Proposal No. 18: Still Lost to Her Childhood Sweetheart

"Can we confirm that these are indeed the bodies of Matthew and Rosemary Mason?" the morgue attendant inquired of the young man standing before him. "Yes," the young man affirmed with a heavy heart. "Mr. Mason," another man called out as he entered the room. "There’s a social worker outside. She's here regarding Eunice."

The young man hurriedly exited to meet the social worker. "Good afternoon. I’m Izzy Parker, the social worker assigned to Miss Eunice Mason," she introduced herself.

"Good morning. I’m Christian Mason, Eunice’s uncle," he replied tersely. "The family records indicate that you are Eunice's sole remaining relative. I just needed to confirm this with you," the social worker stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Yes, that's correct. But where is Eunice?" Christian inquired urgently."I will be bringing Eunice on the day of the funeral, once you have set a date," she assured him.

"The funeral will take place in two days. Will I be able to see her then?" Christian pressed. "Yes, you will. You can take her home with you then" she confirmed. The social worker discussed further details with Christian before departing.

As Christian prepared to leave, his assistant called out to him. "Mr. Mason." Christian turned, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"The company's PR director wants to know if we should confirm the death of the chairman. The media have been inquiring," the assistant informed him, his voice strained.

"Announce it," Christian said flatly. "Also, state that the funeral will be in two days and request privacy, free from media disruptions." 

"Understood, sir," the assistant replied, quickly dialing the company's number to relay the message.

The rest of the day passed in a haze as news channels rapidly began broadcasting the tragic news of Matthew and Rosemary Mason's deaths.

According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred on River Road while the couple was on their way home. The truck that collided with them suffered brake failure, making it impossible to avoid the crash in such a short time. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Mason family during this difficult period," one of the news anchors reported, before Christian switched off the television in despair.

The day of the funeral arrived, just two days after the tragic deaths of Matthew and Rosemary. To those around him, it appeared that Christian had no intention of shedding tears.

Standing at the gravesite, Christian's heart pounded in his chest as he watched the caskets being lowered into the earth. The stark reality that his elder brother, Matthew, and his wife, Rosemary, were gone struck him with the force of a freight train. A shiver coursed through his body as he bid farewell to the most significant people in his life, knowing that nothing would ever be the same again.

Eunice, Matthew and Rosemary’s four-year-old daughter sat nearby, her round, hazel eyes stained with tears. Christian kneeled down beside her, trying to offer whatever little comfort he could manage.

“Hey, baby," he whispered, trying hard to attempt a smile. “Are you okay?" However, the child only stared at him, not answering his question.

Christian looked at the social worker behind her, puzzled. “The doctor said she had developed aphasia. Witnessing the accident must have really disturbed her”, the woman said with a grave voice. He sighed before replying, “Thank you very much." I’ll handle it from here." “I’ll be coming once a month to check on her for the next three months”, the social worker said before leaving.

As the mourners began to disperse, Christian couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility wash over him. He not only had to handle the company, but he’s now Eunice’s guardian and caregiver. “I need a nanny for this girl," he said after realizing that he knew nothing about childcare.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

“After reviewing the reports we received from your colleagues, and the evidence found on your work computer, we have found you guilty of sharing inside information about the company with outsiders. Therefore, you are terminated from work with immediate effect”, the head of HR announced coldly to Olivia.

“I don’t know anything about the inside information. Please investigate this properly. I did not send anything over to anybody”, Olivia cried as she heard the conclusion from HR. All of her pleas fell on deaf ears as she was asked to pack up and leave the company in no time.

Olivia’s mind kept bringing her back to that particular image in her head. The day she got fired from her job. Olivia sat at her small kitchen table, sipping her lukewarm coffee and staring blankly at the stack of unpaid bills in front of her. The water would be cut off tomorrow, and her landlord had promised to evict her if she didn't make a payment by the end of the week. It’s been more than five months since Olivia was fired from her job at Acquire Assets Co., and despite her constant trial, she couldn’t seem to catch a break.

The memory of that unfortunate day is still imprinted in her mind—the shame, anger and sense of betrayal that washed over her.

With a sigh, she pushed the bills aside and opened her laptop. She had applied to several jobs, but was always either waitlisted or just rejected. Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. It was her best friend Ruth. “Hey, Liv”, her usual cheerful voice sounded so… neutral.

Olivia hesitated, not sure how to answer her question. She didn't want to burden her with her problems anymore. “I’m trying to pull everything together, I will make do somehow”.

“Then, if you’re not employed yet, there is some good news!" The usual cheer in her voice resurfaced. “I just saw an ad for a nanny position at a wealthy family’s estate, and I immediately thought of you."

She raised her eyebrows for a while. “A Nanny? I’m not sure, Ruth. I don’t think I’m very qualified."

“But I think you are”, Ruth said firmly. “You are kind, responsible, patient and very good at kids. Besides, it’s a live-in position, you’ll get a room. It even says that if you serve as a maid, they will pay double. That way, you can earn some money, and have a roof over your head. This will do until you get back on your feet.

She thought about Ruth’s suggestion for a while, before agreeing with her. “Send me the details”.

Minutes later, a message popped up on Olivia's phone. ‘The person hiring is Christian Mason. Why does this name sound so familiar though?’, she thought to herself as she quickly applied for the job. A reply came in about thirty minutes later, asking her to come to the Mason house for an interview.

“Hey, Ruth. I’ve got an interview fixed for the next two days”, she sent a text to her friend to notify her that she had applied.

“Very good." Remember to wear warm clothes to the interview. That way you will feel more friendly and kind", Ruth advised before ending their conversation.

“Olivia Benjamin. This is your chance to start afresh, so you might as well start from the bottom. I hope I get this job at least”, Olivia whispered to herself as she picked up her phone to continue checking on places she applied to.

'The Chairman of Rock Technology dies in a ghastly accident, alongside his wife’, Olivia read on the news app. “Oh! That must have been painful for their family members”, she said as she closed the news.

Olivia dropped her phone to think about the direction of her life if she ever got the live-in nanny position. She opened her locker, sighing as she sighted the people in the locker.

“Everything will be alright, right? Mom, dad, I hope everything goes well."

Olivia opened her YouTube app to watch common questions nannies get asked and how to answer them.

The next day, Christian just arrived at work. The company’s gate was filled with reporters trying to get first hand news on the predicament of the family that the Chairman, Matthew and his wife, Rosemary left behind.

“Mr. Mason, can you tell us how you feel? Will you be resuming as the new chairman of the company? What will happen to your niece? Will you adopt your niece or send her to a facility?" These barrage of questions came from reporters who only cared about getting first hand news from Christian himself.

He managed to get inside the company and hurried to the elevator. “This is why I hate the media. They don’t have sentiments at all. All they care about is some hot news”, Christian expressed grimly as he got inside the elevator.

“Sir, reports came from the police about the truck driver”, his assistant stated. “The truck driver was indeed drunk driving.The brakes failed. They said it seemed very coincidental. The truck driver also succumbed to his injuries this morning”, he continued as he watched Christians' facial expressions. “An application also came for the position of live-in nanny. I’ve fixed the interview for tomorrow in the afternoon.