Sia reached for Aria's hair and halted, fingers spread. "Can I?"
Aria smiled and combed her fingers through her hair. "It's fine."
Sia still felt awkward around Aria's constant walls but she wouldn't stop making efforts.
Mo came through the door, opening it wide, "they are here."
Behind him, a policemen and a police women came in. They paused at the door, both surprised to see two of them. The woman sat closer to Aria while the man remained standing. They were trying to put her at ease.
While Aria lay back comfortably, Sia shifted uneasily. The woman looked from one to other. "While we knew that Miss Sia had a look alike, we didn't realise the similarity was to such a degree."
Aria smiled non commitmentally. Sia looked at Mo.
The man in the back looked at Mo and said, "could you please wait outside?"
Sia frowned but did not disrupt the flow of their work. Mo looked at Sia and smiled reassuringly before he left.
The man spoke, "I was under the impression, Mister Mohan Mirage was Miss Sia's finacee."
Sia nodded, "he is."
The woman frowned. Aria almost smiled. They must have been informed, or might have talked to someone who told them Sia was hospitalised. While Sia was, now it was Aria.
"I am sorry. But let's begin from the top."
"We were informed Miss Sia was taken by the family driver under the pretext of car servicing, by an unfamiliar car, to an abandoned area, where he then attempted to murder her. Was it Mr. Mirage who rescued you?"
The woman looked between them by the end of her question, unsure of who to ask.
Sia hesitated. Aria said, "it must be confusing. It was confusing for us too."
Finally, the woman turned to her decisively. "Please. Take us from the start."
Aria reached for the water, drank some and started.
"I am Aria. I live with my two adoptive brother. My mother's insurance company was paying out for my collage. Due to some hiccup in the payment release, I went to check where the company is at. The address turned out to be bogus. While I was there, I encountered a car roll in. The driver was surprised and nervous. Before I knew what was happening, they attacked me."
The man got off the wall and walked around the room, peering at the closed and extensive system on the table. He opened the computers and left them since they were password protected.
She looked at Sia who took some confidence from her beginning, put her hand on the bed, and continued. "My fiance, reached the scene, having a tracking system on the phone, to my location and only saw her lying around, so he rescued her, thinking it was me. I suspect, he must have called you immediately."
It made more sense to the police.
Aria added, "when my friends reached there they searched around and found her with some effort and considering she was me, brought her back to my adoptive mother."
Since this was Sia's case, she didn't go into her own details. Sia hesitated to speak again. Aria took Sia's hand and patted it lightly. Sis gave her a grateful smile before she told her side.
"The family driver said the car had to go for servicing. Since the next day was scheduled, I thought he just wanted to pick up the car early after my last schedule for the day. I had planned to meet Mo… Mohan later in the day but this happened."
The woman turned to her. Tell us in detail what you remember. "I felt tired so I thought I was just sleepy. I tried to stay awake. The driver was not acting suspiciously. So eventually, I passed out in the car. When I woke up, we were in a desolate area. I got out of the car. The driver was behind the car, with the trunk open. Before I could react, someone hit me from the back.
The woman closed her notepad and looked between the two.
"Did you see Miss Aria when you got off?"
Sia shook her head.
She turned to Aria, "did you see her when the car came?"
Aria shook her head. "I saw someone sitting in the car. I initially thought they were there for some shady business and I didn't want to caught in the middle of it. The driver kept glancing inside the car, slightly surprised. I didn't think he had kidnapped someone."
The woman turned to Sia, "Miss Sia, the driver has fled. We have applied to 24/7 police protection for you, but seeing Miss Aria is key witness, we will apply for her as well."
Sia opened her mouth, trying to find the right opportunity to interject.
Aria said quickly. "Wait. There is something else."
The woman paused. Aria told Sia, "you tell them," Sia hesitated but when Aria didn't continue for her, she spoke, "actually, when my father came to visit me, he met Aria. No one at the time believed that she was Aria and considered her a case of brain damage. For now, I would like to keep it so, in front of my family."
