In an industrial area, in an abandoned building in a forgotten corner of the city. The walls, once white, are now grimy and marked with scuff marks, like bullet holes and graffiti. A sharp scent of tobacco smoke hangs in the air. A heavy wooden desk sits at the center, cluttered with piles of paperwork, a few scattered weapons, and a half-empty whisky bottle and a top-of-the-line laptop. Behind the desk, a high-backed chair faces the window, which is covered in blinds that block most of the light, casting the room in shadows.
On a wall, a large map of the city is pinned with colorful markers, indicating territories and areas of interest. In the corner, a small glass cabinet displays expensive liquor bottles, including rare aged whisky and a crystal decanter set, while an elegant bar cart holds an array of fine glasses.
A couple of expensive leather chairs line the walls, and a small table to the right, holds an expensive coffee pot and cups. Theirs a low hum of tension fills the air, punctuated by the occasional sound of footsteps or muffled voices in the hallway.
At the entrance of the office, that is tacked away on a quiet well-maintained street, it's location carefully concealed behind high, wrought-iron gates. The gates themselves are sleek and black. A meticulously care-for yard that gives the first impression of something far grander than one might expect in this part of town.
Two men standing there wearing black suits.
"ay, you bastard didn't I tell you to clean this spot, there's still some blood here."
"Sorry sir, didn't see them"
"tsk tsk, I know you're new, but quit being clumsy. How many times do I have to teach you, what is that fat head of yours contain? A brain or a peanut?"
While the young man scurried to clean the mess, and the older one was grumbling, they heard a soft sound of the gates opening smoothly.
The older man turned sharply, putting his hand over his gun, getting ready to shoot any moment, and squinting his eyes at the intruder. Yes, intruder, for not anyone comes here without prior arrangement, unless they are enemies or someone asking for death.
A small and delicate little frame appeared accompanied with sharp, rhythmic click of high heels. The girl glided through the gate radiating confidence in a deep burgundy tailored blazer, cinched at the waist with a sleek belt. The structured shoulders added an air of authority, and the rich fabric whispered of elegance.
Beneath the blazer, she wore sleek black leggings that hugged her figure, showcasing her long legs. Her knee-high leather boots, polished to shine, clicked against the floor. With gold bold earring and a large ring that adds a subtle touch of opulence.
Her hair, cascading down to her waist in luscious, voluminous defined soft curls, that is gathered into loose ponytail at the back with golden metal hair tie, that complement the curls while keeping the hair neatly gathered. Some free strands framing her beautiful face, giving a relaxed and casual appearance.
"hmm… every time I come, I get blown by the beauty of this yard. Who would expect that this yard belongs to a gang?"
While the young man is still wary, but confused of the presence of this lady, the older man was frozen in shock. " y-you,, you.."
"what? Did you lose your tongue in the time I was absent? Or did you see a ghost?" the lady said this with a smirk and arrogance air.
"Miss Marry???"
"One and only"
"YOU'RE BACKK"
"shhh, you're too loud"
"I-I shall inform the boss" the older man, frantically fumbled around, trying to process what's Infront him like a headless chicken.
Mary raised her eyebrows with a tilt of her lips, looking amused at the big guy infront of her, who's scattered and confused.
"Just lead the way"
"Y-yeah, yeah, of course. Please follow me"
Mary entered the old building, looking around and recalling the past.
'hmm.. it's still the same, nothing changed'
"This room" the man pointed to a black door while glancing at her with curiosity.
Mary smirked, "well? What are you waiting for? Open the door. Or you expecting me to touch that dirty old thing?"
The man hurriedly shook his head and knocked on the door, informing those inside that a guest arrived. While thinking that the lady is indeed Miss Mary herself, for she's the only one bold enough to enter a gang hideout and speaking in a cynical and sharp tongue.
When granted permission to enter, Mary strode in, like she owned the place.
"If you work on this place like you do to the yard, it will be more sophisticated and refined."
The man sitting at the boss chair shot his head up as he heard the familiar soft voice, and scornful tone. When he saw the familiar little girl walking toward him, with a farrowed well-trimmed eyebrow, and a disdainful look, he was filled with nostalgia and shock.
"Well, at least the armchairs are clean and well kept"
Marry looked straight at the man and with gentle look she asked, "aren't you gonna invite me to sit?"
The man sitting exuded authority and unshakable confidence. His broad frame and solid build speak of physical strength, but it's the sharpness in his eyes that send fear for all those around. A piercing gaze that seems to assess everything and a serious expression, carries the weight of someone who's made hard choices and lived through tougher times.
"Since when do you care for invitation?"
"True, but still, politeness is the art of choosing among your thoughts." Mary said while making herself comfortable on the leather chair.
Seeing her like that, the man couldn't hold and laughed out loud. The men around them weren't shocked at their boss reaction, as this is normal interaction between these two.
"Seeing you talking and acting like that, brings good memories. I see your second accident knocked you back to normal."
Mary smirked looking at the man infront of her "well, well, isn't this cute. You're well aware of my accidents. Did you miss me?"
