The Unwritten Chapter - LingOrm

THE LONG COUNT

Orm is currently travelling to Spain to take her first steps into company. She'll be attending a party next week with senior executives, industry experts, and business consultants for mentoring, as she will soon be in charge of their company.

Lingling was determined to find which city or province Orm is. She spent her days searching and even hired a search agent.

"Agent sook, it's been a week!" Lingling slammed her hand on the table, her frustration evident. "You've had a week to find her, and you've come up with nothing?"

Agent Santisook, who had been calmly reviewing his notes, looked up, his expression apologetic. "I understand your concern, miss Kwong. But I've been working on it. I've tried talking to people who might know her, but they didn't give us any useful information. She's just an ordinary person who has cut off contact with everyone. If she was in business, it would have been easier to find her because she would have more connections." He explained.

"So what are you suggesting? We just wait around until she decides to come back? What about the province of Valoria?" Lingling's voice was sharp with anger.

"Valoria was a dead end, Ms. Kwong." Sook said, his voice heavy with disappointment. "I arrived just in time to find out that she had already left"

The CEO's shoulder slumped.

"I couldn't get any specifics," Sook admitted. "She was very tight-lipped with the locals, and the only person who knew a little thing about her was an old woman who runs a small store."

Lingling ran a hand through her hair, frustration building.

"What about reaching out to the girl she was with in the photo?" He asked, his voice hesitant. "Maybe she knows something, or at least where Orm might be headed."

Lingling's face hardened, her jaw clenching. "I don't need her," she said, her voice cold. "She's out of this. All I want is Orm. Where she is, what she's doing, that's all that matters."

He looked at her, a flicker of concern in his eyes. "But Ms. Kwong, this girl might be the key to finding Orm. She could be a friend, someone who understands her."

"She was nothing to Orm," Lingling snapped. "Just a fleeting acquaintance, a passing face in a crowd. I don't need her interference. I need to find Orm, and I need to do it myself."

Lingling couldn't bring herself to contact View. In her mind, View and Orm are a couple. She was already annoyed with View, and contacting her felt like a bad idea. Lingling worried about her own capabilities that seeing View might lead to trouble, maybe even something bad happening to the girl. Even in this serious situation, Lingling couldn't shake off the green-eyed monster of jealousy eating away at her.

The agent sighed, knowing he wouldn't win this argument. "Alright, Ms. Kwong. But please, keep an open mind. Sometimes, the most unexpected connections can lead to the answers we're looking for."

Lingling didn't respond, her gaze fixed on a photograph of Orm on her desk. The image was a faded snapshot, a reminder of a love she desperately wanted to reclaim. Sook knew he had to tread carefully. He sensed this was a sensitive subject for the CEO, and he wanted to respect her pain.

Lingling struggled to stay engaged in the afternoon meeting. Despite the presenter's efforts, her thoughts wandered, unable to focus on the discussion at hand.

A minute later, The secretary tiptoed into the meeting room, her voice hushed as she informed her boss, "Ms. Kwong there's a phone call for you."

Glancing briefly at the presenter in front, Lingling turns her attention back to her secretary and whispers, "Is it an urgent call? I'm currently in a meeting. Please inform the caller that I will return the call later."

"But It's Mr. Santisook on the line, ma'am." the secretary added.

Lingling let out a weary sigh and excused herself from the meeting, her secretary following closely behind.

Inside her office, She dialed Mr. Santisook number, "Agent Sook I'm busy right now, you can call back later." And was about to put back the telephone when the other line spoke, "I've located Ms. Orm. Let's meet in person so I can provide you all the details." He said.

A relieved smile broke out on the CEO's face. She informed her secretary that she couldn't return to the meeting due to an urgent errand.
She then immediately went out of her office to meet with her Agent.

The exclusive coffee shop, reserved solely for business professionals, welcomed her arrival. She spotted her agent already seated at a table and made her way over.

Agent Sook got up from his seat when he saw the CEO and gave a welcome bow before handing her an envelope.

Lingling wasted no time and opened the envelope. The envelope holds information about Orm Kornnaphat, including where she's been and some important details. The first page shows her travels. Orm took a year off to explore different countries, going on solo adventures. There are pictures of her enjoying herself as a tourist in each place she visited. The second page tells about Orm's trip to her late father's province. She went to see his grave and stayed there for almost two months.

A slow, knowing smile played on Lingling's lips as she devoured the contents of the page. She traced Orm's pictures through her fingertips as her heart is feeling light. Until she came across a sentence that made her smile fade. The words on the page, stark and undeniable, revealed that Orm had spent nearly two months in Valoria province, not alone, but with View Benyapa in the beach house that was rented by Orm. Fury welled up inside her, her fingers tightening around the envelope until it crumpled in her grasp.

The Search Agent gulps hard, anticipating the CEO's reaction, waited patiently for her anger to subside. He then presented her with another envelope, knowing the sensitive information within could provoke a strong response. He had prepared multiple copies of the same data, anticipating the possibility of such an outburst. The CEO, unable to contain her frustration, crumpled the printed files before fully absorbing the contents.

Lingling glanced at the table, noticing another envelope. "What's this?"

"It's the same information," the Search Agent explained. "I knew you might get upset, so I brought two copies. Please make sure you read everything on the pages." He said.

With a frown, Lingling proceeded to read the pages she hasn't read yet. The document mentioned that Orm had just recently traveled to spain, just a week prior, and her upcoming attendance at a corporate party two days hence where Lingling herself also a prominent figure in the business world, has been invited to the same event. As the new heir to their business, Orm's presence is expected.

Her lips twitched into a mischievous grin. After a year, she'll finally be able to see Orm again, a moment she's been waiting for. Her smile is so infectious that even the agent, despite the CEO's somber mood, can't help but smile back.

Instead of going back to work, Lingling went home to relax in a bath. Later that evening, she drove to her best friend's bar. Ying was surprised to see her friend beaming, a rare sight for her. "Ling, are you okay? Your smile was so big, I could see it even from a distance."

She twirls in her chair and moves closer to Ying's face, "I found Orm." She then moves away.

Ying's smile vanished, replaced by a serious look. "R-really? How?"

Lingling then told Ying all about how she'd found Orm by hiring a search agent. And orm is currently in Spain. She also shared the reason behind her smiles is that she will be attending the same corporate party with the younger woman.

Ying, overcome with emotion, finally received news about her cousin after a year of silence. "I can't believe she didn't reach out for so long," she exclaimed, her voice laced with a mixture of relief and frustration. "I'm going to give her a smack on the head when I see her." She said jokingly.

Lingling's eyes narrowed, and she sent a warning glare towards her. "Don't even think about it." she said firmly, making ying raised both of her arms in defeat.