Bellatrix took a deep breath. The night air was so cold it felt piercing, making her unwilling to stay outside for long. The middle-aged woman promptly stepped into the building where her subordinates usually gathered. Upon arrival, Ollie, who had been waiting for her, greeted her.
"Good evening, ma'am."
"No need for pleasantries. I don't want to waste time. Just take me to them!" Bellatrix said without looking at him. The woman in all-black now walked hurriedly, with Ollie trying to keep up with her pace.
"They're waiting in the usual room, ma'am. As soon as they arrived, I asked them to gather there as per your request."
"Good! And what about the other task I assigned to you?"
"I've managed to get the information you asked for. However, there are a few things, ma'am," Ollie mumbled with his head bowed. Bellatrix, hearing this, stopped abruptly and stared at Ollie with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Now, what's the issue?" she asked with an irritated tone.
"Just a peculiar thing when I tried to dig into that man's personal data, ma'am."
Bellatrix fell silent, looking at Ollie with a puzzled expression. She didn't understand the meaning behind his words.
*
Creak!
The door opened, and everyone in the room immediately shifted their attention toward the source of the sound. Upon seeing who had appeared, their faces turned pale. The heads of all her subordinates who had just returned from Sciencetopia bowed down with visible fear.
Bellatrix entered with Ollie and stood in front of the group.
"You all know why I called you back, right?" she said in a cold tone. Everyone in the room responded in unison.
"We know," they replied.
"Good, if you all know. That way, I don't need to explain everything again. Now, do you know why I gathered you here?"
Silence. None of them dared to answer the earlier question. It seemed like they were reluctant to admit that Bellatrix would mete out punishment for their poor performance. "I will punish all of you for failing to carry out the task I gave you! You are all utterly useless! I simply instructed you to capture one bitch, and it took you five long years. What's even more absurd is that you let that bitch escape and return to Pandora!"
Thud!
Carlo, one of the men standing in the front and the leader of the group, suddenly knelt on the floor. He bowed his head. Shortly after, all of his subordinates followed suit. Now, everyone knelt before Bellatrix.
"Forgive us, ma'am, for failing to fulfill the task you assigned. But please, give us a chance to redeem our mistakes. Please don't kill us. We still want to live."
"Please forgive us, ma'am." They all pleaded, filling the entire room with their echoing voices.
"SHUT UP!" Bellatrix snapped, silencing them all. "LISTEN! HOW CAN I TRUST YOU AGAIN AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE? YOU FAILED TO CAPTURE THAT BITCH, AND BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS, SHE SUCCESSFULLY RETURNED TO PANDORA!"
"We beg you, as long as you give us a second chance, we promise not to make the same mistake again, ma'am. Please forgive us..." Carlo pleaded, representing his subordinates.
Bellatrix fell silent upon hearing his words. Beside her, Ollie suddenly spoke up. "Ma'am, can't you give them a second chance?"
"Do you also want to defend them?" Bellatrix glared at him with irritation.
"Not in that way, ma'am, but please reconsider. Wouldn't it be better if you assign them rather than punish them? Perhaps, with the mistake they've made, they can be more cautious and put in more effort to capture her. Besides, they might have information that could help us," Ollie suggested. Bellatrix acknowledged his words. Upon further thought, she felt that Ollie's statement was right.
"Give me the file you showed earlier!" Bellatrix demanded. Ollie raised an eyebrow, not understanding why Bellatrix suddenly wanted the file containing the personal information he had shown earlier. Without further questioning, Ollie promptly handed over the file he had been holding since earlier.
Bellatrix grabbed the file, briefly falling silent as she stared at it in her hand.
A few moments ago...
"I found something odd when trying to investigate the background of that man, ma'am," Ollie said, instantly confusing Bellatrix with his statement.
Ollie then showed the file in his hand to Bellatrix. Without saying a word, Bellatrix immediately seized the file containing the personal information and opened it. Inside, she could instantly see the photo of the man Ollie was referring to. Bellatrix's curiosity about Hugh vanished instantly as she gazed at his face through the photograph.
"From the data I managed to gather, the man is named Hugh. But as I mentioned, there's something peculiar when I tried to find out more about him. I've tried digging into his background, but there's absolutely no other information I could gather besides his name, date of birth, and citizenship. Additionally, he doesn't have a last name. His name is simply Hugh, born in Future City, Sciencetopia, on May 30, 1995, and his citizenship is Sciencetopia."
