Painful Smiles

The police was really slow in investigation. It was an obvious kidnap as the man had pointed a gun at Clara while she was in a taxi with her mother.

Mrs. Larabee said that she only remembered the man holding a childhood picture of Clara that she can’t really remember where it was from.

And the man had also asked if it was Clara. The police asked if there was any case of Clara with such a man.

Mr. and Mrs. Larabee had never been so undermines in their life as they told the police they didn’t know all of the daughter’s boyfriend and could have been a past boyfriend.

The police gave them a weird look but added in the statement. “Don’t worry mum, we will find her” Claudia kept on reassuring.

But her parents were too involved to even listen to her. They urged them to stay at home all throughout the week in case any other incidents occurs.

Claudia tried phoning Michael but it was switched off. She contacted Wright and he also said he won’t be coming to school since he would want to work on his art work full time.

She was really disappointed about Michael’s not belong her but he could help by making sure he copied his notes so she could borrow from him.

Paul was in a frightful mood all through the day. Their father immediately created “missing girl” posters for Clara. Whoever had kidnapped her hast yet called her family and it worried Claudia. It better be a kidnap case and not a murder case.

Finally Michael phoned her back. “Look, I won’t be coming to school for a while. Make sure you copy notes properly, okay?” she said as soon as she picked up.

Michael exhaled, ” A relief. Yes, do stay at home. Clara would be back soon, it is a misunderstanding”.

Claudia wasn’t sure what he was talking about so she stayed quiet.

“Are you there? Really don’t worry. The man who kidnapped her just wanted some money, he’ll get it and Clara would be found by the police. Also I won’t be coming to school either. I have things to do” Michael reassured again.

“How can you be so sure. I never told you that the police where looking for her? And why won’t you be coming to school?” Claudia was becoming suspicious.

“Oh, well, it’s business related. Also, any reasonable person would know that the police would be looking for a missing person. And I’m a reasonable person so I’ll know. ” he chuckled.

Claudia didn’t buy it. Earlier her mother had said it could have been a case of a vengeful boyfriend or lover.

So far Claudia knew, Michael, purposely or not, had hurt her because of Clara.

And him chatting about her being found back after giving the kidnapper some money, she wasn’t sure about him anymore.

“Do you have money issues?” she asked just as he said he was hanging up.

“No, how can I? Why do you ask?”

She didn’t dismiss the thought but just hang up on him.

Michael looked at his phone. Could that girl be any ruder? But he chose not to blame her.

She was probably tensed up because of her twin’s kidnap. They still had their blood connection somehow.

Michael now understood why Claudia seemed to have it bad for French people. Her twin sister had donated blood to one when she was little. It would have obviously left her wrecked for sometime.

Michael was glad Clara seemed to have gotten over it. More less, she seemed to have forgotten about her compassionate, kind and innocent side.

He still had the letter she wrote and she was a big contrast to the innocent nice girl he had assumed wrote the letter.

He had waited to come to the U. S to be friends with her and possibly protect her but she turned out to be the bully.

Maybe she couldn’t hold on and became the predator instead. How disappointing.

Or maybe she was nothing like that in the first place.

He didn’t know why he thought that way but Clara seemed to have had a big change. Five years wasn’t so great to turn to a monster.

“What if she wasn’t the one who wrote that letter? Maybe Miss Audrey did?” Michael was thinking of other possibilities.

But what was most important now was getting her out of the locks of the rogue mafia. Whether she was the one who wrote it or not. She donated blood to him and the blood still ran through his veins.

*******

Mr. Louis gazed down at the file on his table. It had the names of all his underground workers and his major contacts.

That file had super classified information that even him can’t bring it out anyhow in daylight.

That was what the bastard then wanted him to hand over? Why wouldn’t he accept monetary compensation? Was he the only one who contracted a terminal disease?

The disease wasn’t any one’s fault. They had been digging in a bad site. He laud them from the Jon and paid them off. Still, the bastard was keen on fighting back.

A man named Luke knocked and then walked into Mr. Louis’ room after gaining permission. “Sir, my boys are ready, you can deploy them now” he placed his hands behind him.

Mr. Louis nodded slowly.

It was a risky feat. If his boys succeeds in silencing this rogue, then he can keep this secret safe.

If their plan backfires, the secret would be exposed sooner. The world would know, his son would know dangerous the underground was and also, the girl, Clara, could be hurt.

And his son might never forgive him for it. He might never forgive himself either, the girl saved his son’s life once, she won’t get to die because of something related to him.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

There had to be another way of survival for both his reputation and Bleu Cristal and also the survival of Clara.