Chapter 85: The Call
Mira laid on her bed. It was already nighttime, and she was dressed in her soft, cotton nightwear. She absentmindedly held the card Zamian had given her that morning and her phone, her fingers brushing over the edges of the card. The room felt a little too quiet, a little too empty. Lily, her trusted friend, had left earlier due to a family emergency. Her mother had been suddenly admitted to the hospital, and Lily had to rush to her side. Now, alone in her room, Mira felt the absence of her friend’s comforting presence.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she opened her phone, staring at the screen. She felt the need to call someone, anyone, but the only person who came to mind was Zamian. She stared at the contact screen where his number was already typed in, her finger hovering over the call button.
Before making the call, she quickly sent a message to Lily:
"Wishing your mom a speedy recovery. Let me know if you need anything."
Her fingers hesitated again as she thought about Zamian. What would she say? What if he was busy? What if he thought she was bothering him? They had just spoken earlier, but the thought of hearing his voice again made her heart flutter. Her mind filled with conflicting thoughts, but one stood out: it was such a simple thing—just to ask if he had arrived safely. She had every reason to check in on him. But then again, would that make her seem clingy?
Her thumb hovered over the call button once more. It should have been easy. But it wasn’t. Why was it so hard to just press it?
---
Meanwhile, Zamian had already arrived in a different country for an important business meeting. He sat at the head of a long, polished mahogany table. Around him were several well-known CEOs, professionals from various countries, all gathered for a high-stakes discussion. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension, not because of the subject matter at hand, but because of Zamian’s presence.
As soon as he sat down, the entire room fell silent. It wasn’t just the respect they had for him as a powerful businessman; it was fear, an unspoken fear that made them hesitant to even breathe too loudly in his presence.
Zamian, however, remained calm, his usual composed self. He was about to open the meeting, to address the gathered CEOs and begin the discussions that had brought them here, but before he could speak, a sound cut through the heavy silence.
A phone rang.