5. How do you know the Devil?

The others who had seen Lara's interaction with Emily were stunned. They were staring with utter disbelief.

When she came out, all of them went around her and Sarah asked," How do you know ":The Devil" Lara?"

""The Devil"??" Lara asked in confusion..

"The woman whom you were speaking with. How do you know her?", Sarah explained.

" I do not know her actually. I have just met her once before", she replied still looking confused about what was so surprising.

Why did they call her "The Devil" ?? She was such a sweet woman...

" Why is she known as the devil ? She felt like a sweet and caring person to me.", she asked curiously.

"She is also as cold or even more cold than boss. She is known to be very fierce. But it was the first time we saw her smiling when she spoke with you.", Marina replied.

"Oh", Lara exclaimed in surprise. She was about to say something but was interrupted.

" Miss Lara ?", one of Emily's bodyguards asked.

"That's me.", Lara replied.

"Madam Emily asked me to deliver this to you Miss.", the guard said and placed a package in Lara's hands.

She looked at the package for a brief second before replying, "Thank you and please express my thanks to ma'am."

The man nodded his head in reply before walking away.

Lara and the others were just staring at the package in her hand. It was slightly heavy and the outline made it look like a lunch box.

"This.... Looks like a lunch box??", Lara exclaimed in surprise.

The others looked from Lara tp the lunch box in her hands.

"It actually does... Do you want to open it now??", Louis asked her.

"Sure", Lara replied with a nod. She walked over to her table, followed by the curious others. She placed the package on the table and opened it.

"Wow!!", Ryan gasped in surprise while looking at the contents of the package.

There were a few boxes with transparent lids and a small thermos flask. Each box contained one item. There was fish fingers with sauce, vegetable salad with mayo dressing, meat steak with barbeque sauce, pasta covered in cream sauce, herb rice with a mixed vegetable curry, a fruit salad and a caramel pudding.

Lara took the flask and opened its lid. She brought the flask close to her nose and smelled it curiously. Her eyes widened in shock the second the fragrance from the flask reached her nostrils.

"Da Hong-pao tea...", she muttered in disbelief.

"What kind of tea is that??", Marina asked curiously.

Lara closed the lid of flak before replying. "Da Hong-pao tea is the most expensive tea in the world. It is known from its rare flavour and amazing health benefits....", Lara replied in a daze.

Lara knew so much about the tea because she was fortunate to taste the tea when she was in China. She liked it so much that she emptied her savings and brought some tea and stored it.

The others immediately pulled their phones out and started searching on the internet. Then there was a series of shocked gasps from each one of them after seeing the price.

"Hey Lara!! There is a note.", Sarah exclaimed and handed her the piece of folded paper. Lara unfolded the paper and held it in such a way that all of them could have a look at it.

' Dear Lara,

I hope you are healthy. This is a small gift that I am giving you on my grandson's behalf. All the food is made at home by the best chefs with healthy ingredients. I wasn't aware of your taste and so, have sent you a variety of dishes. Please have them and take good care of yourself. And do not forget to drink the tea, for it has many health benefits and will help replenish your energy. Thank you, once again.

Emily Page.'

The note was written in neat cursive hand writing. Everyone was just staring in a daze.

They couldn't believe that the person they called "The Devil" actually thanked somebody.

"Where exactly did you two meet??", George asked curiously.

"In a hospital.", Lara replied with a thoughtful expression.

There was only silence after that.

"Let's share during lunch time.", Lara said and successfully broke the silence.

"But these are all meant for you. How can we...", Marina said. The others also nodded their heads in agreement. This was given specifically to her for her to eat. How could they eat it?

"I can't eat all of this on my own and getting a little less nutrients is not going to kill me. So, I am sharing my lunch with everyone and I won't take no as an answer.", Lara replied. The others just smiled.