Huracio
The first time I saw her, it was at the TopLink building two days ago.
Salvatore is systematically dissolving the Alkim’s estates and my job is to find the safest way to liquidate assigned assets without raising any alarm whatsoever. This was why I visited the TopLink building. Just as I entered the elevator that led to the CEO’s office and it was closing, she was coming into the corridor.
When I first saw her, I thought it was an apparition. I thought I was being haunted again. I didn’t mind. I have long embraced the occasional echoes of her voice that seeps into my ears randomly. Her laughter that flusters in the wind anytime I go to the beach, or her smiling face that dazzles me in my sleep. Sometimes, when I am having dinner, I would imagine her sitting across from me, eating and complimenting my food. It didn’t matter that back then, she did the cooking and I did the compliments. So, when I saw her, I thought maybe I had finally somehow made her materialized.
So color shocked when I saw the CEO of TopLink, dragging my wife, a ghost,- into a courtyard. I hurried after them wondering if it was a look-alike. Then I heard her voice, a silent thunder struck the center of my chest. It felt too real to be true.
The face checked. The voice checked, how can this be an illusion? How can it not be her? But she is dead. Isn’t she?…
I stood rooted to the spot until she looked up and our gazes clashed. Her familiar eyes dilated, and her quaint, sexy lips dropped open. Her face turned pale, and when I saw the freckles that never failed to make her look frail in the throes of passion, I knew I had been played, made a fool of by the person I loved the most.
But I couldn’t even get angry.
I was first numb, and when she denied it and ran off, an inexplicable sense of joy engulfed me. She is alive. My wife is alive, I kept screaming in my head.
I watched as Mr Kim ran after her, and until Stone called out to me, I didn’t get back to my senses.
“It’s Katalina. She is alive. I saw her just now.” I said to Stone, realizing that I just let her run off again. What if she eluded me again? How stupid.
“Hurry, find out about her. They call her Catherine and I have seen her around the TopLink building. She is dating the CEO. Get me everything you can find about her…”
Instead of running off to do my bidding, Stone just stood there, transfixed.
“What are you waiting for?” I paused and asked.
“Boss, I think you need to get some rest.”
“…”
He didn’t believe me. And he thought I was having an episode again. Can’t blame him.
Back when Katalina just died, I spoke of hearing her. I insisted that she was not dead. If not that Salvatore needed me to take care of Celine, he would have had me confined. In fact, I only agreed to tame Celine to stay out of the asylum.
“Stone, follow me.” I headed out, knowing that trying to convince him was no good.
We quickly left the banquet and returned to the hotel where Celine was locked up in a dog cage, obediently waiting for me.
The moment I stepped into the bedroom, she started whimpering and panting. She excitedly wagged her tail, but I ignored her.
I picked up my laptop and went back to the living room where Stone was waiting for me.
Before leaving the banquet, to indulge me, Stone discreetly asked around about Catherine. His findings left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. She was called a whore who slept her way into the TopLink’s CEO’s bed. They said she got pregnant after an orgy with a fraternity in her school. She is now a single mother who is trying to marry into Kim’s family.
When I saw the report, I couldn’t believe my eyes. If I didn’t know better, I would have probably believed it. What should probably irk me was the relationship between her and Kim Hoseok, but I refused to think about it. First, Hoseok isn’t much, but his family is too powerful. Since I can’t mess with him right now, I should just let him be. Secondly, I was simply too happy to care about other things.
Within minutes, I hacked TopLink’s HR data, and withdrew Catherine Cook’s file. After a quick read, I sent it to Stone who instantly went solemn on seeing the attached picture. His boss wasn’t seeing things.
Do you believe me now?” I asked with a slight smirk.
“Yes boss. I…” Stone wanted to apologize but I waved it off.
“There is no time for pleasantries. We need to find her and bring her back.”
“What if they just look alike?” Stone hesitated again.
I started feeling exasperated, but I knew he was just worried for me, and being careful. We are far away from home after all.
Someone did a lot to hide information about Catherine Cook. Even the information her work had was false. I had to access surveillance videos, track her movements in the last six months,- to find her real home address. Just as my car was parking, I saw Emilia as she stepped out of the elevator. She was carrying a bag and a boy,
“I can’t believe this!” I gasped in shock and unbelieve.
Something chilling erupted from my chest. I almost grabbed it in reflex. Finding Katalina wasn’t as shocking as realizing that Emilia played me. She watched me suffer despite knowing that Katalina wasn’t dead. She cried and mourned with me. I knew she hated me, but I had no idea she could hide so deep. Hiding in plain sight, making me look the fool…
Taking a deep breath, I suppressed my killing intents, and stepped out of the car.
“Fancy meeting you here, Emilia. It’s been a long time.”
The moment she saw me, she stopped and gasped, her bag dropped with a thud and her face went pale. She clutched the kid in her arms tightly and took several steps backwards. She hurriedly pressed the elevator button but it was too late.
Sneering, I wanted to each out and strangle her to death right there, but I held on.
“Is that my son?” I asked in a grave tone. She frantically shook her head.
The boy in her arms, that must be my son. David. Katalina named him after her adoptive father. He looked so cute. I subconsciously walked over with only a single thought in my head. To take my son from her. But then, the elevator door opened, and Katalina emerged with Kim Hoseok by her side.