Chapter 7

Sera sat at her home office desk, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she updated the meticulous notes for the upcoming event. Her laptop contained every detail from guest lists to vendor contracts, and she had been working tirelessly to ensure everything was perfect.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, breaking her concentration. Sera glanced at the time, realizing she had been working for hours without a break. She saved her work and stepped away from the desk to answer the door, assuming it was the food delivery she had ordered earlier.

As she opened the door, Ferro zipped in between the feet of the delivery driver.

"Where have you been?" she called out as the ferret disappeared into the cottage. She tipped the driver and carried the pizza into the kitchen. She pulled out a paper plate and a bottle of water.

"Squeak, squeak," she heard behind her. Standing on his back legs, Ferro had his front paws on the cabinet door, reaching toward the box saturated with pepperoni grease and red sauce.

"Really?" Sera said. "You disappear and suddenly show up and demand pizza?"

He squeaked and Sera giggled imagining the cry said, Well, yeah. Who can resist pizza?

She pulled a can from the shelf. "How about something that won't clog the arteries in your heart when you're thirty?" She dished the chicken chunks into a bowl and returned to her desk, ready to dive back into her notes.

However, as she approached, her heart sank. The laptop was gone. She frantically searched the room, checking under papers and behind furniture, but it was nowhere to be found.

Panic rising in her throat, Sera tried to retrace her steps. She had only been gone for a few minutes, and no one else had access to her home office. She couldn't fathom how her laptop could have disappeared in such a short time.

With trembling hands, Sera reached for her phone to call her assistant, hoping that perhaps they had borrowed the laptop without her knowledge. As she dialed, an email notification popped up on her screen. The subject line read: "Event Cancellation."

Sera's heart raced as she opened the email. It was from the venue, stating that due to unforeseen circumstances, they could no longer host the event on the planned date. Sera's mind reeled as she tried to process this new information. How could this be happening?

As if matters couldn't get any worse, her phone began to ring. It was one of the keynote speakers for the event. Sera answered, trying to keep her voice steady. The speaker informed her they had to cancel their appearance due to a family emergency.

Her world was crumbling around her. The disappearance of her laptop, the venue cancellation, and now a keynote speaker backing out—it was clear that someone was deliberately trying to ruin her event.

"No, no, no," she muttered.

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm her racing thoughts. "Think, Sera, think," she whispered to herself. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She had to act quickly to keep the event on track.

Sera reached for her phone, her hands shaking as she dialed Celeste's number. "Come on, pick up," she pleaded, pacing back and forth.

"Hello?" Celeste's voice came through the speaker.

"Celeste, it's Sera. I need your help. My laptop's gone, and I think someone's trying to stop the event." The words tumbled out of Sera's mouth in a rush.

"Okay, slow down," Celeste said, her voice calm and reassuring. "Take a deep breath. We'll get this fixed."

Sera nodded, even though Celeste couldn't see her. She took another deep breath, feeling some of the tension leave her shoulders. "I stepped away for just a minute, and when I came back, my laptop was gone. And then I got an email from the venue canceling on us, and one of the keynote speakers backed out."

"This is really suspicious and strange," Celeste agreed. "But don't worry, we'll find a way to fix this. You have backups of your notes, right?"

Sera's eyes widened. "My notebooks!" she exclaimed. She hurried over to her bookshelf, pulling out the color-coded notebooks she had been using to organize the event. "I've got everything here. It's not as detailed as my digital notes, but it's a start."

"Great," Celeste said. "And I'll call Luna and see if she has any insights into what might be going on. In the meantime, we can just use the community center as the main location if you can't find another venue. Go through your list and talk to the mayor about other possible keynote speakers."

A wave of relief washed over her. She wasn't alone in this. With Celeste and Luna's help, they would find a way to save the event. "Thank you, Celeste," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I panicked there for a moment. I so appreciate your help."

"Oh, honey, we're friends now. You can count on me for anything," Celeste replied. "Now, let's get to work."

Over the next few hours, Sera and Celeste worked tirelessly to find solutions to the problems that had arisen. They made phone calls, sent emails, and scoured their contacts for any leads. Luna joined them, offering her own insights and suggestions.

As the pieces began to fall into place, Sera felt a renewed sense of determination. She refused to let whoever was trying to sabotage the event win. With her friends by her side and her trusty notebooks in hand, she knew they would find a way to make the event a success.

"We've got this," she said, looking at Celeste and Luna with a fierce grin. "Whoever's behind this has no idea who they're messing with."