve the status of being best friends.

A loud honk from a car downstairs made Jane twitch on her bed. The visitor was Sophia, she could tell. At least, the latter was the only one who would so much as dare to disturb the serenity of the mansion in an attempt to announce her presence. She chose to lay back lazily and wait until soon enough, Sophia came barging through the door.

"For the last time Sophia, the reason the door is there, is for you to knock it and not barge in like a bull on the loose. What if I was unclad, huh?"

"First off, I ain't no damn bull. Secondly, I didn't find it necessary to knock because I'm pretty sure my honk was loud and clear. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time I met you naked, would it?"

Jane threw Sofia a threatening gaze, making her recoil and lay her purse down on the nearby table. The pair of jeans Sofia had on was beginning to make standing tiring so she slumped down on the bed.

"Why aren't you dressed, I thought we were supposed to be heading out when I arrived?"

"You have no right to boss me around like that Sofia," Jane snapped. "Besides, you look like you need a rest. Geez!"

True to Jane's observation, the past few weeks had been hectic for Sophia. She was one of the models walking the runway for an upcoming talk-of-the-town show. Being that her company was the host of the show, she had to be around most of the time, making sure everything was in order from the dresses, the models and even the venue of the event, a task that left her drained most of the time.

"That's why I'm trying to shake it off, Jane. I got a week's break and I thought it best to have some fun with you, my best friend. Little did I know my coming was only going to become a nuisance," Sophia cried out, reaching to grab her purse.

"I didn't mean to sound so insensitive, I'm sorry," Jane apologized, pulling her back. "It's just that a lot of things have been going on around me and it's driving me crazy. From work to Marcus…"

"You mean the new hot bodyguard?" Sophia butted in, the frown loosening from her face.

"Yup."

"Are you guys dating already or do I need to get his number?"

"Ew!" Jane rebuked. "Why the hell would I date him? He's way out of my league. At the same time, I don't like the idea of having you frolicking around town with my bodyguard, so you can't have his number."

"Well, if you won't pass out his number, then you leave me no choice, then. I'll get it from him." She looked around the room searchingly. "I haven't seen him today. Has he called in sick or is he going to be late?"

"No, he's not coming. I gave the day off to spend some time with his family before the trip," Jane explained.

"Awwn… " Sophia cooed. "You must be missing him already."

Jane rolled her eyes as she muttered a "whatever," but deep down, she prayed that Sophia's zeal to get Marcus' number would fade off with time. Where this emerging feeling of jealousy came from, she didn't know.

"So let me know, am I heading out alone or are you coming along with me to the beach?" Sophia asked, getting up.

It took a while of thinking but Jane finally made her choice. For once, she feared that Sophia was right. Perhaps a little outing wouldn't hurt. Besides, what better way to cool off than a few hours at the beach, sipping on some margaritas or even taking a little dip in the cool water?

"I just need a few minutes to get ready," She said, making Sophia giggle gleefully.

"Now we're talking. I'll be in the car and you have just thirty minutes to get ready," Sophia instructed, heading out the door before Jane could say another word. "We'll swing by the mall and grab some swimsuits."

Jane hissed loudly. Oh, how Sophia must love bossing her around. Slowly she took another shower and threw on a white linen tank top, forest green chino shorts, a denim jacket, and a cute striped bucket bag, before heading downstairs.