"Sorry ma'am. I was dusting them out." Celine lied.
"Well, you don't have to dust that out. It's too old. just throw them away." Joana said.
Celine needs those papers. There is strong evidence to support whatever her father was investigating. And the fact that she found them while deep cleaning the office suggests that her father was trying to hide them somewhere at one point.
"I said drop them and face your work. It's AM already." Joana said again when Celine was being sluggish.
Early that morning. Celine, instead of taking a nap immediately, carried the hair relaxer report she had tucked into her bag the previous day to Dr Richard. He's a toxicologist at her former university nearby.
"Celine Johnson. To what do I owe this unannounced surprise this morning?" Dr Richard asked.
Celine had visited the lab with her Dad when she was very much younger. Dr Richard is a very close friend of her father, plus he's helped her once in school when she fainted in the lecture room due to the chemical toxicity that was coming out from the lab.
"I would like you to help me check something real quick," Celine muttered.
"Don't worry you don't have to ask. I'll help you with it." He said nicely.
"Thank you so much, sir. It's a long story, but I saw these chemical reports in my workplace, so I decided to bring them to you because I can't really understand the context." Celine said after handing over the papers to him.
"I did this report myself," Richard said.
"Your father came in here with a bunch of chemicals, and I tested them. Some were Good but some were not." He continued.
"I know I'm asking for a lot but can you please help me check what this actually means. I mean the report of this particular chemical." Celine asked politely.
"This chemical is very dangerous… it affects the body slowly. Your father was worried about it, but… You shouldn't get involved." Dr Richard said.
"Waw…waw….." Celine said in disappointment and in disbelief.
"Sorry, dear, any problem? Richard asked.
"No, sir, I….I…am okay."Celine stammered.
"I am so sorry if I'm asking a lot of questions, but what kind of cancer can this harmful chemical cause," Celine asked in suspense.
"It's harmful most especially to women. But I don't know the kind of cancer it may lead to." Richard lied, which Celine knows fully well that he did, because there is no way a lab specialist wouldn't know the causes of chemicals.
"Okay, I will leave now, thank you so much," Celine said. She took the report and put it back into her bag.
"Be careful." Dr Richard said when Celine was about to leave.
"Sorry? Celine said.
"Be careful. I don't think your father wants you to do this." He said and turned to the other side to continue what he was doing.
Celine became surprised. Also, she can't start asking Dr Richard for other information. At this point, she can't trust anybody, not even Mr Wilfred, Miss Sinclair, or Dr. Richard.
She's going to find those missing papers Joana made her throw away.
That night, before going to work, she visited her mother in the hospital. When coming out she saw Mr Wilfred in Dr Thompson's office.
"Hi, doctor. I just wanted to say thank you for how you've treated my mum so far." Celine let herself in when she saw both of them together in the office with the door slightly open.
"No need Celine, that's what I'm paid to do." Dr Thompson said, giving a fake smile.
"Celine Johnson, aren't you ready for work yet?" Mr Wilfred asked.
"I'm heading there now. I was hoping we could talk." Celine said.
"I'm also going to the office. I can drive you while we talk." Wilfred said, bringing out his car key.
"You didn't tell me my father worked here," Celine said when she gathered enough courage to speak on their way to the company.
"Wait…your father worked here?" Mr Wilfred asked.
"Oh my goodness, cut the pretense already. You know exactly what I'm talking about." Celine said devastated.
Wilfred has not seen her this angry and anxious before.
"Like I said, I don't know who your father is. Maybe if you tell me his name you'll get the answers you're looking for." Wilfred said.
"Fredrick Johnson. That's his name." Celine's voice cracked a little bit as she mentioned her father's name.
On hearing Fredrick's name. Wilfred gripped. He was shocked. He already knew that Celine was up to something, but he couldn't believe that she was Mr Johnson's daughter.
"Mr Johnson worked in Herbal Luxe a long time ago. He was usually with my father, not as a friend but as a co-worker," Wilfred said.
"A co-worker? Did I just hear you say a co-worker, your father was the CEO, and my father was just a...a what? What was my father's job here anyway? Celine asked to check whether Wilfred knows as much as she thinks.
"Fredrick Johnson was a lab scientist," Wilfred answered.
"At a point, he submitted a resignation letter. Why? Celine asked again.
"Is this an interrogation? Did you call me to ask questions about Mr Fredrick, whom I'm just finding out today is your father?" Wilfred said raising his voice while driving.
"My surname is Johnson, so you should know," Celine said weeping and shouting at the same time.
"I was a teenager at that time. My father didn't tell me so much about anything that has to do with the company. I only know Fredrick Johnson because he was always at our house." Wilfred said.
"Oh my goodness. That means they both plan something in secret since you said they are not friends." Celine said this time, calmed and gentle.
"Well, I don't know if they were really friends. But I'm not sure because my father used to invite his friends over during my birthdays, but he hasn't invited him." Wilfred added.
"Are you sure you want to go to work. I mean we could go somewhere else." He said.
"Do you know who the company's garbage collector is? Celine asked.
"We only have two garbage collectors, one at the factory and one at the administrative center," Wilfred answered.
"Well, I need to get to the one at the factory center as soon as possible." Celine pleaded.
"What do you need a garbage collector for. And why do you think I know who he is and where he lives?" Mr Wilfred said.
"You're the CEO. You can make inquiries if you want to." Celine muttered.
"I'll do that by calling Joana. But before that, I think you should get some food before going to work." Wilfred said and made a turn to pack at a nearby restaurant.
While they were buying food, Celine saw the garbage collector from yesterday picking up garbage at the restaurant.
"I'll be right back," she said to Mr Wilfred, while she chased after the garbage collector who was about to enter his truck.
"Hey, child. Why are you running? Any problem? The old man asked.
"Sorry if I'm being weird, but I want to know where you kept the garbage from the factory yesterday." Celine pleaded.
"I took some to the dump site and some to the recycling center." He answered suspiciously.
"Why are you asking?" He said again.
"The files I trashed that day. How do I get it?" She asked.
"Oh does files. Joana took them. I don't know what she's doing with those old books anyway." The garbage collector said.
Celine froze. She became dumbfounded. Why does Joana need those files? What is she doing with it?