《His Shortcake》Chapter 32
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Although Emil has agreed to tell me everything about this Natividad guy, he still insisted on getting the same kind of approval from his boss. So despite the time difference, he picked up a phone and is now calling him.
"Sir." He said, looking impassive as he talks to Alec. "Sir Dustyn would like to know every information we have about Natividad." He eyes me before talking again, "And probably Amelia too."
I raised my eyebrow at him. I have pestered him for a long time for information regarding Amelia. Not once has he volunteered to give an ounce of what they know. Now, here he is, practically volunteering to give that information to me.
"Yes, sir. I understand." Emil said before handing his phone to me. "He wants to talk to you."
I grabbed the phone and put it on my ear. "Alec." I greeted him in my usual tone.
"Listen Dustyn. The things he is about to tell you are not something I want Mara or anybody else hear, you understand? So if she's there or any one else, you are not to have that conversation." Alec ordered, not leaving any space for an argument. His words are final and sealed and not to be messed with.
"Alec, I'm the same age as you are. You don't have to treat me like a kid." I said, almost wanting to roll my eyes at his bossy attitude.
I hear him sigh loudly before a woman's voice called for him in the back ground. "Just be careful and look after Mara. I'll be back tomorrow."
He ended the call before I could say anything back to him. "Bye." I said sarcastically before handing the phone back to Emil. "He's an asshole."
He shrugs his shoulders. "That's why he's your best friend."
I shook my head at him. Smart ass. "So. Noah Natividad."
Emil leans against the counter before talking. "Noah Natividad is an orphan kid. His parents died when he was only seven years old due to a mining accident. Since then, he's been under the care of his Uncle."
"So they own a mining company?" I asked him.
He nods his head. "Yes. One of the best mining company in the region."
"And his uncle?" I asked, curious about the man who picked him up and raised him.
"Arcelio Natividad was thirty-seven years old when he picked up his nephew from the hospital. Shady background. Mostly related to drugs. He took over the mining company along with the riches the family had. He has control on everything the kid owns until he's twenty-one." Emil explained.
"How are they related to the one who kidnapped Mara?" I asked.
"Arcelio Natividad is the kidnapper, or so we believe." Emil paused, letting his words sink in. "Miss Mara was never able to identify her kidnapper because the police was never able to find him. That's what Sir Alec has told me."
I sighed. Mauling over the information Emil has laid out in front of me. We can't just point fingers, specially not to a well-known person in the business. That will cause a lot of unwanted media attention. "Why does Alec think he's the perpetrator?"
"Because Arcelio Natividad owns the land where Miss Mara was found. It was in the middle of the woods, far from the mining project that was in the same land. But it was secured and there was no way someone could've just sneaked in and built a cottage with an underground holding cell without anyone noticing." Emil stated. He's standing firm on what they found as an evidence against Arcelio Natividad.
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"But why?" I asked. I don't think someone who recently acquired a company and millions -- or even billions -- of money will suddenly have the urge to kidnap a girl from a well-known family and keep her for weeks. There is just no way.
Emil shrugged his shoulders. "We're still yet to find that out. So far, there has been no evidence which connects him to Amelia but we're still looking deeper in her past." Emil explained. "It's a lot to take in, sir. I understand if you need a moment."
I shook my head at him. "I don't need a moment. Tell me about Amelia Cruz."
Emil sighed. "She's a mystery. There is absolutely nothing about her past that we can dig. All we know is what she told the press. She's an orphan from Spain and was lucky enough to be picked as a model for a well-known brand. Since then, she was signed and the rest was history."
"And you believed that bullshit?" I asked perplexed by how shady and fairy tale like the sounded. I can't phantom the exact same thing coming out of Amelia's mouth. That woman is nothing but nasty.
Emil shook his head. "We are trying our best to dig up her past. Part of Sir Alec's intentions in Spain was to find something about her."
Part? So there is something he is not telling us about. I wonder when he'll have the courage to tell us what it is. It sounds serious for him to go to another country when things are like this here. "So nothing about Amelia?"
"There are things we found out. She met May Ramirez during a photo shoot which no one has anything good to say about. We assumed it is also where she met Mr. Ramirez. It's still unclear what happened after that but a few days after the said photo shoot May Ramirez was caught in an accident which resulted to her death." Emil said. His words almost suggesting a crime which Amelia might have something to do with.
"Did she?" I asked him. The gears in my head turning a hundred times faster than it normally does. These information could make or break a case that Alec is building up against these people. But a small misinformation can make everything he's been doing go down the drain in a snap of my fingers.
We're not going up against unknown people here. These are people that are not new to twisting words for the media. I'm pretty sure Amelia would make a show out of this. I can already picture her crying her eyes out in front of the media to get their sympathy. Playing the victim seemed to be the way she prefer to do this.
If this fails, everything would just be for nothing. All this hard work would be for nothing.
We're threading a dangerous path now. Any information we have should be a rock solid evidence against these people and not purely assumptions. Assumptions would not get them convicted. After all, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
"IF she did, we will find out. There are a lot of things that happened since then that could be linked to her. The motives are unknown to me but Sir Alec seems to have a very clear idea of what she's after. He, however, still refuses to tell me that." Emil said, with a deep frown on his face. His thoughts seems to be all over the place as he racks his brain for all the stored information about these people. How he has them memorized is unknown to me.
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I know the motives to the extent of what Alec has told me. Mara is about to get a huge sum of money and property under her name once she turns twenty. If our assumptions are right, Amelia is after that. Should anything happen to Mara, those will be under the control of Jack which inherently is also under Amelia.
