The Rumours Between Us

Different Worlds

The headquarters of Sinclair Holdings stood in the heart of Ashford City's financial district, rising high above the surrounding buildings in glass and steel. Isabella paused for a brief moment outside the entrance, smoothing an imaginary crease from her blouse before taking a steadying breath.

She had visited grand hotels, museums and charity venues before, but corporate headquarters felt different. Everyone who walked through the revolving doors seemed to know exactly where they were going. She adjusted the strap of her handbag, reminding herself that she belonged there just as much as anyone else.

The lobby was elegant. Soft lighting reflected off polished marble floors, while quiet conversations blended with the gentle hum of computers behind the reception desk.

A young receptionist looked up with a welcoming smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Isabella replied. "I'm here for the literacy outreach planning meeting."

"May I have your name, please?"

"Isabella Moretti."

The receptionist checked the schedule before nodding.

"You're expected. Conference Room Four."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, Isabella reached the fourth floor and followed the signs until she found the conference room.

Mrs. Henderson noticed her immediately and smiled. "Good morning, Isabella."

"Good morning. I hope I'm not late."

"You aren't," she assured her before guiding Isabella toward an empty seat. "You'll be sitting here."

Isabella looked around the room. Meeting folders, notepads, and neatly folded name cards were arranged at every place around the table. People from different organisations had already started arriving. Some represented schools, others libraries, while a few belonged to community groups that worked with children across Ashford City.

At the far end of the table sat Ethan Sinclair. He was reading through a proposal with quiet concentration, occasionally making a note in the margin before turning another page.

Ethan looked up as Isabella took her seat. Recognition flickered across his face for the briefest moment before he inclined his head politely. She returned the gesture and sat down.

Once everyone had arrived, Mrs. Henderson stood.

"Thank you all for coming. As most of you know, the success of last week's charity gala has made it possible for us to expand our literacy programme beyond what we originally planned."

She spoke for several minutes, outlining the foundation's goals before inviting everyone to contribute ideas.

The discussion began smoothly. Suggestions came from every corner of the room.

"We should organise annual reading competitions."

"What about inviting authors to schools?"

"We could partner with local radio stations."

"Book donation drives."

"Weekend reading clubs."

Each proposal was carefully considered. Some were practical.

Throughout the meeting, Ethan spoke very little. Isabella had expected him to dominate the discussion. Instead, he spent most of the meeting listening.

Eventually, one of the representatives leaned forward.

"I think every participating community should receive exactly the same collection of books."

Several people nodded.

"It keeps everything fair." Another agreed. "And it would certainly make distribution easier."

Mrs. Henderson made a note. Before she could move on, Ethan spoke.

"Miss Moretti."

The unexpected sound of her name drew every pair of eyes toward her.

She looked up. "Yes?"

"As a children's librarian, what do you think? Would that approach work?"

For a second, Isabella wished the entire room wasn't looking at her.

Then she remembered the children at the library.

"No," she answered honestly.

Silence settled over the room.

She continued. "Children don't all fall in love with the same stories."

Several people exchanged curious glances. She folded her hands together.

"A child who loves football probably won't choose the same book as one who's fascinated by space. Some children enjoy mysteries. Others like animals, fairy tales or dinosaurs."

A faint smile touched Mrs. Henderson's lips.

"If we send every community the exact same books, we'll reach some children..." She paused.

"...but we'll lose others. The goal isn't simply to give children books, it's to help them discover stories they'll actually want to read."

The room remained quiet. Ethan looked at her. "Explain."

"In the library, I rarely recommend a book before asking a child what they already enjoy," Isabella continued. "Once they find one story they genuinely connect with, reading stops feeling like homework." She smiled slightly. "It becomes something they look forward to."

Mrs. Henderson slowly lowered her pen. Several people around the table nodded.

Ethan glanced down at the proposal before closing it. "Then we'll organise the collections differently."

He looked around the room. "Each community will receive books based on the interests and age groups of the children they're serving." He turned to the secretary seated beside him. "Please make that amendment."

The secretary nodded and wrote it down immediately. The conversation continued, moving from budgets and volunteer schedules to transport and book donations. Isabella contributed where she could, listening far more than she spoke.

When the meeting finally ended, chairs slid back and conversations resumed as people gathered their belongings.

Mrs. Henderson remained behind to answer a few final questions from one of the school representatives.

Isabella quietly packed her notebook, proposal and stationery before saying her goodbyes.

By the time she reached the lift, she was already thinking about the changes they'd discussed.

She never noticed the slim brown reading journal still resting beneath her chair.

Back inside the conference room, the last of the attendees filtered out while Mrs. Henderson remained behind with two committee members, discussing a few final details.

Ethan was about to leave when something lying near one of the chairs caught his eye.

"Mrs. Henderson." She turned. "Someone seems to have left this behind."

She walked over and picked up the small brown notebook. "There's no name on it."

Hoping to identify the owner, she opened the first page. Instead of a name, she found a single sentence written in neat handwriting.

People may forget your words, but they will always remember the kindness you showed them.

A faint smile touched her lips. "Still no name."

"I'm sure the owner will come looking for it," Ethan said.

Mrs. Henderson nodded, slipping the notebook into her folder. "I'll make sure it finds its way back to its owner."

"Thank you." With that, Ethan picked up his folder, exchanged a brief goodbye with Mrs. Henderson and left the conference room.