The Cat's Tail
Chapter 43: Unshackled

Chapter 43: Unshackled

A while had passed since Callisto left the convenience store.

A white car just stopped beside the road and out came Adela.

Once she was fully out of her vehicle, her gaze was fixed on the entrance of the convenience store in front of her.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Both out of nervousness and anticipation. But there was also a flare of determination in her eyes.

Adela took a deep breath and finally took the first step forward.

. . .

Inside the convenience store, Hugo and Patricia were entertaining the customers when Pat was immediately drawn by Adela’s presence as she entered the establishment.

"Woah..."

Despite the awe expression she was making upon gazing at the brunette, Patricia took notice of how Adela seemed to be on the search of something.

Or someone?

Something about the beautiful woman was also giving off some kind of a familiar feeling. Patricia just couldn’t figure out exactly what it was.

Nevertheless, Patricia greeted Adela, her customer service expertise radiating off her words and her bright smile.

"Welcome! Are you looking for something?"

Adela heard the girl’s greeting and she greeted her back with a polite smile.

"Excuse me..."

"Ah..."

Patricia’s breath was caught in her throat. She could feel her heart being tugged by that smile.

It was nothing but a simple gesture. And yet, it was almost as if a metal was being pulled by a magnet towards it.

A very potent spell that makes one feel drawn strongly towards the source. And that source was Adela.

For a moment, Patricia felt fear. She felt powerless before the magnetic pull of what seemed like a simple gesture on the surface.

But at the same time, looking at the woman, she wasn’t giving off any hostility either.

Patricia couldn’t remember exactly when, but she was certain that the same thing happened once before.

One thing she was only sure of, was that same instance happened not too long ago.

"... Do you have a coworker named Callisto Mandjet," Adela continued. "I want to talk to her if possible."

Hugo overheard Adela’s query and request. As soon as he was done tending to one customer’s purchases, he stepped beside Patricia in the counter.

"Good day, Ma’am," he greeted politely, looking at her with a sense of familiarity as if he had already seen her before. "May I ask for your name first?"

A soft chuckle escaped Adela’s mouth before shooting a smile at Hugo, which made him recoil slightly. Hugo kept a composed demeanor as he listened to the brunette speak.

"You’re right," she replied, apologizing for her mistake."If you want to talk with someone, you need to introduce yourself first. Allow me to introduce myself, then. My name is—"

"Adela?"

A woman’s voice abruptly cut off Adela’s speech.

Adela turned to the direction of the voice and found a familiar figure.

"Selly," she uttered.

A playful smirk played on the convenience store owner’s lips. "Ho? No longer addressing me with senior?"

"It’s been a while."

"Yeah. It’s been a while."

The two women exchanged hugs with one another.

Seeing the friendly interaction between the two, Hugo opted to let their boss take care of the brunette’s concerns.

He patted Pat by the shoulder, gesturing at her to return her attention to her post.

Selly pulled back slightly, her gaze studying Adela.

The last time they saw each other was way back when it was a day before Leona’s burial. Back then, Adela’s expression were as dark and cold as midnight. Her pain and inability to accept reality were as clear as the empty night sky.

Adela was clad in big shackles, forced to drag them along despite how heavy they were.

But now, that pain and denial was no longer there.

She was free of her shackles. She was in peace.

A tender expression was etched on Selly’s face, her gaze fixed on her friend. "I’m glad to see you doing well now."

"I’m glad to see you well, too."

Adela let out a small smile before averting her gaze from Selly. She looked around before her gaze returned to the store owner.

"My daughter works here, right?" She asked. "Is she here?"

Selly shook her head at her friend’s query. "Callisto left just now. She said she’s visiting Raymond at his work."

"I see."

Adela’s smile fell, a glint of disappointment in her eyes.

"Callisto left a while ago," Selly added, hoping the information she shared was helpful. "She probably arrived just now at the hospital."

Upon receiving the information, a renewed determination flared in Adela’s heart. "Thank you, Selly. I’m gonna go now. Let’s talk again later."

"Sure thing. I’m looking forward to it, Adela."

With that, Selly watched Adela leave the convenience store.

Throughout that entire conversation, Patricia was listening from the background.

The brunette’s name piqued her interest. "That beautiful woman’s name is Adela?"

Selly turned her attention to her female employee. "That’s right. What’s the matter?"

"Well, I was just wondering..."

When Patricia learned about Callisto, particularly her last name, Mandjet, she got curious about her.

Patricia would hear the name Mandjet in the news whenever she caught her parents watching from their family TV.

Raymond Mandjet owned the Mandjet Medical Center (MMD). A great man born from the district of Silangan who started helping the sick from a small clinic to spreading his kindness around the world.

Patricia’s parents and family would always talk about him, about how kind he was, especially to the elderly, whenever his name was mentioned on the TV.

Adela Mandjet owned the White Lotus Trading Co. A woman whose beauty was none like the other, took over her parents’ business and made it even more successful thanks to her great leadership skills and incredible knowledge in business.

Patricia’s cousin would always talk about how she wanted to become like Adela and own a successful business like her one day.

The name Mandjet was stuck in Patricia’s mind, but she didn’t care much for it.

But then, she heard the same name again. Not from the TV or from her family. Rather, from her boss.

As much as she liked talking, especially about stories, Patricia wouldn’t dare pry about someone’s life.

And so, she kept her suspicion about Callisto being related to Raymond and Adela Mandjet to herself.

But then, Adela’s visit just now sparked her curiosity anew. An opportunity to get the answer just laid itself before her.

"Was she the Adela Mandjet from the TV? Her husband is Raymond Mandjet, the owner of the MMC and their daughter is Callisto Mandjet?"

Hugo heard Patricia’s query and stood behind her, looking at Selly as he awaited answer just like his coworker.

"Yes," Selly answered brazenly, but that single word was more than enough for Patricia to gasp in surprise.

"I thought so," Patricia said. "After all, Mandjet is such a unique name and this is their hometown. No wonder her smile was familiar."

"Took you long enough to realize, huh."

Hugo’s comment drew Patricia’s attention towards him.

"Huh? Did you know?"

"From the moment I learned Callisto’s full name."

"Why didn’t you say anything? And you, too, Boss."

"If Callisto wanted to talk about herself and her family, she would’ve done so from the beginning."

Selly silently agreed with Hugo’s words before looking at Patricia. "I get that they are a big deal, but that doesn’t make them any less like us. So unless Callisto herself decided she wanted to talk about it, I’d appreciate it if we can just let her be and be her friends. After all, we are the first few people she get to interact with after being in bed for years."

"Yes. I understand."

Selly smiled softly as she nodded at Patricia’s understanding.

"Honestly, I’m surprised about you more than Callisto’s identity," Hugo interjected. "We thought you’d come asking Callisto about herself as soon as Boss mentioned her name."

Pat gave her coworker a surprised stare. "Huh? Josephine and Shino knew as well?"

"That’s what you get for being a bookworm with a weird taste."

"Huh?! Fanservices aren’t weird! They are necessary for the plot!"

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