The following day, Rita was at work when she got a call from Francis. Her heart raced, her thoughts going wild.
"Hello", she croaked.
"Miss Anderson... I have some news", Francis said.
"Go... Go on", Rita stuttered.
She didn't know what she'll do if they reported that Rodrigo was dead. There was no doubt about she would join a convent rather than getting married to a pig like Edmundo.
"The subject was sighted in a remote village on the outskirts of the country", he said.
"Are you sure about this?" Rita asked.
She couldn't afford her hopes to be raised again only to have them dashed. She loved Rodrigo too much to play with her heart.
"We're still looking but we're certain he's the one we saw" Francis said.
"Okay.. okay, I hope so. Please keep me posted the minute you get anything", Rita said.
"Will do", Francis said before cutting the call.
Rita relaxed back on her chair, toying with her pen. If it was certified that Rodrigo was the one seen, she would waste no time in flying to whatever village it was. For the first time since his disappearance, Rita was a bit relieved that they were making a headway.
Francis and his team of investigators wouldn't make a mistake about something as sensitive as this. They knew what their job entailed and giving false reports would lower their credibility.
"Ma'am, the investors from the flour mill are here for the meeting", Yasmin said.
Rita had forgotten all about her meeting with them. All her whole mind had been solely focused on finding Rodrigo.
The investors were one of the first phases of her expansion of the empire. She wanted to expand the empire's GDP which would cut across many facets and the flour mill was the first phase of the expansion project.
"Okay, please prepare the conference room. Tell them to give me five minutes, I'll be there shortly", Rita said.
"Okay ma'am", Yasmin said.
Rita brought out her notes were she had written important points. If she was to win the hearts of the investors, she had to be handy with the facts and figures concerning the expansion stage. These men were smart but she had to be smarter than them.
Rita walked towards the conference room with Yasmin in tow. There was a pang of pain in her heart because she knew if Rodrigo was here, he would have been the one to accompany her. She pushed the conference door open to be greeted by three men who stood up as a sign of respect.
"Gentlemen, please sit down. Thank you", Rita smiled politely.
The men took their seat, all facing her. Rita sat at the head of the table with Yasmin at her right hand side. Rita brought out her notes, skimming through were she had jotted some things.
"So, gentlemen let's begin", she said.
"I think the expansion project is feasible if we have the right materials to employ", a short portly man said.
"I believe so too but inorder to handle this effectively, all hands have to be on deck. Asides the materials we need to use, we should have adequate manpower to make this work", Rita said.
"I agree Miss Anderson but you must know that we can not bear the cost alone. We need to have a lot of backing financially", another man said.
"I understand what you mean and that's why the Anderson cooperation is committed to supporting this project with everything we might need", Rita said.
"But in the case where the company backs out during the expansion process, what then happens?",a huge man said.
"I can assure you that we wouldn't do that. We take our clients seriously and backing out at that stage would be disastrous for us. But in the case something like that happens, adequate compensation to the affected parties would be given", Rita said.
She couldn't believe how smart these men were. They wanted to know the pros and cons associated with working with them. She couldn't blame then though as the economy was tough and everyone was being careful on where and what they put their money on.
"Okay, that's much better", the short portly man said.
"I think we have an agreement then", Rita smiled.
"We sure do", the huge man said.
"Great, I'll have my assistant draw up the contract and send it to your offices so you can append your signatures", Rita said.
"Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you".
Rita rose to her feet and the men followed. She shook each of their hands before leaving the conference room. She was happy that it was successful as she had predicted. She didn't know what she'll do if it turned out to be a failure.
The investors were one of their biggest clients and having them to their side would no doubt be of great benefit to the empire.
When she got to the office, she relaxed on the couch sidelining her work chair. She wanted to relax a bit before resuming her work. For the past few days, she had been getting more and more tired. Her legs ached and the bones in her body seemed to weigh her down.
Just thrn, her phone gave a small beep indicating she had a call. The caller ID showed that it was Francis calling back.
"That fast", Rita said, picking the call.
"It's not the subject",he clipped.
Rita sat up so fast forgetting the pain she had on her lower back. Her head was spinning as she tried to process what Francis was saying.
"What do you mean he's not the one", Rita said.
Her temper was already rising and she tried her best not to transfer her aggression on him. After all, he was doing his best.
"One of my agents is currently at the location where he was sighted and I can assure you that it's not the subject we're looking for", he said.
"I.. I don't understand, I thought you said he looked like him", Rita stuttered.
"Looks can be deceiving ma'am and it seems like this one deceived use", Francis said.
"Okay... I... Gosh, okay please keep searching. I hope we find him", Rita said.
"We will", Francis said before cutting the call.
Rita threw her phone on the couch. Her joy at having successfully bagged the contract was halted by this news. She didn't understand why they hadn't found him after all these weeks. She was confused and beyond.
She had no idea in what to do and secretly hoped that miracle she had been expecting comes quickly. She didn't know how long she could hold on before the river bursts it's banks.
Rita knew that when the banks finally bursts, there was no telling the amount of pain she would pass through. Rita wasn't ready for that to happen yet.