Lennox POV
I've never rushed so much in my life. Although it was only a few minutes away, the whole travel time was suffocating. I gritted my teeth as I drove my car faster than usual.
When I finally arrived at the city hall, my heart wouldn't stop beating fast, as if it's going to burst. The atmosphere felt tense, making everything so unbearable.
Millen got kidnapped?
Just the thought of it is so sick. Who dares to kidnap her!?
All my life, I've never expected that I can feel multiple emotions all at once. I feel remorse at just the thought of her being taken away and at the same time, I feel agitated, fearing at what could happen.
Is she alright? Where is she now?
I've never imagined that one day, I could be this desperate...
It's at this moment that I realised, that I really would do anything just to make sure that she's safe. I'd do anything that the heavens wanted me to do just to see her again.
When I got into the security room, people there were already viewing the CCTV's. Zeus Costales meticulously looked through the CCTV's with the other staff. On the other hand, Millen's parents were sitting on the seats available. Katrina Yu was weeping horridly while Kenneth Yu was comforting her.
I clenched my jaw at the sight as I tried to control myself by clenching my fists...
So, it's really happening, huh?
Once I find out the people behind this, I'll make sure that they won't get out of this unscathed. I'll make them suffer and I'm willing to use the fullest of my connections just to do that.
Out of all of them, Zeus Costales noticed me first.
"Mayor Lennox... I apologise, but we already went through the archive files before you got here." he said in a distressed voice.
I wanted to give a polite smile at him, but I couldn't. I don't even know what my expression is right now. I'm too agitated to even maintain the politician facade I always had.
"Don't worry about it, Senator Costales..." I murmured.
I looked at Dan who was with other security personnel and with just one look, he got my signal.
Quickly, Dan came near me and detailed what he knew so far.
Apparently, from the information given by the Yu family guards, Millen was with a friend named Julienna Carpio. They were supposed to go to the latter's coffee shop but when the guards have noticed that they have astray from the supposed path, that's when they decided to follow the GPS from the tracker they put on Millen's phone.
Then, when they got there, it led them into an empty warehouse. They only saw Julienna Carpio tied with chains and shackles, with no sight of Millen at all.
According to Julienna Carpio, strange men kidnapped her and Millen while on the road. Then, once they got into the warehouse, they suddenly left her all alone there and took Millen somewhere else. Dan said that right now, Julienna Carpio was traumatised so they couldn't get any more details.
So now, they were going through the archive files through the whole city. They are trying to find out the point where they got abdicated, just so they can collect evidences and perhaps, some clues.
"That's the end of the CCTV's. This is the ending point showing where the car was and in this footage, Miss Millen and her friend seems to be safe, with the two of them sitting in the car." a staff suddenly said.
Damn it!
That's all the footages that the city CCTV's had? It just stopped on the main roads!?
This is so shameful, considering the fact that I lead this city!
The issues that I have been working on for a long time was mostly matters regarding the healthcare system and poverty in the city, since it was those areas that the city needed to work on the most.
As for roads and public transport, Dan was in charge of it since he is the head of that department. In fact, Dan has a doctoral degree regarding transport, that's why he is more than qualified to do the job.
However, so far, we put our focus on making public transport more accessible and organised in our city. It was a very difficult problem, and it is too idealistic to say that it would be solved within my term.
Right now, just like the other metro cities, the traffic here is horrendous. Even though the locations are not that far, it would take a long time to travel from one point to another because the roads were too congested. There were simply too many vehicles.
People think it is a necessity to own a private vehicle since they find public transport a bother. After all, the public transport in the whole country was very disorganised. Public transport drivers use their own vehicle and there is no fixed schedule on when they will pass by, leaving people to wait for a long time, hoping that a public transport vehicle will come soon.
That's why, in our city at least, we want to make public transport more organised. We will disallow public transport drivers from using their own vehicle. Instead, we we will provide government-owned modern vehicles for them, so they would not lose their livelihood and work for the government at the same time.
These government-owned modern vehicles would also be an upgrade to the private vehicles they were previously using, as these new modern vehicles will be larger and environmental friendly. As of now, we were planning on getting e-jeepneys, e-tricycles, buses and mini vans.
However, before this could even be accomplished, there were a lot of things needed to be done. First, we would have to create organised routes that they would follow. Then, at each stop, there would be a schedule showing the exact time where the public transport vehicle will arrive, so people would not have to hopelessly wait anymore.
Also, we will be creating a contactless smart card ticketing system. Instead of commuters giving their payment manually, they can just pay by tapping a transport card on a system reader before entering the public transport vehicle. This would ease the burden of transaction, since discrepancies would be lessened and travel time would not be delayed as drivers struggle to drive while manually giving change to their passengers.
Then, citizens can easily put credit on their transport cards by charging at the city hall or district halls in their area. If this plan goes through just like how my team wanted it to be done, we will strive to waive off all the payments eventually. As Dan envisioned it, "public transport should be free and accessible for everyone".
