“Hello? This is Eleanor Anderson here. May I please speak with your Senior Officer in charge?" Eleanor called the Roads and Highways Surveillance Office.
"Please, hold on a minute." A polite manly voice responded to Eleanor's phone call. A beep sound came into her ear as she was wearing a mini wireless Bluetooth headphones.
Eleanor left home about half an hour ago to look for Aiden. But there was no information about her father yet! She was on her way to the Roads and Highways Surveillance Office. But she took the road to the party at first. Since Eleanor was forbidden to show her face in front of Miranda, a long road was the best choice for her until everyone from the Andersons left the party hall. She inquired about almost everybody she knew, who attended the party today. But no one had seen Aiden.
"It means he didn't go to the party.", Eleanor murmured while waiting for the Senior Officer on hold. She tightly held the wheel. Her eyes were burning in rage when she thought how irresponsible her father could be.
"Does he even care about me?" Eleanor was screaming inside her head. She was so furious that she was having an urge to commit a hit and run while she got caught in a traffic jam and people were crossing the road.
Eleanor's eyes drowned in jealousy as she saw a little girl crossing the road with her parents, holding an ice cream in her hand. She had a happy look on her face. And that girl's parents were pulling her up while walking. Eleanor could hear the giggles of that child.
That kid didn't have anything compared to Eleanor. She had money, fame and name, beauty, but that little girl had none of them. However, Eleanor also lacked the things that the kid had and they were way more precious than anything worldly! She had love for her parents. A perfect family, supportive enough to share happiness and sorrows. A father and a mother to hold her hands while crossing the roads. What she could ask more when she was the richest person alive?
PEEP! PEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPP!!!!
"Hey! Move the goddamn car!!"
Suddenly Eleanor heard honking sounds behind her. She looked at the side mirror, a black coloured BMW 7 series was waiting right behind her to move.
Eleanor was surprised. In Roveign city there weren't many people who had such an expensive car. Only the Andersons had it. But their cars were custom-made. There was a sign that could tell that the car belonged to Eleanor's household. None didn't know about the Anderson families' custom-made cars.
The honking didn't stop. Eleanor was thinking of getting out of the car to see the person inside. "A new business rival? I thought I knew everyone here!" Eleanor loosened her seatbelt and was about to get out when her phone rang. Also, the traffic police were coming toward her. People behind her started shouting at her telling her to move.
Without having a choice, Eleanor started the car. "I'll have to look into it later!" While she was on the move, the black car passed beside her. Her phone was still ringing, but her eyes were locked on that car.
As soon as the car completely vanished in front of her, she answered the call, "Hello! Eleanor Anderson speaking!"
"Good afternoon, ma'am. I am the Senior Officer in charge. I heard you were looking for me."
"Oh...yes? Yes!! I was gonna ask you for a favour. Can you please kindly look at the camera footage of Vlona road to the Sary river?"
“Can you please tell us the time duration?”
“About five hours ago.”
“Thank you. We are looking into it.”
“Thank you so much. I am on my way there.”
Eleanor hung up and drove the car faster. Tension was building inside her but she tried hard to hide it since there was no time for worrying. It took about ten minutes for her to reach the surveillance office. When she entered, the Senior Officer was already waiting for her.
“Have you looked at it?”
“Yes ma’am! Here is the footage.”
The officer showed a big screen to Eleanor where the video footage was being shown. It was the surveillance video from about five hours ago from Vlona road to Sary river.
"Ma'am! Look! It's your family car! Are you talking about this one?" The officer pointed out at a car in the footage.
Eleanor inspected the car closely and nodded her head in agreement. The car suddenly stopped near Tiara Road by a white van. Five suspicious men came out of the van. They weren't wearing any masks like kidnappers, but they looked like goons. Appropriately, they resembled contract killers.
Eleanor gasped, spotting her father in that footage. Her eyes were quivering, watching four of them force Aiden to get out of the car and pushed him inside the van. And another man got inside the driver's seat, threatening him to move aside. Later, the van and the car went to opposite sides of the road.
"Can you check where that van went?" Eleanor impatiently pointed out at the white van on the screen. She was behaving restlessly as she could feel that her father might be in some kind of danger because the suspicious-looking men made her doubts stronger!!
"Let me see!" The Senior Officer spoke with some tech officers who were observing the screens. They followed the van in some footage. But at a point, they lost it as if it vanished in the air! Eleanor was observing at the same time and it left her surprised.
