Bente-Quatro 2 - Star Witness (Completed)

23 - 1500H

A/N: One and only otor's note. This story started at 5PM Sunday afternoon. It's now Monday, 4PM. Which means we only have the last two hours remaining to close the 24-hours. But there's going to be an epilogue to close whatever open plot/arcs left.

"If you can capture the element of surprise, you're way ahead of the game."

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Eduardo Rodriguez, the Senior Director for Enterprise Audit, sits behind his massive, elegant desk, with the mid-afternoon citiscape as his backdrop in his corner office, at the 31st floor of the high rise building, right at the heart of Ortigas CBD. Just a stone throw away from the hotel where he just came from.

There was a grim expression on his face, his eyes intent on his laptop, when his new executive secretary peeks in his slightly open door.

Her voice was tentative, "Sir? you have a call on your private line. Should I just take a message?"

His protest was immediate. "NO! NO! NO! I always take the calls in my private line! Remember that!"

Shaking inside, the girl nodded. "Noted on that, sir. Do ... do you want your coffee now?"

"Do I look like somebody who wants to drink coffee? What I want is not to to be disturbed for the next 30 minutes, got that? And keep that door closed for God's sake!"

The girl nervously fixed her eyeglasses. "Copy, sir. Will that be all?"

The senior director raised his hand as a signal to wait, then impatiently picks up the phone and pressed his private line. It's the call he's waiting for. "Hello! This better be good news."

The call did not even take 30 seconds to finish.

He turned to face his now agitated executive secretary. Gone was the grim expression, Eduardo is now grinning from ear to ear.

"I changed my mind. Instead of coffee, order a bottle of the best champagne from the restaurant at the top floor and have it delivered at exactly 4PM. Not before, not after. Oh, and book a special dinner for me and Mrs. Rodriguez, 7pm at our usual place at the Shang. Have a bouquet of her favorite flowers waiting for her at our table."

She'll never understand him, blowing hot and cold just like that.

The poor girl closed the door behind her, still trying to recap the orders she heard in silence. She did not dare ask what that usual place is at the Shang or what is his wife's favorite flowers. Is it Shangri-la Edsa, Shangri-la Makati or the new Shangri-la at the Fort?

She'll have to get the information somewhere else. She doesn't want to run the risk of getting the ire of the senior director who's known to blow his top when irritated.

Now restored to a good mood, Eduardo rubbed his palms together at the news he received over his private line.

It was a short coded message: "The eagle has landed."

This only means one thing. It's not a bird, it's not even a plane. It means, the ship bearing his cargo had already docked at the port at Pier 1. Within the next hour or so and he can already celebrate. By 4PM, the Customs Inspector would have cleared the "cargo" for off-loading to the yard where the container vans will be picked up by the trucks he has on standby.

A definite cause for celebration. Hence the champagne and the dinner.

Now if only he could have the patience to search and find the location of the video clips he just downloaded over his secured personal email account.

He's getting too old for this hi-tech stuff. But he simply cannot entrust it to that incompetent girl.

He looks at the military time on the upper hand right corner of his laptop.