No Final Goodbye (Lord Of The Rings Fanfiction)

Chapter Four

~~O~~

A phone call woke Thea up on her first day of work. It was the first day of summer. She used to love the season. It was her favorite. Going to the beach, partying with friends, the list of outdoor activities was never-ending. For someone like her, she could almost do anything she ever wanted.

Until that incident happened. The day someone she loved dearly was no longer within her grasp to hold. It happened in summer, and Thea hated the season since then.

"Hello?" Rubbing her eyes, she answered the phone with a grumpy voice.

"Where the hell are you?!" A panic-stricken female voice was heard on the other line.

"Ugh... Nerissa." Thea immediately recognized the caller as she lay her head back on the pillow. "What do you want?"

"What do you mean what I want? You're father is worried sick!"

"He's not my father! He's my mom's second husband." Thea shot back.

"Fine. Whoever he is to you, he has been so worried because you're not answering his calls. He didn't even know where you are!"

Thea rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Then you can tell him to stop being such a stepdad."

"Thea, when are you going to treat him properly?"

"Probably never." She ended the call and shut her phone.

What a nice way to start the day.

She got off the bed and glanced at the window. She thought of Nerissa. Her childhood best friend who has always been caring for her. Thea grabbed her phone once again and sent her a message.

Hey, sorry if I sounded grumpy. I'm in Aldburg. I'll be working for the Forrester Group of Companies. It's my first day today. Talk to you soon. Wish me luck.

Whether Nerissa will disclose her whereabouts to her stepfather or not, she no longer care. Thea decided to live alone now, and there was no turning back.

There's no life back there for me. She said to herself.

~~O~~

Thea spent half of the day at work listening to Maylin Chen. Like a mentor, she guided Thea to all of the tasks she will be doing. She showed her the office and the desk she will be using. They entered a large room, decorated with flowers and old artifacts. Big windows with red curtains tied at the side could be seen on the right. Rays of sunlight shone down to the carpeted floor. Her desk was on the left side facing the windows. Large office table with a computer at the center, a printer on the left and two filing cabinets on the right.

"This is your desk." Maylin said. The tip of her fingers rested on the table. Then she pointed at the much larger table near them.

"That's Mrs. Forrester's desk. Make sure you report to her on time."

Thea nodded. "Yes, I will."

Something on the wall immediately caught her eye. Looking at it further, she felt herself mesmerized. It was a painting on a rectangular silver frame hanging on the wall just above Meryll's executive chair. A big elk could be seen in the background, as if looking at the painter. A little girl with black hair braided in two was standing in front of it. She was innocently looking at the man staring back at her. The man has long blond hair, with what Thea would thought as a crown atop on his head. His back was facing the painter so she could not see his face, but she can tell that he was looking down at the girl.

"It's beautiful." Words escaped from her lips unconsciously.

"Hm?" Maylin tilted her head then glanced at the direction she was looking at.

"Oh that? Yes, it truly is. Painted by Winterhalter." She added.

"Who are they? The people in the painting." Thea asked with curiosity.

"The little girl is Alexandria. Mr. and Mrs. Forrester's youngest daughter."

"Who's the man with the crown?" Thea turned to face Maylin.

"That..." Maylin paused. "That's an Elven King. According to stories, he's the last of the Elven Kings. Also the greatest."

Thea nodded her head slowly. "Huh... Interesting. How fascinating Winterhalter added fantasy to this painting. A little girl meeting a magical elf king."

"Well, others see it as fantasy. But who knows..." Maylin gave her a wink.

Thea did a last glance at the portrait before they leave. However, when they were about to exit the room, the phone on Meryll's desk rang. Maylin hurried towards the table to see who was calling. She paused upon seeing the caller ID.

"Thea, please answer this call. Tell him that Mrs. Forrester is currently on a meeting with the organizers for the upcoming fashion show. I'll be downstairs to check some deliveries. The tulips should have arrived by now."

"O-okay. I'll talk to him."

"Thanks. Wait for me at the lobby."

Maylin rushed to the door and disappeared from view. Thea looked at the caller ID, and read the name.

Oropherion? What kind of name is that?

She cleared her throat and picked up the phone.

"Lasting Impressions, good morning."

"Ms. Wynters." His voice was deep and full of authority. "Is my wife there?"

For a moment, Thea held her breath. She realized who was on the other line.

Oh my god, the CEO. Relax, Thea.

"Uh, Mr. Forrester, your wife is currently on a meeting for the fashion show. Is there an important message you want to say to her? I-I'll write it down." With shaking hands, Thea grabbed a pen and paper.

"Do not be nervous, Ms. Wynters. Just focus on the things that you need to do. Tell my wife I need her presence in my office at five this afternoon. We have an urgent matter to attend to." His voice remained calm, but the urgency of his request was clear.

"Got it, sir. I'll let her know as soon as the meeting is over."

"Very good. Le hannon. I will be meeting you soon." He hung up the phone.

Thea's brain did not function right after the conversation. She could not believe that was his voice. Gentle yet so authoritative. She felt like she was talking to an eighteenth-century king.

I wonder what he looks like.

She went to her table, turned on her computer and hit Google. She typed the company's name first. The search results left her in awe. The company's influence was global. There were offices in other countries as well. They participated in numerous charity events. But their main contributions was taking care of nature.

"Wow." Thea whispered. The list goes on and on.

She moved the mouse pointer at the CEO's name.

Randy Forrester.

However, she only found his profile. It was quite short for a man handling a large corporation. She typed his name on Google Search. But it was a dead end.

What?! No pictures of him?! How come?!

~~O~~

*I do not know who owns the image above. I just found it on Pinterest. Fascinating picture, isn't it? I give the credit to him/her.

Thank you for reading! :)