Chapter 6

“Hello? This is Eleanor Anderson here. May I please speak with your Senior Officer in charge?" Eleanor called the Roads and Highways Surveillance Office.

"Please, hold on a minute." A polite manly voice responded to Eleanor's phone call. A beep sound came into her ear as she was wearing a mini wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Eleanor left home about half an hour ago to look for Aiden. But there was no information about her father yet! She was on her way to the Roads and Highways Surveillance Office. But she took the road to the party at first. Since Eleanor was forbidden to show her face in front of Miranda, a long road was the best choice for her until everyone from the Andersons left the party hall. She inquired about almost everybody she knew, who attended the party today. But no one had seen Aiden. 

"It means he didn't go to the party.", Eleanor murmured while waiting for the Senior Officer on hold. She tightly held the wheel. Her eyes were burning in rage when she thought how irresponsible her father could be. 

"Does he even care about me?" Eleanor was screaming inside her head. She was so furious that she was having an urge to commit a hit and run while she got caught in a traffic jam and people were crossing the road. 

Eleanor's eyes drowned in jealousy as she saw a little girl crossing the road with her parents, holding an ice cream in her hand. She had a happy look on her face. And that girl's parents were pulling her up while walking. Eleanor could hear the giggles of that child. 

That kid didn't have anything compared to Eleanor. She had money, fame and name, beauty, but that little girl had none of them. However, Eleanor also lacked the things that the kid had and they were way more precious than anything worldly! She had love for her parents. A perfect family, supportive enough to share happiness and sorrows. A father and a mother to hold her hands while crossing the roads. What she could ask more when she was the richest person alive?

PEEP! PEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPP!!!!

"Hey! Move the goddamn car!!" 

Suddenly Eleanor heard honking sounds behind her. She looked at the side mirror, a black coloured BMW 7 series was waiting right behind her to move. 

Eleanor was surprised. In Roveign city there weren't many people who had such an expensive car. Only the Andersons had it. But their cars were custom-made. There was a sign that could tell that the car belonged to Eleanor's household. None didn't know about the Anderson families' custom-made cars. 

The honking didn't stop. Eleanor was thinking of getting out of the car to see the person inside. "A new business rival? I thought I knew everyone here!" Eleanor loosened her seatbelt and was about to get out when her phone rang. Also, the traffic police were coming toward her. People behind her started shouting at her telling her to move.

Without having a choice, Eleanor started the car. "I'll have to look into it later!" While she was on the move, the black car passed beside her. Her phone was still ringing, but her eyes were locked on that car. 

As soon as the car completely vanished in front of her, she answered the call, "Hello! Eleanor Anderson speaking!"

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I am the Senior Officer in charge. I heard you were looking for me."

"Oh...yes? Yes!! I was gonna ask you for a favour. Can you please kindly look at the camera footage of Vlona road to the Sary river?"

“Can you please tell us the time duration?”

“About five hours ago.”

“Thank you. We are looking into it.”

“Thank you so much. I am on my way there.”

Eleanor hung up and drove the car faster. Tension was building inside her but she tried hard to hide it since there was no time for worrying. It took about ten minutes for her to reach the surveillance office. When she entered, the Senior Officer was already waiting for her.

“Have you looked at it?”

“Yes ma’am! Here is the footage.”

The officer showed a big screen to Eleanor where the video footage was being shown. It was the surveillance video from about five hours ago from Vlona road to Sary river.

"Ma'am! Look! It's your family car! Are you talking about this one?" The officer pointed out at a car in the footage.

Eleanor inspected the car closely and nodded her head in agreement. The car suddenly stopped near Tiara Road by a white van. Five suspicious men came out of the van. They weren't wearing any masks like kidnappers, but they looked like goons. Appropriately, they resembled contract killers.

Eleanor gasped, spotting her father in that footage. Her eyes were quivering, watching four of them force Aiden to get out of the car and pushed him inside the van. And another man got inside the driver's seat, threatening him to move aside. Later, the van and the car went to opposite sides of the road. 