"Have you tried contacting our contacts in Sciencetopia to investigate further?"
"Yes, ma'am. But apart from all that, no other information was successfully collected. There's no record of his family, occupation, or background."
"This is truly strange... how can there be no comprehensive information about this man, even in his own country?" Bellatrix muttered softly. "Are you sure you've asked them to look for more information? Maybe find out where he went to school?"
"I've tried, but the results remain the same. I gathered information from various schools throughout Sciencetopia, but there's no record indicating he ever attended any. Additionally, I've attempted to find information through his social media accounts. Unfortunately, there's not a single post related to his background or occupation." Ollie shifted his focus, turning on the tablet in his hand and showing screenshots from Hugh's social media account during his investigation.
"On his account, he doesn't follow anyone, but he has a considerable number of followers. Unfortunately, when I questioned some of them, they admitted to following him simply because they were intrigued by his handsome appearance. They claim to be fans even though they don't know clearly who he is or what his real-world occupation is."
Bellatrix fell silent, utterly puzzled by the situation. She initially thought Ollie and her other subordinates would easily uncover Hugh's background, since they had numerous connections with influential people worldwide. Unfortunately, it proved futile because Hugh's background was more mysterious than they had imagined.
His background was so enigmatic, almost as if he wasn't from Earth.
Currently...
Bellatrix snapped out of her reverie. Looking at the file in her hand reminded her of her conversation with Ollie a while ago before meeting Carlo and the others.
Bellatrix then tossed the file in her hand in front of Carlo. Thinking that since Carlo had chased Serena to Sciencetopia, he might know something about the man named Hugh.
Carlo was momentarily startled when Bellatrix suddenly threw the file in front of him. Summoning his courage, Carlo looked up, examining the photo in the file in front of him. His forehead immediately creased upon realizing whose face was before him.
"You said you want a second chance, right? If so, explain to me, have you ever met this man before?" Bellatrix pointed at the photo of Hugh in front of Carlo.
"We... we know him!" Carlo said after scrutinizing Hugh's face more closely. Bellatrix, upon hearing this, squatted down.
"You're sure you know about him?"
"Yes, ma'am. We know about him. We've met him several times."
"Really? Explain everything you know to me!"
*
"Back so late?" those words slipped out of her mouth as soon as she saw her husband entering the house. Rhys glanced at her lazily.
"Isn't it clear enough that you see me just getting home?" he said while walking away from Hailey. The man approached the sofa, putting his bag on the table while busy loosening the tie around his neck.
"What have you been doing all day?" Hailey redirected the conversation, following him. She grabbed Rhys's work bag to put it in its usual place.
"You're asking what I've been doing all day? Isn't it obvious that I've been at work all day? What do you think I've been doing?" Rhys retorted with an irritated expression. He had just come home, feeling tired, yet Hailey was asking various questions whose answers she already knew.
"I just want to make sure," Hailey muttered softly. Her words made Rhys raise an eyebrow, confused.
"Make sure of what you mean?"
"No. Forget it. I'll put your bag away, and then I'll prepare some water for you to shower." Hailey got up from her spot, leaving Rhys sitting on the sofa with a tired expression.
Hailey entered her husband's office, which was adjacent to their bedroom. Arriving there, she quickly placed the bag she was holding. However, Hailey had no intention of leaving right away.
For some reason, her conversation with Bellatrix today made Hailey feel paranoid. She became fearful that Rhys might have indeed met Serena. She was also worried about what might happen if they secretly met behind her back. All these fears fueled Hailey's suspicion.
With an anxious feeling, Hailey searched through Rhys's work bag, trying to find something that might answer her curiosity. However, after rummaging through everything, Hailey found nothing. Inside Rhys's work bag were only a few important files he brought home. Nothing more.
I can't find any evidence. If this continues, I'll feel even more uneasy. Hailey couldn't shake off her restlessness. Right at that moment, her attention shifted upon hearing the notification sound on her phone.
Without much thought, she immediately opened the message. However, upon reading the contents of the newly received message, Hailey took a deep breath. Is this for real?
***