Ariana, the youngest daughter of IGP Lusubilo, left the lecture hall with her friend, with whom she often spent time within the college premises. They chatted joyfully as life seemed to be going smoothly for them. They walked outside the college campus to the spot where their family cars usually picked them up. Her friend found her family's car waiting, so she bid Ariana farewell, who had to wait a little longer as she didn't see her family's car yet.
After waiting for about five minutes, she took out her phone to call her driver, who was her father's policeman, to inquire about his delay. Before she could make the call, she spotted the car speeding towards her. She smiled and quickly got into the car. Tired, she slumped into the seat without acknowledging the man behind the wheel, whose face was lowered as he peered through the rearview mirror.
Ariana felt something was amiss, making the man to look straight ahead. She looked at him closely and noticed a significant difference from the person she was accustomed to. Usually the man behind the wheel, who she knew as her driver, was actually a young man of her age who had a crush on her. He always brought her gifts, and even when she was upset, he never hesitated to apologize and coax her. But today was different; he arrived five minutes late and remained silent throughout the drive, which startled Ariana.
She finally raised her head from the seat, wanting to know what was bothering him because he was the one who always made her feel comfortable. After scrutinizing the man holding the steering wheel, her heart skipped a beat when she realized he wasn't the one she was accustomed to seeing. She initially thought her father might have sent a new driver, but she quickly dismissed that idea because her father wouldn't change personnel without informing her.
She realized she was in the hands of people with their own selfish motives.
"Who are you?"
she asked nervously, trembling as she moved closer to the car door. At that moment, the car accelerated.
"Who are you?" she repeated after receiving no response, but the silence lingered.
She then attempted to leap towards the man at the wheel, but unfortunately, all the windows were tightly shut, muffling her cries for help. She was startled when pulled back, realizing there was not just one person in the car; there was someone hiding in the back seat.
The man in the back held a cloth in his hands and passed it over her face, causing her to squirm briefly before falling silent. Then, the men disappeared with her, taking her to their intended destination.
****
IGP Lusubilo returned home exhausted from his daily work duties, seeking solace and peace with his family. However, he was alarmed not to find his beloved youngest daughter, Ariana, upon his arrival.
"Where is Ariana?" he asked his wife, removing his coat and handing it to her, as she was an integral part of his life.
"Mhhhh, maybe she's with her friends. Why are you so worried about that child?" his wife's response made him turn and look at her with slight surprise.
"She should have informed me if she was going to see her friends'. She may think she is an adult, but to me, she's still a child whom I must protect at all times," he expressed, causing his wife to smile.
She knew well how much he loved their daughter; without seeing her, he couldn't even eat in peace.
"Okay, let me call her friends to inform her to come home," his wife replied.
The man smiled and disappeared into his room after greeting their two other children, who were in their respective rooms. Their eldest daughter was already married and had began her own life.
By around 2 AM, silence still prevailed in the house. Startled awake from his slumber, the man glanced at his watch and hurried outside.
"Where is this child?" his first question to his wife, who was curled up on the sofa in the living room, did not show much peace. Even to her husband, she seemed a bit uneasy.
"I called her friend, and according to her, after the lecture, they all went outside. They said their goodbyes, and when her friend's car arrived to pick her up, Ariana was waiting for her own car to follow," his wife spoke, tears welling up in her eyes. She was far from peaceful after not knowing her daughter's whereabouts late into the night.
"Have you called her driver?"
"He's unreachable," she replied. After hearing that, the man got up and rushed to his room to get his phone.
He dialed several numbers, starting with the college's dean. The dean requested a few minutes to contact the lecturers of their college. The final response was that their daughter hadn't returned to the college since leaving the lecture, according to the CCTV footage.
The IGP slumped back, already knowing that his daughter wasn't safe where she was. Now, all that remained was to find out who had taken her and what they wanted from her. He left it at that, knowing that the person responsible for this would contact him. Nevertheless, he didn't want to sit idly; he quickly put on a suit and stepped out of the house.
"I'm going to pick up our daughter, and I might bring her back now or tomorrow morning. There was a minor issue with her friend, who is the child of the college's dean, so Ariana went to help her. I'm going to get her from there," the man spoke confidently, giving no hint that there was a major problem.
He didn't want to worry his wife any further; she was already in a state of despair. If he showed any signs of breaking down, it would only discourage her further, making her situation even more difficult. Therefore, he decided to lie to reassure her, to keep her in good spirits amidst such uncertainty.
"Let's go together and see her," his wife said as she rose, adjusting her clothes.
"My dear wife, remember that the college dean is my good friend. Our daughter feels at home there, so if we both go, she'll start feeling like we're overly worried about her, which might give a bad impression. Therefore, please wait here and I will bring her back myself," he said, smiling confidently.
This was where his wife found solace; seeing him smile gave her peace of mind. She hugged her husband and said, "Go get our daughter."
"Tell her not to pull such a stunt of switching off her phone again," the man said as he extricated himself from his wife's embrace and left the house.
Although he wore a smile, in his heart, there was no trace of the happiness he pretended to display in front of his wife. He got into his car, and the driver swiftly drove off towards the Chief of Defence Forces' residence.