"And sir." Emil said, catching my full attention once more. "Miss Mara does not know anything about this."
"I figured as much." I said, mumbling the words as my head turns its gears. Looking for something - anything - I could do to help Mara in anyway that I can. "Why haven't Alec filed a case yet?" I asked curious about how slow he is going when he has the culprit right at his fingertips.
"We have not accumulated enough evidence to make the case a hundred percent win." Emil reasoned.
"But you have something? Isn't that enough?" I asked, walking back and forth in front of him. I could not sit still when I know that the one who kidnapped and abused Mara is out there. Waiting to pounce at her once again. Every moment that we waste collecting evidence and names is a dangerous moment for her.
"Sir. Sir Alec wants to make sure that there would be no loose ends to this case. A conviction is what he is after." Emil explains, as he looked up to from his chair. "I assure you, Miss Mara is in safe hands. I have promised to guard her with my life. Nothing bad will happen to her under our watch."
as soon as Apollo came through the doors with an unconscious Mara in his arms. Panic is written all over their faces as they hurry to get Mara in the safety of the apartment.
I was immediately up to meet him. Apollo transfers her in my arms with a word. With Nica's help, we safely put Mara in her bedroom. Tucking her in and making sure that she rests comfortably. I looked at Emil at the door of her room who looks torn.
It wasn't an hour ago when he swore they'll protect her. Now this happens. I could only imagination the horror and shock that he has gone through. Even Nica who stands beside him, could not look up to meet anyone's eyes as shame dawns on her.
"I've already called a doctor." Emil said lowly before walking out of the room with Nica hot on his trail.
"I've called Dad." Apollo said with a grim expression on his face. His twin, Artemis, sits beside Mara, brushing Mara's hair out of her face in gentle and comforting touches. "I'm going to make a report on that Natividad."
His name peaked my attention. "Natividad?"
I watch as he nods his head in confirmation. "The guy has been bothering her for quite some time."
I nodded my head, my eyes going to my phone I have placed on Mara's bedside table.
Alec.
He will flip when he finds out what just happened to Mara. I don't want to disturb him with whatever iyt is he's doing there but I need to tell him what happened to Mara before he finds out from someone else, meaning Emil. He won't be happy but at least he is updated.
If these people think I will let my shortcake be tormented with the thought of them running around free from what they have done to her, they better think again. Because this time. This time I know neither any of us would let them escape again.
Without thinking about the time difference, I dialed his number. I stood up from my position and moved across to the window inside the room.
"Hello?" His groggy and sleepy voice came through the speaker. It wasn't long ago that I called him. I bet he's just distressed and annoyed with how many times he's been called through out the day.
"Alec?"
"Yeah? What's wrong Dustyn?" He asked immediately. Gone was the sleepiness in his voice not a second ago.
My eyes traveled back to the unconscious body of Mara in bed. Artemis is still beside her with Apollo standing over them like a guard. "I don't know the full details yet. But she went out with her friends and they came back with her. Unconscious."
I could hear him shuffling out of bed and flicking the lights on. "Was it Amelia? What did she do?"
"It's not her." I said, getting uncomfortable. I wasn't ready to receive the full force of my best friends anger. He doesn't know control when it comes to her.
"Then who?" He asked, irritation and impatience lacing his voice. It was clear he wanted an answer and he wanted it now.
"Natividad."
He goes quiet on the other line. Then he curses like there's no tomorrow. "I'll get the next flight out as soon as possible." He said, rushing out the words without thinking. "Get the - "
"Stop." I said, sighing when I did so. "I'll take care of things here, you do whatever it is you came for there."
I heard him stop moving on the other end of the line. "What?" He asked, like he couldn't believe I just said what I said. "This is my sister we are talking about. My baby sister. If she needs me, then I'm there."
I shook my head at his words. "Alec, that is guilt talking for you. Mara will just be fine. I already called for a doctor and Apollo has called his Dad to file a report. Just do what you need to do and come home when you're done. "
"Dustyn." His voice hard and warning me to stay the hell away from wherever the conversation is leading.
I know Alec is filled with guilt with what happened with Mara. I know he blames himself for a lot of things that she is going through right now but that doesn't mean Mara does too.
"Mara will be fine. I'll get more security for here. I'll make sure this guy doesn't do anything like this again."
"Swear on your life."
"I swear on my life."
He sighed and then I heard the something creak on his side. "Okay. Update me about everything thing that is happening about her. I don't care what hour it is, just ---"
I cut him off. Used to him ordering and telling me thing when it comes to his sister. It is the same old routine we did back in high school. "I got it." I said and ended the call before he starts rambling about safety and precautions again.
"Sir." Nica said, her head popping in from the door. All eyes fall on her. "The doctor and Officer Fields is here."
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Please Don't Eat Me!
I have reincarnated as Aerta Arlez, the Purifier in a fantasy novel intended for male readers.As the Purifier, I can heal the wizards' minds tainted with 'malignity'.Duke Zahid el Carnoire is the wizard who is in need of me.I did my best to avoid Zahid all my life.Because, if I get intertwined with Zahid, I was going to meet the worst ending that a human can have.Alas, my family went bankrupt even before meeting the protagonist.Now I had to choose between two worst endings.Starve to death or.....?I pondered. In the end, I decided to make a deal with one of my worst endings. *****Written by SAHA 2019Published (English) by BIFROST 2022Published (Original Work) by Feelyeon 2019Translated (English) by Yihyun Evelyn Joo 2022Note: The translation is accurate to the original Korean version - some phrases and terms may be preserved during the localization process for the spirit of the story.
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