Advik's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as he gathered all the house servants into the hall. The room was filled with a sense of unease, as the staff exchanged nervous glances. Advik's stern expression only added to the tension.
"Who is in charge of the garden?" he asked, his voice steady but commanding.
One of the senior servants, an older woman named Martha, stepped forward. "That would be John, sir," she replied. "He's responsible for the garden and also assists in the kitchen."
"Is anyone on leave?" Advik continued, scanning the faces in the room for any sign of deceit or guilt.
Martha shook her head. "No, sir. Everyone who was supposed to be here is present."
Advik's eyes narrowed slightly. "And where is John now?"
There was a moment of hesitation before Martha answered. "He left right after the party, sir. Said he had an urgent family matter to attend to."
A cold feeling settled in Advik's stomach. Something felt off about the timing of John's departure. He took out his phone and dialed John's number, but the call went straight to voicemail. He tried again, with the same result.
"Does anyone know how to reach John?" Advik asked, his tone growing more insistent.
The servants exchanged worried looks, but none of them had any further information. Advik's frustration grew, but he kept his composure. He needed to think clearly.
"Alright," he said finally. "Thank you, everyone. You can go back to your duties."
As the servants dispersed, Advik remained in the hall, his mind racing. The timing of John's departure was too convenient to be a mere coincidence. He felt a deep sense of unease. There were too many unanswered questions, and John's sudden disappearance only added to the mystery.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, Advik decided to dig deeper. He needed to find out more about John and his connections. Something told him that this wasn't just an unfortunate accident—someone had deliberately set a trap for Nivik, and John might be the key to uncovering the truth.
As he walked back towards his room, Advik's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone buzzing. He looked down and saw an unknown number flashing on the screen. Hoping it was a lead, he answered the call.
"Hello?" he said, his voice tense with anticipation.
"Advik?" a familiar voice said. "It's Martha. I remembered something—John mentioned a friend who owed him a favor. Maybe he went there."
Advik felt a glimmer of hope. "Do you have any idea where this friend lives?"
Martha hesitated. "I'm not sure, but I can ask around. Some of the other staff might know."
"Please do," Advik said, his voice earnest. "And let me know as soon as you find anything."
As he ended the call, Advik felt a renewed sense of determination. He wasn't going to let this go. He had to find John and uncover the truth, not just for Nivik, but for the safety of everyone in their household.
....
Leo was seated in a dimly lit room, the faint glow of a single overhead bulb casting shadows across his chiseled features. His dark eyes, cold and calculating, were fixed on the man lying before him. Leo's hand gripped a cigarette between his fingers, the smoke curling lazily upwards, filling the room with a dense haze.
A guy seemed to have been severely assaulted, as shown by the pools of blood all over his torso and his hands. He was resting on the ground. John was one of the house servants at Nivik's.
John lay sprawled on the cold concrete floor, his body covered in blood. His clothes were torn and stained, his face battered and bruised. He shivered with a combination of pain and fear, the metallic scent of blood mingling with the acrid smell of smoke in the air. Desperation filled his eyes as he looked up at Leo, pleading for mercy.
John crawled over to Leo and begged for forgiveness." I followed your instructions, so please go from me. However, why are you pounding me?"
Leo's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. He took a slow drag from his cigarette, the ember flaring brightly in the dim light. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he leaned forward, his voice a low, dangerous growl.
"Yes, you did as I said, but what I had intended did not come to pass." Leo's expression was pure rage.
John begged him to leave him, saying, "That Nivik is quite fortunate that he escaped from your trap, but I had only done as you instructed me."
Leo tone cold and unforgiving. "You think I care about your excuses? I gave you a simple task, and you failed."
John's breath hitched, his entire body shaking. "But I… I followed your orders to the letter. Please, sir , give me another chance. I can fix this."
Leo's lip curled into a sneer, stepped up to confront John after dropping the cigarette and smashing it with his sneakers.He stood up, towering over John, his presence menacing and overwhelming. "Another chance? You think this is a game? Do you have any idea what your failure cost me?"
John's eyes filled with tears, his voice breaking. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Leo's anger flared, and he grabbed John by the collar, lifting him slightly off the ground. "Sorry doesn't cut it, John. You've put everything at risk. If you can't be trusted to handle a simple job, then you're useless to me."
He let go, and John crumpled back to the floor, whimpering in pain and fear. Leo took a step back, his expression one of disgust. "Get out of my sight," he spat. "And pray that you never fail me again."
John scrambled to his feet, blood dripping from his wounds, and staggered towards the door. Leo watched him go, his mind already turning to the next steps he needed to take to salvage the situation. The failure had set him back, but he wouldn't let it derail his plans. He was ruthless, and he would do whatever it took to maintain control.
As the door closed behind John, Leo lit another cigarette, the flickering flame casting eerie shadows across his face. He took a deep drag, the smoke filling his lungs, and exhaled slowly. He couldn't afford any more mistakes. He would make sure that.