With her hands stretched above her head, Julia, who spent all her night surfing through the internet only to crash on the couch a few hours to dawn, yawned widely as she slowly opened her eyes. For the next few seconds, she allowed her gaze to adjust to the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. "What? 9 am, damn! I already missed my class." She groaned, throwing her head backwards in frustration, wishing she had obeyed Niko's instruction the previous night. With a shrug, she rose from the couch then began to grope towards the kitchen. After making a quick cup of coffee, she returned to the table then pulled the laptop to herself. "He still hasn't replied to my email." Shs muttered, scrolling through her unread emails. Thanks to her persistence, she got in touch with a botanist who had promised to do his research and get back to her. "Let me call Niko." Shs mumbled, reaching out for her phone. Picking it up, she saw a series of missed calls and unread messages from Ni
That evening, after recovering the money from the fake botanist, Niko found his way to the mansion where Adam and Julia were waiting for him. "Here, I made sure he paid every dime he collected," Niko said, stamping a brown envelope before Julia. "You shouldn't have gone that far. Moreover, money is not an issue." She shrugged, running her fingers on the envelope. "I don't blame you. You have everything at your beck and call, that's why it's not an issue for you." Turning in Adam's direction, he asked, "What's the next step?" He asked. "While we were at Anderson's office, he made a couple of phone calls so he was able to link us with a botanist in Japan. He is going to welcome us at the airport when we arrive. Also, I processed our tickets, and our flight is scheduled for 10 am tomorrow." He replied and after a while, tossed an envelope on the table. Half an hour later, Julia was left to herself. After spending another half an hour staring into space, she groped her way to her ro
The following day, just as he had said, Rashford and his team arrived at the hotel and together, they set out in search of the flower. While Rashford and his team went a separate way, Julia and Raymond's friends went another. On their return that evening from looking around all the gardens and making inquiries from the locals, they were exhausted. "We go again tomorrow." Rashford said. He too was disappointed they couldn't find the flower. Doctor Anderson had told him the urgency of the situation and since he owed him a favor, he wanted to help in every way he could. "Yeah," Niko replied and after seeing them off, he returned to the suite to join Julia and Adam. Immediately after he walked it, Adam tossed his phone on the table and with a large scowl said, "The media are at it again. These guys derive joy in spreading false news." He groaned whilst Julia wrapped her hands across her chest with a large scowl on her face — The caption of the news had gotten into her. "JULIA BROOKS,
The following day, while Julia was having breakfast, Rashford called informing her of his arrival. Immediately he hung up, she left the table and then went to fetch Niko and Adam who were still in their rooms. "Niko." She called, hitting her fists against his closed door. "Are we going out this morning? Thought you said we will move at night." He grumbled from behind closed doors. "Rashford called. He is in the hallway." "Why did he call?" He asked. "Are you coming or not?" Julia asked with a frustrated tone. When she didn't get a response from him, she moved to Adam's room. After repeating the same procedure with Adam who was just waking up, she had no choice but to go see Rashford on her own. "I'm out." She yelled as she headed for the door. Several minutes later, she was standing opposite Rashford. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting." She apologized, pushing her hair behind her ears. "No problem. Your friends, where are they?" He asked. "They are… they are tired, so…"
Immediately Niko caught sight of Julia and Mr. Lee, he drew the attention of the others as he climbed out of the car. "You found it?" He asked with a glint in his eyes. "Yes." Came Julia's response. She was still wearing the smile that had been on her face since Mr. Lee handed the box. "Perfect." "Finally." Adam sighed in relief. It wasn't as if he was tired of searching for Raymond's cure but because of his family which he left back at home. "Thank you so much for your help, we appreciate it," Rashford said, stretching his hand for a handshake which Mr. Lee accepted. They were already heading back to the hotel when Niko suddenly groaned, causing everyone to look in his direction. "What's it?" Adam asked with a raised brow. "We didn't pay for the flowers." He said. "You're right. Since it's rare and used to prepare drugs for rare diseases, the management always gives out the flower freely. Before that, they will have to confirm the claims." Rashford explained. "Docto
On reaching there, they met Niko sitting on the island table with his hand under his chin. He was gazing back at them with a sullen look. "What…" Just then, Julia's eyes caught sight of the water on the floor and broken pieces of glass. "The flowers?" She asked with a trembling voice. "Flowers? I'm sorry, I was trying to…" he was still speaking when Julia fainted. Thanks to Adam who was right behind her he was able to lay her gently on the floor instead of letting her fall face first. "Did she really faint?" Niko asked while Adam tried to resuscitate her. "Stop asking stupid questions." Adam scoffed. After a few minutes, Julia's eyes flickered open and Adam helped her sit, resting her back against the cold wall. "You're alright?" Niko asked, towering above her with his hands on his hips. "Stop asking stupid questions." Adam scowled. He was angry because all their efforts were wasted. "The flowers… where are they?" Shs asked weakly. "I tossed them into the bin. Why ar
While waiting for her flight time, Julia decided to use the opportunity to explore the city of Tokyo. She decided to indulge herself in this so she could get her mind off the negative thoughts that were floating around her head. Thirty minutes before her flight was due, she made a U-turn to the airport. Thanks to the mild traffic on the highway, she got to the airport late but fortunately for her, she was allowed onboard. It was as if Mr. Brooks was watching from wherever he was because immediately she tightened her seatbelt, his call came through. Smirking, she receives his call without delay. "I just got on board." She announced. "Okay. I will be at the airport to pick you up. Safe flight." "Yeah, thanks." She replied after which she hung up. Having nothing to do nor anyone to speak with, she propped herself on her seat in readiness to get some sleep. The flight was trouble-free for her because, by the time she opened her eyes, the plane had landed on the airstrip and w
As for Niko and Adam, the moment they checked out of the airport, they flagged down a cab to take them to the hospital. Unfortunately, due to the reconstruction of the highway, they had to spend an hour and a half on the road. When Doctor Anderson got to know about their arrival, he called the pharmacists to the hospital as they awaited their arrival. It was already past five pm when they finally arrived at the hospital and after exchanging warm greetings with Doctor Anderson who was awaiting them at the entrance of the building they headed inside the building to meet the pharmacists. Just as they were about to enter the elevator, Doctor Anderson halted them. "The flowers, where are they?" He asked, alternating his gaze from Niko to Adam and then back to Niko. It was at this point that Niko remembered he had forgotten to carry the box from the taxi they had boarded. "The taxi." He gasped, covering his mouth with both palms while Doctor Anderson and Adam stared back at him. S