The man finally walked back to his partner and stood behind her.
"Why? Do you suspect someone?"
"For one, the driver didn't run." When it came to observation and deduction, Sia felt more comfortable speaking, "he was with my father and brought some gifts at the time, delivered them into the room and left. It was later when he learned of the police that he might have left. You can talk to my father about that. As for suspect, I suspect everyone in the family. My father recently decided to redivide his will and gave me a balancing 1% from all his companies."
The man nodded, "we looked into it. So far, we have also deduced that it might be an inheritance struggle. Since its family, we will let you handle the identity. We might reach out to you for questioning again though."
Once the police was gone, Aria asked Sia, "what's with the inheritance?"
"The one percent my father gave me doesn't have any real power but it is a balancing share. My father's company had four major businesses under him. Both my brothers have 50% right to each. My older brother hold singular 50% of two branches. I hold 1% while my mother and brother, through various investors and board members hold 49%. The situation is reversed in other two matters where my second brother and mother hold 50% while my older brother holds 49%. In all this, I wanted to escape, found the right time and left for a job in another country.
Aria still didn't understand. "Why would your father give you 1% each? It's like putting target on your back."
Sia shook her head, "not really. He just wanted me back and to do that, he did this. It will take some time to sell my share and return, in the meantime, he wanted to marry me to Mo, so that I cannot leave."
It was indeed the kind of thing families usually did to their sons and daughters but Sia's family a very rich. Had her father not expected this? If he really did love his daughter, why wasn't he even the slightest bit remorseful when he came to meet her? Instead, she remembered the calculative look.
Aria shook her head, "father or not, it was highly risky and see what happened. What do you think he will do to ensure your safety?"
Sia thought for a while and shook her head, "can't say."
Aria stared at her. Sia laughed, "it is not unusual for me not to know. We were never close, though he was one of the few people who was nice to me but he never had the time to spend with me, or at home."
Aria knew she couldn't say more since Sia was not ready to see her father in another light. She wondered what Mo thought of Sia's father or what Lock could discover.
She would have to find a chance to talk to him without Sia.
When Mo came in, an unfamiliar policeman came with him and silently took the line of gifts left behind by her father. Sia hesitated to object. In a moment, they were gone. If they wanted to check for bugs, there were none.
Aria said, "the driver might have put something in them."
Sia nodded. Mo patted her shoulder and told her, "we should head out. You wanted to look at properties and the condition of the apartment. Right?"
Sia nodded.
Aria interjected, "actually, could you go with Lock and pick up some things from me from mother's house?"
Sia nodded with a big smile. She looked at Mo, "You stay then. One of us has to stay."
Mo shook his head, look slightly at her, as if uncomfortable.
"Thanks." Aria said quickly. Mo gave her a surprised look before seeing Sia off. She wondered what he will say to his fiancee outside. Will Sia be jealous. So far, it hasn't been the case. Sia and Mo were close but something was amiss in their relationship. Then again, she was no expert to deduce.
When Mo came back, he spoke first, "I was surprised you agreed to let me stay."
Did he notice her discomfort?
Aria shrugged. "I will have to get used to you around. Haven't I?"
Mo nodded. "It's a good thing if you can't. If you can't, that's alright too."
Aria wanted to laugh. "Where you telling me to listen to Sia yesterday. Why are you dancing to different tune today?"
Mo smiled slightly, "my taste in music changes everyday."
Aria frowned. Why was he answering her in nonsense? "Is it because of I am pretending to loose memory?"
Mo took a far chair in the room and got comfortable, right across from Aria's feet. Aria was slightly propelled and this made her more comfortable. "That and you tend to be very private. Even if you can't do it, I doubt you will tell me, or your friends."
Aria brinked, suddenly heat and irritation rising in his chest. "You met me yesterday and you know me already? You must have been watching very closely."
This time Mo's eyes darted away from her and was that discomfort? Was he really watching her closely?
"Isn't that normal? You are Sia now. We should get to know each other at least. Moreover, this whole, soul swapping thing is very confusing."
