Chapter 4

"I'm Diego. Sorry I didn't introduce myself properly”.

Diego offered a handshake, a gesture of courtesy, and Freya, still reeling from her recent misfortune, hesitated briefly before extending her hand, her fingers meeting his in a cautious grasp.

“Can I get your name as well, hope you don't mind?”

Freya regarded the strange man called Diego with utmost curiosity aiming at getting a clue on what he was all about.

His jet-black longish hair and gray eyes, accompanied by his strong jawline, blended excellently well, working hand in hand to give him a majestic and handsome appearance.

“Freya”, she replied stiffly, looking away from his steady gaze.

Diego, sensing her discomfort and likely shyness, let out a brief, warm chuckle, his vibrations conveying a gentle understanding.

Freya scowled at him, wondering what was laugh-inducing in that arena asides her being in a pathetic state.

“I know exactly how you feel. Don't worry, your belongings will be tracked down in no time. My friend here is fit for the job”, he said, gesturing at his friend who focused on his computer.

Freya nodded a little, making it look like she was paying attention to him. She rotated her eyes around the room, scanning it curiously. The room appeared as that of a detective's office, with numerous cameras and computers which were obviously used for the tracking job. Except that it wasn't an office, just a room in the private investigator's condo.

She glanced at Noah who sat still, unusually mute. He seemed nervous and she could understand because he wasn't used to being in an environment such as that.

Diego's friend, the private detective, lifted his gaze from his computer, took a moment to gather his thoughts, and cleared his throat deliberately to grab their attention before speaking.

“I successfully hacked the security system of the train station. I've gotten the CCTV footage of the surveillance camera facing the cab stand and look what I found”.

Freya sprang up to her feet immediately and darted towards the detective to have a view of the footage.

She googled at the computer screen, agape on seeing that her hunch was right. The woman who sat beside her at the cabstand, stole her bags.

“Luckily, her face isn't hidden. Now that I zoomed in, we can see the number plate of the taxi she boarded. She'll be tracked down in no time”.

Freya let out a deep sigh of relief and glanced at Diego who stood beside her, her eyes softening at him. She pondered on the possible reasons why a total stranger like him should take it upon himself to come to their rescue, burdening himself in the process.

“Mommy, I'd like to use the bathroom”, Noah called out, his voice cracking with nervousness.

Freya diverted her gaze down at her son, whose eyes spelled uneasiness.

“I'll show him the bathroom. It's okay”, the private detective spoke up, rising up to his feet and stretching his arms to full length, his shoulders creaking in the process.

“Thank you”, she replied and handed Noah over to the detective.

As Diego and Freya stood there in uncomfortable silence, they watched Noah and the detective disappear from view. Freya felt a debt of gratitude towards Diego, but her mind struggled to find the right words to express it, unsure of how to break the awkward silence that had settled between them.

She took a few deep breaths before turning around to glance at her helper. It was at that moment she realized the corporate attire he was dressed in like he had just gotten back from the office or something.

“I know you probably had some work to do before you stopped by to help my son and me and I'm so grateful for that. I owe you a lot, Mr Diego. Thank you so much”, she said softly, her tone laced with sincerity.

Diego's lips curved in a short smile and he shrugged his shoulders to show that he didn't consider his assistance a big deal.

“It's nothing, ma'am. I just did what I would for any other person in dire need of help. It's what I do. Don't mention it”, Diego replied, his baritone voice vibrating in a firm but friendly manner.

Her steady gaze locked onto his for an awkward amount of seconds and they both stood still, their eyes fused as if sizing each other up.

Diego broke the spellbound gaze and glanced at his silver designer wristwatch, his silky hair bouncing with the slight shift in the position of his gaze.

“Where are you headed? It's noon already and it looks like you were on a trip. I hope I'm not delaying anything”, he said, watching her closely.

Freya nodded briskly, murmuring a weak “yeah” due to the fact that she had no clue what to reply to his inquiry with.

Diego fixed Freya with an intense, unblinking stare, holding her gaze for an uncomfortably long moment, until Freya's shyness got the better of her and she dropped her eyes, her nervous gaze drifting down to her feet.

“You're as lovely as ever, Freya”, he whispered, his tone low and gentle.

Freya's eyebrows knitted together in a mix of surprise and confusion, her mind wondering why this stranger, who was essentially an unknown entity to her, would offer such a familiar and warm compliment as if they shared a history she wasn't aware of.

Just then, Noah and the private detective returned with Noah striding briskly across towards his mother. He rushed to stand beside her and looked up at her, his eyes compelling her to exit that vicinity along with him immediately.

“Don't worry about your belongings. I'll get back to you about any changes. We'll catch up with that woman eventually and she'll face the law. That's why I need to take your number. I hope you don't mind”, Diego said, pulling out his phone from his suit jacket.

He stretched out his phone towards her, signaling her to input her phone number into it.

“Sure”, Freya replied without hesitating to take his phone from him.

While she typed her number into his phone, Diego finally acknowledged Freya's little boy and gave him a warm smile.

“How do you do, little man?” He asked with a friendly smile.

“I'm okay, sir”, Noah said, looking away in shyness.

“Come on. Don't be shy. I'm not so scary, am I?” He chuckled, noticing Noah's uneasiness.

Noah glanced at Freya who urged him to be more friendly with her eyes. She handed Diego's phone back to him and he took it, glancing into it.

“I'll save it as Madam Freya. Works better, huh?” He smiled.

“Sure”, she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

“What's your name, boy?” Diego turned to Noah once again.

“Noah”, he replied dryly, as if eager to end the conversation.

“Nice name. People named Noah are not to be afraid, okay? Cheer up, your mom will be fine”, he said, ruffling Noah's golden hair cheerfully.

Noah hid his face while frowning at the fact that Diego had just messed up his neatly arranged hair.

“We should get going now. We have somewhere to go”, Freya finally spoke up.

“Sure. We'll meet again, I'm sure of that. It was nice meeting you, Madam Freya”, he said and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Nice meeting you too, Mr Diego”, she took his hand in response, looking up at him as he was much taller than she was.

“Nice meeting you too, Noah. I'm Diego”, he grinned at Noah and extended his hand down towards him for a handshake.

Noah reciprocated the gesture, his face lit up in excitement on seeing that they were about leaving.

With a final glance at Diego, Freya turned to leave, her hand enveloping Noah's as they walked away. Diego acknowledged her departure with a subtle nod, his hands tucked deep into his pockets. As they disappeared from view, he let out a heavy sigh, his gaze remained on the empty space they left behind. Soon after, he was deeply absorbed in thoughts.

“Boss," the detective called out, interrupting Diego's thoughts.

Diego replied curtly, his gaze fixed at some point ahead, "What?"

"Is she the one? The woman you've been looking for?" The detective pressed on.

Diego sighed and nodded slightly, with a despondent expression. He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a worn photograph of Freya, his gaze resting on her image.

“She's the one. And she has a son now”, he said in a downcast tone.

“Ugh! Well, you've finally found her. What's your next move, boss?” the detective asked, his tone laced with curiosity.

Diego stared into space for a considerably long amount of seconds, collecting his thoughts and rubbing his chin.

Finally he spoke, his voice firm but distant, “I'll do what I should have done many years ago”. Then he proceeded to stare blankly at a point on the wall facing him.