We were even trying to negotiate with other sources to help us create a mobile application that resembles a GPS. It would show exactly when the public transport vehicle would arrive at a certain stop and it will show if there are any delays ahead, making it even more convenient for people in these modern times.
When public transport is innovated to become more accessible, convenient and comfortable to use, it is when people will not resort into buying more private vehicles that heavily influences the congestion of the roads.
More than that, we also had several plans for road widening and giving supplementary benefits for public transport drivers...
All in all, it is because of this idealistic and grand plan, that we did not pay much attention on minor things such as CCTV's going beyond the main roads.
After all, technically, the pathways directing to rural towns are not covered by our city anymore. Overall, everyone in my team has agreed that it was simply not practical to install CCTV's there. Instead, we added more on the areas actually inside our city...
Ugh! I can't even explain the frustrations I have right now! Sometimes, I wish that I did not think so rationally.
I felt bitterness clouding my heart, making it feel heavy so I had to take a deep breath just to calm down.
Really, there are still a lot of things I needed to work on. I have to make myself better...
"I somehow knew that it would be futile to look at CCTV's but I still wanted to try. My granddaughter... I'll make them pay!" Zeus Costales said in a dejected voice.
I frowned at him, feeling sympathy for his expression. In the senate hearings that I see, Zeus Costales never had such a distressed face before. He would always have a smug or nonchalant face on, no matter what issues they would talk about.
But now, because his granddaughter was missing, he also did not have his politician facade on. It's like he would do anything, just to know where Millen was. Just from now, I can feel his genuine care for her.
I might not have a good impression on him on the side of political matters, but as Millen's grandfather, I respect him. It feels assuring that he is very sincere and doting towards his granddaughter.
But... is there really no other way right now to look for clues? Just from the information that I have got so far, it would only be right to say that all along, the target was Millen, not the friend she was with. After all, why would they leave her there and take Millen?
Hmm...
"If you don't mind me asking, Senator Costales, do you know what their intentions may be? Do you know who could've kidnapped her?" I managed to say formally.
Instead of Zeus Costales replying, it was Kenneth Yu who did. He got up from his seat and walked closer to Zeus and I.
"They contacted me... I know who they are..." Kenneth said in a dispirited tone.
My jaw clenched as I looked at him eagerly.
"Please tell me more about it. I will use everything I have to help..." I said in a keen voice.
Kenneth Yu had a complicated expression on, as if he was hesitant to tell me. However, when he looked at the eagerness that I had, he seemed to have been convinced. He let out a deep sigh before talking.
"Your help would be appreciated, Mayor. But I don't think this would be the right place to disclose such matters." Kenneth said, as he eyed the staff surrounding the room.
I see...
Quickly, I invited Kenneth Yu to a secluded, private meeting room inside the city hall. Naturally, Zeus Costales and Katrina Yu also followed.
Unlike before, Katrina seemed to have calmed down. However, even though she already stopped weeping, she looked very lifeless.
"You see, because of the current economic trends due to the typhoon, I had to make drastic business moves. I drew out investments from several local companies, since they are no longer benefiting me. Aside from that, my advisors have found that there are estafa links with them. In fact, I have been considering to do this for a long time. But for the sake of personal friendships, I have stayed for a few years." Kenneth Yu said in a formal tone.
Upon hearing him say that, I could not help but raise my eyebrows due to surprise.
Ah...
So the information that I've heard from my relatives from years back wasn't entirely accurate. It turns out, Kenneth Yu himself was not directly involved with the estafa matters. There was just strong evidences that he was involved because aside from the investments he made, he also seemed like close friends with the top-suspected businessmen.
Upon hearing this, I could not help but feel a bit guilt-ridden. I have judged him too quickly because of the people he's surrounded with...
On the other hand, I reckon that it was a necessary move for him to pull out those investments. After all, if he was still linked to those companies, it would only cause further problems for his business empire.
In this world, power and wealth are not the things that give me fulfilment. Instead, I think honour and dignity is more important than anything else.
It is for this very reason that at the start, I hesitated to pursue Millen even though my attraction for her was already overwhelming.
Her family's ideals were too far from me.
I was fearful that if I get involved with her, I may one day stray off from my ideals and morals.
After all, when you're in the middle of the storm, it's very easy to lose sight of the future. It's easy to lose sight of your principles and your beliefs.
I was petrified that a day may come where I would become dishonest and turn blind to the injustices happening in front of me just to make Millen feel secure... just so she wouldn't be implicated in any burdensome matters.
It was a gruelling battle, between my unstoppable attraction for her and striving towards a higher calling.
In the end though, I could not fight any longer against her charms.
With that, I was consciously training myself to improve, preparing to become stronger so I can make proper choices when a storm comes.
But now... it seems like things are not as dreadful as I expected?
