“What do you mean they’re not available here?” Luca asked, holding the phone up with his cheek as he reached up to grab a tea packet from the upper shelf. Jon had him go to the grocery store to collect some of the things for Audrey as he got the rest of the ingredients.

“It’s right here. Assam tea.” Luca added, plucking out the tea packet from the shelf.

“It’s not the same thing.” Jon responded, his tone indicating he’s explained the difference a few times already. “The ones at the store are cultivated. The recipe clearly states it needs to be the wild variety. Those aren’t available at stores.”

Luca grunted as he added the tea to the shopping basket anyway. “If there is a difference, I doubt it’ll be notable.” He then began walking toward the checkout area, holding his phone up to his ear with his hand.

Jon sighed through the phone as he responded. “It’s notable enough that the wild kind is rare. Audrey specifically noted the difference. Even pointed out a few locations where it could potentially be.”

Luca rolled his eyes as the cashier began scanning his the groceries into the checkout. “What, do you actually expect me to go out into a forest with a machete and chop down a tea plant?” He asked sarcastically.

“Yes.” Jon answered immediately, “It’s not that far. About forty minutes by car.”

Luca laughed as he shook his head. “Yeah, no. If she’s so sick, she can go to the hospital.” He responded. He wasn’t about to treat Audrey like the princess everyone seemed so keen to treat her like. She was spoiled enough as it was. “If you’re so worried, you can go do it yourself. After all, it’s just forty minutes by car, right?” He added, tossing Jon’s words back at him. Luca knew it wasn’t a mere forty minutes. The time spent walking around just to look for the plant wasn’t being taken into account. That could easily take up an entire day.

“Fine.” Jon grumbled, annoyed. “I’ve got all the things on my end. The plant’s all that’s left. I’ll go and get it.” He then hung up before glancing back at the sheet of paper with Audrey’s instructions and recipe. He had written a copy of the one she had made for Luca and they both split up to cover half of the ingredients. As he had mentioned, all that was left was the wild Assam leaf.

And he knew where to go.

He arrived at the forest after the brief drive, a backpack slung over his shoulder. He didn’t have a machete, but he did have a pocket knife hidden away in his car. He walked off into the forest, everything he needed on hand. His boots crunched on twigs and dried leaves as he scanned the forest floor for the tea plant. He held his phone in one hand as he did, occasionally glancing at an image of the plant he downloaded for reference. They grew in bushes and he beelined for each one he saw, comparing the leaves the one on his phone.

Hours had passed and he still hadn’t found it. He was beginning to understand why it was rare and even began questioning whether Audrey’s instructions were correct or if she made them in some sort of state of delusion brought on by her fever.

He was sweating, the sun bearing down on him heavily as he began walking up and down hills to inspect bushes he had yet to examine. Luca’s words echoed in his head and he wondered if it wouldn’t have been simpler to just do as he said and take Audrey to the hospital. Many thoughts and doubts began to cross his mind, and he was ready to turn around and give up, but paused. The bush he had been walking too looked familiar, distinct. He brought out his phone and compared the leaves to those on the picture and let out a sigh of relief.

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He had finally found it.

Jon wiped his brow as he swapped his phone out with the pocket knife, reaching over the bush to begin cutting bunches of the tea plant before storing them into his backpack. He collected enough to last. He didn’t want to come out here again. He made sure to stuff his backpack until it was full to the brim.

By the time he had left the forest and returned to his car, the sun began setting. He let out a heavy sigh before sitting down on the driver’s seat, unceremoniously tossing the backpack onto the passenger’s seat. Turning on the AC and wiping his brow of sweat, he set off to drive. As he was driving, he tapped on the car’s console, calling Luca on his hand’s free phone app.

“Luca. I’ve got the tea plant.” Jon said, glancing at the backpack sitting on the passenger seat as though to confirm the fact. “Can you send your chauffeur over to my place to pick up all the stuff?” He asked, already on route home. He was tired, sweating and wanted nothing more than to hop into a shower and laze about at home, now that his task was done.

“You actually found it, huh?” Luca asked, mildly surprised but also impressed by Jon’s dedication. “Yeah, I’ll have him drive over later.” He says, pausing for a moment before continuing. “I gave Audrey a cup of the store-bought stuff, but it didn’t take.”

Jon tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. “Of course it didn’t,” he muttered, more to himself than to Luca. He could feel the frustration bubbling up, but he pushed it down. Audrey didn’t have time for him to be annoyed.

“Just make sure the chauffeur gets here as soon as possible,” Jon said, his tone clipped.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it. He’ll be there within the hour,” Luca replied, a hint of nonchalance in his voice that Jon found grating.

Jon ended the call without another word, focusing on the road ahead. He made it home quickly, parking the car in the driveway and grabbing the backpack full of tea leaves. He moved sluggishly, his steps heavy and tired as he walked into the kitchen to lay out all the ingredients on the counter, double checking them all before organizing them into a couple of bags.

When the chauffeur finally arrived, Jon handed over the ingredients, watching as the man carefully packed them into the trunk of the sleek black car. “Please, make sure Luca prepares it exactly as Audrey’s recipe says,” Jon said, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

The chauffeur nodded politely. “I’ll deliver everything to him immediately, sir.”

Jon stood in the doorway, watching the car pull out of the driveway and disappear down the street. His thoughts were a whirlwind—he was worried about Audrey, but also frustrated that he couldn’t do more for her. There was a lot he didn’t know. He wanted answers, and he was determined to get them.

As he waited for news, Jon paced around his house, checking his phone every few minutes. He couldn’t sit still. His mind kept replaying the image of Audrey’s pale face, the way she had looked the last time he saw her.

It wasn’t until a couple of hours later that his phone rang. He snatched it up immediately, seeing Luca’s name on the screen.

“Jon,” Luca’s voice came through, more serious than before. “She’s better. The tea worked. Her fever’s dropped to just under 100.”

Jon felt a wave of relief wash over him, his shoulders sagging as the tension he’d been carrying all day finally eased. “Good,” he breathed. “But Luca, this isn’t over. I need to know what caused this in the first place. I’m getting Audrey a doctor, but I want you to dig into it too. Something’s off. It was too sudden.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Luca responded. “I was thinking the same thing. I’ll start looking into it, see what I can find out. If it’s something in the tea or something else entirely, we’ll figure it out.”

“Good,” Jon said, his voice firm. “Keep me posted. I don’t want any more surprises.”

“Will do,” Luca replied before hanging up.

Jon stood there, his phone still in his hand, staring at the screen as if willing it to ring again with more answers. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of something much bigger. Audrey’s mysterious illness, the oddly specific and rare tea plant, the urgency in her instructions—it all felt connected in ways he couldn’t yet understand.

But he would. He had to.

Jon sighed, running a hand through his hair. He needed rest, but he knew sleep wouldn’t find him tonight. There were too many unanswered questions, too many things that didn’t add up. Tomorrow, he’d make sure Audrey had access the best medical care possible. But he wouldn’t stop there. While Luca investigated the cause of her fever, Jon would delve into the details himself, leaving no stone unturned. And if he neither of them could find an answer, he would have to simply ask Audrey directly.

One way or the other, he was going to get some answers.