Chapter 3

The night rain had washed away all the dirt and grime. The trees looked greener and the sky more blue. The sunrays were crisper and the breeze cooler.

Docking sector was the coastal part of the town and was noisy as always. Seagulls chattered among themselves, some stealing foods from unsuspecting victims. A cold breeze swept over Vaidehi's face. Her errant curls twirled with the wind as she waited for the cargo to be unloaded from the ship.

"I see 'tis all settled." A man spoke from behind her.

Putting on her brown wide-brimmed hat, Vaidehi turned on her heels to smile at the old, bellied man.

"Mr Hawthorne, yes. All thanks to you."

He laughed, for reasons unknown to mankind, his grey moustache fluttering with his breath. Then pressed his moustache with his index and thumb. "I'll be departing in an hour." He walked closer. "Would you like to have breakfast with us?"

"I would have loved to, Mr Hawthorne. However, I have a mountain of papers to be reviewed, signed and sealed back at my office. Some other time?"

"That would do." The man nodded. He pulled out a box from his bag. "Meanwhile, eat these. Cookies my grandson baked for you."

Vaidehi's brows shot up to the sky.

"Baking? How old is he again?"

"Old enough to be to take a liking to you. That won't tell much about his age, would it? I know people are taken by you, no matter their age."

Vaidehi's smile dimmed. Only if it was true. Only if people liked her.

"You speak too highly of me, kind sir." She composed herself quickly. "I believe it is less about me and more about the people. They see what they are in me."

"People! Ha! They are ghastly!" Mr Hawthorne exclaimed. "Wretched sewer bornes! You speak good of them, like you said, for you are good."

"I would counter your remarks, but then we would be caught in this endless cycle and you have places to be and a hefty breakfast to eat. Come, I will have Rob take you to our inn. It is a modest establishment, but I have received a good review about the services provided. Rob!" She called out. A lanky young boy, donning a black coat one size bigger, standing near the ship, turned around. She waved at him to come. "This is Rob, sir." She turned to Mr Hawthorne as he closed in. "He recently joined us. Works as an accountant. He is from Birskin as well."

"From Birskin, you said," Mr Hawthorne patted Rob's back as soon as he came within arm's distance. Confused, Rob laughed awkwardly. Vaidehi smiled at the two.

"Take him to our inn, please? I am leaving Mr Hawthorne in your care, Rob." Tucking a curl behind her ear, she continued, "I take your leave then. Pass my gratitude to Carl for his generosity." She tapped the box in her hands."I would love to meet him soon."

"He would be left daydreaming of you for days when I tell him this." Mr Hawthorne laughed, his belly bouncing.

Vaidehi chuckled. "Have a safe journey, sir. May the Goddess of Sea be kind to you."

Mr Hawthorne tipped his hat at her. Her smile dropped the moment she turned around. She was joined by Martha. "You have a meeting scheduled at the three in the afternoon."

"What is there in the news?"

"Nothing."

Vaidehi stopped in her tracks. "Nothing? Not even a single one?"

"No, not one newspaper."

"This is... surprising."

"It is, ma'am. Also, the meeting scheduled at three in the afternoon, with the Bronx enterprises, has been cancelled. They have requested the dates to be rescheduled."

"Oh, did they give a reason?"

"No, they did not, ma'am."

"Did they mention when they will be able to attend then?"

"No, ma'am."

"Alright." Vaidehi hummed, "What is my schedule for the next three days?"

Martha fished out a diary from her bag. "Packed. Tomorrow, you have three meetings, back to back. From eleven in the morning to three in the afternoon. Day after tomorrow, you have two meetings. One at eleven in the morning and second at four in the afternoon. On the day after, you have one meeting at four in the afternoon. But you have to travel for three hours to be there."

"At Kirk?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Write them asking if they will be available on 6th for dinner at around seven in the evening. We will see when things can be rescheduled."

"Yes ma'am."

They stopped in front of her carriage and Martha bowed. "I will oversee the operations and will return in an hour."

"That would be for the best. Thank you." Vaidehi smiled and curtsied. Getting inside the carriage, she gave Martha a last smile and ordered the coachman to start moving.

