Lost & found: Where did Seb go?

Chapter 2: Tracking The Hugo's

"Come on, hon. You don't need to rush. Just pack your things today and start traveling tomorrow," Catherine said as she was trying to persuade her daughter to change her mind. Right after their approval, Lola surprisingly wanted to start packing her things and get ready to hit the road. "Mom, I'm fine, I can do this," Lola assured them. But her mother was still skeptical and gave her husband the help-me-persuade-your-daughter-look. Arthur, Lord White, walked closer to his wife to hug her. "Are you confident about this, hon?" Arthur asked while hugging his wife tighter and looking in Lola's direction as well. "I'm sure I am, Dad," Lola replied, smiling at both her parents to lessen their worries. "Look, this will be the only time for us to give this thing a chance to be used, aren't we?" Lola said while showing them her phone. "Promise us you won't lose contact okay? Call us and answer our calls, deal?" Catherine said. "Deal." Lola walked towards her parents. The three of them shared a warm hug.

It was ten o'clock when Lola took everything she packed to their parking lot. A couple of maids helped her carry the bags she had prepared. She uncovered a black-chic Honda Civic which her parents bought for her as a present just a few weeks ago. "Oh yeah? It's time to see how this baby works for me," Lola said excitingly while knocking on the car's roof using her knuckles. When the maids finished placing her things at the back of the car, Lola went inside the car and started the engine. Both Lord and Madame White stood at the entrance of Rotonda to watch Lola drive off to their residence area. Although they were smiling, Lola knew their worries for her. She felt it. She saw her mother leaning back to her father, wiping her tears off, through her car's rear mirrors.

Lola reached the letter which Sebastian gave her. She reread the address. It's miles away. It would take her 2 days, maximum land travel.

She had to take a couple of stopovers to rest and eat. She decided not to feel pressured, and avoid rushing to think more rationally. Lola's phone rang. She had to step on the brake pedal before answering her phone. It was her first time driving alone and it was a long drive, so she figured that she had to be extra careful.

"Mom? I left just a few hours ago," Lola said as she answered the call. "I know, hon. I'm just checking out on you. Is everything good?" Catherine replied. Lola finds her mom a lil' bit too much when it comes to her well-being. "I know, Mom. I'm doing great. I had to take a break on the road to answer your call. Everything is going as planned. I appreciate your call. Thanks," Lola said. It was obvious in Catherine's voice how worried she was about Lola. "Eat on time, okay? Spend as much as you can. And call us whenever you need anything," Catherine replied. "I will, Mom." The two bid goodbye and Lola drove her car.

She checked her route and asked some residents about the way just in case she misinterpreted the maps. For hours and hours, she chose to take out orders rather than dine in fast food restaurants. She only had to get out of her car for a restroom break. For the past few years, since Sebastian left, she had not found any way to reach out to him. She could not call him since she was not able to get his number. She also could not find him on every social media platform she knew of. It was a given, since they were trying to hide from all the creditors their father had a huge debt from.

It was almost nine in the evening when Lola decided to take a break and check in at a nearby hotel in the town she was currently in. She drove for eleven hours that day. She felt exhausted and car sick at the same time. She noticed being dizzy while driving. So, she figured that she needed to rest and call it a day.

The moment she saw the bed, she ran and hopped on and felt her body relaxed. Without her knowing, she fell sound asleep.

It was six o'clock in the morning when Lola woke up. She had her breakfast at the hotel's dining hall after taking a shower and proceeded to the front desk to pay the bill after spending the whole night. A receptionist took the key card and processed Lola's payment. But before heading off, Lola asked the receptionist about a post office near the area. Lola was just a town away to the City of Brent where she was heading to find Sebastian. Luckily, the staff knew a post office somewhere in the city of Brent and directed her some directions to follow. She thanked the staff and headed straight to the parking lot.

Before starting the engine, Lola called her parents to update them about her. They excitedly answered the phone and had a conversation for some time. Lola put the speaker on and set it up by attaching her phone to a phone holder just behind the steering wheel. She decided to continue talking to her Mom while driving. After a few minutes of driving, Lola noticed a familiar face and stepped on the brake pedal urgently. Unfortunately, a car behind bumped her car and had a minor collision.

"Oh my God, oh my God!" Lola hysterically said. "What's wrong, hon? What was that sound about?" Catherine worriedly asked. Lola decided not to tell her mother about it. She just assured her and said that she almost bumped into a stray dog. She excused herself and ended the call.

Someone was knocking on her car's window. She figured it was the other car's driver. She got out of her car and apologized to the other driver. "I'm sorry. I will pay for your car's repair," she said. She took her business card, the one their family lawyer had given for a time like that. The driver was angry and demanded her to pay five hundred thousand dollars in an instant. The two made a commotion that affected the traffic. Lola was confused and figured that it was not how she expected other people to react to such a minor collision. She was about to answer when someone entered the scene. "Excuse me, she already said she would pay for repairing your car. Five hundred thousand dollars is quite a lot for a minor collision," the stranger said. "I'm sorry, I ended up eavesdropping since you looked like someone who would demand a huge amount of money," he added. The driver got pissed and said, "f**k off!" and took the business card from Lola's hands.

The other party took off but Lola was left standing, staring at the guy who helped her. "Hey, Lola," he said. She jumped to hug him. "Cristian!" she exclaimed.