Suzi sat in the car, shrugged to the side, while Alister in the back kept his gaze fixed on her. "So tell me in detail what happened?" he interrogated as they drove to where Viviana was.
"Chairman, the lady suspected that Nico–"
"Stop calling that bastard 'Mr.'!" Alister snapped, making Suzi jump. "Yes!" she said, clenching her hands tightly and taking a deep breath, holding it in her chest.
"She suspected he was cheating with her friend Freya, so she asked me to get her CCTV footage. And she was right. That is all I know." She replied, finally letting go of her breath.
Alister pinched his forehead and closed his eyes tightly. "I knew this day would come," he muttered under his breath. Suzi tried to listen carefully, unsure if he was talking to her or just grumbling. "How was she? Did she cry?" This time his tone was rather gentle, his fists curling up as if he was powerless at this point.
The conversation continued in bits and pieces, tension hanging in the air. As they neared the building complex, an unsettling feeling crept over them. Fire trucks sped past, their sirens wailing, followed by police cars and ambulances. Alister's gaze turned cold, his eyes narrowing as he watched the vehicles rush by. "Must have been an accident," he muttered.
As they reached the location, the sight of the apartment engulfed in flames stopped them cold. People were running for their lives, their faces masks of terror.
Alister's eyes widened, and his heart felt like it dropped into his stomach. "Did you say it was this building?" His voice shook.
Suzi, equally shocked, simply nodded. The car slowed, but before the driver could park, Alister flung the door open and bolted towards the burning building. His sudden movements caught the attention of the rescue team, and several men rushed to intercept him.
"Sir, you can't do that! There's a fire inside!" one of the rescuers shouted, desperation in his voice.
"Get out of my way! My child is inside!" Alister's voice cracked, tears glistening in his eyes.
"Please, back off!" The glass—
(Kaboom)
An enormous explosion rocked the floor above, sending glass shards flying. A blast of fire and debris threw the men backward.
(Tooooooot) A piercing ringing sound filled Alister's ears. His vision blurred, the world around him a chaotic blur of flames and shouting.
Two incidents on the same day shook the city to its core. Two seemingly intact buildings had inexplicably crumbled, claiming countless lives and leaving the survivors in shock. The night dragged on interminably, with hospitals overwhelmed by the injured and bodies waiting to be identified by their grief-stricken relatives. It was chaos.
Alister, after regaining consciousness, embarked on a desperate search for Viviana. He scoured every hospital, checked every bed, but she was nowhere to be found. With a heavy heart, he even looked among the dead, but there was no sign of her. It was as if she had vanished without a trace.
And it wasn't just Viviana. Freya and Nico were also missing. Neither their living bodies nor their corpses had been found. Something deeply unsettling hung in the air, a gnawing sense that this disaster was no accident.
The reporters had gotten a whiff of the situation, and they were pouring in for news related to Viviana's disappearance. News channels flashed Viviana Cassius's face on the screen dramatically, accompanied by an intense, blaring tune. The anchor, a woman with a neat bun, spoke with confident authority.
"Viviana Cassius, the only heiress of Alister Cassius, the richest tycoon in the country, has gone missing in the recent incident. Could this be an attempted murder on the wealthy heiress, or was it a kidnapping? Only time will tell."
Her face appeared clearly on the TV screen, casting an eerie glow in the otherwise dark room. In the dim light, a tuxedo cat sat on a sofa, being stroked by Argon. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the picture of Viviana in the corner of the screen.
"Kidnapping?" Argon clicked his tongue, tilting his head slightly, doubting the anchor's speculation. The phone beside him, facedown on the table, buzzed. The cat purred, turning its head towards the sound. Argon picked it up and answered.
"Yes?" he said. The person on the other end reported something, to which he nodded. "I understand. Keep me updated on this." He ended the call, tossed his phone aside, and placed his hand back on the cat's head. "What a waste of effort it would be if she actually died don't you think?" Argon sounded frustrated.
"Chess, what do you think, huh?" He looked into the cat's blue eyes. "Will her death ruin our plan? Or could we succeed even if she is dead?" He spoke as if the cat understood him, his voice filled with contemplation.
"Meow." The cat lifted its head and licked Argon's fingers.
"Hmm… I hope so too. But we need to find other ways to lure that old man now that his cherished heiress is gone." Argon's voice was devoid of any human emotion. Though he didn't seem completely heartless, his words reduced a person's life or death to mere terms of profit, making him sound incredibly selfish.
"I'm too tired for today. Let's rest now and see what tomorrow has in store for us." Argon rose from the couch, leaving the TV screen on, and scooped Chess into his arms. He stroked the cat gently, and Chess snuggled into his muscular embrace, purring softly as they headed towards the bedroom.