"There wasn't even a tunnel…." Eleanor murmured while thinking about the suddenly vanished van. She was dumbfounded and her heart skipped a beat in fear.
"But there's a possibility!" The Senior Officer had a serious look on his face.
"A possibility?!" Eleanor was shocked to hear from the officer. But she understood what he meant by that in no time! "You mean they hacked the camera?"
"Yeah. It's nothing new." The officer gave a serious reply with a serious look on his face. "Ms Eleanor, it would be better if you contact the police immediately."
"No!" Eleanor firmly denied the proposal instantly, "If they somehow find out that we have reached the police, they might harm him. So it's better to keep quiet about this matter for now."
"You have a point. But what's the guarantee that they won't harm him anyway?"
"I will keep looking for him. But no matter what!! We can't let anyone know about my father going missing! Especially the media!" Eleanor's eyes were strict and firm. She was scared of the fact that something bad could happen to her father. But also at the same point, she had to think about the reputation of the Anderson family.
Eleanor's body was shaking in fear. She was thinking how on earth Aiden ended up in the clutch of those dangerous men. There wasn't any doubt that the matter concerned money! But she was also sure that the price was something that she would be unable to pay since it concerned Aiden!
It wasn't the very first time that people had asked for money from Eleanor! Aiden gambled day and night and there were mountains of loans. Eleanor had to pay them all without letting her family members know about it. It was hard for her, but she managed somehow, having a heartless mother, pushing her relentlessly.
However, Aiden never got kidnapped. It was the first! That’s why it was a big shock for Eleanor as she wasn't mentally prepared.
Eleanor went aside with the Senior Officer to talk. She handed him a huge amount of money and smiled brightly. A fake and business smile. It was pretty but a dead one, "I hope you will keep the matter within this office."
"A...ahahahaha! What was the need for it? Haha" He put the money in his pocket and started waving his hands as assurance, " Don't you worry ma'am! It's locked and safe within this room. Rest assured!!"
"I hope so! But if the news reaches Mrs Anderson's ears…..you know what will happen, right?" Eleanor gave a stern look at the officer and then smiled again.
"Yea..yeah! Haha..nothing will happen. If you need any help regarding searching for the person, I will lend you a hand."
Eleanor gave a mean look at him that sent a shiver in his spine. He gulped and started stammering, "Or...Or not maybe…..Ahahaha...le..let's forget it!"
"No! Actually yeah… You can help!" Eleanor became restless as if she remembered something important suddenly.
The officer's face beamed with joy, "Yes! How can I help you?"
"Can you please track the car? We need to find the car also."
"Oh!! I will try my best!...... Thank you for relying on us" The officer took Eleanor's hands and shook them relentlessly.
Eleanor stole her hands from his clutch and gave him a smile in return. She was feeling suffocated the more time she was spending there. Moreover, she had to look for her father which was making her anxious!
"Yeah! I hope you will find it soon enough." Saying that Eleanor took her leave. She rushed to her car. While she was starting it, she tried to remember where the van was last seen!!
"Father might be taken somewhere near!!" Eleanor buckled up her seat belt and looked in front. The road was empty and so was her mind. She didn't know what was waiting for her in the coming days. But Eleanor knew one thing clearly, she needed to find Aiden before the news reached the media. To be exact, before the news reached Miranda’s ears!!
Eleanor looked ahead with a stern gaze and took a long breath before running the car on the dusty road...
