3rd person POV
Max stared at his phone screen, eyes burning from hours of research. His mind was a mess-his father’s body missing, Alexander using it as leverage, and now this_ It wasn’t Alexander at all. Someone else had taken his father. Someone else had planned this whole thing.
Ray sat across from him, scrolling through his laptop, frustration written all over his face. “This doesn’t make sense Sir,” he muttered. “If Alexander doesn’t have your dad’s body, then who does? And why lie about it?”
Max leaned back, rubbing his temples. “To control me perhaps,” he said bitterly. “To make me desperate enough to do whatever he wanted.”
He had almost fallen for it. Almost believed Alexander had his father’s body and Vivian’s mother, forcing him into an impossible choice. But now, everything had changed.
A notification popped up on his phone. An encrypted message. Max opened it quickly, his stomach twisting.
The body is gone. No trace. Someone else took it. He was never in Alexander’s hands.
Max read the words twice, his pulse hammering. He turned the screen to Ray.
Ray’s face darkened. “What the hell is going on?”
Max’s hands clenched into fists. “I don’t know, but I need to find out.”
Ray exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “We need to rethink everything Sir. If Alexander was lying, that means someone is playing both of you. Someone powerful enough to steal a body from under everyone’s nose.”
Max’s phone buzzed again. Another message. ‘Find the truth before it’s too late’. No name. No number.
Max’s heart pounded. Someone knew what was happening. Someone wanted him to dig deeper.
He looked at Ray. “We need to find out who sent this.”
Ray nodded. “I’ll track it.”
Max stared at the message again. The words echoed in his head.
Before it’s too late.
For who? His father? Himself? Or Vivian?
Max’s jaw clenched as he dialed Alexander’s number. The call rang twice before connecting.
“Well, well,” Alexander’s smug voice came through. “Have you made up your mind?”
Max forced himself to stay calm. “Cut the act. I know you don’t have my father’s body.”
Silence. Then a low chuckle. “Interesting. And how did you come to that conclusion?”
“You slipped,” Max said, voice cold. “You tried too hard to convince me. But now I know-someone else took him. And you’ve been using it to manipulate me? You did quite a good job Alexander”
Alexander sighed dramatically. “Fine. You caught me. But does it really matter? I still have something you want, don’t I?”
Max’s grip tightened on the phone. “Vivian’s mother.”
Another pause. Then Alexander laughed. “Oh, Max. I don’t have her either.”
Max’s stomach dropped, exactly what he was expecting. “What?”
Alexander sounded amused. “You should have done your findings sooner. If I had her, do you really think I’d waste time with this body nonsense? No, Max. I never had her. And I never had your father’s body. You’ve been chasing a ghost.”
Max’s breath came fast. “Then who does?”
“That,” Alexander said, “is the real question.”
Max gritted his teeth. “If you don’t have her, then why did you pretend?”
“Because you needed a push,” Alexander said smoothly. “You wouldn’t have taken me seriously otherwise. And now, look at you-digging deeper, asking the right questions.”
Max’s fists clenched. “You think this is a game?”
Alexander chuckled. “Everything is a game. And you’re running out of time.”
Max’s jaw tightened. “For what?”
Alexander didn’t answer. The line went dead.
Max stared at the phone in disbelief. His head spun.
He had been chasing the wrong thing this whole time.
Ray worked fast, typing furiously on his laptop. “Whoever sent that message is good,” he muttered. “They used multiple layers of encryption.”
Max paced behind him. “Can you find them?”
“I’m trying.” Ray’s fingers flew over the keys. “It’ll take a while.”
Max exhaled, frustration boiling inside him. His father’s body was missing. Vivian’s mother was missing. And Alexander had been playing him.
But why?
His phone rang again. Unknown number.
Max hesitated, then answered. “Who is this?”
A distorted voice came through. “Stop looking.”
Max’s pulse spiked. “Who are you?”
A pause. Then; “Walk away, Max. Or you’ll regret it.”
The line cut off.
Max’s blood ran cold.
Ray looked up. “Who was that?”
Max’s hands shook. “Someone who doesn’t want me to find out the truth.”
Ray swore under his breath. “That means we’re close.”
Max nodded, determination burning in his chest. Whoever was behind this-they were afraid.
And he was going to find them.
Hours passed. Ray worked through layers of security, tracing the encrypted message. Max tried to focus, but his thoughts kept going back to Vivian. Was she safe? He needed to go to the hospital, who knows what might happen next.
Ray suddenly sat up straight. “Got something.”
Max moved beside him. “What?”
Ray turned the laptop. “The message came from a private server in Zurich.”
Max frowned. “Zurich?”
Ray nodded. “And guess what? It’s linked to a medical research facility.”
Max’s stomach twisted. “Medical research?”
Ray’s expression was grim. “Specifically, human body preservation.”
A chill ran down Max’s spine. His father’s body. The missing corpse. Someone had stolen it, and now, a research facility was involved.
Max’s mind raced. “Who owns it?”
Ray typed quickly. “It’s a front. The real owner is hidden behind layers of fake names.” He paused, then looked up. “But there’s one name that keeps showing up in the transactions.”
Max’s heart pounded. “Who?”
Ray turned the screen.
A name appeared in bold letters.
Stanford Hayes.
Max swallowed hard.
He knew that name.
A billionaire investor. A man with deep connections. Someone who was once his father’s shareholder.
And now, he was at the center of this.
Max’s hands clenched.
His father’s body. Vivian’s mother. Everything led back to Stanford. But why would he want his father dead?
Ray exhaled. “What do we do?”
Max’s eyes burned with cold determination.
“We go to Zurich.”