Chapter:26
"Zayden".
I stood in my living room, staring out the window as the sun dipped below the horizon. It had been a whole day since Nala had left, and I hadn't heard from her since.
At first, I didn't care. I had put a tracker in her phone and car, so I knew I could find her whenever I wanted. But as the night wore on, I started to feel a twinge of unease.
I pulled out my phone and checked the tracker. My heart skipped a beat as I saw that Nala's car was parked at a café on the outskirts of town. I frowned, feeling a sense of confusion. Why would she go to a café and leave her car and phone behind?
I decided to investigate further. I drove to the café, my mind racing with possibilities. When I arrived, I saw that Nala's car was indeed parked outside, but there was no sign of her.
I got out of my car and walked inside the café, scanning the room for any sign of Nala. But she was nowhere to be found. I felt a surge of anger and frustration. She had done it again – she had run away from me.
I quickly called Aidyn, my head of security. "Aidyn, it's Zayden. Nala's gone again."
Aidyn's voice was calm and reassuring. "Don't worry, Zayden. We'll find her. We'll review the CCTV footage in the morning and see if we can track her down."
But I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. Something didn't feel right. I had a nagging sense of fear, like something was going to happen – something bad.
I drove back home, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. When I arrived, I couldn't calm down. I walked into the house, my footsteps echoing off the marble floors. I walked through the living room, past the kitchen, and into the hallway. I stopped in front of a painting, staring at it blankly.
What was I doing? Why was I walking around the house like a madman? I didn't know. All I knew was that I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.
I continued walking, my feet carrying me to the library. I walked over to the bookshelf, running my fingers over the spines of the books. I stopped at a book, pulling it out and opening it to a random page.
But I couldn't focus on the words. My mind kept wandering back to Nala. Where was she? What was she doing?
I closed the book, putting it back on the shelf. I walked out of the library, back into the hallway. I stopped at the top of the stairs, looking down at the foyer below.
The house was quiet, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the wall. I felt a sense of emptiness, a sense of loneliness.
I walked down the stairs, my footsteps echoing off the walls. I walked over to the window, looking out into the night.
The darkness seemed to press in around me, making me feel claustrophobic. I felt like I was trapped, like I couldn't escape.
I turned away from the window, walking back to the stairs. I went up to my room, lying down on the bed.
But I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing, my thoughts consumed by Nala. Where was she? What was she doing?
I threw off the covers, getting out of bed. I walked over to the window, looking out into the night.
The darkness seemed to stretch out before me, endless and unknowable. I felt a sense of fear, a sense of uncertainty.
What was going to happen? Would I ever see Nala again?
I didn't know. All I knew was that I had to find her. I had to make sure she was safe.
I turned away from the window, determination burning in my heart. I would find Nala, no matter what it took.
I tossed and turned all night, my mind racing with thoughts of Nala. Where was she? What was she doing? I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in my stomach.
As the first light of dawn crept into the sky, I finally threw off the covers and got out of bed. I was exhausted, but I knew I had to keep moving.
I quickly got dressed and rushed out of the house, jumping into my car and speeding off to the office. The cool morning air rushed past me as I drove, but I didn't notice. My mind was consumed by thoughts of Nala.
"What's taking her so long?" I muttered to myself, slamming my fist on the steering wheel. "Why did she have to run away again?"
I pulled into the office parking lot, my tires screeching as I took the turn too sharply. I jumped out of the car and rushed into the office, bursting through the door.
"Where is she?" I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls.
Aidyn looked up from his computer, a calm expression on his face. "Look, Zayden, I know you're worried that you wouldn't be able to catch Nala, but believe me, we will find her."
I paced back and forth across the room, my frustration boiling over. "I don't care about catching her, Aidyn. I just want to know that she's safe."
Aidyn nodded sympathetically. "I understand, Zayden. But we have to be patient. We're doing everything we can to track her down."
I stopped pacing and turned to Aidyn. "What's taking so long?"
Aidyn sighed. "The person who manages the CCTV footage has put a strong code and security on it. It's taking me some time to break through."
I nodded, feeling a surge of impatience. "Keep trying, Aidyn. I need to know what's going on."
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Aidyn looked up from his computer with a triumphant expression. "I did it, Zayden. I got access to the CCTV footage."
I rushed over to Aidyn's computer, my heart racing with excitement. "What do you see?"
Aidyn pointed to the screen. "Nala walked out of the café with someone else. They got into a car and drove off."
I leaned in closer, my eyes scanning the screen. "Can you see the license plate number?"
Aidyn nodded. "It's a bit blurry, but I can try to enhance it."
After a few tense moments, Aidyn finally managed to enhance the image. "I've got it, Zayden. The license plate number is…KLM-432."
I felt a surge of excitement. "Track the car, Aidyn. I need to know where Nala is."
Aidyn nodded, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "I'm on it, Zayden. I'll find her for you."
Aidyn worked his magic, and after a few minutes, he looked up with a smile. "I've got the location, Zayden. The car is registered to a rental company, but I managed to track it to a warehouse on the outskirts of town."
I felt a surge of adrenaline. "Let's go, Aidyn. We need to get to that warehouse and find Nala."
Aidyn's expression turned serious as he looked at me. "Zayden, I think we should wait for some time."
I frowned, feeling a surge of impatience. "What do you mean? We have the license plate number. We can track her down."
Aidyn shook his head. "I think it would be a trap for us. We should gather more information before we make our move."
I slammed my fist on the table, feeling a wave of anger wash over me. "No, I want to catch her and make her pay. She thinks she can just betray me and get away with it?"
Aidyn's expression remained calm, but his voice took on a firmer tone. "Zayden, listen to me. We need to be smart about this. We can't just rush in without a plan."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Aidyn was right. I couldn't let my emotions cloud my judgment.
"Okay," I said finally. "I'll wait. But hurry up and get me some information."
Aidyn nodded and turned back to his computer. I paced back and forth across the room, feeling like a caged animal.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Aidyn looked up from his computer. "I've got something," he said.
I rushed over to him, my heart racing with excitement. "What is it?"
Aidyn's expression was serious. "I've found several cars that went to the same road, to the same warehouse. And there are several men dressed up like Kaiden's men."
My blood boiled at the news. "So she betrayed me again," I spat. "She just left me here to go to her father and tell him everything. It was all her plan."
Harper, my assistant, walked into the room. "Sir, I think we should go there. What if she tells Kaiden everything and they attack us? We should take action as soon as possible."
Aidyn still looked uncertain. "I don't know, Zayden. It could still be a trap."
But I wasn't listening. My anger and betrayal had taken over. "Get my men ready," I growled. "Call everyone. Tell them I'll pay them double, triple, whatever it takes. I want to destroy Kaiden's whole family."
Harper nodded and rushed out of the room to make the arrangements. Aidyn looked at me, a mixture of concern and warning on his face.
"Zayden, are you sure this is what you want to do?"
But I just turned away, my mind made up. "Let's go."
We spent the next few hours gathering our men and preparing for the attack. As we set out, I could feel my anger and adrenaline pumping through my veins.
We were going to take down Kaiden's family, and Nala was going to pay for her betrayal. For how many times . I'm going to let her hurt me , betray me , made fun of my love… Wait no love .. I don't love her . I hate her . I should hate her . I have to hate her for betraying me two times , for shooting me , for making fun of my kindness, for making me believe that I can still live my life happily. And especially for giving me hope and a reason to live .