Chapter 21: Shadows inside the sinclair company
1327 Words
Morning came slowly over Seoul, the sky pale and grey as if the city itself had not slept.
News screens across subway stations flickered with the same headline.
ANOTHER WOMAN MISSING — POLICE INVESTIGATING SERIAL ABDUCTIONS
People whispered as they passed the screens.
Fear moved quietly through the city now.
Fifthteen women.
All twenty-five years old.
All gone without a trace.
And now the sixthteenth.
Sinclair Global Media & Technology
The glass doors slid open as Adrian Knox stepped inside.
His posture was calm as always.
Head high.
Shoulders straight.
The training his father had forced into him years ago had become instinct.
Never look afraid.
Never look weak.
Employees rushed past him, murmuring anxiously.
Two women near the elevator whispered.
“Did you hear?”
"Another woman has been abducted!"
“They said the girl worked here…”
“Yuri Han.”
Adrian slowed slightly.
Yuri Han.
He knew the name.
She worked two floors below in the editing department.
They had never spoken.
But he had seen her once or twice in the cafeteria.
She had smiled easily.
The kind of smile people gave when they believed the world was still safe.
Adrian stepped into the elevator.
The doors closed quietly.
Cybersecurity Department – 32nd Floor
The room was unusually tense.
Monitors glowed.
Employees spoke in low voices.
Two men in suits stood near the main workstation speaking with the department manager.
Police.
Adrian stepped forward slowly.
His eyes moved across the room automatically.
He noticed everything.
Their posture.
Their questions.
The way the manager looked nervous.
One of the detectives turned.
His eyes landed on Adrian.
“Employee?”
Adrian nodded once.
“Yes.”
“Name?”
“Adrian Knox.”
The detective scribbled something into a small notebook.
“Position?”
“Junior cybersecurity analyst.”
The detective studied him carefully.
“You worked yesterday evening?”
“Yes.”
“Until what time?”
“Eight-thirty.”
“Did you see Yuri Han before leaving?”
Adrian shook his head.
“No.”
The detective watched him for another moment.
Adrian’s face remained perfectly calm.
Finally the man nodded.
“Alright.”
The questioning moved to another employee.
Adrian sat down quietly at his desk.
But his eyes flickered briefly toward the security feeds.
Something about this situation felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Is it the same man?
Is he searching for me?
He realised with horror that if this man is the same one after them amd who killed his parents,then he was so clise to finding him.
At That Same Moment-The elevator doors opened again.
And Damien Sinclair stepped onto the floor.
Conversations immediately quieted.
People always noticed when Damien arrived.
He walked with careless confidence.
Tall.
Sharp-featured.
Dark hair slightly messy as if he had just rolled out of bed.
His suit jacket hung loosely over powerful shoulders.
He looked like someone who had never been told no in his life.
His gaze swept across the room.
Then stopped.
On Adrian.
Recognition sparked instantly.
The taxi boy. The voice actor boy. The wreshler.
The one who had laughed when he fell.
Damien’s jaw tightened.
Adrian looked up.
Their eyes met.
For two seconds the room seemed to hold its breath.
Damien walked forward slowly.
The detectives glanced at him.
“Mr. Sinclair.”
Damien barely nodded.
“Morning.”
His attention remained on Adrian.
He stopped beside the desk.
“You.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Yes?”
Damien leaned closer.
“So you work here too.”
Adrian didn’t move.
“Yes.”
Damien laughed softly.
“What are the odds.”
Adrian’s voice remained calm.
“Small world.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly.
There was something about this boy he didn’t like.
Something irritating.
The way he spoke.
The way he looked at him without fear.
“Funny,” Damien muttered.
“People who laugh at me usually regret it.”
Adrian leaned back in his chair.
“Maybe you fall down a lot.”
A few employees nearby almost choked trying not to laugh.
Damien’s expression darkened.
“You think you’re clever?”
Adrian shrugged.
“Not particularly.”
Damien leaned closer.
“Careful.”
Adrian met his gaze without blinking.
“Or what?”
The tension between them crackled like electricity.
Before Damien could reply—
The detective’s voice cut through the room.
“Mr. Sinclair.”
Damien straightened.
“Yes?”
“We need to ask you a few questions about the missing employee.”
Damien sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Of course.”
He turned away from Adrian.
But as he walked away from him—
He muttered quietly.
“This conversation isn’t finished.”
Adrian didn’t respond.
But his eyes followed Damien thoughtfully.
Meanwhile… Somewhere Underground
Darkness.
Cold.
The smell of damp concrete filled the air.
A young woman slowly opened her eyes.
Pain shot through her head.
Her vision swam.
Then she realized—
Her hands were tied.
Her legs bound tightly.
Her body lay on a cold floor.
Panic surged instantly.
She tried to scream.
But the sound that escaped her throat was only a muffled whimper.
Her lips.
They were sealed shut.
Thick black thread stitched through soft skin.
Tears flooded her eyes immediately.
She forced herself to sit up.
And that was when she saw them.
Other girls.
Dozens.
Each locked inside narrow metal cages.
Some lay curled in the corners.
Others sat silently staring at the floor.
Their lips were sewn shut too.
The girl’s chest began shaking with silent sobs.
Then—
Footsteps echoed above them.
Heavy.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Every girl in the room froze.
Their eyes widened in terror.
One girl began shaking uncontrollably.
The footsteps grew closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Then the door opened.
A man stepped inside.
Tall.
Wearing dark clothing.
A mask covered his face completely.
Only his eyes were visible.
Cold.
Empty.
He walked calmly between the cages.
Like a man inspecting livestock.
The girls shrank away from the bars.
Some cried silently.
Others trembled.
He stopped beside the newest victim.
The girl who had just awakened.
He crouched slowly.
Their eyes met.
His voice was soft.
Almost gentle.
“Good morning.”
The girl’s body shook violently.
He tilted his head slightly.
“Don’t be afraid.”
His tone remained calm.
“You’re safe here.”
The other girls whimpered softly.
He smiled beneath the mask.
Then he began speaking again.
Slowly.
As if telling a story.
“You see… I’m searching for someone.”
His eyes moved across the cages.
“A girl.”
“Twenty-five years old.”
“Born on a very special night.”
The girls stared at him in horror.
He leaned closer to the new victim.
“So until I find her…”
He tilted his head slightly.
“You’ll help me look.”
The girl shook her head desperately.
He stood.
He did the same thing he had done to other girls before her. Tore her clothes apart and forced himself on her.He smirked and spit on her. He always did so out of dominance. He wanted to show these ladies that he owns them and does as he pleases with them.
After he was done,he walked away calmly.
Leaving behind a room filled with silent, broken cries.
Back at Sinclair Tower
Adrian stared at the monitor in front of him.
But his thoughts were elsewhere.
The police questions.
The missing woman.
The hospital records someone had tried to access.
Something was connecting these events.
Something dangerous.
Across the room Damien finished speaking with the detectives.
His expression was serious now.
Not arrogant.
Not mocking.
Just… thoughtful.
For the first time since arriving—
His eyes drifted back to Adrian.
And he watched him quietly.
As if seeing him differently now.
Neither of them knew it yet.
But their lives—
And the truth about the fugitive girl—
Were about to collide in ways neither could imagine.
- Writer
