Scarlett P.O.V.
“I haven’t been in contact with her for a while know so I can’t you tell you where she is right now but I can tell you where she worked after she quit this place” Annabelle said. “Yes! That will help me a lot” I told her. “Well after she quit here she told me her dream was to live in New York and become rich” she pause to take a breath then continued “I warn her that it will not be easy to go to New York and become rich but she was stubborn and determine to go” she sighed. “She assures me that she knows that and has a plan set out. Her plan was that she would work at this famous shop called-” she pause her eyebrows creased in a frown trying to remember the name of the shop.
“Ah! It was called H&M” she suddenly exclaimed startling me and Beth. Then she continues “After she got the job she will work from the bottom and climb her way to become the manager. Once she accomplish that and have enough money she will quit and start her fashion line though I keep a look out for it and I never see it yet until today” she said her voice was fill with worry. “Don’t Annabelle I will not stop looking until I find her and I will call you once I have found her” I assure her. She looks at me gratefully. “Thank you” she said.
“No I should be the one thanking you for your time and helping me a lot to find my sister” I said to her my voice full of gratitude. After that we exchange phone numbers and said our good byes then me and Beth left the store. “Well what are we going to do know? There are like 20 H&M shops in New York! Do you want to search every single shop?” Beth questions me. I stopped walking thinking about what Beth said and I just realize that problem! I am to busy being happy that I know where my sister went that I completely forgot to really analyze the situation. Thank goodness Beth came with me.
I ponder that problem and decided that I had no choice but to check every single H&M shop until I find the right one hopefully I find the shop in first few shops that I check. “There’s no helping it I have to check every single shop until I find the right one and if I’m lucky I will the right one in the first few shops” I told Beth. “We have to check each store” Beth corrected me. I look at her gratefully and hug her thanking her for taking her free time to accompany me to search for my sister.
Afterwards we got into the car and drove off to New York. The closer I got to New York the more nervous I became. I mean I don’t know what to say to her once I find her because I have to many questions and I don’t know which one I’m going to ask first. I guess Beth knew I was really nervous so she reassure me that I will know what to say once I see her furthermore she starts telling me jokes she heard from her colleague and I laugh forgetting my nervousness. Before I know it we reach the first store that we are going to check out and it is huge. I park the car in the one car park left lucky! I switch off the engine then took a deep breath and got out of the car. Together Beth and I walk inside H&M
The inside was cold so I rub my arms for warmth. “Well now that we are here, we need to talk to the manager of this place. The manager should know all the employees” Beth told me as we walk deeper into the shop. I just nodded at her and we went looking around the shop for a salesclerk so that we can ask to talk to the manager.
After about 10 minutes of searching we finally found one. It is a lady salesclerk and she is in the process of hanging clothes on the rack. I felt bad disturbing her but I need to talk to the manager so I went up to her and ask politely “excuse me, I’m terribly sorry for disturbing you while you are so busy working but could you help me with something?”. She jumped when she heard my voice from behind her and turn around quickly I’m surprise she didn’t get whiplash. She regain her composure and smiled at me and said “oh no worries you aren’t disturbing anything. So what can I help you with?”
“Sorry for startling you. I want to talk to your manager please” I tell her. “Why would you want to see the manager for? Does something displease you in this store” the salesclerk asks looking worried. “No! It’s not that” I assure smiling. “I’m looking for someone who may have worked here before and I’m hoping the manager can help me” I explain to her. Her expression relaxed and her smile return to her face. “Oh! Ok I will take you to the manager know please follow me” she said while gesturing us to follow her.
We walk deeper into the store until we reach the cash register. The salesclerk lady stops and calls a lady in a black pencil skirt and a pink blouse that looks like she is in her late 30s. The salesclerk introduce the lady as the manager and we did the normal polite greeting then I thank the salesclerk for her help after that she left leaving only Beth, me and the manager. “You wanted to talk to me about something?” the manager asks. “Yes! I was wondering if you happen to have had an employee by the name of Sapphire Jones” I ask her hoping with all my heart that she says yes.
My hope got crushed when she answers. “I’m sorry ma’am but I have never had an employee by the name Sapphire Jones only Sarah John and I have been a manager here for 10 years” she said in a gentle tone. “Oh” was all I could say as I am too disappointed but I should have known to have so much hope when this is only the first shop that I search. I guess I just wanted to find her as soon as possible.
“Thank you so much for your help and we’re sorry if we bother you or anything. We will be leaving now” Beth told the manager as I am still in a depress mode. “No worries! Come again and drive safely” she said in a friendly manner and wave goodbye as Beth had to pull me out of the store to the where I park the car.
