Chapter 77: A Cup of Tea
Melynda gripped the edge of her shirt until her knuckles turned white. She sat in the passenger seat, staring out at the pitch black forest road. Only the car's headlights cut through the silence of the night. Beside her, Frans held the steering wheel with complete calm. His face showed no emotion, but his grip on the wheel was tight.
"Frans, are we really going to be safe there?" Melynda asked. Her voice was small and shook a little.
"This is a place Xavier prepared a long time ago. No one knows the location except for him and me," Frans replied without looking away from the road.
"But what about them? I saw fire from a distance earlier. Was that their car?" Melynda started to sob. She covered her face with both hands.
"Do not think the worst. Xavier is a tough man. He knows how to get out of a tight spot," Frans said.
"You are lying. You have not been able to reach them at all, have you? I saw you staring at your dead phone," Melynda accused. She lowered her hands and looked at Frans with bloodshot eyes.
Frans went silent for a moment. He turned the car onto a small path covered in bushes. "The signal in this area is being jammed on purpose. We are heading into a dead zone. That is good for us, but bad for communication."
"I am scared, Frans. If something happens to Agatha and Xavier, I will never be able to live with myself," Melynda muttered. She leaned her head against the cold window glass.
"They are not weak. They have survived battlefields much worse than a car chase in the suburbs," Frans countered.
"But this is different. This is not about a war between mercenaries. This is about family," Melynda said.
Frans did not answer again. He stopped the car in front of an old building that looked like an abandoned wine cellar. The structure was made of natural stone and looked very sturdy. Frans turned off the engine and the headlights. Everything went completely dark.
"Get out, ma'am. We have to enter through the basement door," Frans ordered.
Melynda followed Frans with firm steps. The night air in that place felt like it was biting her skin. They entered the building and went down a damp concrete staircase. Below, there was a modern room that stood in sharp contrast to the building's exterior. There were many monitor screens and emergency medical equipment.
"Stay here. I will try to activate the satellite to track the last position of Xavier's car," Frans said as he sat in front of the workstation.
"How long will it take?" Melynda asked.
"I need ten minutes. You can make some coffee or tea in the corner. You need to calm your nerves," Frans answered.
Melynda walked toward the small pantry. Her hands were still shaking slightly as she picked up a ceramic cup. She poured hot water, but her eyes stayed fixed on Frans, who was typing fast on the keyboard.
"Did you find them?" Melynda asked every two minutes.
"Be patient, ma'am. I am breaking through the Volskey security team's firewall. They closed off public access on the northern route," Frans said.
Melynda sat on a high chair at the bar counter. She did not drink her tea. She just stared at the steam rising into the air.
Meanwhile, in a luxury residence hundreds of kilometers away, Mr. Cardios sat in his rocking chair. He was on the back terrace facing a rose garden that was not in bloom. On a small table beside him, two cups of tea were already steaming.
A servant approached with quiet steps. "Sir, your guest has arrived."
Cardios only gave a small nod. Not long after, the sound of heavy footsteps approached. A man in an expensive suit with slicked back hair walked in. It was Luigi Volskey. His face looked fresh, as if he had just come back from a pleasant vacation.
"Good evening, Father. You still have good taste when it comes to picking a time for tea," Luigi said as he pulled out a chair in front of Cardios.
"The best tea always tastes better when things are very quiet, Luigi. Sit down," Cardios replied in a low voice.
Luigi sat and sipped his tea slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the aroma. "Incredible. This is tea from the Alps, isn't it?"
"You always know how to recognize quality," Cardios answered.
"Just like I recognize the great potential I just found again tonight," Luigi said. He put down his cup and looked at Cardios with a thin smile.
"You look very pleased." Cardios remained calm, as if he knew nothing about what had just happened.
"I just took care of a little mess. There was a car that burned quite badly. A shame, it was a very expensive car," Luigi said. He pulled out a phone and showed a photo of Xavier's charred car.
Cardios glanced at the photo for a second. "An unfortunate accident. Were there any casualties?"
"The man seemed stubborn enough to die in the fire. But my team did not find any bodies other than the hot metal frame. However, I brought something much more valuable than a corpse," Luigi said.
"What is it?" Cardios asked.
Luigi reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a ring with a sparkling emerald stone. He placed it on the table, right between their two tea cups.
"A nice ring, isn't it? Now, the original owner is in my hands," Luigi explained.
Cardios looked at the ring without expression. "So you have taken her."
"Of course. She is on her way to a very safe place. I will not let this rose wither," Luigi said.
"You think she will do it easily? You know who she is, Luigi. She is not an ordinary girl you can intimidate with a gun," Cardios countered.
Luigi laughed softly. The sound of his laughter was dry and harsh. "Everyone has a weak point, Father, and I already know what hers is."
Cardios was silent for a moment. He finished his tea in one gulp. "You are very brave to take this risk."
"They will be too busy managing a funeral. Besides, there is no evidence pointing to me. Everything looks like a technical accident and a roadside robbery," Luigi said.
"You are always full of plans, Luigi," Cardios muttered.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you one thing, Father," Luigi said.
"What is it?" Cardios asked.
Luigi leaned toward Cardios. His voice turned into a very sharp whisper. "I know you sent a surveillance team to that location. But do not hope they can find Agatha. She is already in a place where even God cannot find her."
Cardios did not answer. He only watched Luigi leave with eyes full of calculation. Once Luigi was completely out of sight, Cardios reached for his phone under the table.
"Marco, have you found the location?" Cardios asked into the phone.
On the other end, Marco answered with a heavy voice. "I have found it, sir. But there is a big problem."
"What is it?"
"Someone from D'Angelo moved faster than Luigi's team. And they did not take Agatha to the place Luigi planned," Marco reported.
Cardios frowned. "Then where did they take her?"
"They took her to the headquarters in Switzerland. Sir, it looks like the real war has just begun," Frans's voice came through.
Cardios hung up the phone. He looked at Luigi's half finished tea cup. He nudged the cup until it fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
"Hang in there, Agatha. Grandpa is coming for you soon," Cardios muttered.