Chapter 48

Chapter 48

A Week Later

A week passed, and the city was quiet.

Ariel was back at the station. Micheal had already left the city, yet his words echoed in her mind every time she opened her fridge.

Yes—Ariel had moved into a new apartment, and Micheal had somehow left his mark on it. On her fridge, written in his neat, teasing handwriting, were the words:

> “I’m not stalking you. I’m interested in you.”

Every morning, when she opened the fridge door and saw that note, she’d scoff or smile a little. But lately, she found herself blushing instead.

Micheal had stayed with her the entire day after she rented the apartment. She didn’t know how, but he’d managed to leave an imprint—not just in her house, but in her thoughts. Now, she was feeling his absence more than she wanted to admit.

Groaning softly, Ariel grabbed her bag and car keys, stepped out of her apartment, and hit the road.

Traffic was heavy. She honked repeatedly, trying to inch through the crowd of cars, but the road ahead was completely blocked. No one could tell what was going on. With a frustrated sigh, she parked at a nearby garage, locked her car, and walked the rest of the way to the station.

Inside, chaos reigned. Officers were rushing in every direction, phones rang nonstop, and the forensic team was moving in and out of rooms, carrying stacks of evidence bags and reports.

Ariel slowed her pace, trying to understand what was happening. She nearly collided with James, who was hurrying past.

“James, what’s going on?” she asked.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Haven’t you heard?”

Ariel frowned and shook her head.

“The CEO of Novak was found dead early this morning.”

Her eyes widened. “What? Novak?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper, though disbelief edged every syllable.

James nodded grimly.

Novak—the biggest textile company in the state. The man wasn’t just a CEO; he was a politician, influential and wealthy.

“What happened?” Ariel pressed.

“I heard he was murdered,” James replied. “Mrs. Jones wants to see you. Hurry—her office.”

He rushed off with a stack of papers before she could ask more.

Ariel made her way to Mrs. Jones’ office. Inside, her superior was in the middle of a discussion with a man she didn’t recognize. Both turned when Ariel entered.

“This is Detective Ariel,” Mrs. Jones said, gesturing toward her.

The man turned fully to face her, a charming smile already in place. “Nice to meet you, Detective Ariel. I’m Inspector Micheal.”

Ariel froze for half a second. Micheal?

He extended his hand. She took it, her brows furrowed in confusion, but she said nothing.

“You’ve heard about the CEO’s death,” Mrs. Jones continued, snapping Ariel out of her thoughts.

Ariel nodded stiffly.

“He’s been sent from headquarters. He’ll be leading this case. Make sure you cooperate closely.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ariel replied quietly.

As they left the office together, Ariel turned sharply toward Micheal.

“What is this about? You never told me you were a cop.”

He grinned. “An inspector, dear,” he said playfully, tapping her shoulder.

She brushed his hand off, rolling her eyes. “Unbelievable.”



Minutes later, they exited the briefing room after Micheal had led the team meeting on the new case.

“Are you taking your car or my bike?” he asked, already dangling his keys.

Ariel tossed her own keys at him. “You’re driving.”

Micheal caught them with a smirk.



The car stopped at the bridge where the CEO’s body had been discovered. Ariel realized it was the same bridge she had passed that morning—that must have been the cause of the traffic.

“They’ve taken the body for forensic analysis,” Micheal said, crouching beside the road, gloves on. He scanned the area carefully.

Ariel folded her arms, studying the scene. “Do you think it was suicide?”

Micheal shook his head. “Look at the blood trails.” He pointed to a faint, dried red line that streaked across the road toward the railing. “He was either already dead or close to it. Beaten, dragged, then dumped over the bridge.”

Ariel’s jaw tightened. “Who would do this?” she murmured.

“Could be anyone,” Micheal said, picking up small shards of glass and placing them into an evidence bag. “Political enemies. Business rivals. Take your pick.”

He handed the evidence bag to Ariel, then straightened up.

“Where to now?” she asked.

“To his company. We’ll talk to his employees—they’ll know more.”

He started the car, and soon they were parked in front of the towering glass building that bore the Novak logo.

Inside, the place buzzed with tension. The workers were on break, clustered in small groups whispering. Micheal led the way straight into the cafeteria and sat down among them, casually ordering food.

Ariel frowned, confused. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t we be interrogating them?”

Micheal pressed a finger to his lips, motioning for her to stay quiet. He smiled, picked up a burger, and even offered her a bite. She shot him a glare.

Nearby, two workers were deep in conversation.

“Have you heard? The CEO’s dead,” one whispered.

Micheal kept chewing, pretending not to listen, but his attention was sharp.

“I heard his wife had something to do with it,” the second worker said.

The first shook her head quickly. “No, no—his assistant went missing! Maybe he was involved.”

“Missing?” the second repeated, startled.

“Not anymore,” the first said grimly. “They found him dead last night. In his apartment.”

The second gasped, covering her mouth, glancing around nervously.

“And I heard,” she whispered even lower, “that the CEO’s brother is dangerous. Like… kills people dangerous.”

“Shh!” The first worker hit her lightly. “Don’t say that out loud! You want to get yourself killed?”

They hurriedly gathered their things and left the cafeteria.

Ariel sighed. “Alright, that’s enough. I’m leaving.” She stood up, grabbing her bag.

Micheal rose too, wiping his hands. “So—the wife might be involved, the brother’s a suspect, and the assistant’s dead.”

Ariel turned, narrowing her eyes. “And where did you get all that?”

He smirked. “While you were busy checking your watch, I was busy collecting information.”

She glared at him, and he grinned wider.

They walked out of the cafeteria, leaving the half-eaten burger on the table.

“First stop—his wife,” Micheal said, unlocking the car.

They got in, and he drove off toward the next lead.