CHAPTER 1
1003 Words
Emily Hayes could hear the faint buzz of the ceiling fan fighting against the stifling July heat, its steady beat hardly able to cut through the bookshop's thick, still air. The little bell above the door jingled with the arrival of a customer, but Emily hardly turned from the ledger she was examining—her forehead wrinkled in focus. Nestled in a secluded New York nook, the bookshop had been her haven and labor of love. Still, it seemed as though her relentless efforts might be on the verge of failure.
Deeply sighing, she changed her glasses and peered over the list of overdue invoices and declining inventories. She was startled by a sudden rattling from the front door and looked up to find a figure that appeared rather out of place in the small bookshop. The man was tall, well-dressed in a dark fitted suit that suggested wealth and status, and his shoes gleamed in a mirror reflection. His presence exuded a tangible sense of power and assurance that contrasted strongly with the bookshop's dusty, worn appeal.
"Can I assist you??" Emily enquired, her voice a mix of annoyance and inquiry. She was used to the odd inquisitive visitor, but she was not ready for this dramatic disturbance to her boring day.
The man gave a practiced smile, his eyes a sharp blue that seemed to examine every element of the space with great attention. With a polished and flawless voice, he said, "I'm James Sterling." "I believe I'm here to speak with Emily Hayes."
Emily missed a beat in her heart. In her small store, she was not used to such formality, hence the name Sterling sounded to her with power that made her uncomfortable. Her voice faltering slightly, she replied, "I'm Emily Hayes."
James moved a few feet in front of her, looking at the messy desk behind her. "I believe you recently came into some surprising news.”
A brief disturbance from the small rear office cut off Emily's reply. Emily's phone was vibrating fiercely on her desk; the office door had been left open. She grabbed it fast, her palm shaking to see the caller ID: it came from an unknown number.
She answered the call, glancing quickly at James, who appeared to be curious, almost detachedly interested. Hello?
On the other end of the queue, a clear, official voice spoke. "Ms. Hayes, I trust you have our letter.?"
Emily's mind ran wild. She had gotten a letter, but it had been buried among promotional fliers and past-due invoices. " Indeed, I did. But precisely is this who?
Here from Harris & Associates is Daniel Harris. I'm calling to let you know what to do with your inheritance going forward.
Emily stopped her breath in her throat. She kept hearing the word "inheritance." "I... find difficult. Not yet having had an opportunity to carefully go over the letter. I still find it difficult to understand.
James, who was standing close by, watched her growingly attentively. His presence seemed like a hovering shadow over her delicate peace. "Ms. Hayes," Daniel said, his voice sharpening, "you have a deadline." Six Months.
Emily looked at the phone in bewilderment as the call cut off. Her heart hammered in her chest, her head whirling to decipher the mysterious note. A deadline is what? For what?
With an intense and curious look in his eye, James stepped closer. "Everything alright?" he asked
Still reeling in her mind, Emily went to him. Trying to hide her mounting nervousness, she added, "It's...a legal matter." "Apparently I have a deadline for something about this inheritance."
James's face changed from inquiry to something like fascination. "Inheritance?" he asked again. "You're not just an ordinary bookshop owner then."
His contemptuous attitude stung more than she would have admitted. She said succinctly, attempting to keep her cool: "It seems not." Still, Mr. Sterling, why are you here?
James's smile stayed, but his eyes grew more austere. "I have been appointed to help you make the move into the business world. Given your new position, there will be plenty to negotiate.
Emily's head was spinning a million ideas already. And precisely for whom are you working?
"Let's just say I have a vested interest in ensuring that your transition is as smooth as possible," James added, his tone mysterious. "You might wish to carefully go over the legal docs in the meanwhile. "The situation is complicated."
Emily gave an absentminded nod; her concentration being split between the approaching deadline and the mysterious figure standing before her. James's presence was fascinating and frightening at the same time; she could feel a tension in his attitude. She began to question the basis of his interest in her circumstances.
James turned to go, stopping at the door to look back at her with an enigmatic expression. "Don't hesitate to phone if you need assistance. Still, time is of the essence.
Emily was alone with her whirling ideas as the door closed behind him. In James' absence, the silence of the bookshop appeared to get louder. Her hands clutching the edge, she slumped back down at her desk and peered at the stack of unopened mail and legal papers.
She found much weight in James's enigmatic remarks as well as in the law firm's vague message. Her life had suddenly veered off course for which she was not ready, and she was left negotiating the unknown of her new reality.
Her phone buzzed once again as Emily started to go through the legal paperwork. On the screen, the message said "Meet me at 5 PM today. Unknown number. I know very vital information regarding your inheritance.
Emily's heart pounded. Who might this be? And what vital knowledge might possibly transform everything she believed she knew? Her mind whirling and her emotions tense, she realized she had to get responses fast.
Marking the seconds till she would have to face the future, the ticking of the antique clock on the wall seemed louder than ever.
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