"Now that I have executed my decisions, they reacted very aggressively but I did not think that they really would stoop this low... They're using Millen, my daughter, to get back on me. Aside from demanding two billion dollars, they are also asking my father-in-law to use his power to acquit them of estafa charges that they're currently facing." Kenneth Yu continued in a very agitated voice.
Hmm? They're also implicating Zeus Costales to use his power? From what Kenneth Yu have said, these businessmen already had their estafa cases exposed. For them to react as violently as this, it must mean that the cases they are facing are beyond control already. It will not be simple to cover it up. If Zeus Costales really used his power to acquit them of charges, it would jeopardise his whole career. Competitors will use it to their advantage and the knowledgeable part of the public will condemn him even more.
It seems like, they are trying to kill two birds at once. Wanting to make Kenneth Yu's business empire suffer, and also wanting to limit Zeus Costales' power.
"Truthfully, we are willing to do anything for my daughter. I am willing to lose that much because I am also confident that I can get back on my feet using my foreign investments. However, does it seem logical to easily give in to them? Could I be assured that Millen will be back to us safely? I am afraid that they just want to play with me and want to destroy us completely..." he murmured in a dejected tone.
In a fit of anger, Zeus Costales intersected himself into the conversation.
"Besides, those impudent fools threatened us that if we were to raise this matter to the authorities, they will do vulgar things to my granddaughter! How low can they get!?"
Vulgar things?
Just the mention of it makes my insides growl in anger. If they dare do anything to her, I do not know what will become of me.
Damn it!
"Thank you for telling me, Sir Kenneth. I assure you that I will be able to help. I have relatives who are connected to the army, criminal profilers and renowned lawyers that are able to assist this matter. I will make sure that no matter what, Millen will be safe." I said with a determined voice.
Although Kenneth Yu's face looked dejected, he gave me a small smile.
"Thank you, Mayor. One did not expect that you will help us that earnestly. On behalf of my family, we will forever remember the initiative that you have shown." he murmured.
For a while, I continued to discuss plans with Kenneth Yu and Zeus Costales. They provided me with the information they have gathered so far. All along, Katrina Yu was quiet. But while we were saying our farewell greetings, she suddenly spoke up.
"Mayor, like what my husband and father have said, thank you. I am truly thankful for helping us out, since you must've known our child as she volunteers in your city hall. Truthfully, when she was younger, I could tell that she had a little bit of crush on you whenever she'd see you on gatherings. From your initiative to help, I am more hopeful that she will be safe. Once she knows that you were involved in helping her in this dreadful matter, I am sure that it would flatter her." she said while giving me a small smile.
A little bit of crush?
Flashbacks suddenly came into my mind. Before, in many gatherings, I guess I have seen Millen back then. But because I was too caught up with learning more about public governance, I did not notice her back then. If I were to be honest, I feel like I had only started to notice her when she suddenly visited one of my campaigns while I was running as a mayoral candidate.
Then, when she suddenly showed up at the city hall, it is when I got to see her more often. It was easy to be attracted to her physically, but it wasn't all that. As I knew her personality, as we talked to each other earnestly, I only managed to fall hopelessly for her.
It was truly inevitable.
Now, hearing that she had a 'little crush' on me before even meeting her, I could not help but feel a sense of pride. It truly makes my heart flutter. Just from the mention of that, it warmed my heart but at the same time, it only fuelled my frustrations to know where she is right now.
"Madame, to tell you the truth, I've also got a crush on her. In fact, I am in love with her." I couldn't help but blurt out.
Instantly, all of their faces turned into a bewildered expression, as if they were not expecting what I said. Especially Katrina Yu, who still had her mouth open. She was too speechless to say anything.
"Don't tell me, Mayor? Are you... seeing my granddaughter? She has not told us anything." Zeus Costales said in astonishment.
On the other hand, Kenneth Yu let out a sigh.
"Ah, really, what a girl." he murmured sheepishly.
Hmm... so it turns out, she has not told her family? Suddenly, my father's words echoed in my mind again.
Millen must be doubtful of my intentions since I have not said anything formally through words. She is probably not confident enough about my feelings for her, so she has not told her family yet...
From her side, the only person she has introduced to me was a friend from her medical school named Zaynah. I knew she had a lot of other friends but considering that she was the only person that Millen introduced, Millen might've really trusted her, huh?
Well, I feel a little bit of consolation just from that. It's good enough... at least, she was not totally keeping us a secret from all the treasured people in her life.
But still... this only made me contemplate on my incompetence. I am no good. I should've realised that these kind of problems may arise if I do not assure her with words as well.
Once she comes back, I will fix everything. I will make it all proper, no matter what.
Even though it may draw some controversy, I will make it public that I am in love with her. I will show her off to everyone, just so she would not doubt my intentions and see the genuine feelings that I have.
In this world, she is the only one meant for me...
I let out a distressed laugh, attempting to gloss over the situation.
"No, please do not blame her for not informing you. It is my fault, actually. I promise that I will get her safely and when she returns, I will make sure that everyone will know that I am hopelessly in love with her..."