Chapter 37: Good News

HELENA. 'I told you I have no idea what you're talking about! Why do you have to be so difficult?" She yelled. 'Keep your voice down Julia." Mr. James' voice rumbled low. She stiffened at his voice and stared at him in horror. 'Julia, there's no need denying it. Where's the money?" After she altered the figures, the money actually went missing from their account. That's why the family called Mr. James. Julia crossed her arms, biting her lower lip. Her entire body language gave off her guilt, and I smirked inwardly. This woman didn't know who she was dealing with. 'You have 10 seconds to give us the location, Julia." Mr. James was getting impatient. She fiddled with her fingers, before pulling out her phone. 'It's in my offshore account. Mr. James I.." 'No, that's enough." He turned towards the door. 'Paul?" He called. A large man with two equally large men walked into the office, seizing Julia by the arms. She panicked. 'Don't you dare touch me you hooligans! Stay back!" She pointed her fingers at them. 'Miss Julia you have some nerve. I am calm as it is, and you and I know I'm not so lenient when I am angry. I suggest you follow these two and receive your punishment." Mr. James said, sipping water from his cup. He never liked coffee. 'No! Please sir! I only did it because she's a snake! You can't do this!" She flailed her arms, trying to break free from the large men's brute strength. 'Apparently, you're the snake, Julia. Have fun in jail." I said, crossing my arms. I turned to Mr. James. 'Well sir, I think my job here is done. I'm glad we found the culprit." 'I never expected it to be Julia though. Good work, Helena." He stroked his chin. 'It's always who we least expect." I felt a bit bad. Julia might have been scheming and conniving, but she was an amazing assistant. Not to mention beautiful. The character is usually the determinant of true beauty. The rest of the day went by in a frenzy. We had a lot more customers than usual, and I couldn't wait to get off the clock. Around 3pm, I got a text from Caleb. ‘Hey, are you ready?' I sighed, texting back. ‘Yeah, I'll be there in 10 minutes.' I pulled out the piece of paper he handed to me earlier. The SunRise Cafe, 3:30pm. Typical Caleb. I packed up the remaining of my work and headed to the cafe. I told Georgina I'd be gone till 5. If all goes well. As the cab driver drove downtown, I couldn't help but admire the beautiful landscape. Henley was shrouded in bushes and forests, but not in a scary way. The trees were lined with conspicuous flowers, all in different patterns and colors. It was like being in a fairy tale. 'Sigh." The SunRise Cafe was like any other early morning cafe, except that they offered a lot more than any regular cafe would. It also had a lot of booths, not to mention their lovely customer service. A very beautiful waitress came over to me with an equally beautiful smile, and said, 'Good evening ma'am, what can I get for you?" She beamed. She was wearing traditional waitress attire, the dress stopping just short of her knees. Her long brown hair was in curls, and it added to her charm. Sigh, again. 'Oh no, I'm fine. I'm actually looking for someone." She already had her pen and notebook, ready to take my order. Her face fell at my response. Nonetheless, she smiled and walked off, seemingly looking for the next customer to attend to. I glanced around. People of different ages and sizes were seated in different booths. Their chatter was low, respectful. Faint music played at the end of one section, and it added a little homeliness to the cafe's setting. The lighting was warm, yellow bulbs reflecting the dim sun outside. I spotted Caleb in a booth at the far right corner, isolated and secluded. Why did we need such a place? He saw me as I inched closer to the table, and smiled faintly. My heart skipped a beat. Get it together. 'Helena, you look amazing." He smirked as I sat down opposite him. The booths were soft and compressed slightly under my weight. It was like a nice plush mattress. This might be my new favorite cafe. 'Thank you, but this is just work clothes." I tugged on the edge of my skirt. 'So, what did you want to talk about?" I was already feeling weird under his gaze. 'Don't you wanna order anything? I'm sure you haven't even had lunch yet." He quirked his brows. 'Whether I've had lunch or not doesn't pertain to you." I quirked mine too. I was damn hungry, but I wouldn't give him the benefit of doubt. 'Still so stubborn.." he chuckled, and beckoned to a waiter. 'We'll have the bagels and cappuccinos, please." The waiter scribbled furiously as he spoke. I sat there, dumbfounded. 'I didn't ask you for food." I muttered. 'Just take it Helena. If I let you choose, you'd spend an hour trying to decide. And I'm not taking no for an answer." He pulled out his phone. 'Bossy." I said lowly. 'You wish I was bossy." 'Stop! What do you want Caleb?" My voice was slightly raised now, and people turned to stare at us. Caleb stared at me, strange emotions in his eyes. He put his phone down, reading something on it. 'Just calm down okay? I'll tell you." His voice softened. 'Look, I know we have our differences." 'Differences is a subtle word." I cut in. He exhaled. 'I know we aren't on good terms, but I want us to work together. Uncle Kelly wants me to get that scroll in three months. You're the only one I know who's been in that library more than once." He bomb-shelled. I am scared of going there again. It's not the same. And why couldn't he go alone? 'What kind of scroll is it?"