Paloma
Paloma's POV
"The last time I saw her was when we were at a popular beach in the city months ago, but the last time I heard from her was a week ago," I repeated for the third time.
"She was about to get married," I said, hitting the table with my hand because of how furious I was.
It had been a week.
A whole full freaking week since I had last heard from Aria.
The first day, I was worried, but then I thought...oh, maybe the guy turned out to be really hot and they were enjoying their honeymoon.
On the second and third days, I also brushed it off.
It could still be their honeymoon.
But from the fourth day, I knew something was wrong.
Aria always responded to my calls no matter where she was. If the call was accidentally missed, she made sure to call back within at most 7 hours.
This time... This was different.
The calls weren't even connecting.
I had begun to get worried. So I travelled back to the country and went to her house two days ago, only to hear from them that Aria hadn't been back since the wedding.
The wedding that also apparently didn't happen.
They said someone came to crash it and then Aria stormed off in anger.
Like she stormed off from her own wedding!
Ever since then, no one had seen her.
She was nowhere to be found.
That got me panicking.
Aria wasn't the type of person to go completely off-grid like this. Something had to be wrong.
I wanted to meet her father to ask where she was.
Everyone in the city knew who Diego Bellani was, so they should also know that kidnapping Aria was like an invitation to problems and trouble.
At least that was what I thought until I found out yesterday that nobody was doing anything.
Aria was missing and her father didn't mind. Even if he did, he sure as hell didn't act like it.
I couldn't take it any longer.
My best friend was missing, and I couldn't stay silent like the rest of her family members.
But the thing was, I had no power of my own.
My parents were wealthy... Yes, but they had no connection whatsoever with the Mafia like Aria's father did.
So I decided to help Aria the only way I could... the legal way.
I left my house early to make a report at the police station but maybe because I wasn't so influential, or because they didn't know who I was... The police officers refused to address me on time.
Now that they eventually got to my turn, they repeated the same question three times. The police officer's head was down, typing away on the computer.
"I've told you all I know. What I want you all to do is to find my friend." I was trying to stay calm, but the frustration was getting to me.
To the point that I was contemplating doing something I hated... Using my father's name.
The police officer attending to me finally raised his head from the computer. "Ma'am, with all you've said, there is a huge probability that your friend is with her newlywed husband, enjoying her honeymoon while you are here, worrying endlessly for her." He said, his tone sounding truthful.
Honeymoon?
Aria...?
With her new husband?
Did they not hear anything I had been saying at all?
"No." I shook my head, speaking in a straightforward tone. "My best friend... Aria isn't out on a honeymoon. She actually never wanted to marry the guy, it was arranged for her by her parents."
Why was I repeating what I had just said to this idiot not less than five minutes ago? I wondered, releasing a groan of frustration while clenching my hands into a fist to prevent myself from doing anything drastic.
"Hm..." The police officer sighed, and then he shrugged. "Maybe she changed her mind and git married to him, you said you were not there."
"So you heard that part? Why didn't you also hear the part where I said that she stormed off the wedding before it was completed? And that someone crashed it..." I was boiling as I glared down at the officer.
Yes...
I was being fucking sarcastic to an officer of the law, who cares? My best friend was missing!
The officer narrowed his eyes at me. "Watch your tone, young lady." He warned, wagging his fingers at me.
"You're at a station. I could easily have you thrown in here."
'And I can easily have you fired!' I yelled onward, but had to put on a bright smile on the outside.
This man was really testing my patience.
How the hell did I land in this kind of station anyway?
When I had first called Aria's full name, I saw the way the officer and some others around shook... Yes, I thought it was because the Bellani name was so popular and powerful.
But now, seeing the way they ignored me, and spoke to me... I was starting to think otherwise.
Maybe it was the opposite.
Maybe it was the person who took her that was actually more powerful.
"Ma'am, we understand your complaint. We would look into it." The officer said after a while, then he returned to his computer... Tapping away on it.
"You..." I gritted my teeth.
They weren't going to look into it.
I could feel it.
I pointed my finger at the man, trying to control my anger.
This fucking, mother fucker...!
But I couldn't say anything.
My parents weren't in the country. And if I was right, if it was someone even more powerful who had Aria... I could spend the rest of my life in jail for slander.
But this wasn't fucking fair.
"Please, for fuck sake... Check into it. You could be saving a life." I muttered angrily, getting up from the uncomfortable chair they had been seated on before turning to leave.
I had gotten nothing from my outing, only insults from those people... People that I would never have had a chance to interact with, if it wasn't for Aria, who was missing.
That bitch betyer still be alive and fine, because there was no way I was going through all this stress only to find out later that something bad happened to her and she was dead.
I wouldn't be able to survive that.
"Ma'am... Hey," I heard someone call.
Then the person repeated it again, the voice got closer so I turned to take a look.
It was another police officer. This one was a female, I had seen her when I first arrived.
"Ma'am... Wait a bit." She panted, trying to catch her breath. "Your friend, the one you're looking for... Her name is Aria Bellani right?" The woman asked.
I was skeptical about answering. That was because I was practically shouting a few minutes ago inside the station... She knew it was the name.
But still, I nodded. "Yes."
The female officer smiled then handed her phone over to me. "Then I think you should check this out."