"Sir, the place we are going to isn't suitable for people like us. So I would like to tell you to stay calm.", Paul warned Mr Dixon who was looking outside the window and watching the car being devoured by a big tunnel. Cars were passing by. Some were looking at his car repeatedly while driving. It was a daily scene for Mr Dixon. But he was awestruck when he saw a tunnel beneath the tunnel! It happened a while after they entered the first one. Suddenly Paul told the driver to pull the car aside. He got down from the car and went near the tunnel wall. Mr Dixon was dumbfounded seeing a voice checker inside the wall. Paul took a deep breath seeing Mr Dixon staring at him intensely. He let out a sigh and went near the checker. A voice came out from inside when he tapped the button, “Say the code!” “Fuck you, Roveign!” “Voice recognised. You can enter now.” “.................” Paul was about to cry. Mr Dixon watched the whole show. He was so loud that Dixon was on the verge of laughin
Eleanor took a detour from the place where the van was last seen. However, there wasn’t any secret passage or any other linked road. She took another three rounds to confirm, but there wasn’t any clue where the van might have gone. Eleanor stopped the car far from the tunnel. It was almost getting dark. The sky was filled with bright stars and birds were returning to their nests. The view made Eleanor more depressed thinking about the uncertainty that she could find her father. Eleanor finally realised that Roveign city was far bigger than she had imagined. She didn’t know a thing about that place even though she had been living there for twenty-two years. It was a jungle and if you weren’t strong, you wouldn’t survive there. The anxiety and fear Eleanor was feeling, was sign of facing a beast. Or more probably facing a certain someone. Eleanor sighed while looking at the night sky. It was cold. She rubbed her arms to keep herself warm. Yet she couldn’t tolerate the cold wind that w
That was the first time when Howard felt uneasiness around men. He was feeling suffocated to breathe as he noticed four eyes were staring holes in his body. “Are they gays?!”, was the only question circling his head. He couldn’t meet their eyes and kept looking at the casino downstairs. Feeling the pressure and not being sure if his boss was going to start the topic first, Paul broke the silence in the room, “Haha, the meeting was unexpected. Don’t you agree, Sir?” Mr Dixon kept looking at Howard without replying to Paul and that confirmed Howard’s doubt, declaring Mr Dixon as a homosexual. Howard thought of making himself clear before a misunderstanding had started. He cleared his throat, “I’m straight!” However, hearing Howard clearing his throat, Mr Dixon also at the same time said, “I’m sorry.” But then again, Howard’s weird line forced him to ask again, “I’m sorry?!” “Ya’ve been staring holes in me!”, Howard protested. Realising their mistake, Paul and Mr Dixon started stam
Eleanor was circling her room. She almost ate her nails while pondering about how to get the money. Even if she accumulated all her earnings and savings, It doesn’t even reach the foot of the loan. Because her parents would devour half of her money and Eleanor was ordered to pay her employers on her budget. That’s why she could only afford Nina and their driver. And there were additional costs too which were already too much for Eleanor to handle. So her savings were ultimately less than her total earnings. Nina came inside the room with a tray of food in her hands. She was worried for Eleanor since she didn’t take a single grain after breakfast. On top of that, Eleanor wasted so much water as she cried after getting scolded by Miranda. If that went by, it was sure that she would fall sick. That’s why Nina was thinking of a trick to make her eat her dinner. “How?! How to get the money?”, Eleanor was biting her thumbnail. She sat down on the sofa, frowning her eyes and getting drown
Howard slowly approached with a locket in his hand. It shone brightly reflecting under the light that caught Nile’s attention. He took it to take a look at it and a lovely smile was born on his face at a glance. Howard sat face to face with Nile. Seeing his clumsy face, irritation clouded in his head. He lit a cigarette while relaxing his back on the couch. Some of the others were sitting at the back or standing in the corners with guns in their hands. They were waiting for the right timing to shoot the unexpected intruders in their boss’s life.Swinging the locket clumsily, Nile looked at Howard with a beaming face. He pointed at the locket, “Hey, see there? There’s HD written in Pacifico.”Howard focused on his pointed positi
Eleanor was standing inside the club, clutching a fat leather bag in her hand. There was a lot of money in it that she didn't wish to lose. She sold her brand new car, Ornaments and valuable assets including the old house she lived in after discussing the matter with her aunt Laura. The only person who could help her at that moment. She also shared a little bit of money with her. That's why losing the money would cost Eleanor her life and the place where she came was rather a hell for her.Eleanor was surely surprised when she came inside the tunnel. She couldn't believe what she saw. Everything that wasn't graceful was happening here and her father dropped so low that he started gambling in the clubs here. But she knew what was the other reason he would come here for and that was women! Not that mattered anymore since what was done couldn't be undone. And her mother was partly in fault. So s
