DAVID:"Would you like some lemon in your tea, Mr. Barnes?" Ava asked with her honey-dipped tone as she delicately poured the tea into the cup. Everything around her felt meticulously maintained and under her control. Two bodyguards stood by her side, a clear indication of Mr. Brown's concern for her safety or rather his upcoming child's safety. But the question remained: How much did he truly care about Ana?"No, that will be all, Mrs. Brown," I replied with a polite smile.Taking a sip of my tea, I observed her closely. Her face held a smile that seemed almost rehearsed, acted to perfection."I assume it's not the tea that brought you here?" she inquired in her British accent, taking a sip of her diet tea and looking up from beneath her long lashes. She was undeniably beautiful, like a model, but not quite on par with Ana. Ana's innocent beauty gave her an edge that Ava seemed to lack."Of course not," I chuckled, setting the cup down. "I'm here to ask a few questions, actually."Her brows furrowed. "Questions? About what, exactly?""About Ana's attack," I stated plainly.Her face remained unreadable for a moment, a skill she seemed to have mastered. "I thought that chapter was closed.""That's what was initially believed," I replied evenly. "But we can't simply ignore this matter. Ana was attacked, and the man responsible was her new driver. I assume you're aware of this."Anger flared in her eyes. "What are you suggesting, Mr. Barnes?""Nothing in particular but everything, all over again," I replied with a small smile, knowing I had managed to get under her skin. "I've come to understand that every recruit in Brown Mansion and the company requires your final approval, isn't that correct, Mrs. Brown?"She straightened, her anger becoming more apparent. "Are you implying that I had something to do with Ana's attack?" Her brows frowned as she scoffed. "For God's sake, I've done more than what was necessary to protect her name and the Brown family's reputation. I made sure her name was cleared in the media so that—""I'm aware of what you've done for the Browns, Mrs. Brown," I interjected. "What I'm questioning is how a fraudulent résumé was approved under your strict supervision."Her nostrils flared. "Mistakes can be made by humans, Mr. Barnes. I assume you're aware of that fact?"At that moment, I wanted to present a multitude of reasons against her. It was evident that she was hiding something, and that was certainly not in Ana's best interest."I have evidence that Ronin was working without submitting his ID. What do you have to say about that?" I pressed on. "And when we found the ID card on the body, it bore the Brown mark, indicating it was made after he joined." I placed Ronin's ID card in front of her, and she looked at it silently. "Furthermore, when I delved deeper, the manager in the third department confirmed that this ID was approved under your authority... Without proper verification.""That doesn't mean I was associated with him," Ava retorted. "When he came for the interview, I was impressed by his qualifications. He had excelled in all the exams. During his onboarding, when we requested his documents, he explained that he had recently suffered a family tragedy, losing everything, and he needed the job to support his family. The Browns have always been committed to the community; how could I turn him down? I helped him out of kindness."I had my doubts about whether she was telling the truth, but I lacked any concrete evidence against her at this point, so I chose to remain silent for now.****As I walked away from our off-the-record interrogation session, Ava couldn't resist getting in one last word just as I was about to exit the sitting area. She said, "I'll be sure to inform James about your helpful visit today. I'm certain he'll be delighted to know that you're taking an interest in solving the case."It was more of a veiled threat than a genuine compliment, but I offered a small smile before departing.That is when I received another anonymous email.****Three days had passed since Ana's accident, three days of drowning in a sea of helplessness. When I rushed to her that night after receiving her distressing message, I found her lying unconscious on the cold road. It shattered my heart.I longed to cradle her in my arms and shield her from the world, to keep her safe for the rest of our lives. She meant everything to me, perhaps even more than I realized. I couldn't pinpoint when my feelings for her had blossomed—perhaps it was the first time we met at the Gala, where she wore that enchanting yellow gown, resembling a character from a fairy tale. Or maybe it was when she approached me with the file of recent cases in New York, cases we had solved together.I loved her for who she was, but I had never mustered the courage to confess my feelings. Instead, I silently vowed to protect her always. Someday, I promised myself, I would find the strength to tell her.I sighed, my thoughts interrupted by the arrival of an encrypted video attached to an email from an anonymous sender. My best team was already hard at work deciphering it. I couldn't help but wonder what new challenge this mysterious message held. The anticipation gnawed at my nerves, adding another layer of complexity to the emotions already swirling within me.I stood before the cyber team, my gaze fixed on the laptop screen as our new recruit furiously typed lines of code. Every second counted; we were on the verge of a breakthrough.Tension hung in the air, palpable as the code on the screen finally revealed itself. But it wasn't the outcome we had hoped for—ERROR! A collective sigh of frustration rippled through the room. The new team member bit her lip, her voice quivering as she apologized, "I'm sorry, sir."I simply nodded, my mind racing. There had to be a way. I couldn't afford to give up now. That's when the same girl called out, "Sir?"I whirled around, a glimmer of hope in my eyes. "I think, I've managed to crack it."My face lit up with a mixture of relief and gratitude. "Good job," I commended her, a hint of admiration in my voice. "Send me the footage."