CLAUDE
“I’ve talked to my cousin. He agreed to meet you. When would you like to meet?” Monte asked me.
It was two hours since Monte and I parted ways when he called me, informing me of the news.
I glanced at my watch. It was only three o’clock in the afternoon. It would be too early to talk now.
“Could you ask him if we could meet at Sunset Savory in the same branch of Starlight Hotel at six o’clock?”
“Sure, I’ll let him know. Sorry, bro. I can’t give you my cousin’s number to call him. He doesn’t like sharing his number around.”
“It’s okay, Monte. I understand. Thanks for your help.”
“No problem, bro.”
After my conversation with Monte, I talked to my secretary.
“Do I have an appointment at six?”
“No, sir. But you have an emergency meeting with the Human Resources Department at five,” my secretary, Leia, replied.
“Do you think the meeting will last long?” I was worried about being late for my appointment with Ramiro. I needed to leave the office by five-thirty to make it on time for our six o’clock meeting.
“I’m not sure, sir. You have quite a few agenda items.”
I sighed. I knew the meeting was important, but my wife’s life is even more crucial. Every passing minute added to the danger Sia is facing.
“Cancel it for now. Reschedule it for the same time tomorrow,” I instructed.
“Okay, sir.”
Once my secretary left, I returned to the scattered papers on my desk. I had a lot to review and sign. With the pile of documents, I lost track of time. It was exactly five o’clock when I finished. I quickly organized my desk and left my office.
“Leia, I’ll leave now. You can go home after you finish your tasks,” I instructed as I passed by my secretary’s desk.
“Okay, sir. Take care.”
I waved and headed straight for the private elevator. When I exited, I was in the basement where my car was parked.
I arrived at Starlight Hotel in just half an hour. I proceeded directly to Sunset Savory. I had made a reservation earlier, so there is a table waiting for me when I arrived. Fortunately, the spot assigned to me was at the back of the restaurant, where the tables were far apart, and there were few people.
I had just sat down when my cellphone suddenly rang. I thought it was Monte or Ramiro, but Caelan’s name appeared on the caller ID when I checked.
“Hello, Caelan! You called.”
“Chaos, where are you right now? I have something important to tell you.”
I furrowed my brow. What could my friend want to tell me? We had just talked at noon. Did he have new information to share?
“I’m here at Sunset Savory in the main branch of Starlight Hotel. What do you need to tell me?”
“I’ve obtained the video footage from the CCTV cameras along the route taken by Sia’s car. There’s something you need to see. I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Thank you so much for your help, bro. But how do we do this? I have a meeting scheduled at six with Ramiro, Monte’s cousin. Call your contact. Tell them I’ll be joining your conversation.”
“I’ll just call Monte. I don’t have Ramiro’s number.”
“Okay. I’m driving right now.”
I immediately called Monte. I informed him of the conversation with Caelan. Monte promised to talk to his cousin and ensure that he agreed to have someone else present during our conversation.
I felt nervous as I waited. I kept glancing at my watch. I also instructed hotel staff to escort Caelan to our table upon his arrival.
The air conditioning in my seat was on full blast, yet I felt warm. I requested a cold glass of water. I had already drunk three glasses by the time Caelan arrived. Caelan was carrying a backpack and hurriedly approached our table.
“What are you going to show me?” I asked curiously as Caelan sat beside me.
“Can I have a coffee or maybe a glass of wine to ease the tension?” Caelan requested.
I immediately called the waiter and ordered coffee for both of us. Our coffee was served just as Ramiro arrived.
I stood up and shook hands with Ramiro. “Good evening, Mr. Martin. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Claude Xavier Robinson,” I introduced myself.
Ramiro shook my hand. “Ramiro Martin.”
I turned to Caelan. “This is my friend, Caelan Francis Godfrey. I hope it’s okay with you if he is here with us tonight.”
“No problem,” Ramiro replied.
Caelan also stood up and shook hands with Ramiro. We all sat down together.
“Can I order a coffee for you?” I asked.
“Sure,” Ramiro replied with a laugh.
I signaled the waiter and ordered another coffee.
“Thank you for coming, Mr. Martin.”
“That’s too formal. Just call me Ramiro.”
“Okay, Ramiro. You can call me Claude. And you can call my friend Caelan.”
Ramiro nodded. “What can I do for you, Claude?”
“It’s about my wife. She’s been missing for two days. Monte said you might be able to help me find out where she is.”
“How did you even think that I might know something?”
I let out a sigh. “Actually, it wasn’t me who thought of it but Monte. We used to be together in SEAL, so he suspects that my wife might have been abducted by syndicates. Perhaps someone knows where Sia is. I’m really worried about her. I’ve already reported to the police, but they’re still searching.”
“Sia is your wife’s name?”
“Alessia Harris is her full name. But she’s using Robinson as her surname now.”
Ramiro raised his eyebrows. “Harris? How is she related to the owner of Artisan Paper Corporation?”
“Those are Sia’s parents.”
Ramiro sighed heavily at my response.
