Without hiccups, Sam and the others entered the room carrying their gifts.
Their eyes shone in excitement for the Secret Atlanta. And when Kin entered last, they finally could start with the game.
Theo smiled as he said, "Who wants to start?"
They all looked at each other as they held their presents, but no one volunteered to be the first one to go.
Theo shook his head helplessly and said, "I guess I'll be the first one to go." He laughed as he stood up and walked to the front of the fireplace.
"Yes, Theo!"
"There is no mystery, I was the one that Theo got."
"Didn't you just say that I got you? You are so shameless."
"You don't know anything. Theo mysteriously looked at me a few minutes ago, which means that I was the one he got and he was giving me a hint."
"I'm pretty sure he didn't look at you even once throughout this evening."
They all started laughing and discussing which person Theo got, but when Theo started talking, they stopped and paid extra attention to him.
"The person I got I met this year." Theo started hinting with a smile.
"That pretty much describes everyone here." June commented.
"But that also excludes Aurora." Sam added.
"So, it's not Aurora." Kumiko said with a thoughtful look on her face.
Theo continued with a smile, "I love working with this person."
"Hmm, we all work with him in some way."
"But the question is who among us he likes working with."
"It got to be me. I mean I'm such a great cook."
"Shameless."
Theo did not care about their discussion as he continued, "I have to say that this person is extremely bold and fearless. She looked for me without any previous warning and offered herself to work for me."
They were even more confused when he said that as they couldn't see who could it be.
But Sayuri's eyes shone when she heard that, she knew who was it!
"It has been one of the best decisions of my life to give an opportunity to this person. Ever since then, she had been surprising me with how good she is with her work." Theo commented with a smile as he moved his eyes from person to person until he stopped at one in particular.
Theo smiled at her as she said, "My secret Atlanta is Ryoko."
Ryoko was taken aback when she heard that, she never imagined that she was the one that Theo was talking about.
After all, he said so many nice things that she subconsciously thought it was another person. Her eyes immediately watered when she realized it was her.
"Of course it's Ryoko!"
"Why didn't I think of it?"
"I still think it's me."
The others exploded in discussions when the person was revealed.
Fighting the tears, Ryoko got up and hugged Theo before he gave her the present he prepared.
"Thank you." Ryoko whispered as they hugged.
"You're my friend, no need to thank me." Theo laughed before he let go of her.
"Open up for us, Ryoko!"
"Yeah, we want to see what Theo gave to you!"
The others started shouting as they were dying to know what Theo bought for her.
"Okay, okay, I'll open." Ryoko laughed when she saw their anxiousness to know what she got.
The box she received from Theo was small and there was not much weight in it.
She opened it carefully and inspected the insides of it. She was silent for a while as she tried to understand what was inside, but as she understood what it was, her face showed a shocked expression.
The others watched this with impatience, they wanted to know what made her so shocked.
Ryoko picked a piece of paper from the box and read out loud, "Dear Ryoko, I know you wanted to stay behind at Elffire City to take care of the studio. But I couldn't leave you behind while all of us will be enjoying the tropical weather. You're part of our group and I didn't want you to feel excluded. So, I bought first-class tickets for you to come with us tomorrow. I know what you're thinking. What about work? You don't have to worry about it as the return ticket is for Sunday night. This way you can spend around 3 days with us at the Heart Islands. Oh, I also reserved the best room for you at the resort hotel we will be staying at. The only thing you have to worry about is your luggage. What a surprise, huh? Anyways, let's enjoy our vacations together!
With love, Theo."
The others also became shocked as they heard his note, they couldn't believe that Theo went through such great lengths so that Ryoko wouldn't feel excluded.
"That's amazing!"
"This way Ryoko will be with us for some days!"
"Ryoko, we will have so much!"
The girls exclaimed in excitement.
Ryoko nodded and replied to them as she looked at Theo with a grateful expression.
It would be a lie if she said that she wasn't feeling down and that everyone was going on a vacation without her. She did not regret her decision to stay behind as she loved her job. But at the same time, she wanted to share some experiences with the new friends she found.
Plus, she knew that Theo had just spent thousands of dollars to pay all of this for her. First-class seats and hotel resort rooms were not cheap.
Theo was back in his seat sipping on his wine with a smile on his face as he looked at the scene. He had noticed that Ryoko would get downcast every time they talked about their trip, so he decided that he had to do something about it.
The studio would only open on Monday, so he figured that Ryoko could travel with them tomorrow and come back before the studio opened on Monday.
It was the best of both worlds!
Theo was very proud of his idea as it seemed successful.
After the girls discussed all the things they would do together, Theo said, "It's Ryoko's turn to say who she got."
"Yeah, Ryoko, you should start."
"Guys, there is no need for that. She got me."
"Funny, you said the same thing when it was Theo's turn."
"You don't understand. This time it's for real."
They all discussed and laughed happily.
Theo joined the fun and urged Ryoko to start already.
She shook her head and smiled as she saw their antics.
Her heart felt so warm being among these people.
Ever since her mother died, her heart never found a place where she was comfortable.
But at that moment, among these people, she felt like she found the place where her heart could set.
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