The Sphere

Epilogue:

"Hey Julia, I'm glad things worked out like this. Sam filled you in on everything, right? I had a feeling it was just a big misunderstanding from the start," I told Julia over Skype about what went down between her and Sam. I was so relieved when I found out that Sam was resolving his business issues with the authorities.

"Okay, Marina. I'll try to calm down like you said," replied Julia.

"Ha! Now we're talking! Don't worry, alright? Stop overthinking."

"Thanks, Marina. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm sorry for always burdening you with my problems. We'll talk later, okay? But I promise, it won't be about all this stuff anymore."

"Alright, no worries!"

"Bye, Marina!" Julia waved goodbye.

"Phew! What a relief!" I said to myself as soon as we hung up.

"Hey Marina, let's take a break," Michelle called out to me in a soft voice. She emerged from the kitchen holding two bowls of monk beans and durian puddings.

"Wow, this tastes amazing!" I said after taking my first bite. The flavour of the durian is absolutely delicious!

"Well, look who's the chef!" Michelle grinned with pride.

"Where on earth did you get the durian, Michelle?"

"I can't tell you. I'll take you there when I have the time," she answered, making it sounds like it was a mysterious place.

"However you want it, Michelle," I shook my head and continued eating.

Once I finished my meal, I sat back at my table and decided to check my Facebook updates. I took my time to reply to each direct message that had been sent to me earlier. Had it not for my long conversation with Julia, I would have replied to all of them right away. Most of these messages were from Hey's staff, wishing me good luck. I replied to each one and thanked them for the Barbara Walters memoir they had gifted me before I left for California.

Yes, I accepted Diana Sinclair's job offer and made the move to California. Today is my seventh day here. I informed Diana and Lataya's management about my arrival, and they want me to start working next week. I had really thought it through before coming here and made the decision to leave my previous job behind for the sake of my career. Well, kind of. There's actually one thing that's still unresolved...

"A question of love," Michelle interrupted out of nowhere.

"Huh?!" My head turned fast on her, wondering just how did this woman know exactly what was in my mind.

"What?" She asked me, confused with the look I gave her.

"Did you ask anything to me just now?"

"Not that I can recall. Why?"

"I thought I heard you talking to me just now," I frowned.

"Ahh that! No it wasn't to you. I was just reading the headlines in this latest Hey."

"What? It's already out? Give me that!"

Michelle handed the magazine to me.

"This edition is about love?" I blurted out, feeling a bit perplexed as it seemed quite out of place. Besides, it wasn't even Valentine's month! Suddenly, Daniel's face popped into my mind, and without wasting a moment, I swiftly sent him a message on Facebook.

-Hi! I'm reading Hey's latest issue.

I stood there for a few minutes, waiting for his reply, but none came. As I shifted my attention to Michelle, an unexpected sound caught my ear. Ping! It was the familiar sound of a Facebook notification.