Joseph's fingers paused briefly on the keyboard before resuming their relentless typing. Without even looking up, he muttered, "Yeah, you're right."
David's eyebrows shot up, his expression lighting up in surprise. Joseph's rare acknowledgment gave him a burst of energy, and his tone turned eager. "And I don't think it's just about her getting sick—"
Joseph let out a distracted "Hmm~," barely registering David's words.
David leaned closer, waving his hand slightly to grab Joseph's attention. "I think Lopez—" He stopped mid-sentence, noticing Joseph's lack of reaction. His voice sharpened, tinged with annoyance. "Are you even listening to me?"
Joseph sighed and finally turned toward him, resting his arms on the desk. "I know what you're trying to say, David. Yes, she's acting differently today. But let's give her some time. After all the unnatural things she's been through, it's probably just taking a toll on her. She'll get back to normal soon."
David's eager face fell, his energy dissipating instantly. His expression now carried a mix of disbelief and frustration. "Really?" he muttered under his breath.
In a lifeless tone, he replied, "Yeah, why not? Let's give her some time!"
Joseph smiled faintly and nodded, satisfied. "Nice, then!" He turned back to his laptop, resuming his focus on the glowing screen.
David stepped away, his movements slow, but his mind was anything but calm. His thoughts raced wildly, a storm of doubt and suspicion brewing within him. "I'll find out what's really going on," he resolved silently, his jaw tightening. "She's hiding something. Is she even the Lopez we thought we knew?"
Steeling himself, David grabbed his coat and exited the room, muttering, "Let's go back to where all of this started to get weird."
David stood outside Lopez's building, scanning the tall, nondescript structure with narrowed eyes. His shoulders tensed as he considered his next move. Finding her shared apartment would be tricky.
He approached the entrance, where an older guard sat on a wooden stool, sipping tea. The man, dressed in a crisp white-and-blue uniform with a slightly tilted cap, raised an eyebrow as David approached.
"Hello, sir," David greeted with a polite smile.
The guard nodded; his wrinkled face impassive. "Hello. How can I help you, young man?"
David tried to appear casual as he asked, "I'm looking for Miss Lopez. She's a junior detective and lives here."
The guard's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone turning suspicious. "Why are you asking about her?"
David quickly realized he'd need to think fast. Forcing a confident smile, he replied, "She asked me to bring her case files, but I forgot her apartment number. My phone's dead, so I can't call her to check."
The guard stared at him for a long moment, his sharp gaze making David's pulse quicken. Finally, the man shrugged. "She lives on the third floor. Don't know the exact number, though."
David exhaled; his relief palpable. "Thank you, sir!" He hurried inside before the guard could ask more questions.
As soon as he entered the elevator, he muttered under his breath, "Huff… I thought he was going to call the cops on me!"
On the third floor, David faced another challenge: finding Lopez's apartment. With no other choice, he began knocking on doors.
At the first door, there was no response. He knocked again, harder this time. The door flew open to reveal a shirtless man in his thirties, his muscular frame covered in tattoos. His intense stare screamed danger.
David immediately raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry, wrong apartment!" He turned to leave, but the man grabbed his shoulder with a vice-like grip.
"You think you can disturb me and just walk away?" the man growled, his voice low and menacing.
Frame changes and A Loud Slam of Door echoed in corridor; David seems to be moving to next Door.
Back at the mafia apartment, a woman stepped into the doorway, her loose silk robe swaying slightly as she rubbed her eyes. Her voice carried a mix of irritation and curiosity. "Honey, what's taking so long?"
She froze mid-step, her jaw dropping as she saw the man sprawled unconscious near the entrance. Her sharp gasp echoed in the hallway.
"Honey!" she cried, rushing to his side, panic etching her features. She knelt next to him, shaking his broad shoulders as though willing him to wake up. Her voice cracked with desperation. "Honey… Who did this to you?!"
Her frantic calls filled the corridor, but David, now several doors away, barely heard her over the pounding of his own thoughts. "I really need to find Lopez's apartment before more trouble finds me."
After several failed attempts, he knocked on another door. A young woman answered, her oversized pink sweater adorned with cat prints. She cradled a white kitten in her arms, her glasses sliding down her nose as she peered at him curiously.
"Yes?" she asked softly.
David cleared his throat. "Does Miss Lopez live here?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, but she's not home right now."