She placed her head on the window and took a deep breath in, salt air of the sea calming her, as the carriage paced through the planned yet cramped roads of the docking sector.

The sector was a planned area and had a vast expansion of 400 square kilometres. It was built in a semi-circular fashion with four concentric semi-circles called divisions. Vaidehi's carriage moved alongside the train carrying goods. They were in the heart of the sector, Dock division, the first division, with the largest surface area of 200 square kilometres among all the five divisions. There, loading, unloading and repairing of ships was done. Some ships prepared to sail and some unloaded their cargo.

Those cargos were then carried through carts and trains. They first passed a security point at the border of the Dock sector and were allowed to pass to the next division, Supply division, second division, where they were stored in warehouses and were further dispatched to their respective destinations. Near these warehouses, roughly 10-15 hospitals, 3 of them veterinary hospitals, were located. There were animal farms in the division which housed horses, mules, donkeys, turkeys, hens and many more.

The cargos were again loaded in trains or carts and they passed through the four security check points to make it outside of the Sector. The first checkpoint after the cargo was dispatched from the warehouse was the border of the Supply division.

It passed through it to enter the Residence division, the third and the second largest division, which had living quarters for the workers and other officials working in the sector. Along with this, the division had educational and training institutions for children and workers to be trained to work in the sector. At its border, another check point had to be crossed and then the cargos made it to the fourth division, Administrative division.

The administrative division had the headquarters, which overlooked the functioning of the dock and ensured smooth functioning. It had government establishments, such as: Patrolling headquarters that headed the different patrolling units in each division, military headquarters, rail management unit, as well as private establishments, like offices of various enterprises.

At its border, there was final check and the cargo was free to get out of the sector and be available in the commercial market. Outside the sector was a bustling market, ranging from blacksmiths to spice vendors.

Vaidehi sighed upon reaching the administrative division. She stifled a yawn as she reached her destination. Climbing out of the carriage, she straightened her white high neck.

A slanted 'HarbourCraft', sculpted with green marble, greeted her as she entered the gated premise of her office. The lush green garden decorated with white fountains and pink roses wrapped the office building. She was greeted with employees hunched down on their paperwork, barely paying her any mind as she walked across the hall and climbed the stairs to get to her cabin on the fourth floor.

"Good morning, Donna. What is going on?" She asked Donna, as she reached her cabin.

The blonde girl looked up from her files. "Good morning, ma'am. It is nothing, only that there are too many consignments coming in and going out this week."

"Oh." Vaidehi frowned. "Order some tea and fritters during tea time, everyone will be exhausted."

"Yes ma'am."

"Today's newspaper?"

"Already inside your cabin ma'am."

"Thank you, Donna."

"It is my pleasure, ma'am."

Vaidehi pushed the door open to her cabin. It was a spacious room, with creamy white walls paired with dark brown furniture. Facing the door there was one tall arched window, spanning from the ceiling to the mid of the wall. Beside it, there were two smaller windows on either side. Adjacent to it, an intricately carved mahogany rack was there with files, folders and other utilities in it. The wall on the right was adorned with books. On the rightmost corner, Vaidehi had made a modest temple for praying. Facing the bookshelves, Vaidehi's desk, made of rich rosewood and glass, was placed. The walls were creamy white, with pink flowers and green petals painted on them. A light green silk curtain was drawn over the window.

Pouring a glass of water for herself, Vaidehi glanced at the newspapers piled on the desk. It was a shock to her. Was she overthinking? Maybe the onlookers did not pay as much attention as she believed they did? Maybe she was the one who was scandalizing the events of yesterday because she had ill thoughts in her heart?

Vaidehi sighed, straightening her shirt and picking up lint from her brown pant. She walked to the window, parting the curtains, overlooking the garden behind the building. She opened the smaller windows, letting the winter air rush inside the room. Taking off her shoes, she stood in front of the temple. Folding her hands, she prayed. She then walked to the desk to sit down and start with her work. Hesitantly, she picked up a newspaper from the pile.

And her heart stopped beating for a minute.

Augustus' face was printed on the very first page of the newspaper.