The Periodic Table of Unfortunate Events

Episode 5

Lithium under standard conditions, it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element.

"Ma..." She whined. "I don't want to go."

Her mother sent her a horrified look. "No."

"But--"

"From the moment you came home, all you did was work, eat and sleep!" Her mother turned to her father for help. "Amado, talk to your daughter!"

"If she doesn't want go to the anniversary party, let her be," her father shrug it off.

"See!" She points her spoon at her father. "Even papa agrees!"

"Iveanna Reinne Lacson," her mother boomed her full name.

Oh oh, she thought with her breakfast frozen mid air.

"Did I hear someone say, Iveanne?"

She saw her brother by the door which makes her mother turn and run to hug him. Thank god, she silently thank her brother.

"Hey, ma," she rolled her eyes when she saw her brother hug their mother first. He is always a mama's boy. "Hey, pa."

"Adrian," her father greeted him.

"Ivy!" She took a big bite of her toast before her brother crush her with a hug from behind.

She let out a loud groan when her back hits the metal frame of the chair. "Let go of me, dimwit."

"Ivy!" Her mother scolded her. "Don't curse in front of the food. This." She made hand gestures towards her. "This. This is the reason why nobody wants to date her."

That wasn't even a curse, she thought. "Ma," she sigh and look at her papa for help.

"Grace," her father address her mother. "Just let her."

"What did I miss?" Her brother asked, taking a seat beside her.

"The usual," she mumble, taking a sip of her warm chocolate drink.

"Adrian," their mother sat in front of her. "Where's your fiancée?"

"With her family," Adrian replied while reaching the pancakes.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the camp?" Her father asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Mmm..." He took a big bite of his pancakes. "I took a leave knowing my sister is home. What happened to plain old rice?"

"I happen." She replied finishing her breakfast.

"Will Drei be at the anniversary?" Her mother asked her brother.

She saw his brother nod and thank the heavens their mother didn't pester them anymore. She quietly stand up and dispose her plate on the kitchen counter and sigh. Her mother keeps on telling and nagging her to attend the anniversary party of their farm but she knows her mother is thinking of something different other than mingle with friends. For her mother, its that rare opportunity to let her friend's sons meet her one and only daughter. She hates being on the spotlight and being arranged.

"Ivy!" Adrian calls her sister when her phone on the table kept on ringing.

"What?" She emerge from the kitchen while wiping her hands.

He points to her phone. "Your phone is ringing."

She quickly grab her phone and saw that its an international call. Who would be calling her at this hour?

"Hello?" She asked going to her room.

"Miss Lacson?" She stop at the middle of the stairs when she heard that baritone voice. She snap from her thought. "Who is this?"

"Its Hayden Sarmento." Sarmento? Where have I heard that name. Oh, right. The CEO.

"Good morning," she quickly replace her words. "Oh, evening or afternoon."

"Its evening." She can heard laughter in his words.

"Oh." She quietly ponder why her boss is calling her so late. "How can I help you, sir?"

He can sense confusion on her tone as to why he called her. "Miss Lacson, I was just wondering when will you be back."

"Why?"

Haydrn took a sip of his beer. "There are some files here that needed your approval."

She remembered those files he was talking about. She had a heated argument with Drew about that. "Yeah, I remember."

"We need those files by next week or we will loose half of the operation."

She nods but she remembered that she was on the phone. "Yes, I understand. Don't worry, sir, the papers will be ready."

He mentally slap himself for using those papers as a reason to talk to her. "Very well then. Good night, Miss Lacson."

"Good morning to you, sir." She ended the call before she can correct him.

Morning? She might be on the other side of the world to have that big time gap. Hayden glance at his phone. Odd. Usually, he was always the first one to drop a call. I guess there's a first in everything? He asked himself and took a big gulp of his beer. Next week, that's ten days from now, he thought. He sigh. What is he doing? He glance at his Mac and tried reading some files. A sudden ping on his inbox caught his attention.

He opened the message and read that it was from Miss Lacson.

From: ivy.reinne@gmail.com

To: Hayden Sarmento, CEO of Energy Group

Subject: Laboratory files

Good day, sir. Here are the files you've requested.

He opened the attachment she sent and saw each file signed and ready to be printed. Instead of replying her via email, he decided to call her instead. Anticipation is eating him when on the third ring she didn't answer.

"Hello?" She picked up after the fifth ring.

"Miss Lacson."

"Oh," she sat up from her bed and glance at the caller ID. "I've already sent the files, sir."

She stared at her screen before dashing down the stairs and screamed. "Ma!"

She landed at the last step and head to the kitchen hoping that her mother is in there. "Ma! Ma!"

"Miss Ivy?"

She glance and only see Mae in the kitchen. "Where's mama?"

"In your Father's study..." She didn't let Mae finish and dash the stairs two steps a time. She took a deep breath and knock on her Father's door.

"Come in."

She opened the door to reveal her father alone in the room working on a wooden boat that she brought for him. "Where's ma?"

"At the farm. Why?"

"I have to talk to her." She dash to her room and grab her phone and quickly dialed her secretary's number.