Chapter 2

In the early morning, before dawn, inside the headquarters of the Aras Remor Corporation, silence reigned. The offices lay empty, enveloped in darkness, with only the guards patrolling the corridors every two hours. Security was responsible for monitoring and safeguarding the five upper floors reserved for the president’s office and his closest associates. Few people were granted access to these floors, handpicked and tested by Victor himself.

Among them were his secretary, Damon, Victor’s younger brother and his right-hand man, and Cooper, Victor’s cousin of the same age and his left-hand man. No one was allowed to enter the last — fifth floor. Only Victor, Damon, and Cooper knew what had transpired on that floor. It remained isolated, accessed solely through an elevator connected to Victor’s office. Everyone knew that whoever ventured to the fifth floor, other than Cooper, Damon, or Victor, never returned.

The last floor, designed in a circular shape, appeared from the outside as a mirrored hat atop a glass building. But within, it housed rooms permeated with the scent of death. A large corridor separated the rooms leading to the elevator door and Victor’s private investigation room. One of the remarkable features of this floor was that during a government inspection of the building, if they inquired about accessing the fifth floor, Damon guided them to a staircase, explaining that it was the only way to reach that floor. As they ascended the final staircase, the door opened to reveal a lush green garden with rare species of birds. But no one could suspect that there was another floor hidden from the outside observers. 

Inside his interrogation room, Victor stood before a table, immersed in serene classical music. In his hand, he held two thin knives: one long and the other small. Lying on the table before him was a person writhing in agonizing pain. 

“Did I not make it clear how much I despise traitors? Now, when you come face to face with those who sent you to spy, they should know the depth of my hatred for traitors,” Victor whispered to him.

Cooper’s voice resonated near the room’s door as he remarked, “Didn’t your father teach you not to toy with your prey, Fico?”

“I suppose he forgot to mention that,” Victor responded.

Victor approached a basin in the corner of the room, where he cleaned the knives, removing any traces of blood. He then cleaned his hands and returned the knives to a secure safe, which contained an assortment of different types and shapes of knives. 

Then he turned to Cooper and said, “Tell Damon to send this by express mail to the doorstep of the Mallore family.”

Damon’s voice came from behind Cooper, asking, “Shall I send them your regards?”

“Of course, my dear. We shall be polite, right?” Victor replied with a chuckle.

***

A few hours later, the employees gathered in the building to begin their work. The secretary entered, being the only one allowed to enter Victor’s office. The private elevator opened, and Victor exited, followed by Cooper and Damon. The secretary greeted them and bowed respectfully before leaving the office. Cooper sat on the sofa next to the large screen that revealed all the offices, entrances, and corridors of the building through cameras.

Meanwhile, Damon went to the drinks corner and prepared two cups of juice mixed with whiskey and ice cubes. He then went to Cooper and gave him one of the cups before returning to sit next to the office desk, focusing on the company’s emails through his phone. 

Victor left them and entered the designated area for changing clothes. He wore a sports uniform and proceeded to another section that specialized in sports equipment. He performed exercises for a while, finishing with a cup of coffee. He then returned to the dressing room and went to the attached bathroom to refresh himself after practice. 

After a few moments, he returned to his office, now wearing the suit, and settled in the main chair. He browsed through important papers, signing some of them, and then checked his mailbox. Time passed quickly as he was immersed in his usual routine until the sound of Cooper shouting filled the room:

“Damn, those idiots!”

“What happened?” Victor asked, curious.

“Small scattered groups run some nightclubs supported by the King (Aras) in secret. They purchased and transferred a group of girls to sell them. They were arrested, and the girls were rescued and deported to their countries,” Cooper explained.

“And what do we have to do with them?” Victor asked.

“Your father supports them, so if it was leaked that you are behind reporting the location of the operations and those in charge of them…”

“So what? Didn’t I prohibit this trade for our family and our allies?”

“Yes, but your father…”

“You said he does it in secret, not directly, as if he is a customer and not a participant, right?”

“Yes, but I have a question. If they don’t bring these girls, how do they run the clubs?”

“There are many prostitutes who willingly work for a fee. There is no need to kidnap minors.”

“Really, sometimes I don’t understand you. You’re the one who pays money to procure subjects.”

“Yes, but they work willingly, not under coercion.”

“I’m telling you, from now on, they will unite and try to do something.”

“Let them try, and we will catch them before they do something.”

Cooper laughed loudly, “And you will get your own pleasure.”

Victor smiled at him, a simple smile that barely reached his eyes. Then he went back to looking at the papers in front of him after Cooper had left the office. It was not long after Cooper left that Victor took out his phone and browsed through some pictures and short videos. He had asked Cooper to record them. Then he stopped on a hand-drawn picture that he had drawn himself. It depicted a little girl standing in a dark corridor, illuminated by the reflection of the firelight from a nearby fireplace. The girl stood with her hands covering her ears, tears streaming down her angelic face and an expression of terror and fear in her eyes. Victor whispered to himself, “Don’t be afraid, baby. I won’t let anyone know where you are except in my heart.”

He placed the phone back in front of him and turned it off when he heard knocks on the door of the room. He shouted hoarsely, “Enter.”

The door opened, and his secretary entered with a small card in her hand. She approached his desk, extended her hand, and placed the card in front of him, saying, “Mr. Vladimir wants to schedule an interview with you as soon as possible.”

He replied without raising his head, “And what do you and the secretarial team under your supervision do if I am the one who sets the appointments?”

“Sorry, sir, I already gave him an appointment two weeks from now, but he insisted on telling you that the situation he came to you for was dangerous and could not be waited for, as he said about Agent Alef.”

After listening to her last words, he rose sharply, as if he had been stung by a scorpion, and shouted at her, “Bring him in now. Cancel all meetings or appointments for today, and dismiss all the personnel on the five floors within thirty minutes. I do not want anyone on these five floors.”

She turned around and hurried out, fearing the anger she saw in his eyes. She left the door of the room open and began giving orders to all the workers. She also spoke on the phone and instructed the secretary on the lower floor to allow Mr. Vladimir to pass through the stairs and go up.

Minutes passed, and the office was emptied. Cooper, who hadn’t left the building like Damon, returned to Victor’s office hastily to find out what was going on. He entered the office and found Mr. Vladimir sitting there while Victor stood, looking at the screen to ensure that the floors were empty of workers. Silence prevailed in the office. 

Then Victor turned around, looked at the man sitting in front of him, and said with artificial calm, “Speak.”

“Mr. Aras has instructed to kidnap her and prepare her for sale at the lowest price to the clubs. He has offered a huge financial reward to whoever does so despite your warnings that she belongs to you.”