In her dream, Maja felt the warm clasp of a hand in hers.
Before hitting the hay last night, she'd planned to set an alarm, hoping to rise and shine early.
But before she knew it, she had clocked a solid five or six hours of shut-eye.
When she awoke, the hospital room was basked in sunlight.
lan’s hand was holding hers, and with the other, he was tapping away on a keyboard, seemingly replying to a message.
Maja was momentarily dazed at the sight of his face.
It wasn't until he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze that she snapped back to reality and heard him say, “You've got a full-body
check-up scheduled today. I'll be right here with you. You feeling hungry yet?”
“lan, you're up?”
He let go of her hand and reached for the disinfectant wipes on the nightstand, meticulously cleaning each of her fingers.
“I've been awake for a couple of hours now. You needed the extra Zs.”
The heaviness in her heart, weighed down by thoughts of Cynthia and Augus, made it hard for Maja to go back to sleep.
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lan, fresh out of bed, had already gathered the latest intel and ruffled her hair in a comforting gesture.
“Maja, don’t sweat it. Patric’s not going down that easy. I'm sure we'll have a lead soon enough.”
He propped a pillow behind her back, helping her to sit up.
Sitting against the pillow, her spirit lifted a bit.
They both understood that the situation with the research base had to be resolved pronto. The eyes of the world were now on
Forbidden Island, but so far, no one had turned up any useful info.
The media, however, had blown the lid off Forbidden Island's existence, causing quite the stir in public opinion.
The research base linked to Forbidden Island was clearly becoming a target for all.
lan had already booked her check-up, and he stuck by her side through each and every test.
As soon as the tests were done, the dietician rolled in with lunch.
Maja's stomach was indeed growling, and she was halfway through her meal when Zoey and Carol both rang, checking in on her.
Being out of touch while on Forbidden Island had worried them. They'd call every now and then, and hearing her voice now
seemed to ease their anxiety.
Zoey mostly talked shop, sharing that Star Movie Group was thriving, with several of their movies snagging top awards. Wilma and
Cornelia had hit the big time, while Shawn was the epitof A-list.
Star Movie Group meant the world to everyone, and since Maja’s departure, they'd all been eagerly awaiting her return.
Towards the end of the call, Maja couldn't shake the feeling that Zoey's voice sounded off, a bit hoarse, as if under the weather.
"Zoey, you feeling alright?”
There was a brief pause before Zoey replied, “No worries, Mr. Pennyfeather. I'm good, and the company’s in great shape. We're all
looking forward to having you back.”
After hanging up, Maja couldn’t shake her concern and decided to give Elvis a call.
True to form, Elvis was a workhorse, burning the midnight oil at the office.
He sounded genuinely surprised to hear from Maja, and when she asked about Zoey, he fell silent for a rare moment.
"Elvis, what's up with Zoey?”
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After a long hesitation, Elvis let out a sigh.
"It’s this whole ordeal with the Haskins family. Lately, Zoey's been representing the company at sgala events, running into
Mia. Mia always had a snide remark, leaving Zoey red-faced.”
Maja frowned, knowing full well Zoey’s mettle. A woman who'd clawed her way up from the dirt wouldn't be fazed by a little
embarrassment. Mia must have done something worse.
Worried about her friend and feeling distant, she made sure to ask Carol to check on Zoey when they spoke later.
Maybe it was just her intuition, but Carol's tone seemed evasive too.
Despite being abroad and out of touch, Maja couldn't help but worry about her friends.
"Alright, Maja. I'll swing by and see Zoey later, so don’t you fret. Oh, and guess what? | forgot to tell you - I'm getting hitched!”
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