CHAPTER 65
Never in her thirty-something years could she imagine she'd one day be kidnapped. She had handled so many kidnapping cases, had seen firsthand how nasty things could go. She had seen cases where kidnappers request a ransom and still murder their victim. Adriana had seen it all: the drama, the ordeal, the trauma inflicted on both victims of the kidnapping and their families. But she had never once thought she could one day be in such a situation.
As the car drove, she tried to follow the turning taken. The rights and lefts that would be taken before the final destination. That way, escaping would be a lot easier. She wondered if they were going outside Miami. The driver took another left, bringing the total to three. They were still in Miami, but towards the remote side. Suddenly, the man sitting beside her started to complain to the driver to drive faster and change the route. Focusing on their discussion became more important than she lost track of the turns the driver had taken. The conversation ended without her picking any word and she couldn't point exactly where they were anymore. Lost on both counts, she did what she could do, wait and hope help comes.
Finally, the car stopped. Adriana heard the driver get out while the man who had been sitting with her grumbled as he stepped out of the car. He left her sitting in the car and walked away. It was because the man driving had told him not to take her. The driver himself got down and came towards her. He grabbed her, and took her hand gently while walking her inside. Every time she stumbled, he calmly helped her up. She didn't understand why he was gentle. Somehow, too, he stayed aloof, avoiding any form of physical contact with her skin.
He was not hostile like his partner. They were both criminals of course. But he was the better one. With her brain quickly picking up an escape route, she figured he could be her pass if she played the game well. She let him take her in willingly, hoping he'd see her cooperating and they could talk, somehow. Once inside, the man let her in and closed the door. Adriana found herself all alone in the room where she was locked. Though she couldn't see anything, she could sense it. With her hands, she patted the walls down and finally settled on the floor.
Once seated, she thought about her twins, "What time is it now?" She whispered. 'They should be back from school." The sad part was that, because she had a hearing today, she had told her mother to pick them up. Of course, if she hadn't, their teachers would have called her family when she's running late. And it would have triggered an immediate search party. Now, her absence wouldn't be felt since she had asked someone else to pick them up.
Sadly, she leaned on the wall, imagining life for her kids without her. Hopefully, it wouldn't get to that, she thought. The door opened and she tensed when someone dragged in a chair. Adriana could sense this wasn't the driver. It was the man who sat with her all through the ride down here. This man wasn't as nice as that driver. He was hostile and easily angered. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. What do I know? She asked herself. There are two men involved... She knew two men had abducted her. If she was to leave, she had two men to tackle. If only she could fight them
She waited patiently for the man to say something, anything. He said nothing. Instead, he sat down, staring at her, she supposes. Doing what? She couldn't figure out what he was trying to do by that. She waited too. Eventually, she asked, "What exactly do you want from me?" That sounded funny to the man, who laughed and laughed and wouldn't stop. When he did stop, he stood up and she cringed back.
"I think the better question is, what will I do for you?"
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"Welcome." Mrs. Sullivan greeted Evangeline and her team as they walked in. "Please sit." She said. She had come to the meeting with her manager, PA, and another staff. It was a circular setting. They were seated in a semi-circle. Evan and team occupied the remaining half of the circle.
After Evangeline's call, Mrs. Sullivan summoned her staff to ask what had happened with the proposals. She was aware that five companies had submitted their quotes for the deal. But only three made it to her table. When Evan reached out, she had been forced to check up on the last bidder, who couldn't be reached. Her teammates stared at her, unable to say anything. The manager eyed his team suspiciously but said nothing.
Needless to say, she knew something was wrong somewhere. A full blown investigation would hold, but with Evan meeting her shortly, she waited to hear from this client first. She smiled at the young woman as she sat down sweetly. Mrs. Sullivan sensed she was pregnant but made no mention of it. As a mother herself, she couldn't help but admire the lady's smartness, given her condition. She signaled to a waiter and ordered for the newcomers.
"Your order, please."
Evangeline was surprised that the woman was a young lady like herself, almost like her age mate. She quietly gauges her while pretending to run through their proposal with her team. She asked Audrey if the manager was the man seated beside the CEO or her husband. When she confirmed it was the manager, Evan knew that it was it. She could deal with him by simply reporting him to his boss.
When asked about her order, she asked for water and something to snack on. Audrey and Toby gave their orders and they waited patiently for it.
Once served, Mrs. Sullivan asked, "Shall we begin?"
"Yes, please." Evan replied. She dropped her water glass and put her two hands on the table. Her eyes shone brightly with the intent of dealing with the manager. And what better way to do that than to have him be handled by his boss? Men like him deserve no high posts. They were the ones making the world unbearable for the less privileged. "The proposal should have been tabled for you, but your manager here kept sending my team back." She looked at the manager who shifted uncomfortably on his seat.
Mrs. Sullivan turned to him "I asked about this, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did.... But, I..."
Forcing a smile, she looked away from the manager and faced Swiss, "I'm sorry about this. I'll see what went wrong. Can we go through it now?
"Yes. Thank you." Evangeline replied. She knew the woman would handle her manager well. With a satisfied smile, she went on to present her proposal. The woman kept nodding as she explained what she hoped would be the best presentation out of all the proposals. The project was an idea she had once wanted to try out herself. Getting paid for it was all she needed to push things through. She had taken her time planning everything, and if all goes well, the deal should be hers.
This was the reason she had been following up on the project. Actually, fifteen companies had put in for the job. When she made it to the first five, it was a relief that the idea was worth running with. Hearing nothing afterwards had been disturbing. And she had been mounting pressure on her PA, unaware that the manager was holding back her quotes.
Done with her presentation, she leaned back in her chair and took a sip of water.
"I'll go through this again and get back to you, if that's okay." Said Mrs. Sullivan, "I must add, though, I'm impressed."
"Thank you." Evan replied sweetly, happy she had made a good impression. Hopefully, the impression would land her the job.
"Your face also looks familiar." She paused, "Are you related to the Swiss law firm, Miami?"
Nodding proudly, she replied, "Yes." If there was ever a time she felt proud of her family. This was it.
"I see now." She smiled, "Your father, Robert." She smiled at Evan, "I take it he's your dad?" She nodded and Mrs. Sullivan continued, "He's our family lawyer. At least my late father. He's helped me handle some cases, twice or so. My dad recommended him." She eyed Evan suspiciously, "He's a good man."
"That's good to know."
"Well, I'll go through and get back ASAP."
Evan thanked her and added, "Its okay."
Both women shook hands and Mrs. Sullivan stood to leave, so did the manager and the two others. Evangeline stood too and walked them out. Once gone, she beckons to Audrey, and they leave too.