“Come on! Pull yourself together! That is only the first store we still have 19 more shops to check” Beth scolded me. “You’re right sorry! I guess I was hoping too much. Let’s go check the next shop” I told getting my act together and keep being hopeful that I will find her in other H&M shops that I haven’t check!
So far we check 9 of the shops and all of them said the same thing. They have never had an employee by the name of Sapphire Jones and I was about to lose all hope when we enter the tenth shop. Only Beth was being optimistic about finding my sister now while I’m just depressed and expecting the same thing to happen again but boy was I wrong.
We did the same thing we did in the other shops, finding a salesclerk and asking whether we can speak to the manager about something. The salesclerk agreed and took Beth and to the manager’s office at the back of the shop. The salesclerk knocks on the door and waited for a few seconds until we can hear someone in the office telling whoever knocks the door to come in. The salesclerk enters first and said something to the manager then after a minute the salesclerk told Beth and I to enter.
When Beth and I enter the office the salesclerk went out closing the door softly. Leaving Beth and I in the office with the manager. “You wanted to discuss something with me” she said politely. “Yes! I would like to know if you ever had an employee by the name of Sapphire Jones and if she did work here can you tell me where she could be right now” I said repeating the same thing I said at the other shops that I memorize it by heart by now. “And why do want to know? Even if she was an employee I can’t tell anything about her as it is confidential” she told her voice turn serious.
“I know but she is my sister furthermore my parents miss her since she ran away from home when she just finish high school” I told her. It was not the entire truth but it’s not a total lie either. She examined my face then ask for my ID card so I search around my handbag until I found my purse then I took out my ID card from the purse and handed it to her. I was sweating a little as she checks my ID.
After about two minutes she handed me back my ID card and open one of the desk drawers on her right and pull out a light brown file. My heart is beating that it feels like it is trying to break free from my ribcage as she set the file on her desk. She opens the file and the first thing I see is Sapphire’s smiling face in a photo. My heart clenched when I saw her smiling in the photo. How long has it been since I last saw her smile like that I wonder.
“This is all that is about Sapphire Jones. It seems that she quit here about five years ago and she only worked here for about a month” the manager told me. “F-five years ago” I stutter my heart dropped. I’m five years too late. “Yes five years. It seems that she got engage to someone very rich. That is the reason why she wanted to quit here” the manager told me. I already know the engagement part it seems I have no other but to ask my boss even though I have a feeling he will fire me.
After that I thanked the manager very much and left the shop. When we were on our home Beth asks what I wanted to do know and I told her that I will ask my boss about what really happen to her. Beth looked at me like I had gone crazy. She thinks its suicide if I go and ask him but be that as it may it’s the only way I can I find out the truth about Sapphire.
Once we reach home both Beth and I went to our respective rooms and passed out too tired to do anything else as we had been driving and walking around the whole day. Thank goodness tomorrow is a Sunday and I can rest the whole day as I finish all my work on Friday.
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Time Skip to Monday
I woke up to the sound of my alarm and quickly closed falling back to bed. I stay in bed about a minute then I force myself to wake up and get ready for work. I finished getting ready within half and hour and went to the kitchen to get some cereal for breakfast.
Afterwards I grab all the stuff that I need for work and the car and house keys then walk out of the house making sure I look the front door then went to my car. Then I started the engine and drove off to the office. I reach the office in about twenty minutes. I park at the employee’s parking space then switch off the engine, got out of the car and made my way to the lobby. Saying the normal greeting to Sarah then walk towards the elevator and manage to enter to elevator before it was closed. I breathe a sigh of relief.
After two minutes the elevator reaches my floor and I got out. I walk briskly to my desk and check if everything is in order for my boss’s schedule. Once I’m satisfied with it I took the tablet and made my way to his office.
My heart is drumming so fast and loud because I decided to confront him about Sapphire today as I didn’t want to delay but I’m freaking terrified of his response to my questions. I steel my nerves and knock on the door and waited for a minute until I heard him say
“Come in”
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I’m so so sorry for not updating in two months!!!!!!! Its just that I was really busy with my art project and then I was having trouble on writing so please forgive me if this chapter is crappy!!
I will try to write the next one better!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much to those who commented and voted!!!!!! And also thank you very much for your undying patience with this story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll update the next by next weekend as I’m going to my grandma’s house and her house has no internet so please be patient!!!!!!!!!!!
Until next time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! J