The unknown caller

Elara gazed out of the large bay window in her apartment, watching the bustling city below. The Manhattan skyline, once familiar and vibrant, now seemed distant and daunting. The city that had once symbolized her success now felt like an alien landscape, filled with looming challenges. Everything she had built was about to crash. She had worked so hard to reach where she was today. Lost in thought, she was interrupted by her phone beeping. Uninterested in talking, she ignored the calls that kept coming in.

The phone rang for the fifth time before she walked to her nightstand. Her heart sank when she saw her mother’s name flashing on the screen. Her mother must have seen the news and could be deeply worried.

Since her father’s death, her mother had struggled with both grief and health issues, unable to cope with the loss. Elara remembered their once-happy family—joyful moments of singing and dancing together. She was born into a poor family as the first child, with a brother named James. She shared a close bond with James, who admired her.

Her early life was filled with hardships but also with moments of joy. Despite being poor, they lived happily without greed. They were content with whatever they had until their father fell ill and needed money for surgery. But because they were so poor and couldn’t afford it, they lost their beloved father to the cold hand of death. The death of her father left the family in a state of deep sorrow and financial instability.

As her mother’s health declined rapidly, their struggles increased with mounting medical bills and emotional stress. Elara, feeling the burden of responsibility, became determined to turn their fortunes around and prevent such a tragedy from happening again. She made a vow to never be poor again. Little did she know that they would set her up.

The ringing phone brought her back to the present. She hesitated before answering. “Hello, Mother?”

“My beloved Elara, you must be suffering so much.” Her mother’s voice was soft, filled with concern.

“You must have seen the news, mother?”

“Yes, my daughter. I have seen it. Everything,” she answered gently.

“Do you believe me, Mother?” Elara’s voice trembled, the pressure of the situation threatening to overwhelm her. “That I didn’t do it.”

“Of course I believe you. I know my daughter would never do something like that. Someone else must be behind this. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mother. Trust me. I will get to the bottom of this matter,” she said, trying to reassure both her mother and herself.

“I trust you,” her mother said with a sigh. “Don’t let the news get to you too much. You’ll get through this.”

Hearing her mother say this made her want to cry. She clenched her teeth. Whoever was behind this should hide themselves well, or else, if she caught them, they would suffer and regret ever crossing her.

“How is James?” she asked, changing the topic.

“He’s fine, but he’s worried about you,” her mother replied.

“The firm is doing everything in its power to clear my name,” she assured her ailing mother. “Please, try not to worry.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Take good care of yourself, dear.”

“I will, Mother. Goodbye.”

As she ended the call, she was about to set her phone down when another call came in. Her heart raced as she saw it was from an unknown number.