The cafe was nearly empty and quiet when Carolyn and Dawson walked in. They exchanged a curious glance, wondering why Darryl had called them to a cafe for an impromptu meeting during work hours. As they entered the cafe, their eyes scanned the room, searching for Darryl.
Instead, their eyes caught Sophie who was sitting in a corner, sipping a cup of coffee. Surprised by her presence, Carolyn and Dawson approached the table.
“Sophie?” Carolyn said, her voice higher than usual.
“Carolyn. Dawson. It has been a while.” Sophie greeted them.
They exchanged greetings with Sophie, who smiled warmly, before taking the seats in front of her, leaving a vacant seat for Darryl.
“Where’s Darryl?” Dawson asked as he scanned through the cafe.
“He will be here soon.” Sophie replied, before going back to sipping her coffee.
“I hope this is not a prank,” Carolyn muttered.
“I don’t think it is. He sounded dejected on the phone,” Sophie clarified.
Darryl arrived moments later, his expression serious. “Thanks for coming,” he said, his voice low.
He sat on the vacant chair reserved for him. “I know this is an unusual time for a meeting, but I needed to speak with you all about something important.”
“A cafe?” Carolyn wondered why he had invited them to a cafe instead of his office.
“My office isn’t private property anymore. I don’t know how, but Tania seems to know everything i do there. Anyway, that’s not the reason for this meeting.” Darryl said, his mind racing with everything he wanted to say.
Carolyn and Dawson leaned in, exchanging curious glances. The couple couldn’t help but wonder what could be so urgent that Darryl had called them away from work.
Sophie had the same curious look on her face, her eyes remained fixed on Darryl as he began to talk.
“Emmy came to my office today.” Darryl started, his voice low but audible.
“Again?” Carolyn blurted out.
“Who is Emmy? Sophie asked, curiosity laced in her voice.
“Emmy is Vanessa’s ex-boyfriend.” Darryl answered, reluctantly.
“He is also an idiot. I thought you told him not to come back.” Carolyn blurted out.
“He just told me that he knows where I can find Carolyn.” Darryl said.
“What? Carolyn yelled.
“Don’t tell me to actually believe him.” Dawson said, flashing him a questioning look.
“Even if Emmy knows about Vanessa’s whereabouts, I’m certain he won’t give you the address for free. That man is a snake ” Carolyn said, annoyance laced in her voice.
Sophie, who was still present there, remained quiet as she stared at them in confusion. She didn’t know much about Emmy, she didn’t know much about Vanessa, even though Darryl had been talking about her nonstop.
To her, Darryl didn’t require her presence because he had Carolyn and Dawson to help him with whatever he wanted.
“Seems you already read my mind, Carolyn,” Darryl said. “Emmy said he could only give me the address only if I became his partner.” He added.
“What?” Dawson blurted out.
Carolyn also had a surprise look on her face even though she had expected that kind of behavior from Darryl.
“Don’t even think about it. Don’t give the thought a chance, man.” Dawson warned, his voice low and firm.
“That’s why I invited you all here. At this point, I’m confused. It has been weeks since Vanessa left, and we haven’t gotten any clue about where she could be. What if Emmy knows her address? I can’t risk it with him. Darryl said, a mixture of anxiety and pain laced in his voice.
Sophie, Carolyn and Dawson exchanged knowing glances as they listened to Darryl. He was in pain that he could not do anything to bring Vanessa back, and he was worried that if he didn’t find her on time, he would lose her forever.
Sophie cleared her throat before she began, “can you trust Emmy?” She asked, causing Carolyn to scoff.
“Trusting Emmy would be a big mistake. He has been gone for a while and i don’t know what he has been doing during that time.” Carolyn explained.
“Emmy is a business person, he sure knows what he wants, and he is ready to do anything to get it. Let’s think about it, he said he would give you the address in exchange for a partnership agreement, right? He could have said he wanted Vanessa for himself, he could have looked for her on his own and do whatever he wanted, but he came to you to strike a deal, meaning he doesn’t have an interest in Vanessa anymore. That’s my theory, though.” Dawson explained, causing both Sophie and Carolyn to nod their heads in agreement.
“What if I tell you that Emmy had already met Tania before he came to me? And he said some strange things about Tania’s plans for me. I don’t just get it.” Darryl said, his frustration evident in his voice.
“Tania’s plans for you are clear, you would be a fool if you didn’t know it by now.” Carolyn retorted before taking a long draw from her coffee.
“Please enlighten me,” Darryl replied as he watched her drink out of the cup.
Carolyn took her time, savoring the taste of the coffee, putting both Darryl and Dawson on the edge. “Tania’s plan was simple. She wants to get married to you, have a share in your wealth and power.” Carolyn said, shrugging when she was done talking.
“If that was Tania’s plan, I shouldn’t be worried because I would never marry her.” Darryl said, his shoulder relaxed a little.
“But if she finds Vanessa before you, she would brainwash her again and, with your mother’s help, she would be your wife in no time.” Carolyn countered Darryl’s claim.
“So what do you guys want me to do? Should I trust Emmy and strike a deal with him?” Darryl inquired as everything became fuzzy for him.
“Are you serious? Sophie chirped in. “Didn’t you say Emmy and Tania had already met? Striking a deal with Emmy will only put you in Tania’s cage, won’t you get it? My advice for you is to stay away from Emmy. You can step up your game in your search for Vanessa.” She added, causing Dawson to agree with her.
“Do you all agree with Sophie?” Darryl asked, flashing Carolyn and Dawson a questioning look.
“Logically, yes. That’s the right thing to do,” Dawson answered.
“However, what does your heart tell you?” Carolyn added.
Darryl never expected that question from Carolyn. The reason he called them together was to get their advice because he couldn’t do whatever his heart wanted this time.
Following his heart has caused a lot of damage that he was still trying to undo. This time, his heart is asking him to trust Emmy, which is not wise. Therefore, he can’t follow his heart on this one.