Something sparked in Aria's mind. But Aria dismissed it. Even if Mo had any interest in her, it was because of the identity things must be disorienting for him. What Mo said, oddly made sense. She couldn't take it otherwise.
"Since it is so, I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure."
"What do you think of Sia's father?"
Mo didn't answer immediately, "as a person, or as a father to her?"
"Both?"
"He is not a good person and his care for Sia is superficial. Since he was the first to reach out when she was struggling, she caught on to his single good deed like a lifeline. It is hard to say anything about him in front of Sia."
Aria nodded. So, it wasn't only her feeling this way.
"How much do you think her father was involved in what happened to her?"
Mo frowned, "Though Mr. L might be all business, even in his superficial care, he wouldn't harm Sia."
"Why?"
"He doesn't have a reason to." He continued to explain, "Last year, Aria's second brother Kai L, exposed her father's affairs that that their mother had adopted them from other women. This caused a major scandal for him. While he might not be a good man, he didn't kill his son over such a big thing. Why would he kill Sia? He has no reason to."
Aria felt increasingly uneasy. "I am not her, so I can't see with her eyes but to me, he doesn't feel right. They way he looked at me wasn't right."
Mo looked towards the door first, then came over to sit by her bedside. "How?"
"I can't explain." Aria shook her head. It made her dizzy.
She kept her eyes closed. "They way he looked… as if… as if he was checking something. As if he was checking how much I knew?!"
Aria opened her eyes. Mo's puzzled look disheartened her. She conceded slightly. "Even though Sia is cautionary, even she can't guard against a person she would never suspect. Just keep an eye out."
Mo nodded slowly. "I plan to. Even if his wasn't the hand or the words, he set the stage for her to get hurt. If he hadn't transferred her that shares…"
Mo's expression was ugly, vengeful even. Aria understood. With what Sia explained. No matter who she gave those shares to, everyone would be unhappy. Her life was on the line from all sides.
At that moment, a nurse opened the door and came in. She put her food down, instructed her on the medicine and told her that doctor will check her condition today. Once she was gone, Mo said, "are you feeling any pain or dizziness?"
Aria nodded slightly. "Sometimes when I move too quickly. And sleep has been uneasy too. Let's see when I can get discharged."
Before they even had a full conversation, another nurse came in and said, "the doctor is coming," manuvered around Mo and lifted her bed a little higher.
When the doctor came in she examined Aria's wound, instructed about changing her bandage and asked her a few questions.
"I will adjust the medicine a little. Start taking short walks too."
Sia shook her head. The doctor smiled genilly, "I will see you in three days again."
When the doctor stepped out, she said, "I will talk to her and be back."
Aria didn't hold him back.
She wondered if going to get her food from the other side will be considered a short walk.
The murmurs that were right outside the door, slowly moved away. As she pulled her weight and tried to sit up by herself, he head felt heavily dizzy. She lay back down and heard the sound of the nurse coming in. "Miss Sia. Bandage change."
Aria opened her eyes. It wasn't the usual nurse that came in. Aria smiled when their eyes met. The nurse smiled back. Aria, couldn't relax.
The nurse picked up the needle, already stuck in an injection. Didn't the hospital require new needles to be opened every time they treat it to a patient?
Aria asked loudly, "what is it?"
The door opened and Mo came in. The nurse about to turn with the injection instead picked up a small bottle and filled it in. Was it just her imagination?
She read the label on her name tag carefully and let her change the bandages, highly alert every moment.
"What is it?" Mo asked, seeing her fixation.
Aria shook her head without looking and kept staring at the nurse up the nose. When she was done and gone, Aria didn't fail to noice, the medicine bottle empty in her tray.
She looked at the food.
"Can someone get new food? Same food but new."
Mo frowned and looked at the food. "Should be fine, the guards checked."
Aria snapped, "just do it."
Mo gave her an annoyed look but did as asked. When he went to the food, he paused, as if realising, "did that nurse…?"
Aria nodded. Mo's expression was far more grave than she had ever seen before.