(Zaylen)
Karsten Villa was like a grand palace of a king. If the situation hadn’t been so tense, I would have admired it.
The man was intimidating with a Charismatic touch. He reminded of Dad’s younger days. Karsten had the sa vibe as I had witnessed of Dad in his old pictures.
"Shouldn’t we have told him about the flash drive?" I asked, staring from Dad to Stella.
We hadn’t told the police yet and wanted to see the contents ourselves first before revealing whatever lay inside to the police.
"No, I don’t trust him. We will get the device, and see what’s on it before deciding if we are going to hand it to the police or carry out our own investigation with it," Dad instantly declared. He settled down on the sofa in the hotel suite we had booked.
"I agree with Uncle Zyair. There is just sothing about him I don’t trust," Stella agreed, sitting beside .
From the mont we found out that Arata had been kidnapped, we had forgotten to smile.
"Did she say anything to both of you on the topic of soone disturbing her? I an, you guys saw her about two weeks ago." Dad asked as Uncle Kail offered him a glass of water.
I shook my head.
"No, she appeared normal. We didn’t get any such feeling that she was hiding sothing." It felt like Arata had matured so much after the Andy fiasco, and she had begun to hide things from us.
Maybe it all ca with age, the responsibility of being an adult where you try to manage your shit without worrying the people close to you.
"I still can’t believe she told Karsten but not us." Dad had gulped down the water, and I could sense he was still in denial. He focused his attention towards Stella. "Is there sothing going on between them?"
She nervously tugged a lock of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear and answered rather quickly.
"I don’t think so. She would have ntioned sothing to if both of them were involved."
Dad didn’t seem convinced by Stella’s answer while she appeared agitated, her hands gripping the tablet she was holding, a tad too tightly.
She knew sothing, and she didn’t wish to reveal it in front of Dad.
"I don’t know, Stella. I think Arata hid too much from us after Andy. I understand she was trying to act independently and be an adult, but family should be above everything. Every second, I find it difficult to breathe, thinking what condition she must be in."
Pain radiated on Dad’s face as he closed his eyes for a second, and Uncle Kail leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"Police are arriving to take your statent. They will need to see that video."
I knew they were trying to narrow down the suspects from Dad’s past, and with all that Mafia entanglent, it wasn’t easy.
Dad had helped put away so notorious Mafia boss back in the day and it was highly likely that the person who took Arata had connections with him.
Stella turned her head towards and pointed to the door with her eyes. I understood she wished to have a word, alone.
Getting up, I quietly walked out while Dad was busy with Uncle Kail. Stella followed and closed the door behind her.
She quickly grabbed my arm, her face flushed in the embarrassnt of what?
"We need to talk, alone." She began to drag towards her room, and I followed.
Once we were inside, she closed the door and faced with a grim expression. I had hardly seen Stella so serious in her life before.
"I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I just can’t carry the weight of this secret anymore."
Agitation weaved its way into my soul.
"What secret?"
Stella let out a breath, her soft blue eyes were anguished as she blurted out while crossing her arms.
"Arata was under a contract with Karsten. To act as a fake girlfriend in front of his family."
Several ripples appeared on my forehead as I asked.
"She was what?"
"Yeah! There wasn’t a physical relationship, but apart from being his secretary, she was to act as his girlfriend in the company and in front of his family. So all the hype in the dia was not just hype, there was so truth to it as well," Stella stated, leaving perplexed.
So many secrets. Karsten hadn’t bothered ntioning any such contract.
Was that why he had taken Arata to his house before Christmas because his Mom was there?
Questions swirled in my brain.
"The thing is, I found all that business very shady and I didn’t like how he was trying to use Arata for his benefit. I told her not to do it but she didn’t listen. Maybe, maybe... we shouldn’t have let her co here."
All that tough façade and the iron will Stella had tried to keep intact for Dad’s sake cracked, and tears began to slip out of her eyes.
Instinctively, I moved, and before we knew it, I was hugging her, and she was bawling in my chest.
"Zayn! Wh...at if so..thing happens to her," her voice cracked as she clutched my shirt.
My eyes squeezed shut at the thought, and imnse pain cracked my heart open.
The video of her tied to that chair, seeming so alone, surfaced in my brain.
But I had to be strong for all of us.
Placing my chin on the top of her head, I whispered.
"We will get her back, don’t worry. Arata is the strongest among us all. She has always been. Rember when we were young and the thunderstorm frightened us. She always cald us down with funny stories about the storm, saying it’s just an angry god." My fingers wove through Stella’s soft hair, her sweet scent clung to .
She slowly sniffled.
"I just want her to be safe, I can’t even imagine what she must be going through. What you all are going through," she whimpered and my phone pinged.
Stella let go, taking her warmth away, and I reached into my pocket to extract the rectangular device.
It was a text from Callum.
"Call , I have sothing important to share." I turned the phone towards Stella and she gave a nod to do it.
I hit the call button.
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