As Ivan began to reveal the first details about who was behind the attack, Aiden raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Aiden slowly rose from his chair, smoothing his tie and giving Ivan a cold look. The interrogation had been exhausting, but not enough to break his patience. Ivan, on the other hand, was sweating profusely, his face alternating between panic and relief, like someone who had escaped the gallows only to be taken back to his cell.
Aiden walked towards the door with deliberate steps, leaving Ivan under the watchful eye of the two guards in the room. Before leaving, he paused, his hand on the doorknob, and turned his head slightly, enough to glance sideways.
"You know, Ivan," he began, his voice low but full of meaning. "I don't like people who get in my way."
He opened the door and left, without looking back.
"What?!" Ivan shouted, confusion evident in his voice.
Aiden walked down the hallway with a relaxed posture, but his eyes were fixed on the cell phone he had pulled from his pocket. He began to type a message, but before he could finish, the dry sound of a gunshot echoed through the hallway.
He stopped in his tracks, feeling the air around him grow heavier. The echo of the gunshot reverberated through the facility, leaving a tense silence in the air. Aiden took a deep breath, put the cell phone in his pocket and slowly turned around.
A guard came running from the end of the hallway, clearly agitated.
"Sir, something happened to the prisoner."
Aiden held up his hand, silencing him.
"I heard."
When Aiden returned to the interrogation room, he found Ivan slumped in the chair. His head was lolling to the side, his eyes glazed over, while a pool of blood began to form on the floor. The gun that had fired the shot lay next to his right hand.
The two guards in the room looked stunned. One of them stammered, "He... he managed to grab the gun from somewhere. We don't know how that happened, sir."
Aiden crossed his arms and stared at Ivan's body, not saying a word for a few seconds. Finally, he sighed deeply and spoke coldly:
"Are you saying that a handcuffed man, under constant surveillance, managed to pull out a gun and shoot himself?"
The guards exchanged nervous glances, not knowing how to respond.
The security chief hurried into the room, clearly alarmed. He took a quick look at the scene and, with a serious expression, turned to Aiden.
"Sir, the cameras recorded a glitch 10 seconds before the shot. It seems there was a system interference."
Aiden tilted his head, puzzled.
"A interference? That was no coincidence. Ivan knew too much, and someone didn't want him to keep talking."
The head of security nodded.
"I agree. Most likely it was orchestrated by whoever was behind the attack on you."
Aiden took a few steps around the room, considering. Finally, he stopped and looked at him with a sharp gaze.
"I want a full trace of this interference. Find out where it came from and who is behind it."
"Yes, sir," Orion replied.
Aiden left the room, walking back through the hallways as he mentally reviewed the day's events. He wasn't surprised by Ivan's outcome, but it only reinforced that the enemies he faced were more cunning and dangerous than he had imagined.
As he left the security team building, Aiden took out his cell phone again, made a quick call, and got in his car.
Aiden decided to return to his routine as a ride-hailing driver. He enjoyed the duality between the glamour of being a CEO and the simplicity of driving through the city streets, listening to his passengers' stories and observing their daily lives. It was a refuge of sorts, though he knew his life was never completely free of complications.
The morning began with him getting into his sleek Lamborghini, setting up the app, and waiting for the first call. The system quickly found a passenger a few blocks away, and Aiden, with a carefree sigh, set off to pick him up.
The first passenger was a young college student named Lucas, who was running toward the car with his backpack swinging. He got in breathlessly, throwing the backpack on the seat next to him.
"Man, you saved my life! I'm late for a final exam."
Aiden smirked.
"I hope you studied. There's no point in getting there on time if you don't know the answers."
Lucas laughed nervously.
"Studying? That's a thing of the past! I'm counting on my charm to convince the teacher to give me some extra points."
"Good luck with that." Aiden sped off, weaving through traffic expertly as he listened to Lucas talk about his college adventures.
When they reached the university, Lucas hurried out, waving.
"Thanks, man! I'll give you a five-star rating."
Aiden waved back, laughing. "Another ordinary day," he thought.
Soon after, the app sent out another call. This time, it was for a ride to the city's financial district. The passenger was a woman in her thirties, wearing an impeccable suit and holding a tablet. She got into the car without even looking at Aiden.
"Good morning," he said, but received no response.
The woman was too busy talking on the phone:
"I told them we need that report by noon! I don't accept excuses!"
Aiden glanced in the rearview mirror, amused by the way she gestured as she gave orders. When the call ended, she finally noticed the driver.
"Sorry, I'm swamped with work."
"No problem. The life of an executive must be hectic."
She sighed.
"You have no idea. Sometimes I think about dropping everything and opening a small coffee shop in the countryside."
"And why don't you do that?" Aiden asked casually.
She laughed.
"Money. And, well, I guess I'm addicted to chaos."
When they reached their destination, she thanked him and hurried off, leaving Aiden thinking about how people were always stuck in cycles of stress that they themselves created.
In the middle of the afternoon, Aiden accepted a new ride. A young couple got into the car, arguing heatedly.
"I already told you I didn't do anything!" the man shouted.
"Then why are you deleting messages?" the woman retorted, crossing her arms.
Aiden, keeping his expression neutral, waited for them to calm down, but the argument only escalated. Finally, he intervened. "Guys, I'm not a therapist, but do you want to know what I think?"
They both fell silent, looking at him.
"If you really want to solve this, stop fighting and talk like adults. But if you prefer to keep yelling, I'll have to charge you an extra psychology fee."
The comment made the woman laugh, and the man looked embarrassed.
"Maybe he's right," the boy muttered.
The rest of the trip was more peaceful, and at the end, they both thanked Aiden for intervening.
Towards the end of the afternoon, Aiden received a ride in a more remote neighborhood. The passenger was a man in a black suit, sunglasses, and an expressionless expression. He got in the car without saying a word, just confirming the destination with a wave.
Aiden tried to start a conversation:
"Busy day, huh?"
The man remained silent. Aiden, not one to insist, decided to just drive. But something about the passenger's presence bothered him. The man seemed to be constantly looking around, as if waiting for something.