****The video played. March, 2018:Amidst the dense, foreboding jungle, the camera shook violently in Jackson's trembling hands. Fear and desperation were etched deeply on her face, the flickering light casting eerie shadows that danced around her haunted eyes. Her voice quivered as she began recording the chilling message, each breath heavy and ragged."I... I don't know if anyone will ever see this, but I need you to know the truth," Jackson's voice cracked, the anguish evident in every word. The backdrop of twisted trees and looming shadows painted a stark contrast to her distress. Her eyes darted anxiously as if expecting danger to pounce from the shadows at any moment."Aurora... Aurora found out... she found out who they are," she stammered, her voice raw with torment. "The Falcon group... they killed her. They killed her because she knew too much. Because she threatened them.""The Falcon group, they're monsters. They're into human trafficking, selling innocent women and children like commodities. They prey on the vulnerable, torturing them, breaking them, and then selling them off. And their prey includes the missing students of LarksVille High too, and many other children from the town."Her gaze wandered, haunted by the memories of the past few days. "They tortured her, they made her suffer," she confessed, her eyes welling with tears. "I couldn't do anything... they wouldn't let me help her." The anguish in her voice painted a vivid picture of the horrors she had witnessed."Aurora found out about their leader. Someone we never expected. There's also another woman involved in all this, with powerful people we never thought could be involved," Jackson's voice wavered, his hands trembling as he spoke. "They tortured Aurora, trying to force her to reveal what she knew. And they assaulted her and... killed her." She cried. "They killed her."Jackson's breaths came in ragged gasps as she continued, the weight of her knowledge and powerlessness crushing her. "They're after Miley now. The junior in our school. She has always been timid and they love breaking her. They're going to... they're going to send her too," she revealed, her voice laced with dread. "There's a shipment, scheduled for today. I don't know where, but they're trying to find us. I don't know how long we can hide...""Miley and I managed to escape, but in the chaos, we lost each other in this dense forest," she gasped, her breaths shallow and rapid. "There's..." Her voice trailed off. "There's a highway." Hope flickered in her eyes. In the cloak of darkness, amidst the rustling leaves and the hushed whispers of the night, Jackson's voice quivered like a fragile echo."Is that, Miley?" She whispered, her voice soft yet filled with hope, her eyes squinting as she strained to adjust her sight in the inky blackness."That's Miley," she affirmed in the video, her words carrying a mix of relief and determination. "She's safe!" A small, brave smile graced her lips, a glimmer of resilience in the face of despair. "Mother, if you see this, please save us, get help," she breathed, her words a heartfelt plea, carried away by the night wind. "We are almost near the highway now.""Miley..." Her voice, though hushed, held an intensity that echoed through the dense forest. She focused her camera on Miley, a distant silhouette against the faint glow of the distant highway. Miley, determined and desperate, ran with all her might, her figure weaving through the trees like a fleeting specter. Jackson chased after her, her steps fueled by fear and hope in equal measure."The Falcon group's leader had a mask on her face," Jackson's voice trembled, a quiver of fear underlining her words. "But I noticed a blue bracelet in his hand. A jewel normally..." Her sentence hung in the air, pregnant with unspoken terror. The forest seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the revelation.But before the truth could be unveiled, a tall and menacing figure emerged from the shadows, his grip like iron as he clamped his hand over Jackson's mouth. The phone slipped from her grasp, capturing a fleeting glimpse of the forest floor before showing Miley's desperate sprint towards the highway. The world seemed to blur as Miley's form grew smaller, nearing the salvation of the open road.And then, in a cruel twist of fate, a passing car collided with Miley, the screech of tires and the sickening thud echoing through the night. Jackson's muffled screams were stifled as if the very darkness conspired to silence her cries of horror.A bald man, his eyes cold and calculating, picked up the phone, his lips curling into a sinister smile as he stared into the device. The screen briefly captured the last vestiges of Jackson being dragged back into the suffocating depths of the forest. The camera fell, capturing only the fleeting shadows and the distant, haunting echoes of her cries, leaving the forest to swallow its secrets once more.****Remorse gripped my heart like a vice. The Falcon Group involved in human trafficking? The very thought sent a shiver down my spine. Were all the missing children and students in town victims of their sinister clutches?Damn it.If Oliver was truly behind this, then Russo's involvement was almost certain. And who knew how many others were entangled in this web of darkness? The town, once a haven, now felt like a treacherous pit of secrets and danger. It was terrifying to think that while we feared the Devil, the real demons were operating freely in our midst, unseen and more dangerous than we could imagine.I had to uncover the truth.The video couldn't prove much; she hadn't named anyone. But I needed to dig deeper, to unearth the connections between Jackson, Aurora, and the incident from 2018. There had to be more information out there, some lead, no matter how faint, that could guide me through this maze of deception and horror. I couldn't afford to let the darkness prevail, not when the lives of so many innocent people hung in the balance. Determination burned in my eyes as I vowed to expose the truth, no matter the cost.A/N: Do you think the ninth member is hidden behind the mask and is hanging out with everyone else? Comment down below your thoughts. See ya next week.