"She didn't come with us. Don't bother looking for her," Eryx said coldly. How could he stop searching for her? Revilla was all he could think about. What happened to her after she left with her boyfriend? He didn't have a good feeling about it.
"What do you mean, Eryx? Where is she?" Alex asked, tilting his head towards Eryx, who was leaning against the table. Braylon had been quiet the whole time. He couldn't figure out what Eryx meant. He was just waiting for Eryx to explain further. Alex seemed to be losing control already. When it came to Revilla, he always lost control.
Eryx looked at the unstable man who was fuming with anger, maybe even jealousy. Eryx sighed deeply. He started to explain everything that happened last night, though he still didn't know why she had been crying.
Alex was nearly shattered by Eryx's words. Revilla was a strong girl who could handle anything on her own. How could she have been so broken that she couldn't protect herself from those drunken creeps?
"She's resting at my villa now. I've told my maids to take good care of her, so don't worry," Eryx said, trying to calm Alex down. Braylon couldn't help but worry about them, but who would worry about him? He couldn't express his feelings to Eryx. What if Eryx found it disgusting? Little did Braylon know, Eryx was already aware of his feelings.
Alex began to calm down a bit. After that, they started going over the murder case that had come to their department two weeks ago. Because Eryx had neglected it, the case had been assigned to Braylon, who was now a little more senior than them.
Franklyn went over the case with Braylon again. Alex wasn't there because he wasn't in the right state of mind, and as his friend, Braylon knew not to push him. No matter what happened, they would be like a family again.
"You see, the victim wasn't a girl at all. It was a boy who had surgery to become a girl. He was only 26 years old, but his whereabouts are still unknown," Franklyn explained, completely focused on the details of the case.
Braylon had already read the case twice in a row, but he was still confused. He believed that hearing it explained again might help him catch a clue.
"He was working at a motel located on the highway that leads to a small village, but there was no connection between the motel and the village. We've investigated that thoroughly," Franklyn continued, while Braylon focused intently. Eryx, on the other hand, struggled to concentrate as his gaze kept drifting toward Braylon, admiring him even through his anger.
"The manager said he was very friendly and calm, never causing any trouble. His death is really mysterious, though. There was no sign of a struggle, so the murderer was probably someone he knew," Franklyn explained.
"Why not consider it a suicide?" Braylon questioned. Franklyn didn't hesitate in his response.
"If he wanted to kill himself, why would he choose his workplace? And even if he did, why that particular room?" Franklyn replied, setting the case file down on the table.
Braylon knew the case well, so why would he ask such a pointless question? It was frustrating when someone asked something they should already know the answer to. To Franklyn, it made Braylon seem like the dumbest person despite his higher rank.
"Enough talking. We have no solid leads in this case, and no one has filed a formal complaint about this murder. Let's set it aside for now. We've got plenty of other work to do," Eryx said as he stood up from his chair and walked toward the entrance.
Braylon was frustrated. How could Eryx be so careless about the job? To make things worse, Franklyn followed Eryx, leaving Braylon alone in the meeting room. Braylon took a deep breath to control his anger, but he knew he couldn't afford to be mad at Eryx.
AFTERNOON
Everyone was having lunch in the cafeteria. Braylon sat alone, not wanting to bother Eryx. Alex and Franklyn were sitting together, but Braylon couldn't even focus on eating his meal. Just then, he received a call from Zaneta.
"Hey, how's Alan doing?" Braylon asked, skipping any greetings. Alan was all he could think about.
"Braylon, come to my hospital. Alan doesn't seem to be doing well. I'm scared," Zaneta's voice was filled with anxiety, and Braylon could tell from her tone that Alan's condition was serious. A tear rolled down his cheek. Alan was everything to Braylon—if anything happened to him, Braylon felt like he would have nothing left to live for.
Without taking a single bite of his lunch, Braylon put down his fork, stood up, and rushed toward the entrance. Alex noticed and felt a surge of anxiety in his chest.
"Eryx, it looks like something's wrong with Braylon. Shouldn't we follow him?" Alex asked, concerned about his friend.
"It's none of my business. If you want to check on him, go ahead," Eryx replied without even looking at him. Alex wanted to follow Braylon, but he knew he could persuade Braylon more easily than he could convince Eryx to go with him. Meanwhile, Franklyn was left confused, still unaware of the full story between Eryx and Braylon. It wasn't the right time to explain things to him.
At the Hospital
Braylon arrived at Zaneta's hospital, his body trembling with fear. Zaneta hadn't explained much during the call, leaving him terrified about what might have happened to Alan. He hurried to the childcare department, where Zaneta was standing at the entrance.
"Sis, what happened to Alan? Why did you call me so suddenly? He's fine, right?" Braylon's voice shook with pain as his heart pounded with worry.
"He had a fever last night. I thought it would go down after taking some medicine. He was fine until this morning, but then he suddenly had an epileptic reaction because of the fever. I was terrified, so I admitted him to the VIP ward, and he's being treated now," Zaneta explained, detailing what had happened. They had only been in this city for a day, and so much had already gone wrong.
Braylon felt a wave of guilt wash over him. It was his fault for leaving his son alone in a new city. How could Alan be okay with that? A small whimper escaped from Braylon as the weight of the situation hit him. Zaneta hugged him tightly.
"It's okay, everything will be fine. He's a strong boy, so don't worry," Zaneta comforted Braylon and led him to the ward where Alan was being treated.
Alan was mentally unsettled because he wasn't with his dad, and that had affected him deeply. The stress led to a fever, which in turn caused the seizure. Braylon's mind was in turmoil. He desperately needed someone to lean on, but who would be there for him? At least Zaneta was with him now, and for that, he was deeply grateful.
It had been an hour since Braylon arrived at the hospital, and he couldn't stop pacing back and forth, filled with nervous energy. If anything happened to Alan, Braylon felt like he would tear the hospital apart. His mind was racing with fear and worry.