There was a car parked not far from the Greatech gate that afternoon. The driver, wearing sunglasses, sat alone inside. There were no passengers, only himself.
The man’s eyes stared at the rearview mirror, which had been positioned to directly face the office gate. He gazed intently, wanting to make sure who entered and exited from there.
A vibration in his jacket pocket interrupted his surveillance. He picked up his phone and was not surprised to see who was calling.
“Hello, Sir.”
“Boy.”
The greeting came from the other side. His voice conveyed impatience.
“Are you in position now?”
It was Boy, the man assigned by Ricardo, who was currently waiting to spy on Velia, just as instructed.
“I’ve been here for half an hour already, Sir,” Boy replied calmly. His gaze remained focused. “You don’t need to worry. This isn’t the first time you’ve used my services. Velia won’t escape.”
“Of course, and that’s why I entrusted this task to you. Just to make things easier for you, today Velia is wearing a light blue shirt and a black skirt. Her shoes are also black.”
Boy’s focused gaze was disturbed. There was something different in Ricardo’s voice. If he did not hear it wrong, it sounded like Ricardo was holding back his frustration.
“She usually goes home with Mecca. Have you seen Mecca’s photo?”
Boy refocused his gaze. “Yes, Sir.”
“Okay, I hope everything goes smoothly. It’s almost time for the end of office hours. Be prepared, Boy. If you can abduct her tonight, that would be even better. Of course, there will be a bonus for you.”
“Understood, Sir.”
The call ended. Boy resumed his surveillance, while Ricardo continued to pray in his office.
“I hope Boy succeeds. Ah! I can’t wait. Oh, Ve. How could you-argh!”
Ricardo growled in frustration. He rubbed his hand on his thigh. A familiar stirring centered around that area.
“It seems those rumors are true. Velia must have become someone’s mistress. She looks even more beautiful. Of course. Of course, she’s been living comfortably by selling her body.”
A mix of heat and cold ran through Ricardo’s body. He swallowed his saliva with a disgusted expression. Inevitably, meaningful laughter escaped his lips.
“So, she must be experienced by now. You used to pretend to be pure, Ve. But in the end, you sold your lovely body.”
Ricardo did not exaggerate. The brief sight of Velia was enough to ignite the middle-aged man’s desire. Velia’s delicate and gentle touch made him imagine dirty things.
“Is your skin as smooth in other places, Ve? Or even smoother?”
Ricardo was genuinely eager to find out the truth of that question. His greatest hope depended on Boy.
“Boy better be reliable for today.”
Unfortunately, it seemed that Ricardo’s hope would have to be postponed for a while. It was closely related to the creases that increasingly marred Boy’s forehead, along with a slight feeling of unease that made him somewhat anxious.
Boy tried to remain calm. He reassured himself that he could not be wrong. His eyes remained focused, undistracted for the past twenty minutes. Every employee who left the office building was within the scope of his gaze. One by one, he observed them meticulously.
Curiosity arose. Based on the information he had, Boy could estimate that Velia and Mecca would walk past his car. He had carefully calculated everything when he learned about their habits. Namely, both of them would wait for public transportation at the bus stop about 20 meters from Greatech.
Then why was there only Mecca?
Mecca’s face was strongly imprinted in Boy’s memory. And he could not have mistaken when he saw Mecca leaving the office gate.
Mecca was laughing with her friends. However, something was strange. Velia was not there.
Boy turned his body. He chose to look directly rather than through the reflection in the rearview mirror.
Boy did not see wrong. It was indeed Mecca walking without Velia’s presence.
Mecca and her friends walked on the sidewalk. They passed by Boy’s car, giving him a final opportunity to observe more closely.
But she was not there. There was no Velia.
Boy tried to control himself. He attempted to remain calm with one thought.
Could this be related to her first day back at work? Is she working overtime?
Boy adjusted his sitting position. He looked back at the rearview mirror but sighed in frustration a moment later. A red-colored car came out of Greatech and briefly blocked his view.
The red car passed by, and Boy refocused his gaze. However, there was no result.
The sun disappeared. The dark night arrived. The office became quiet. And in that silence, Velia was nowhere to be seen.
Boy hit the steering wheel in frustration. “Damn it!”
*
“Carter.”
The new car had just left Greatech when Velia’s voice was heard. The young driver, seemingly in his thirties, glanced at the rearview mirror.
“Yes, Miss? What is it?”
“Can we make a quick stop at the supermarket? There are a few vegetables I want to buy.”
Carter smiled. “I’m sorry, Miss. I can’t do that.”
Carter’s smile and refusal were not the response Velia had hoped for. Various vegetables and groceries that had filled her mind vanished instantly.
“You can’t?”
“Yes,” Carter nodded, still smiling. “The boss instructed me to always take Miss home on time. He doesn’t want Miss to be even slightly tired after a day’s work.”
Velia was speechless. If it was related to Lucas’s orders, she did not want to take any risks.
“Or how about this, Miss?”
