Not once he managed to contact her, not through the phone call and not even through the message. He did check her Instagram account but she did not update a thing.

Where could she be? What was she doing until she had to switch off her phone all the time?

He rubbed his forehead. He was getting a headache worrying over Ryn. He tried to ask Mei Li but this time, that manager girl refused to say anything. She only said Ryn was alright and would be back the day after tomorrow.

"Where are you, Ryn?" he murmured.

He was still thinking about Ryn when someone rang the bell of his suite. He looked at it with a scowl. Who was it to disturb his daydreaming?

He went to open the door and frowned at the manager when the man standing at the door, preparing to press the bell again. The manager gulped. He even his s.h.i.+rt a bit to make it easier to breathe. Why was it so cold here? Colder than the air-cond?

"What do you want?"

"I… Boss, I have contacted the mayor's office. Our appointment at 4.00 pm in his office," the manager reported.

Jeremy looked at his watch and nodded.  Then, he c.o.c.ked an eyebrow when it seemed like the manager refused to move. "Do you have anything else to tell me?"

The manager gulped nervously. His hands were shaking and he tried to hide them behind his back.

Jeremy was starting to lose his temper.

"Boss, do you want me to remind you again half an hour before we leave?" the manager asked nervously. He was worried that his boss would oversleep and miss the appointment.

"Hmm…" and this time, once Jeremy gave his agreement, he closed the door. He did not even wait to tell the manager to leave or anything.

He went back to the huge bed and lied on it. His eyes stared up at the ceiling.

"It's not like you running away from me again, are you, Ryn?" he murmured. He had enough of her running away two years ago, disappeared from his life and he could not find her anywhere. Now, when he finally found her, he would not let her slip away from his grasp, ever again.

Almost automatically his hand reached for the phone on the nightstand and stared at it blankly. Would she switch it on now? Would she answer if he called?

He dropped the phone to his left side and groaned loudly as he covered his upper face with his right hand. He could not stop worrying over this when he should be worried about the project. This project was important in order to put his company at the same level as his father's sub-company.

Although he could be considered a very successful businessman with four types of business under his belt; construction, investment, jewellery and fas.h.i.+on, but he was still not on the same level as his father who managed to have sub-companies all over the world.

He needed to focus on his company right now. He could go see her the day after tomorrow. Didn't Mei Li say Ryn would be back that day?

"Stop worrying, Jeremy. She is already a big girl. She can take care of herself," he told himself, scolding his mind that kept fretting over her safety.

He reached back his phone to set it an hour before the meeting. Just enough to get ready and have lunch before leaving for the mayor's office.

Right on time, once the alarm from his phone rang loudly, he went to fresh himself before reaching for the phone to order lunch. He read what he wanted loudly from the menu provided by the hotel. But, looking at the menu reminded him of Ryn. 

Did she eat right? Did she skip any meal? 

She was already skinny. He did not want her to lose more weight.

Even when the food arrived and he ate them, he was still worrying about Ryn. Was the food good enough for her? What if she did not get her favourite steak? 

He sighed and gathered the dishes once he was done to put them on the tray outside his room. He then went back into the bathroom to brush his teeth and check his appearance once again. He could not look like an idol right now but a serious businessman.

The manager already booked a car to bring them to the mayor's office. He glanced through the rear mirror and gulped nervously when he saw his boss was crossing his arms with a scowl on his face.

Where was the smiling idol? He could not recognize the man behind him as the famous idol who has so many female fans. Where was the cheerful smile? Where was the considerate man?

He remembered how excited his little sister was when she knew he was going to work under Jeremy Long but after a month, he realized the sad reality that the Jeremy they saw on the television and the Jeremy he was working with were two different people, completely different. Any time one of the workers was below the par, not reaching the level he decided upon, they would get punishment. Of course, there was the first warning but after that, they had to accept if their wage was deducted.

So far, he had never made any mistake on his work. But this project, this huge project that was supposed to help him get a promotion faced a challenge. And it was not a small problem but a huge one. The project might even cancel under his watch!

He could only cry in his heart at his misfortune. 

Please, don't let anything bad happen to this project or he will die a miserable death.

*~*~*~*

The days went away so quickly. Ryn spent the time at the island either diving with the gang or walking down the beach alone. When she was strolling slowly on the white sandy beach, Andy or any other youths did not accompany her. They knew she came here to clear her mind and they gave her all the time she needed. And she was thankful for it.

She bent down and took the white conch. With a gentle smile, she placed it near her cheek and let the coldness penetrate her skin. Then, she put it down where she got it before she continued her walk.

The island was not that big and the islanders not even reach more than 3000 people. Some of the youths decided to work in the big city but still kept the connection with their friends. That was why even though Andy lived in the island, he was able to make the man who risked Ryn's safety disappeared from the earth.

Some of the elders recognized her, especially at the fresh market when she needed to buy grocery. They laughed when she grumbled about the meat's price but still bought a lot to make her favourite steaks. Some of the kind-hearted elder women reminded her to eat more vegetables for the sake of her own health but she shook her head quickly with a horror look on her face, which made them all laughed even louder. Even Andy who accompanied her laughed his heart out. He and the rest of the gang were still unable to understand the reason behind why their Catherine hated vegetables so much.

But, despite taking humour over her hatred of vegetables, he helped to prepare whatever she needed. He did not try to slide vegetable into any of the food. Even if he had vegetables for the meal, he put it right in front clear for everyone to see, and to decide whether to eat it. Of course, most of the time, the vegetables turned into missiles for their food fight.

Of course, the others were happy to have meats. They usually ate seafood they caught themselves to save the money. With Ryn here, they could have red meat almost all the time and they savoured each moment when chewing it. It was a pleasure. No wonder Ryn loved steak so much. They loved to eat steak too now, learning from Ryn like good students they were.

After an hour strolling the beach, Ryn returned to her little cottage. Sweat was wetting her face, neck and back but she kept the big smile on her face. She had a little tan now, spending so many hours under the sun and forgot to put on the sunblock. She shrugged it off when Andy and the rest laughed seeing her darkening skin. 

There goes her white skin.

But her face was still clear of any pimple despite not having any special face routine when she woke up or before she went to sleep.

But she did not care about the changes in her skin. All she cared of was to have each day fully spent relaxing.