Nina was thoroughly cleaning Eleanor's room after a fine long time since she had been busy watching over her these past few days. None would disagree that Eleanor had been absent-minded as she kept messing up her works. Although she knew the fact that was bothering her, Nina couldn't help Eleanor because she was powerless herself. She could only support her mentally when what she needed most was money! And in the end, Eleanor had to sell everything she was saving to start her own business that she dreamt of from her academic period. Nina couldn't help but feel bad for Eleanor who taught her and helped her grow up along with her by sharing her belongings. Their relationship was more of sisters than madam and maid because Eleanor never let Nina feel that way. She was there for her on her sunny and rainy days! Not to mention, in the life of an orphan like Nina, Eleanor was a God sent
“Why did you lie?” Eleanor shot a glare at Howard who was standing proudly thinking what he did was right. Clearing his throat, he instantly replied, “They wouldn’t have accepted me if I said I was a don, would they? "They won't consider a clerk as their son-in-law either!"Eleanor snarled at Howard who was still acting hard to get. After having a silent glaring fight between them, Howard peeked at her before he asked, "Why do they hate you so much? Aren't you also an Anderson?" An instant reply came in return without hesitation, "Don't know!" However, Eleanor's shaky eyes were saying otherwise. She averted her face from Howard who was staring at her inte
“Who goes there?!”The watchmen couldn't recognise the face of the man who was trying to sneak inside the mansion. He flashed the torch at his face only to conclude the guy was a stranger. “Stop right there!” He shouted. “You can't go in!”“Why?” The man asked. His deep voice could send chills down the spine. The eyes that were glowing at night could swallow the watchman down. However, he also had dignity as the Andersons’ watchman. It wasn't an easy task to guard such a huge mansion consisting of only a few people after all.“You need a prior appointment to meet any of the Andersons and also the curfew here starts at 8 PM sharp,” he said to the manSuddenly a car started honking behind them. The headlights suddenly got turned on, blinding both of their visions. “Let us in, Marc.” Shouted the driver inside before he closed the window by his side. The watchman let the car inside and closed the door without further ado. He completely forgot about the man's existence and was about to
“The mine is sold?” asked Erin in bewilderment. “Yes, ma’am. It's unexpected, but it's sold.”“Any information on who bought it.”“Nile Dixon.”“Someone new?”“Yes, ma'am. He has recently opened a construction company here.”“That business won't flourish with Opals around, then why?”Eleanor glimpsed at the file before her. A man's picture, who was in his thirties, was smiling at her. A naive look on his face as if he's someone novice in the business field. Shutting the file in disappointment, Eleanor said, “Look out for him.”“But he seems harmless, ma'am.”“Don't judge a book by its cover. He just looks so, but not a fool.”The informer stood there dumbfounded. However, he didn't dare to ask further. As if he knew, it was beyond his understanding.“I’ll have an eye on him and keep you updated.”“Hmm…Oh! And what about Uncle Evan?”The informer let out a sigh as he stated the situation, “Not good at all. He's signing the deal tomorrow.”“Grandma didn't say anything?” asked Eleanor.
"My lock screen is bland…" Eleanor examined the screen thoroughly as if she just got a new phone. Surprisingly it was as old as her career. She was neglecting her important partner. "I guess this! This one will be good." Eleanor looked happy as she changed her lock screen. However, the pain in her chest was choking her, making her unable to breathe. She grabbed the water bottle from the passenger seat and chugged it down fully in a go. Taking a deep breath she said to herself, "Calm down! You already knew this!"Yeah.Eleanor had an idea of what was happening. There was no point fighting the truth. However, she still had to find out some answers. Her focus was lost with the phone ringing. It was Lione. She picked it up instantly. "Hello? Reached home safely?""Lea…we're here in your office now."Eleanor went silent. But that was momentary. "She won't budge unless you come here.""Not surprised at all. I owe her answers, so I had it coming.""Where are you now?" "On my way! Tell
“Can you see her?” “Nope!” “Where is she?” “I bet she’s flirting with the boys!” “Shut up!” Lione cried out from the pain Eleanor inflicted on the spot. "What the! You’re so violent! I don't know how mom finds you polite and kind", she said as she rubbed her right arm. Smirking at her, Eleanor replied," I'm just good at camouflage. Wanna learn?" "As if!" Lione continued her solo treatment. The girls were so busy to notice that Laura was glaring at their way. To be exact, it was Eleanor whom she was staring at. Her rageous eyes could burn her down if she knew. Moreover, fate was never her friend. Eleanor had been giggling while teasing Lione right before Laura came from behind and pulled her aside by the ears. "Ahh..ouch ouch ouch!!" Eleanor tried to fight back only to learn that it was a futile attempt against her opponent. "Girl! You come with me!" "Au…aunt Laura! Welcome back! It’s… haha…it's terrific to see you, but…can you let go of my ear? Ouch!" Although Laura was
