Chapter 5

• ** ** Eight Years Later ** **
• And just like that, the storm wasn’t the end—it was the beginning of her most beautiful chapter.
• Melanie Cooper; the stunning Chief Executive Officer of BioCrest Technologies GmbH had just alighted at the Zurich Airport (ZRH) Zurich, Switzerland; her journey here was most certainly not for pleasure but rather for Business, but who says you can’t have both?
• It was her first time in Switzerland and she already had a feeling that there was not going to be a dull moment. Maybe this is where she finally finds whatever that had been missing in her life.
• “Alright Mia, would you hold on to this little bag for mommy?” Melanie asked as she grabbed the two bags from the baggage claim area.
• She had been advised against taking a commercial flight but Melanie has insisted on flying First Class with a commercial airline.
• Getting no response from her little girl, Melanie turned around and was shocked to find no one by her side. Her heart took a leap as she immediately did a 360 spin in search of her daughter.
• Mia had been standing by her side just a minute ago, how did she go missing?
• “Mia?” Melanie called loudly, immediately feeling her blood go cold.
• Mia was missing? The thought flashed across her mind and her heart skipped even more.
• Melanie rushed to the closest person to her, a man who seemed to be in a hurry to leave. “Excuse me, please did you see the little girl with me?” she asked immediately.
• The man shook his head in the negative. “No, I don’t think I saw anyone, Ma’am.” He responded politely, strolling off immediately.
• Dropping her bag there on the floor with no single care in the world, Melanie immediately turned to retrace her steps to the point of clearance. How could Mia be missing just on arrival in Switzerland?
• Her heart pounds, each beat an urgent, frantic thud, as though it’s desperately trying to escape her chest. She can feel the pressure building in her ribs, her lungs constricted, as though an invisible hand is squeezing the air out of her.
• The more she tries to inhale, the harder it becomes—air feels thick, almost suffocating. She feels as if the walls around her are closing in, the room shrinking with every passing second, her vision starts to blur, edges becoming fuzzy, as if she’s looking through a fogged window.
• “Mia! Where are you, child?” She screamed. The fact that she was not just a notable figure but a member of the elite class did not matter to her right now, all she cared about was finding her child.
• “Ma’am, can I help you, Ma’am?” one of the airport security asked as he hurried towards her but Melanie completely ignored him, or perhaps she didn’t even notice him.
• She felt like she was about to have another episode, she was about to suffer another panic attack, as usual triggered by paranoia; the fear of losing her daughter.
• The strange faces in the crowd, the sounds around her, all seem distant, muffled, like she's submerged underwater, with the constant hum of her heartbeat drowning out everything else.
• Her mouth goes dry, and her tongue feels heavy, thick in her mouth. A cold sweat breaks out across her forehead, pooling in the small of her back, dripping down the sides of her neck. Her hands are clammy, shaking uncontrollably, as though they have a mind of their own.
• “Have you seen my child?” she loudly asks anyone who cares to pay attention, tears forming in her eyes.
• “Please, you need to calm down, Ma’am. We can help you find your child…”
• She barely caught everything the security man said as she took to her heels, her eyes dashing everywhere at the same time, unable to focus.
• She might have grown into a strong woman but that wasn’t with matters concerning the safety of her child. Mia was what mattered the most to her in life, she wouldn’t survive a day without her daughter.
• “Please come back to mommy,” Melanie cried in her thoughts while fighting the physical tears. She was trying not to make a scene in the airport, even though she felt like screaming out to whoever cared to listen.
• “Mommy!” that little angelic voice suddenly called out, sending relief flowing through Melanie’s nerves.
• She paused with her run and turned to her left immediately to see an airport security lady walking hurriedly towards her with her little girl in hand.
• “Mia!” Melanie half-yelled as she immediately ran to her and hugged her. “I was looking all over for you!” she scolded, unconsciously ignoring the lady who had brought her child to her and the guy who had been trying to catch up with her in the past minute.
• “I am sorry Mommy, I went to use the bathroom.” Mia replied, wearing an apologetic face.
• “Don’t ever disappear like that again!” Melanie hugged her firmly as she wiped off her tears.
• It was only then that she looked up to the airport staff. “Forgive my manners, thank you so much for bringing her.” She said in appreciation.
• “It is alright Ma’am, you might just want to hold on to her a bit tighter. This one is a runner and we are having a busy day at the airport today.” She advised.
• Melanie chuckled amidst emotions. “Thank you so much.” She said one more time, the fear of losing her daughter slowly dissipating.
• If Mia hadn’t showed up right about when she did, Melanie feared one of her episodes would have been inevitable, such a terrible way to start her day in Switzerland.