The Concealed Secret

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

As Ruby entered his office, he noticed a white envelope sitting on his enormous desk that sat in the center of the room. His curiosity piqued, he approached the envelope and called for his secretary.

"Ella, who left this letter here?" he called out, his voice echoing through the office. In a twinkling of an eye, Ella rushed into the office.

"It was from Mrs. Ava's daughter, Miss Amelia," she replied. "She said I should give it to you."

At the mention of Miss Amelia, A cold tight knot formed in his gut. "Did she come here herself?" he asked urgently.

"No she didn't," Ella replied. "She just sent the letter."

"Ok, you can go" He said and Ella left.

He got churned with anxiety as he sat down at his desk to begin to open the envelope. He even forgot to take off his suit jacket as he usually did. He was not afraid of what the letter might contain, but rather anxious to hear from Miss Amelia after so long. Although she was now his business partner, she had not been in contact with him since his father's death.

The letter reads:

"Dear Mr. Ruby Smith,

I am writing to offer my condolences on the passing of your father. I know you may have been wondering why I haven't been in touch since I became your partner, and I apologize for that. I've been very busy with my own business, but I promise to visit soon and thank you for your continued support. I appreciate the monthly share of the company profits you have been sending.

Thanks

Miss Amelia Williams

As Ruby read the letter, he felt a sense of both relief and disappointment. He was glad to finally have an explanation for why Miss Amelia had not been in touch, but he was disappointed that she had not included her address. He had been hoping to meet with her in person to discuss his plans for the company and also to be sure she is not the Amy he knows. But without her contact information, that would be impossible. He was left with a feeling of uncertainty and frustration.

Amelia, however, did not find Ruby's name familiar. She had no idea that Ruby had recognized her name as similar to that of his ex-girlfriend, because Ruby had changed his last name after graduating from school. He had decided to honor his father by changing his last name from "Miller" to "Smith," his father's first name.

"Ella" he called, and his secretary rushed into his office. "Who did you say dropped this letter?" he asked.

"A young lady, sir," she replied. "She said she was Miss Amelia's personal assistant."

"Did you get her contact information?" he asked.

"No, sir," Ella said, looking flustered. "I'm sorry, It didn't occur to me to do that. I just collected the letter from her and brought it to your desk."

"Ella," he called sternly, "you know better than this, you are supposed to get her contact".

"But sir..." Ella tried to explain, but he cut her off. "Just go," he said tersely. "And close the door behind you."

Ella hurried out of the room, looking confused and hurt. Ruby breathed out to calm himself and started to realize he had acted out of line. He knew he needed not to be so harsh with her but the thought of meeting Miss Amelia had gotten him worked up, and he had taken it out on the wrong person. He felt guilty, but he was not ready to apologize for that.

"Hang on," Ruby said to nobody but himself, hitting his forehead. "I'm being so stupid. Amelia's address should be in the partnership agreement she signed with my father, along with her phone number. And if not, the company lawyer should have a copy of the agreement with her contact information."

He jumped up from his desk and hurried over to the safe in the corner of the office. His father had always kept important documents there, so it seemed like the most likely place to find what he was looking for. He threw open the heavy door and began to search through the stacks of paper. Finally, he spotted an old brown envelope in the back. His heart leaped in his chest as he pulled it out and set it down on the floor. Carefully, he opened it and began to scan the contents.

But to his disappointment, the only document inside was the partnership agreement between his father and Mrs. Ava Williams, her original partner before she passed away. Ruby became frustrated. Was it possible that his father had never signed a new agreement with Amelia or was it not kept in the safe?

He scratched his head in frustration, his mind racing. How could this be? It didn't make any sense that there was no trace of the agreement with Amelia, especially since she was a partner with his father, Mr. Miller Smith before he passed away.

He quickly dialed Barrister Emma's number. "Hey, this is Ruby," he said, his voice rushed and anxious. "Do you have a copy of the partnership agreement between my father and Amelia Williams?"

"Good morning, Mr. Ruby," the lawyer replied, sounding slightly surprised at the unexpected phone call.

"Oh, pardon my manners, Good morning Barrister" he said slowly.

"Oh, no need to apologize," the lawyer replied. "I understand your urgency.

"To my knowledge, your father never signed a new agreement with Miss Amelia Williams," he said carefully. "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering how to contact her. We don't have her contact and address in this company even as a partner".

"Mr Ruby, I understand your concern," said the lawyer, "but I don't think you need to worry too much. We will surely find a way to reach her. "

"I know, she even sent a letter this morning," Ruby said slowly.

"Oh wow, that should be good news," Barrister Emma said.

"But she didn't include her contact information," Ruby replied,his voice filled with disappointment.

"Did she at least mention why she hasn't been in touch since you took over the company from your father?" Barrister Emma asked.

Ruby sighed. "She did mention that," he said. "She said she's been busy with her business but why wouldn't my father have an agreement with her?"

"Your father and Mrs. Ava had a verbal agreement," Barrister Emma said, "But there's no documentation of it in the company records. On the day Mrs Ava was hospitalized, she called him and said she was dying and wanted to make her final wishes known. It was at that time that she told your father she was passing her share of the company on to her daughter, Amelia. Amelia only visited the company once after her mother's death."

"But Mr. Ruby," the lawyer said again, "if you have the address where Mrs. Ava was living, wouldn't it be worth checking to see if her daughter, Amelia, is still living there?"

Ruby paused, considering the lawyer's words. He hadn't thought of that before. Was it possible that Amelia was still living at the address listed on the partnership agreement?