"Things are going as you planned." "Great! Don't let ya'r guard down though. They'll be coming in numbers from now on." "Yeah, can relate. Already two came and asked for your info." "How surprising! One of them must belong to the old hag." "After looking thoroughly, they both were her people." "Very cautious, I see…" "It won't be easy to escape their doubt." The cigarette in Howard's hands was burning down as the smoke circulated inside the car. He dived into deep thoughts while waiting for the traffic light to turn green from red. Tany was waiting for Howard to reply regarding the ongoing issue. However, he abruptly asked something unrelated, "Boss…why don't you wipe out the Andersons? Going in a roundabout way is a bit…" "It doesn’t suit ya, Tany…" Tany flinched. He realised where he was going wrong and immediately apologised. "I'm sorry. I bet I'm a bit tired these days." The sudden quietness was frightening for Tany. He could feel his heart racing. The thumping sound
"Hey! Wha...what the hell are you doing?" "Shut up!" "LET ME...UNG!"That was the last thing Reynold could say before his mouth got shut. His eyes were already blindfolded, so he couldn’t see where he was being taken like a package without an address.He was on his way to his home after a tiring day in the office. The deal with a foreign company took longer than he had anticipated. Although Reynold had a bittersweet argument that he had wished to forget by having a glimpse of his sweet wife, fate planned otherwise.After all, the day was jinxed! The hard grip behind his neck was painful enough for him to ignore where he was being dragged. For a while, he could only smell a musty odour around him. The mild sound of cranes was piercing through his ears. Reynold could conclude that it was a lively industrial area, but It was hard finding out about which part it was in Roveign city.Just before he works out the clues, Reynold heard someone slamming their way forward and guessed it was
Eleanor had been looking at the mirror for an hour with deep anticipation. She could hear her stomach rumbling whenever Howard's face popped up before her blank eyes. While acting his part about what he would say when he saw her, Eleanor could hear her heart beating louder than drums. She kept patting her chest in case she was capable of calming it down. "Calm down! Calm down! Woah. Everything's going to be fine." Eleanor said to her troubled heart but it only fueled her fear. She sat down on the chair, clenching her dress hard as she looked at the mirror again to find Nina at the back. A soft smile appeared on her face before saying, "I'm scared." "Why? Are you going to war?!" Nina asked in return which almost killed Eleanor since she had found it funny. She burst into laughter, unable to hold back anymore. It lasted for a while until she started clearing her tears and said, "It's not funny at all!" "But you’re laughing!" "Yeah, you’re right! WHOA! I feel something heavy on my ch
"Jennifer! Do a background check on Howard Brown and report me quickly," ordered Miranda. She just woke up from a good night's sleep and couldn’t leave her bed yet. Especially when the weather was nice, she didn’t have any plan to get out before eight o'clock in the morning. However, her usual routine said otherwise. Maybe it was because she was feeling sick since the day Eleanor brought Howard into their house. At first, Miranda didn’t harbour any doubts about Howard. Unfortunately, his response the other day at the dining hall was rather surprising for a mere clerk. Not that the common folks didn’t discuss such topics on business and current affairs! Despite having any relation with the revolutionary world of commerce, common people liked to talk about random topics now and then. So it wouldn’t have been surprising for Howard to know about the business world. Moreover, he was an acquaintance of Eleanor. Thus, it wasn’t surprising at all! But he had a rather clearer idea than any no
The weather was cloudy that day, so the room was gloomy. However, that wasn’t the only case why the situation was so dampening. Wearing an angry mask, Howard was sitting on the sofa. He was looking aimlessly at the flower vase that was kept on the table before him. As if he was planning to throw it to the wall. What would Eleanor do if he did that was what was going inside her head as she stood by the door and watched over him quietly. Howard didn’t bother to notice when she slowly walked into the room and went by the window. The curtains were half opened. So, she pulled the curtains away, letting the least bit of sunlight enter the room and enlighten Howard's misjudgement. "What do you want?" Howard asked in a harsh tone. But Eleanor was happy that her effort paid off. Thus she brushed aside his grumpy tone and joyfully replied, "Why, of course, I want to cheer up my angry husband." "Is that so? Then you must know the reason for my anger!" His tone became harsher. Eleanor almost