72

72

DAMIEN MARTINEZ—

I stepped out of my office the moment I got a call from Tristan, and rushed to my car immediately.

"Come quickly," that was what he said. And my stupid hyper mind was starting to go through all the worst-case scenarios. What might possibly have happened? And if it was good news, then did it mean that he had found a way to get back Clarissa? Because now, I no longer bothered to deny the fact that she was all I thought about.

I clung onto the feeling of hope as one of my guards opened the car door for me.

"Do you want me to come with you, sir?" he asked, noticing how agitated I was.

I shook my head twice. "I should be fine on my own," I muttered.

He nodded and stepped backward, letting me close the door.

I started the car and stepped on the accelerator, driving off to the station.

Once I got there, I made my way straight to Tristan's office, and he was there, standing at the door waiting for me to arrive.

"About time," Tristan stepped back, letting me walk into the office.

"What is it about?" I asked, getting straight to the point, not even bothering to sit down.

"I think I have just the evidence that we need," he began.

I watched as Tristan walked over to the tables and rummaged in his drawers, pulling out a box.

He reached inside it and pulled out a little chip from the box.

I stared at it for a minute or so, then I grinned, realizing what it was.

"We did it," I said, a triumphant smirk forming on my lips.

"No," Tristan smiled a little, "Isabella Miller did."

I paused. "Yeah, I wanted to ask you about her," I said, sitting down.

"It was kind of suspicious how Isabella only seemed to show up when he was around."

"Is there anything between the both of you?" I asked casually, grinning like an idiot.

"Focus, Damien," Tristan ignored my question and tapped the recording device.

Karl's voice filled the room, and I felt my fist clench a little. Just hearing his voice was all it took to rile me up and make me angry.

Tristan tapped my shoulder, silently reminding me that it was only a clip.

I listened to the whole exchange between Isabella and Karl, the way Isabella presented herself as a weak and pathetic little girl, the way she was totally helpless, giving Karl the push he needed to spill everything out.

I smirked devilishly. "And he thought he was smart."

The clip ended, and I turned to face Tristan.

"We have it. That's the proof that we need to bring him in, right?" I asked.

"Indeed, Damien," Tristan nodded.

I felt my heart race at the thought that I was finally going to get Clarissa back. It was time to say goodbye to that motherfucker. Oh, how I had waited for this very moment.

"When do we make our move?" I asked Tristan, knowing that we had to do it his way after all, he was the cop.

Tristan frowned, seeming to think about it for a while. "I have to process the evidence and make sure he can't refute it. Everything should be ready by tomorrow, and then I'll tell my men to arrest him," he said.

I gave another nod, my face radiant with gratitude.

"You should go for now," Tristan said. "Try to get some rest."

"Yes, maybe I will do that," I thought, heading towards the exit. I paused at the doorway and turned back to look at him. "Thank you, Tristan," I said.

He gave me a smile. "What are friends for?" he asked, "And besides, I told you that I will get her back for you."

"I don't know what I'll do without you," I said.

I made my way out of the station and headed back to the mansion. While we were taking care of Karl, there was still another trouble looming ahead of me.

I still had to take care of the trouble that we were having at the company.

Now that I knew for sure that there was a good chance that Morgana was the one behind the hacking, it made me all the more unsettled. What was she going to do next? The thought of her and Karl collaborating together to create one mega villain squad didn't make me any happier.

What were they going to do next?

I drove into the mansion, and it was not the same without Clarissa. I could barely wait for tomorrow to come when we'll finally arrest Karl for kidnapping and get him to release Clarissa.

My mind kept swirling with a lot of thoughts, and I imagined the worst-case scenarios. What if something went wrong? What if I wasn't able to bring Clarissa back? My mind continued.

What if I was too late? My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I looked ahead, trying to shake away the thoughts.

"It's going to be alright," I whispered to myself in a calming voice, trying to relax.

Everything was going to turn out according to plan. After all, Tristan was the one in charge of the case.

And even though on a normal day I couldn't trust myself to not screw things up one way or the other, I had absolute trust in Tristan's capabilities.

If he said it was going to be fine, then all I had to do was relax because it was going to be fine.

Master, the butler walked towards me the moment I stepped out from the car.

My face creased into a frown as I noticed that he was all tensed up like something bad had happened.

"Please let it not be that something bad has happened," I pleaded to know why the particular. I had my own fair share of bad luck to last me for the rest of the year.

"You have a message," he said, stopping in front of me.

"What is it?" I asked, looking around.

He took out a sealed envelope and gave it to me. "We don't really use the mail anymore, but I found this there."

I frowned, getting all the more intrigued by this letter. No one ever used the mailbox anymore. It was long outdated, and I was pretty sure that no one in California dared to use it.

"Well, now look, I was listening to a message from it," there was something off. Now, what were the odds? Something fishy was definitely going on here.

I was almost convinced that it was bad news as I tore the envelope open, thinking that I would just get it over with.

In the letter, there were just three words. A simple message really, and enough to send shivers down my spine.

I stared at it and turned it over, trying to see if there was some hidden meaning, something that I seemed to be missing. There had to be something else.

The three words stared back at me.

"I see you," I mouthed, reading it.

"What's it about, Master?" the butler asked, seeing my conflicted expression.

I turned the paper over and handed it to him.

He read the three words and turned back to me with a frown.

"'I see you'?" he repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll be damned if I know," I shook my head and headed for the main entrance of the mansion.

"Do you suppose it's some kind of prank from some kids?" he asked, following me.

I shook my head. "That's most unlikely. I don't think anyone would dare."

"Maybe it's a threat," I said softly to myself.

"A threat? Who would want to threaten you?"

"I don't know," I stopped. "But I do have a lot of enemies."

"Think about it," I continued. "'I see you.' That's a bit too much for a prank. And it has this ominous feel about it. Like something more, like a threat," I said without looking at the butler.

I opened my hand and placed the letter inside again. I turned it around this time, determined to find something else.

At the corner of the letter, I saw a tiny address written in bold.

"I see," I whistled softly.

"This was some kind of message from someone, and whether I like it or not, I had a feeling that I knew just who it was."

"I want you to increase security around the mansion," I said, turning back to the butler. "And I want you to have a meeting with the guards. Interrogate all of them, carefully. I have a feeling that someone has infiltrated our ranks, and you have to make sure that person is neutralized."

The butler nodded understandingly.

"Yes, Master, I will see to it immediately," he said.

"Good. For the time being, I have somewhere to go," I turned around and walked up the staircase.

I folded the letter in my hand again, glancing at the address for a second time.

It was obvious that whoever had written this letter was inviting me over.

"And I won't keep my host waiting," I muttered to myself, with a dark edge to my voice.