Carter’s voice caught Velia’s attention. She raised her head and looked at the driver through the reflection in the rearview mirror.
“You can list what you want to buy, and I will do the shopping,” Carter offered a solution. “Isn’t that a good idea?”
Velia took a deep breath. She could clearly see Carter’s position, and there was no reason for her to refuse his offer.
“Alright. I will list it. Please go shopping as soon as you drop me off.”
Carter nodded. “Understood, Miss.”
Velia took out a small notebook and a pen from her bag. She wrote down all the needed items. Just as the car stopped in the apartment parking lot, she tore the paper and handed it to Carter, along with some money.
“Don’t forget to deliver it upstairs quickly.”
“Alright, Miss.”
The building attendant opened the car door. Velia stepped out, giving a friendly smile as she walked in. She also greeted the receptionist who was on duty.
Velia hurriedly walked. Her gaze was fixed on an elevator that was starting to close. She did not want to miss that elevator and called out.
“Please hold it.”
The elevator door did not close, but instead reopened. Velia quickly entered and said, “Thank you.”
The door closed. Velia extended her hand, pressing the elevator button, and her attention was drawn. This time she turned around to see who was with her.
“Neil?”
The man with a hat glanced briefly. Without smiling, he nodded. “Good evening, Miss.”
“Are you going to fix the clogged pipes again?”
“Yes.”
The awkward conversation made Velia nod. It seemed that Diana’s words were true. Neil was a quiet person. The tall man who always wore a hat seemed to dislike talking. Therefore, Velia chose not to continue the small talk.
The elevator stopped. Velia stepped out, and Neil slowly raised his head. He slightly lifted his hat, as if wanting to get a closer look at Velia.
Velia walked. She walked down the corridor and stopped in front of her door. She intended to enter the passcode, but her instincts were disturbed. She turned her head and looked across.
Neil adjusted his hat and lowered his head again. The elevator door closed, continuing its journey.
Entering and closing the door, Velia took off her shoes. She immediately headed to her room and threw her bag onto the bed. She lay down as well.
Velia looked at the ceiling. Faintly and unconsciously, she smiled. Working again gave her a positive energy boost. But it did not include the sudden task that happened in Lucas’s office.
A faint heat still lingered. Traces that reminded Velia of their boldness when they made love in the office.
It was strange, but there was a different sensation that truly excited Velia earlier. Adrenaline surged and left a lingering shadow in her mind.
Velia let out a long breath. She got up and took off her hair tie. Her smooth black strands fell, slightly disheveled.
Taking a shower after a day’s work was the best idea. Velia immediately headed to the bathroom and undressed.
Only her underwear clung to Velia’s body. She did not have time to take it off when she heard a faint sound.
Velia hurriedly left the bathroom without grabbing a towel. Her intuition told her that it must be Lucas calling. She had to answer that call as soon as possible.
“Hello, Luc.”
“Hello. Have you arrived at the apartment?”
“Yes,” Velia quickly answered. “Just a few minutes ago. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to make sure that Carter did his job correctly.”
Velia was taken aback. At that moment, she realized that sending Carter to do the shopping was the right decision. As expected, Lucas was really making sure Velia had arrived home.
“If you’re in the unit…”
Lucas’s voice interrupted Velia’s relieved daydream. She blinked and then stared in disbelief.
“… then I will switch this call to a video call. I really want to see that you’ve actually arrived.”
Velia could not think or act. Lucas had indeed turned the voice call into a video call.
Velia had no choice. She could not make Lucas wait. In the end, all she could do was resign herself as she answered the video call.
“Velia.”
Lucas’s voice sounded different. His eyes narrowed as if dazzled by the radiance.
Velia bit her lip. Her face turned red, and she tried to cover her chest.
“I was planning to take a shower when you called, Luc. I didn’t have time to put my clothes back on.”
“Not even to wear a towel?”
“I thought it was just a regular phone call,” Velia defended herself. Embarrassment spread across her cheeks. “So, you wouldn’t have seen it.”
Lucas smiled slyly. “Now I’m seeing it.”
“I know.”
“So, lower your hand, Ve. There’s no need to cover anything from me anymore.”
Velia complied with Lucas’s words. She lowered her hand, and the sensual view was clearly displayed.
There was a noticeable red mark that caught Lucas’s attention. Specifically, on her left breast. The mark looked fresh, as if left by someone. Lucas knew exactly who had left it and when.
Lucas smiled. He adjusted his sitting position, showing the fact that he was still in the office at that moment.
“You look so sexy, Ve.”
Velia bit her lower lip. “Luc.”
“You’re not trying to seduce me, are you?”
“No, Luc. I really want to take a shower.”
Lucas laughed. He took a deep breath to calm himself. The surprise he received that afternoon was truly beyond anticipation.
“Alright. I won’t disturb you anymore.”
Velia caught a slight smile from Lucas before the call ended. Relieved, she finally freed herself from that embarrassing situation. Now, all that was on her mind was taking a shower.
*