"it's not everyday someone scrutinize my every move. I've come to realize that my life feels a little too peaceful without your expert-level nitpicking. I have to admit…I miss having you around. Even if you always had to argue your point, it definitely kept things interesting. Those conversation with you always made me think. It's not the same without your charming pettiness."
"Aw look at you! You really know how to flatter a person. Missing my charming nitpicking, huh? I knew my talent for charming pettiness would be hard to replace! Just remember, peace and quiet can be overrated. Don't worry; I'll return to liven things up soon!"
The man snorted at Marry's haughtiness, but smiled gently as he missed all of this.
"can't tell you how sad it was when I found out you lost your memory. To see the arrogant, egotistical girl reduced to a stupid lost bunny. Gotta commend the evildoer" the man mocked with smirk.
Mary snorted and with a cold look she said, "well you can as well thank him for rescuing me from my brief stint of sanity, and bringing me back to my glorious, usual self."
With that, Rocco Vitale, lost his smile and looked serious, "the investigation showed the two accidents are unrelated. And the driver died."
"Well, you of all people should know, evidence and investigation could be tampered with. But I see you investigated them?"
Cold glint flickered in Rocco's eyes. This girl was like a daughter and little sister to him. He owes her his life. And he would do anything for her. So, knowing that someone was after her life, Rocco smiled, he must be chasing death.
"It was a little hard with your father involving the police, but I managed to get all the information. I investigated the drivers; the first one was imprisoned for drunk driving, other than that his profile is clean. And the car wasn't tampered with. While the other one, his medical file says he had a stroke while driving, leading to crashing you and dying on the spot. I tracked their bank accounts but there wasn't any transaction. And neither their families got any suspicious help."
Hearing his report and seeing the cruel look in his eyes, Marry smiled.
"The driver was changed. They took him to the hospital, and switched him with a dead body."
Rocco furrowed his brows, "Do they know your real identity?"
Rocco is well aware of who she is. He's the only one in the organization who knows that. Although his subordinates know I'm a hacker, they don't know my real identity. To them I'm just a smart little girl who happens to be gifted.
"Not sure, that's what I need to know." I took a file from my classic black leather with gold chain accents tote bag, and gave it to him.
"According to what I found. They bribed the police officers, they deleted all the records of the real driver, and changed the profile to the other two. The family of the imprisoned man didn't receive any money, which is weird for I'm sure he's not the real driver. But why would he take the blame then? The dead man medical profile is real, but he had an accident in a remote road with no cameras or any eyewitnesses. They managed to put the blame on him by deleting the cameras records around my accident and bribing the police officer who hid the driver face and tampered with the report."
"So, it's normal his family didn't receive any help, for they are unaware of the real accident place. What about the real drivers?"
"The bastard hid his face well from all the cameras around, I checked all the cameras around both the accidents place, the hospital, nothing. He made sure nothing captures his face."
"Wait, the bastard? Are you saying it's the same driver for both accidents?? Are you sure?"
"I don't forget a face that I saw Rocco. Especially if it's two time in a row."
Rocco furrowed his brows, "It's deliberate."
"Yes, that's why I'm sure it's not simple."
"Can you describe the face?"
"It's tough. He's middle-aged man, his eyes were thin and slightly squinted, resembling slits. He had a scar on his cheek."
"What kind of scar? Like the one left by a blade?"
"No. It was a small, discolored blemish, like an uneven patch on his skin. It's more like an old burn."
"Anything else?"
"No that's it, but I'd recognize him if I saw him in person."
"Yeah, but not enough to track him down. Then we can use the police officers."
"No. they contacted them by discreet. Unknown caller, and online transactions. The don't know the real one behind the scene. They might know the real driver, but approaching them now will alert the enemy. They'll either get rid of the driver or make a move. We can't allow that; we need to be discreet as much as possible until we have something useful in hand."
"If it's online then it's easy to you"
I pointed to the file. As he read further, he understood. "that's complicated"
"Yeah. I need this guy watched. Knowing who he meets, who he talks to, what he does in every minute of his day."
"I'll get it done"
"But he must not notice. He's into this world so he may catch on, be very careful and cautious. I'm still not sure if the attack was against me or due my other identity."
"I understand.
"But there's no compensation?"
"At least not money. I need you to send someone to investigate any 'good' thing that happened to his family aligned with the time of the first accident."
Looking at the information in his hand, and processing what's said, Rocco got into deep thought. Then he looked at me and said "Something is wrong, there's something strange in the process."
"I know. If the perpetrator is capable of contacting such a good hacker, and bribing police officers, without leaving any trace of his real identity, would have enough power to eliminate me in a better way. Frankly speaking, if he had this much power, to switch dead bodies, tamper with an investigation, change the accident place, he can use better ways to successfully eliminate me while still making it look like an accident without failing."
"And using the same method, same man twice?"
"Not someone smart enough to do so"
"And someone that's meticulous not to expose his identity even if the hacker was exposed, won't be foolish to repeat the same mistake."
Mary and Rocco exchanged deep looks. And after a minute of silence.
"Someone caused the trouble, and the other dealt with the fallout."
"One is foolish and the other cunning"
"Cunning and formidable", I replied with a dark look.
Rocco laughed, "what? Is my conniving girl scared?"