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“We had another debacle at Medina.”
“What happened?” I ask while emailing the minutes to Peter’s assistant.
“The venue was flooded. The leak destroyed all the materials. We had to cancel catering and musicians for the opening,” Mark explains as he passes me his phone to show the photos.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time. In the last two months, we had another one. The truck was hijacked and stolen on the way to another location. Our clients aren’t happy, and to be honest, neither are we.” Robert rubs his face. “It’s inevitable we need to send someone to deal with this.”
“Have you called them, asked what’s going on?”
He nods somberly. “They want to quit working with us.”
“Why?” Perhaps this isn’t random, and they fear to suffer more losses. I understand the clients’ frustration and disappointment, though. If these situations persist, we might lose credibility, and it won’t be good for business.
“We don’t know. I’ll be traveling there to investigate the situation for myself and try to appease our clients. Maybe organize an event to compensate for their trouble. And I need you to come with me and help with the launch of new bookshops.”
The air in my chest freezes as I watch Mark stupefied.
His demeanor is serious, professional, but I’m way too aware what happened yesterday might have given him the wrong impression of me. I can’t let it happen. And us being alone isn’t going to solve this.
“You’re hesitating,” he grouses. “Is it your family? I can ask Peter to travel with me or anyone he can spare me, but I thought you might want to see how things work.”
“Oh, I would love to, but I can’t,” Peter pipes in, watching me amused. “You know I have a lot on my hands right now.”
Dammit, I’m the only logical choice. If I refuse, it’ll make me look unprofessional. If Mark has no problem dismissing our little endeavor, so can I.
“You’re right, it’s a great opportunity. Where are we traveling exactly?” Not ready to commit yet, I probe.
“We land in Zalim, and then drive to Medina. We should meet Aaron Moudi and take things from there.”
“And here’s your chance to work on that pale skin of yours.” Peter elbows me as Robert sniggers at him.
He was oddly silent during this meeting, and I wonder why.
“How long?” I turn to Mark.
“Five days. We’ll be back by Sunday.”
“All right then, I guess I should get ready and pack. When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow, early morning.” He dials Denise. “Please book our flights to Zalim and accommodations at Medina.” After he confirms the details, he disconnects. “If you could provide her with your passport information, she’ll be able to verify the flight.”
“Sure. Is that all?”
Mark looks up from his phone.
“I want to call my family and speak with my au pair about me leaving.”
“Go ahead.”
I turn around to leave.
“Cassandra.”
I stop upon hearing my name.
“Peter showed me your ideas for the Hidden in Shadows series. They look very promising. You should try to develop them.”
“Really?” I look at Peter, barely able to contain my joy.
