Chapter Fifty Seven

Thea pushed the door to the cafe open , her eyes scanning the room. She had received a call from Daisy, telling her that Clara was in her cafe and she refuses to leave unless Thea comes to see her.

Her eyes finally settled on a woman with a pixie cut, eyes buried in her cup of coffee clearly deep in thought. She was sitting in a corner, swirling the spoon inside her coffee mindlessly. Thea sighed,

Why the hell does Clara look like she's lost a whole lot of weight within this short period of time? Thea walked closer.

Clara looked up, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw Thea.

“Ms Thea!” She called, getting out of her seat , eyes scanning Thea in disbelief. It felt like a dream! She never thought she would get the chance to see her ever again!

Thea smiled and walked closer to her.

“Clara. It's so nice to see you again." Thea offered.

Goodness, she could remember the day she hired Clara, fresh out of college and nervous as hell. She was under qualified but somehow, Thea still wanted her to work for her instead.

And she didn't disappoint. Now everyone wants to hire Clara, calling her the golden child's secret weapon.

“Ms Thea!” Clara whined, her eyes welled up instantly. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Thea stood there, shocked and confused. Why in Neptune is Clara crying?

“Whats wrong? Are you okay?”

"I’m so glad you're okay! I was worried sick when you were disowned and Ms Posy handed me the documents where you transferred your shares to her and stated her as your replacement.”

Thea arched a questioning eyebrow, she didn't sign anything but then it came rushing back in. She was tippy, clearly out of it when Posy handed her a document to sign. She had forgotten all about that!

One more thing to use against that cunny witch!

“I've been trying to reach you! I tried your old number so many times, but it seems you changed it. I was so worried!" Clara wailed, drawing the attention of customers to their table.

Thea hurried forward, placing a gentle hand on Clara's arm.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Clara. I'm here now. And I'm not angry. Not at all." She spoke softly, trying to calm the distressed woman. "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner. A lot has happened."

Clara nods, wiping her tears. “I know a lot has happened! After that video and Mr Runes claims…I understand Ms Thea. I should be the one to apologise. I thought it was your wish that Posy take over from you but the Ms Thea i know would never have someone so incompetent take over. I should apologise for not realising this sooner. I'm so sorry, Ms Thea..”

Thea smiles and steps even closer, giving Clara a hug and trying to calm her down. “It's okay. I'm here now. That's all that matters..”

Clara nods and Thea steps away. They both settled in their seats with Clara sniffling and wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

“Ms Posy is just terrible! She's going to run the company into the ground! That 'Visionary Ventures' contract? It's a disaster. She signed off on clauses that will put Balmero Industries deep in debt. Her decision-making skills have been so bad. She doesn't listen to anyone. She just wants to prove herself, but she's ruining everything your father worked for!"

Thea leaned back in her seat, she knew Posy wasn't that business savvy but this? It sounds like she's been doing a horrible job, taking her place..

"I had a feeling things weren't going well," Thea admitted, her voice serious.

It wasn't a feeling, she knew Posy didn't have the skill set to run a company and she was right.

Clara nodded. “Terrible. I couldn't deal with it anymore so I resigned! It was then I recalled you had a friend, Ms Daisy. I wasn't sure you'd still keep in touch with her but I tried my luck.”

Thea smiled. “And I'm glad you did. You resigned. What are you going to do now?”

Clara looked at her, her eyes full of a desperate hope. "The question is, what are you going to do now, Ms Thea? You love doing business and you're good at negotiating terms too. You must be working on something.”

Thea chuckled. “Woah, you know me so well.”

Clara smiled. “Of course I do. You're the only one who took a risk on me. I know you better than most people..”

Thea nodded. “You're right. I'm working on something. A new project, actually."

Clara moves closer, leaning in with excitement in her eyes. “What is it?”

“It's the very project my father had shut down. I wrote a whole pitch about it too if you remember."

Clara goes silent and then she nods as she recalls the pitch in question. “I remember. You told me to keep the idea in your idea pocket! You were going to pitch it to him again after your wedding.”

Thea nodded. “Yes. I'm going to Zean business school to learn that aspect of business. It's a new venture and they have all the information I need. And you know some benefits come with being a Zean's alumni.”

Clara's face lit up. " Yes! That's brilliant! It's a fantastic project!"

Thea smiles. “It is. I have all the resources I need. I just need to finish my course at Zean and use the benefits I was talking about.”

”I'll help you!” Clara blurted out..

“What?”

“I want to work for you again. I owe you my life! You took a chance on me when no one else wanted to. I'm willing to do anything to help you succeed. And I mean anything."

Thea opens her mouth but words seem to fail her. “I…Clara…”

"And not just me," Clara rushed on, her voice eager. "There are others. Posy fired so many good people you hired. I can reach out to them. The old research team, the design specialists… they'd all work for you. They were devastated when they learnt you got fired. I'm sure they would love to work for you again, Ms Thea."

“Clara, you don't seem to understand what I'm saying. I don’t…”

“That's brilliant!” Daisy cuts in as she approaches them, wiping her hands on her apron. She had clearly overheard the last part of their conversation. Her face broke into a wide grin.

“She finally has a whole team to herself. And you can use my cafe too as a work space! Plenty of tables, free coffee, good vibes."

She winked at Thea. "I might have to charge a small f*e for me to keep the customers out though.”

Thea glanced from Daisy to Clara, are these two even listening to her at all?!

Clara claps her hands. "That would be perfect! We don't need a huge space to operate as a company! And the ambiance here is very work friendly. It's perfect, Ms Daisy."

And just like that, the duo started a company for Thea without her consent.