Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

112 - Investigations: Naomi On The Case!

Naomi Ailani - POV;

"Oakhart Company... it just had to be here didn't it?" I murmered.

"I feel sick, sis," Jaya whispered.

"Come on, let's go in. Sulking here won't do us any good," I told her as we marched through the glass doors amd entered a lobby area. We walked towards the secretary, a short, slightly pudgy woman in her early thirties, and I spoke, "Hello, we would like to see Mr. Oakhart."

"Yes, can I have your name to check for your appointment?" she asked.

"Appointment? We didn't make an appointment to be here," I explained.

"Then I'm afraid I can't let you in," she stated.

"But we are-"

"Mr. Oakhart doesn't just take visitors. If you'd like, I can take your name and if your visit is approved you can return in about two weeks to see him," she cut me short.

"Naomi? Is that you?" a thin yet fit man called out, stepping out from the elevator, "It is you! And Jaya! It's been so long! What brings you both here?!"

"Mr. Oakhart, these two wanted to meet you but they don't have an appointment," the secretary explained.

"Appointment? Who cares about that? Come on up you two!"

****
After ensuring we were comfortably seated on sofas in his office and offering us tea, Mr. Oakhart sat on the opposite side of the coffee table and exclaimed, "It's been such a long time. The two of you have grown so much! If you were visiting Fenix City, you should have told me. I would have made preparations for your stay here. Tell me, how have the two of you been?"

"We, um... We're fine. A bit of stress here and there but we're getting through it. Jaya's been working hard on her studies and she's looking to join a science institute soon," I said to him.

"That's great news! Education is the  key to prosperity. You're both brilliant and you'll go far! You've finished your degree haven't you Naomi?"

"Yes. Actually my job is why we're her-"

"Wow, at such a young age you've gotten so far!" he cut me off with a large grin, "I'm impressed and your mother must be so proud of you! How is your mother? Is she here as well? I haven't met her in some time also. I hope she's well."

Jaya clenched her teeth tightly and looked down, clearly to hide her feelings.

I exhaled deeply before answering, "Mother... she... she passed on not long ago."

I watched as the smile on his face dimmed slightly and confusion washed over him.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you properly. Could you repeat that?"

"Mother passed away in an accident a few weeks ago," I repeated. All signs of happiness left him and he seemed to be processing what he was being told.

"Oh no," he mumbled, dropping his head and covering his eyes with his hand in sorrow.

Mr. Oakhart and our mother had met each other seven years ago during one of our visits to the towns neighbouring our home. He was in desperate search of medication to save his dying daughter. When my mother saw him begging at stores and in the streets during that stormy night, she couldn't stop herself from going to his aid. With her extensive knowledge, she concocted a potion that could heal the girl, bringing Mr. Oakhart unparalleled joy and gratitude. At the time he was a small business owner who had been divorced from his wife due to her abusive tendencies against his daughter. Some three months after our fateful meeting, he invited us to Fenix City where he had been based in order to repay my mother's favor. Mr. Oakhart had had a great breakthrough in his business causing it to grow exponentially and he was determined to treat us with some of his newfound wealth. He paid for spa days, movies and amusement park visits for us children and our poor mother who had always wanted nothing more than to show us these wonderful experiences. One thing led to another and the relationship between my mother and Mr. Oakhart grew much more intimate. Though she never told us herself, I always knew. As such, when the time came for us to return to our home Mr. Oakhart offered permanent residence for us all in Fenix City at his own expense but mother refused, saying it was too soon. The two kept in touch despite their distance and would often meet with each other over the years, sometimes with us and Mr. Oakhart's daughter in tow. We had all grown close and from the outside, I could see how someone would have viewed us as one large family. Over the last year, our contact with him diminished tremendously as mother became extremely focused on the impending threat of our home being demolished. Though she knew she could seek refuge under Mr. Oakhart, she couldn't find it in herself to leave everything she had built up here over the years and more importantly, she couldn't find it in herself to leave all the poor people in the neighbouring towns who depended on her for her medication as they could not afford the exorbitant prices demanded by pharmaceutical companies. This was the first contact we had with him in the past six months so it was unsurprising that he did not know of mother's fate.