ANMELDENTabitha:“So that’s it.” I gripped my mug tighter, staring at one spot on the table. “I have no idea what to do. Andrew might be hurt, and Enzo is not speaking to me.”The silence hung between us for a while. I took a deep breath. Maybe my problem was too big to fix. Maybe I was overthinking it all, and I needed to…“Tabitha, what do you want to do?”I looked up at Collin. He was taking a sip of his drink, his eyes fixed on me. He wasn’t smiling or frowning. He was just… looking.“What?”“It is a simple question.” he set his mug down and leaned forward. “Maybe you don’t know it because you are with a gentleman who is much older than you, but you are an adult. What do you think is the right course of action?”My mouth opened, but no words came out. This was… this was actually the first time that anyone had ever asked me something like this. I mean… What do I even say? “I think… I think that maybe…”Collin raised a hand to stop me, a smile returning to his face. “You don’t have to tel
Tabitha:She just… sat there. For most of the day, she was drinking a glass of juice and typing away at her keyboard like she didn’t have a care in the world while her nephew was suffering.I had taken a picture of her as evidence. There was no way that she didn’t plan this kidnapping. There was no way that anyone could be this calm. It was 3:00 p.m. I hadn't gotten a wink of rest. I was following her, watching her, taking notes of everything she did and said. A few times, she caught me staring and would just smile, shake her head and go back to what she was doing. “You can stop being a peeping tom and come out,” she called out, not raising her head from her laptop and sighing dramatically. She muttered something under her breath and reached out for her glass. “I can’t believe that Enzo has to deal with you.”I came into the room and sat on the sofa furthest away from her. My cover had been blown, so there was no point in sneaking up on her anyway. “You are really not going to do a
Enzo:I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing. One by one, I flipped through the papers in my hands, looking from Richard to Nora and back to the files. It really wasn't a joke; it was written here in black and white. How could they? "When did this happen?" I demanded, my hands shaking with the files. "When did you talk to them?"“You know, Enzo,” Richard leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together, “it wasn’t really a ‘when’ thing. Maybe a coffee here, golf there, and brunch every other Thursday and they were inspired to come up with such a wonderful idea.”“Wonderful idea?! Richard, my entire board is sending in requests to sell their shares to you. What did you tell them?” I demanded again. “I didn’t tell them anything. They decided it on their own, and I simply agreed,” he shrugged. “I'm a businessman, Enzo. I am not one to turn down a good deal when I see one.”“And you saw this as a good deal?”Richard smiled and leaned forward, a glint in his eyes that made my s
Tabitha:She sat there drinking coffee like she hadn’t just heard everything that I just said. “When did you call Enzo?” I repeated, glaring at her even more fiercely. “I didn’t,” she replied, taking another sip of her coffee, still scrolling through her phone. “I have told you that already. Did you wake up deaf or something?”“I have been trying to reach him since yesterday," I snapped back. I was getting sick of her attitude. “How can he ignore my calls, but he has been taking yours?!”Natasha rolled her eyes and set her phone on the ground, holding her coffee in both hands now. “Like I said before. I didn’t call him.”The table was silent. My hands were on my laps to hide how badly they were shaking. Breakfast had already been laid out, and Natasha had already cleared her plate, and I had barely touched mine. Maybe it was the anger, but I hated how calm Natasha was, the same nonchalant calm she'd had when she was told Andrew was kidnapped. Did she really not care? Did she know
Enzo:I didn’t even realize when the sun came up. My eyes hurt, my fingers shook for the umpteenth time, carrying the piece of paper to the light. I had tried all night to read the writing on it.The picture lay on the table, ruined, its back and front layers peeled apart, revealing a hidden pocket that held the paper. Why did it look so yellow? I stood up and tore open the curtains, hoping that the morning light would help me see better, but it was no use. I wasn’t seeing things. There was something written on the paper. If there wasn't, why did Vincent go through all the hassle to hide it so carefully? It was he who hid it, right? Was this what the Red Mafia were after?“What did you get yourself into, Vince?” I groaned, rubbing my eyes and yawning. Calling in sick would have been the best approach for today, but I had an array of meetings that couldn’t be moved. I had to come in. I stared at the paper harder. There was something written there. My small black notebook had two page
Tabitha:I couldn’t sleep. How could I? Especially now that I was in the home of the witch, especially when I knew that she had a gun that only she could use. It was still dark out, and I had caught myself staring into the darkness at the drawer where it was held and replaying the conversation of the police officer in my head. His voice rang so clearly in my head. “...it is all up to you. Keep us updated on any new developments…”Keeping them updated meant staying here another two days. I pulled the covers up. I wasn’t sure if I could. I missed Enzo, and I still hadn’t gotten a call or text from him. My phone lay beside me. I sighed, looking at the blank screen, not even bothering to open it. I had called him, and he had ignored all of them. He was upset. He had to be. The way he walked out from my office that day still plagued me. Thoughts were spinning in my head, and I finally decided to grab my phone. “Hey Enzo. I can’t sleep. I hope you’re okay. I haven’t heard from you since
Tabitha:I couldn't stop looking at the clock and thinking about what Nora said. My phone hadn't buzzed with Emily's text yet. If Nora was that angry, then I could only imagine how upset Emily would be.My stomach churned, and I nearly doubled over, sick. I still had so much work to finish up, and
Tabitha:I stood at the window overlooking the city. The reporters had gone… or that is what they wanted us to think. Every now and then, I would see a lady or a man at a restaurant across the street, anxiously looking at their phone or watch, as well as the entrance to the company. My lips turned
Tabitha: I was absolutely wrong. Today was exactly what I had seen in my nightmares. Maybe even worse. We were barely at the office when we were surrounded by reporters. I could even swear that some of them had been camping outside the building, waiting for like crazed Black Friday goers. It
Tabitha:My eyes were heavy when I dragged myself out of bed. I groaned and looked out of the window. The sun had barely come up over the horizon. I sighed and buried my head in my hands, unsure of whether to be angry, upset, scared or all of the above. I didn’t think that Enzo would go along with







