A few days had passed since the last meeting between Michel and Arele. The young man lacked the courage to see her again out of fear of her reaction. The same problem persisted on the surface. At least he could make sure she didn't do anything foolish, considering she was more rational than she appeared.
However, a bad feeling had been gnawing at him in recent days. Unable to bear it any longer, he decided to go to her place. He rang the doorbell several times, but no one answered. Her car was parked in the courtyard, though. Concluding that she must be occupied elsewhere, he left and returned the next day, and the day after. But still, nothing changed. Worried, he ended up breaking down the door.
The living room was as he had left it the last time. Nothing had moved. Even the crease on the couch where he had been sitting. Everything seemed unnaturally frozen. This heightened his anxiety. Could she have committed suicide? No, impossible. He started shouting her name while searching every room. But in vain. He finally entered the last room, hesitating to open it at first: her bedroom.
As he entered, he was greeted by complete darkness; the shutters were closed and no light illuminated the room. Panicking, he turned on the light, searching every corner but finding nothing except an unmade bed and scattered slippers, signs that it was the last place she had been. Michel widened his eyes, his detective instinct taking over.
Arele was in danger. He examined the room more carefully. His instinct rarely led him astray, and it was one of the keys to his success. He was able to formulate his hypothesis in no time, and it frightened him. She had indeed been kidnapped. By whom, where, and why, he did not know. Did she have enemies? Unless it was connected to the Artland company.
He had to act quickly. If her abductor was truly linked to the company, his friend's life was undoubtedly in danger. He knew very well who could be behind all this, and what she wanted was nothing less than the elimination of any successor who could lead it. In the past, this same person had already disposed of one element.
Only this last one remained. He had indeed discovered that Miguel's death was by no means an ordinary accident. His car had been tampered with; the rear brake had failed. But the evidence had been tampered with, as always. As he inspected the room, he gathered every available clue and then left.
***
Driving had never been so tiring. Finally on vacation, Fathim Mahed decided to pay her friend a surprise visit. It had been a long time since they had seen each other. Since the graduation ceremony, five years ago. Despite staying in touch, nothing could replace face-to-face interaction. She chuckled to herself, thinking about the cold reception her friend would give her.
That's how she had always been, but over time, she had gradually become more open and warm. One of the few qualities she particularly admired in her friend was her honesty. She was excited to see her again. Even though she knew her friend had a taste for secluded places, she didn't suspect her to live in such a remote area. But it suited her well.
Fathim had rented a car, knowing it would be more convenient than taking taxis in the long run. Finally, she arrived at her friend's address. To her surprise, she saw a man coming out of the apartment and locking the door.
"Did I get the wrong address?" she wondered.
Yet, it was the address Arele had given her. She got out of the vehicle and hurried toward him.
"Excuse me! Wait! Sir!"
However, the man seemed not to hear her. When she reached him, she had to stop him before he closed his car door.
"Sorry! I assume you speak English, right?
I called out to you, but you didn't hear me. I saw you coming out of this apartment," she pointed to it, "and I wanted to make sure I didn't get the wrong address."
Michel stared at her in disbelief.
"Uh, yeah, a friend of mine lives around here," she continued, seeing he did not respond. She then showed him the address in question before continuing, "Her name is Arele Dark Obby."
A realization flashed across Michel's face. He examined the woman in front of him and sighed, saying,
"That's the case, but unfortunately, she's not here."
"Oh! Really? But..."
"If you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving," he impatiently replied.
"Just a moment, sir. I haven't traveled all these miles for nothing. I'm going to wait for her, thank you," she retorted, indignant at his unpleasant behavior, before walking away.
"Wait, Miss!"
But she was not listening anymore. He was then forced to follow her, and when he caught up, he grabbed her arm to stop her. In return, he received a cold gaze. Michel rubbed his head, not knowing what to say. He regretted being impolite, but he could not tell her what was going on. He did not know her and had already wasted enough time with her. He tried to persuade her to leave, nonetheless. But she was so stubborn.
"I know Arele well; she wouldn't have said she's not here if she wasn't. And who are you, anyway, her boyfriend? I highly doubt that."