"Can you check where that van went?" Eleanor impatiently pointed out at the white van on the screen. She was behaving restlessly as she could feel that her father might be in some kind of danger because the suspicious-looking men made her doubts stronger!!

"Let me see!" The Senior Officer spoke with some tech officers who were observing the screens. They followed the van in some footage. But at a point, they lost it as if it vanished in the air! Eleanor was observing at the same time and it left her surprised.

"There wasn't even a tunnel…." Eleanor murmured while thinking about the suddenly vanished van. She was dumbfounded and her heart skipped a beat in fear.

"But there's a possibility!" The Senior Officer had a serious look on his face. 

"A possibility?!" Eleanor was shocked to hear from the officer. But she understood what he meant by that in no time! "You mean they hacked the camera?"

"Yeah. It's nothing new." The officer gave a serious reply with a serious look on his face. "Ms Eleanor, it would be better if you contact the police immediately."

"No!" Eleanor firmly denied the proposal instantly, "If they somehow find out that we have reached the police, they might harm him. So it's better to keep quiet about this matter for now."

"You have a point. But what's the guarantee that they won't harm him anyway?"

"I will keep looking for him. But no matter what!! We can't let anyone know about my father going missing! Especially the media!" Eleanor's eyes were strict and firm. She was scared of the fact that something bad could happen to her father. But also at the same point, she had to think about the reputation of the Anderson family. 

Eleanor's body was shaking in fear. She was thinking how on earth Aiden ended up in the clutch of those dangerous men. There wasn't any doubt that the matter concerned money! But she was also sure that the price was something that she would be unable to pay since it concerned Aiden! 

It wasn't the very first time that people had asked for money from Eleanor! Aiden gambled day and night and there were mountains of loans. Eleanor had to pay them all without letting her family members know about it. It was hard for her, but she managed somehow, having a heartless mother, pushing her relentlessly.

However, Aiden never got kidnapped. It was the first! That’s why it was a big shock for Eleanor as she wasn't mentally prepared.

Eleanor went aside with the Senior Officer to talk. She handed him a huge amount of money and smiled brightly. A fake and business smile. It was pretty but a dead one, "I hope you will keep the matter within this office."

"A...ahahahaha! What was the need for it? Haha" He put the money in his pocket and started waving his hands as assurance, " Don't you worry ma'am! It's locked and safe within this room. Rest assured!!"

"I hope so! But if the news reaches Mrs Anderson's ears…..you know what will happen, right?" Eleanor gave a stern look at the officer and then smiled again.

"Yea..yeah! Haha..nothing will happen. If you need any help regarding searching for the person, I will lend you a hand."

Eleanor gave a mean look at him that sent a shiver in his spine. He gulped and started stammering, "Or...Or not maybe…..Ahahaha...le..let's forget it!"

"No! Actually yeah… You can help!" Eleanor became restless as if she remembered something important suddenly.

The officer's face beamed with joy, "Yes! How can I help you?"

"Can you please track the car? We need to find the car also."

"Oh!! I will try my best!...... Thank you for relying on us" The officer took Eleanor's hands and shook them relentlessly. 

Eleanor stole her hands from his clutch and gave him a smile in return. She was feeling suffocated the more time she was spending there. Moreover, she had to look for her father which was making her anxious!

"Yeah! I hope you will find it soon enough." Saying that Eleanor took her leave. She rushed to her car. While she was starting it, she tried to remember where the van was last seen!! 

"Father might be taken somewhere near!!" Eleanor buckled up her seat belt and looked in front. The road was empty and so was her mind. She didn't know what was waiting for her in the coming days. But Eleanor knew one thing clearly, she needed to find Aiden before the news reached the media. To be exact, before the news reached Miranda’s ears!!

Eleanor looked ahead with a stern gaze and took a long breath before running the car on the dusty road...