David hesitated, then decided to probe gently. "I'm her friend, David. I wanted to check if she's been... okay lately. Has she been dealing with anything unusual?"
The woman tilted her head, considering his question. "Now that you mention it, yeah. It started after that morning when she came back. She didn't come home one night, and when she returned the next morning, she was... different. She barely leaves her room these days unless it's for work."
David's heart skipped a beat. "Morning? Which day are you talking about?"
She thought for a moment. "Three days ago."
David's eyes widened as realization struck him. "That's the same night we dropped her off!"
The woman frowned, sensing his unease. "Is something wrong?"
David forced a smile, masking his swirling thoughts. "No, nothing's wrong. We were just a little worried, so I came to ask."
An awkward silence settled between them before David broke it with a polite nod. "Thank you... Miss?"
"Anika," she replied with a small smile.
They both nodded and David moved out of that location.
As David descended the stairs, his mind raced. "This can't be a coincidence. Something happened that night, and I'm going to find out what."
David descended the stairs with a mix of unease and determination, his mind racing with theories about Lopez. But as he approached the building's exit, his steps faltered. His eyes narrowed, filled with suspicion, as he spotted a familiar figure standing by the entrance, adjusting his sleeves with deliberate precision.
"ADAM!" David's voice was sharp, his tone brimming with both surprise and accusation.
Adam turned toward him slowly, as if expecting the confrontation. His smile was thin and rigid, more unsettling than polite. He stood deliberately, blocking the exit with an air of casual authority.
"Good afternoon, Sir David," Adam greeted, his voice smooth, almost mocking. "I didn't think I'd run into you here."
David's eyes hardened, scanning Adam as if trying to see past the facade. "Likewise," he replied tersely, his voice carrying an edge.
Adam's grin didn't falter, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of calculation. "I've recently shifted here," he explained, gesturing vaguely to the building. "The apartments are quite... affordable."
David's skepticism deepened, his expression betraying his mistrust. "Really? That's interesting," he said, his tone cold but measured. He nodded slightly as if to accept the explanation but didn't break eye contact. "I also came here to... inquire about the rates. You know, some doubts need to be cleared. Definitely about the prices."
Adam's smile twitched, his gaze following David's every move.
David stepped forward deliberately, closing the distance between them. Placing a hand firmly on Adam's shoulder, he leaned in slightly, his voice low but steady. "Goodbye, Adam."
The contact lingered just long enough to feel like a warning. Then, without waiting for a response, David strode past him and out of the building.
Adam watched him go, his expression shifting. The static smile melted into a neutral mask, his jaw tightening slightly. He muttered under his breath, his tone colder now. "He's becoming a problem… a variable in my plan."
Reaching into his pocket, Adam retrieved his phone, scrolling through his contacts with deliberate precision. His finger paused on a name that made his lips curl into a dark smirk: Lopez.
He pressed the screen and raised the phone to his ear. His voice was low and commanding when he spoke. "There's been a change in the plan. From now on, you'll do exactly as I say."
His tone held an ominous finality as he ended the call, his eyes still fixed on the direction David had gone. "Let's see how long you last, David."
Adam's expression darkened as he watched David disappear down the street, his fingers tightening around the phone. The smooth façade he'd worn moments ago was gone, replaced by an icy determination.
"David…" he murmured under his breath, his tone sharp and venomous. "You're more perceptive than I anticipated. But every variable has a breaking point."
He scrolled through his phone with steady precision, pausing when his finger hovered over Lopez's name. A slow, predatory smile crept onto his face, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"This change everything," he whispered, dialling the number. As the line connected, his voice dropped into a commanding growl. "There's been a change in the plan. From now on, you'll do exactly as I say. No deviations."
He ended the call, slipping the phone back into his pocket, his mind already spinning with possibilities. His gaze lingered in the direction David had gone, a dark glint in his eyes.
"David… you've just stepped onto a board you don't even realize exists. Now, will you become my pawn—or my first casualty?"
The shadows around Adam seemed to deepen, swallowing the light as if the air itself was conspiring with him. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled, the sound carrying an ominous weight.
The game had officially begun, and the stakes had never been higher.
Would David uncover the truth in time, or was he already ensnared in a web far beyond his comprehension? One thing was certain—Adam wouldn't leave anything to chance.
To be Continued...