Michel sighed for the umpteenth time. He knew he would not get anywhere this way. So, he resorted to a more forceful approach. He knocked her unconscious and carried her away. Every second mattered for Arele's life; their little argument had already cost them enough. He would find excuses later.
Arriving at his office, he placed the young woman on the couch, then busied himself with starting his investigations. The clues he had in his possession allowed him to deduce that the kidnapper knew her. He had entered her place normally, not through a break-in, and on the very evening she had learned about Miguel's death. The same evening he had come to her place. He double-checked the images he had and indeed, that was the case. This meant that the person was not only connected to her, but also to him.
Otherwise, why would they have chosen to proceed exactly that night? Furthermore, he had kept an indirect watch over her, even late into the night. They probably waited for him to leave before abducting her. Arele was emotionally affected, lacking the strength or desire to think clearly, and would easily succumb to a deep sleep. A psychological question!
No doubt now, only one person could be involved: Patrick Wilbert. He acted with a specific purpose: to take over the Artland company completely. The question remains about who his accomplices are. Lost in his work, he did not notice the young girl stirring on the couch.
"Where am I?" she said, confused.
She sat up and realized she was in an office. Then she recalled the preceding events. She had been standing up to that man when he apologized before knocking her out? Speaking of that man, he was engrossed in his files, not even noticing that she was conscious again. Indignant, she got up hastily, walked towards him, and tapped on the table to get his attention.
"May I know by what right do you dare to take me away like this?" she exclaimed angrily.
Michel jumped in his seat. He had forgotten about her. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and said,
"I... It was necessary," which only fueled her anger more.
"It was necessary? Really? I'll call the police, that's better."
"No, wait!" he hurriedly interjected, snatching her phone, "Listen! You can't see Arele right now, she's... sick, yes, she's sick, and the doctor recommended she take a vacation. So, she's not in town."
"Well, I see," she said, unconvinced. "And you, can I know your identity?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, with all this commotion, I forgot. I'm Michel, Michel Randers, a friend of Arele's."
"Michel, you say? Her childhood friend?" she asked, surprised.
"Indeed!"
"Well, well, Arele often talked about you when we were in school," she said excitedly, "you, your sisters, and her cousin, Mi... Mi..."
"Miguel," he finished.
"Yes, that's it. She missed you a lot, if you only knew. I'm glad you've reconnected. She really suffered a lot from your separation."
This sentence piqued the young man's curiosity. This woman had access to his friend's past that he himself was unaware of. So, he decided to ask her questions to get more information. She answered with nostalgia. However, he asked one question that aroused her suspicion.
"Hold on a moment! Why do I feel like I'm answering a series of questionnaires? What's going on? I've noticed that this place we're in is not an ordinary office, and your inquiries seem more like investigations. Has something happened to her?"
This woman is more insightful than he thought. It was difficult for him to hide his intentions from her. Strangely, he trusted her.
"Arele has been kidnapped!" he sighed.
Fathim widened her eyes. Had she heard correctly? By whom? Where? How? But no words came out of her lips. When she finally agreed to speak, she said flatly,
"I want to participate in her search."
"Excuse me? No, impossible!"
"And for what reason, sir?" Her address made him grit his teeth.
"Well, it's already a mistake to have told you that. Let the police do their job. Participating will put you in danger."
"Danger? It's much less of a danger. I'm not afraid. She's my friend after all!"
"All the more reason to stop you! "
The brunette shook her head. She then took out her card and showed it to him.
"You'll need me," she said simply.
Michel was then surprised.
"I know Arele's conditions," she continued, "as well as their family company. She told me about it. She was aware too. Since I studied law in the first place, I provided her with the necessary documents if her step-uncle decided to take over the company. Since she never wanted to go back there, I suggested making a legal document stating that the company would go to her cousin in her absence, in case of her aunt's incapacity. This should be in effect now, as she's legally an adult. However, by closely following the legal activities of the company, I find a lot of redundancies."
Everything became clear in the young man's mind. Arele had acted in the shadows through this woman. Because of this act, Wilbert was only entitled to run the company if all the provisions in this document were eliminated. Making this need urgent.
"Well then! Let's not waste any time! "he concluded.