Babel Novel
80
New York, Mia
The busy day at work had been a whirlwind of meetings and appointments with clients, my office a constant stream of people seeking my expertise. I had one last-minute client, a woman who had flown all the way from Italy to see me, despite not having an appointment. I couldn’t turn her away, knowing the effort she had made to get here.
With patience and diligence, I had managed to accommodate her, addressing her concerns and providing the guidance she needed. As she left my office, a grateful smile on her face, I leaned back into my chair, feeling a sense of accomplishment, albeit mixed with exhaustion.
The day had taken its toll on me, and I was in need of a moment’s respite. The influx of clients had kept me occupied, and while I was grateful for their trust in my expertise, the sheer volume of work had left me fatigued.
As I reached for my bag, my intent was to grab my phone. I had put it on silent mode earlier to ensure an uninterrupted focus on my clients. But now, I was eager to check my messages and see what had transpired during the day.
My heart skipped a beat when I glanced at my phone’s screen. The lock screen displayed a series of missed calls from Sebastian, along with a message from him. Bella’s name also stood out in the notifications. The sheer volume of calls and messages sent a surge of concern through me. Why had they tried to reach me so urgently?
The messages and missed calls hinted at a sense of urgency, and I couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of apprehension.
I unlocked my phone and quickly accessed the message from Sebastian. The message was terse, but the words carried an unmistakable sense of urgency: “Mia, call me ASAP. It’s important.”
My heart raced, the sudden onset of anxiety prompting me to dial Sebastian’s number immediately. As I waited for him to answer, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss, that an unexpected crisis had emerged in my absence.
My heart was pounding as I continued to dial Sebastian’s number, each ring growing more anxious than the last. The urgency in his voice from our earlier conversation still resonated in my mind. I had to reach him, had to understand the nature of the crisis that had brought him to reach out.
But the calls went unanswered. Sebastian’s voice mailbox picked up, and my attempts to leave a message felt inadequate. The sense of unease intensified, gnawing at my insides. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Desperate for any information, I decided to call Bella, hoping she might have some insight into Sebastian’s whereabouts. When she answered, I didn’t waste a moment. “Bella, I’ve been trying to reach Sebastian, but he’s not picking up. Do you know where he is?”
Bella’s voice came over the line, carrying a note of concern. “Mia, he did call me a few minutes ago, but I think he might be in a meeting right now. You should try calling him later.”
I appreciated Bella’s attempt to calm my fears, but the sense of urgency that had gripped me refused to relent. Sebastian had conveyed the importance of our communication earlier, and his unresponsiveness now was unsettling.
With a heavy heart, I ended the call with Bella, deciding to pay a visit to my assistant’s office. I had a growing suspicion that Sebastian might have tried to reach out through her, and that there might be a message waiting for me.
As I entered my assistant’s office, she looked up from her work, her eyes reflecting my sense of unease. “Have you heard from Sebastian?” I asked, my voice tense.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
She shook her head, her expression concerned. “No. He hasn’t called or left a message.”
Dread settled like a heavy stone in my chest. The sinking feeling in my stomach grew more pronounced. Sebastian had said he had something important to tell me, and the fact that he hadn’t communicated in any way was deeply troubling.
I left my assistant’s office, my thoughts racing. The weight of concern for Sebastian gnawed at me, and my anxiety continued to grow. I needed to find out what had happened, to ensure his well-being, and to understand the urgency that had prompted his earlier call.
As I retraced my steps back to my office, my mind was filled with questions. Where could Sebastian be? What could be so pressing that he couldn’t pick up the phone? The minutes felt like hours, and every passing moment deepened my sense of unease.
I decided to attempt calling Sebastian one more time, praying that he would pick up. The phone rang, and I held my breath, willing him to answer. But it went to voicemail once more.
The sense of helplessness was overwhelming. I knew that I couldn’t sit idly by, that I had to take action to locate Sebastian and understand the nature of the crisis that had unfolded.
I reached out to Bella again, my voice heavy with concern. “Bella, I still can’t reach Sebastian, and he hasn’t left a message with my assistant either. I need to find him. Can you try calling him or texting him?”
Bella’s voice on the other end held a similar note of worry. “Mia, I’ll try calling him. I’ll let you know if I reach him.”
As I ended the call with Bella, I continued to pace in my office, each moment of waiting like an eternity. The minutes passed, and there was no word from Bella. My concern for Sebastian and the unanswered questions that surrounded his earlier call became a heavy weight I couldn’t shake.
My heart was still racing from my fruitless attempts to reach Sebastian, and my anxiety had reached a fever pitch when my phone rang. I practically lunged for it, hoping against hope that it would be him on the other end, that he would explain the reason for his absence and ease my growing fears.
But as I glanced at the caller ID, my heart sank. It wasn’t Sebastian calling; it was Patrick. My brows furrowed in confusion. Why was Patrick calling me at a moment like this? We were all concerned about Sebastian’s unexplained absence, and the last thing I expected was for Patrick to be on the line.
Hesitantly, I answered the call, a sense of foreboding settling over me. “Patrick, what’s going on?” I asked, my voice trembling with apprehension.
There was a brief pause on the other end, a silence that stretched like an eternity. My heart pounded in my chest, and my anxiety continued to mount. Finally, Patrick spoke, his voice carrying a gravity I had never heard before.
“Mia, get ready,” Patrick said, his words sending shockwaves through my body. “I’ll come pick you up. Sebastian got into a car accident.”
The words hit me like a sledgehammer, a cruel twist of fate that shattered the world around me. My thoughts swirled in a chaotic maelstrom, and the room seemed to spin. Sebastian had been involved in an accident, and my heart ached with a sense of dread.
I could barely find my voice as I stammered, “What? Is he… Is he okay, Patrick?”
Patrick’s voice was filled with concern, his words measured but tinged with the weight of the situation. “Mia, we don’t know the full extent of his injuries yet. I’ll be there as soon as possible. Just get ready, okay?”