“What’s wrong?” I asked with concern. Caelan paused in drinking his coffee.
Ramiro didn’t answer me directly. Something else came out of his mouth. “Do you have a picture of your wife?”
I took out my wallet and retrieved a close-up picture of my wife. I placed it directly in front of Ramiro.
Ramiro stared at Sia’s picture for a few seconds before picking it up. “She really looks like Cali.”
Caelan and I exchanged glances.
“Who is this Cali you’re talking about?”
“Cali is my former secretary. Her boyfriend, Luther, was my personal assistant. Her boyfriend did me a great wrong. He stole from me. Not just money, but even my wife’s wedding ring along with his girlfriend.”
I blinked several times.
“Why haven’t you told me about this? Does Cali have something to do with my wife?”
“I don’t know. You should be the one to answer that question.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know of any sister of Sia named Cali. As far as I know, Lia is my wife’s younger sister.”
Ramiro’s eyes widened at what I said.
He glanced back and forth between me and Caelan.
“Is there a problem, Ramiro?”
Ramiro shook his head. “I just remembered something. My wife’s name is also named Lia. But I’m not aware if she has a sister.”
Ramiro returned the picture of Sia to me, and I quickly put it away.
“Can you help me find my wife, Ramiro?” I asked.
“It depends on the situation.”
I scratched my head. “What do you mean?”
“Explain to me how your wife disappeared.”
I recounted the release of the scandal video featuring a woman who looked like my wife. I also mentioned the argument we had until she suddenly disappeared without a word.
“May I see the video?” Ramiro requested.
Reluctantly, I took out my cellphone. When I found the video, I played it and placed it in front of Ramiro. I felt uncomfortable watching the video because of the woman in it.
Ramiro, on the other hand, stared intently at the cellphone, gripping it tightly. He seemed angry while watching the video.
“This woman is not your wife. This is Cali, and this man is Luther.”
I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders upon hearing that.
“Are you sure about that, Ramiro?”
“I’m absolutely sure because those two are my employees.”
I tapped my forehead in frustration. I had misjudged the situation again, endangering my wife. If we didn’t find her soon, who knows what could happen to her.
“How can I ask Sia for forgiveness now that I don’t know where she is?”
Ramiro didn’t respond, but Caelan chimed in.
“Maybe you want to see the footage from the CCTV cameras from when Sia left the house until she arrived at Grand Artisan Pavilion?”
“Show it to us,” I said.
We watched the video recordings. After a while, Ramiro suddenly spoke.
“That’s Luther, the man your wife is talking to. It looks like he intentionally put your wife to sleep. Fortunately, he didn’t do anything else to her.”
“I’ll kill him if he tries to get near my wife!” I exclaimed.
“But I wonder, who ordered Luther to do that to Sia? What’s his motive?” Caelan interjected.
“It’s likely someone ordered him to do it. I’m not sure if the person who had your wife abducted is the same one who made the scandal video,” Ramiro said.
“That’s possible. But who among your enemies, Claude, could have done this?” Caelan asked.
“I know who had your wife abducted. I just don’t know what your connection is to that woman.”
“Ramiro, what do you mean?”
“Does ‘Haven Lee’ ring a bell?”
I almost fell out of my chair. I felt as if I had gone deaf from what I heard from Ramiro. “Haven? She had Sia abducted?”
“You know Haven?”
“Yes, she’s my friend. She once tried to break up Sia and me. But I didn’t know she could go so far as to have my wife kidnapped just to get my attention.”
Ramiro gave a bitter smile. “Let me guess. Haven orchestrated the scandal video to make you and Sia fight. Then, when you two were arguing, you neglected your wife, and Haven took advantage of that to have her kidnapped. She brought your wife to me because she knew I am looking for Cali and Luther. She told me your wife is Cali. Fortunately, your wife introduced herself and mentioned your name. If she hadn’t, she might have been in serious trouble. I’m sorry about that.”
“You mean…?”
“Your wife is in my custody. In fact, she lent me her wedding ring.”
Ramiro took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. I almost cried when I saw Sia’s ring. I spent several seconds silently staring at the ring in my hand. I wanted to punch myself because my actions almost led my wife into more danger.
How foolish I had been! My wife had been telling the truth, but I refused to believe her. And so, she had gone missing again. Only our son is left with me, and even then, I couldn’t sleep from worrying. Thanks to Ramiro, I could see Sia again. Fortunately, my wife ended up with someone trustworthy. Otherwise, she might have ended up in a hospital or a cemetery.
“I want to see my wife. Where is she?”
“She’s at my house. But I’ll only release her if you help me.”
“What? There’s a condition?”
“Yes, because I need help too. My wife is also missing. You need to help me find her.”
I clenched my jaw. “How can I help you? I don’t have influence like you do!”
“Your wife will help me because I suspect that she and my wife, Lia, are sisters.”
“What? Our wives are sisters?”
Ramiro shrugged. “I’m not sure yet, but we can find out from your wife.”
“Okay, let’s go see my wife. I miss her so much, and my worry has been overwhelming,” I said.