Recokening
1123 Words
VICTOR
The study smells like coffee and newspapers. Victor somehow believes that his daughter's name will appear in the papers. He hopes so.
On TV, he only hears:
"Daughter of popular CEO of Zenith Biotech, Arabella Garcia, is missing."
"Daughter of Victor Garcia, CEO of Zenith Biotech, is missing. Anyone with information should call…"
And on i********:, no one even remembers his daughter went missing.
Mark stands in front of him, his tablet in his hand, no expression on his face.
"Go through it again," Victor tells him.
Mark inhales. "We've identified three black Audi RS7 vehicles registered within a fifty-mile radius. One belongs to a tech CEO. One to a Saudi diplomat. One to a holding company with ties to—" He stops.
Victor's looks up at him. "Ties to what?"
"A shell corporation."
"What shell company?" Victor asks, becoming more interested in what Mark is saying.
"We're still tracing its ownership. Initial reports point to the Reyes family, but the credibility of the source is still uncertain."
For some reason, the name rings in Victor's head.
"Reyes," he repeats.
"Yes, sir. It appears the vehicle is registered to a company called Vintage Holdings. The beneficial owner is listed as a trust, but the original signatory was—" Mark checks his tablet. "Antonio Reyes. Deceased."
Victor grips the edge of his desk. His knuckles turn red.
Antonio Reyes.
A name he would recognize anywhere he hasn't heard in this name in years.
"Antonio Reyes," he says slowly, "has a family."
Mark nods. "Dr. Maximillian Reyes. Neurosurgeon at Sterling Medical Institute. Clean record. No criminal history. Well-respected in the medical community."
A doctor.
Victor thinks of the man in the footage. The broad shoulders. The dark hair. The way he moved. He bears a resemblance to Antonio.
The same Antonio who he had locked up in a warehouse until he died from chemical inhalation. Antonio's wife had come to confront him. Veronica had the guard drag her out. He hadn't heard about them since then.
It's been seven years. Why would someone from that family show up now? And what do they have to do with his daughter's disappearance?
"And the hospital?" Victor's voice has gone low. "What do we have on it?"
"Sterling Medical Institute is a private hospital. They also have a VIP base. According to reports, Maximillian has been there for about five years. No complaints. No scandals. He's the chief of surgery there."
Victor stands and walks to the window. He stares out at the estate. Everything he has built. The life he created for himself and his family.
He thinks of Antonio. What if this doctor is out to crumble everything he has? Even his daughter?
He turns back to Mark. "Bring me everything you can find on Maximillian Reyes. His address. Where he goes. His employees. His enemies. I want to know his girlfriend, wife, whatever. I want to know the last time he had a parking ticket. I want to know…" He pauses to breathe. "I want to know if he has my daughter."
Mark nods. "Yes, sir." He moves toward the door.
"And…"
"Sir."
"Keep this between us. Veronica doesn't need to know about this yet."
Mark hesitates. "Sir, if Mrs. Garcia asks…"
"Then you tell her to just come to me."
Mark nods, then leaves.
Victor stands alone in his study. The house is quiet. The silence that used to feel like power now makes his heart ache.
He walks back to the desk. Picks up the whiskey. Stares into the liquid.
"Maximillian Reyes." He repeats.
He throws the glass against the wall. It shatters to the ground. The liquid runs down the wall.
He just watches it fall, feeling very uneasy about the situation
...........................................................................
VERONICA
She finds the glass shattered on the floor at noon.
Victor isn't in the study. He isn't anywhere. Mark said he went out. Didn't say where. Didn't say when he'd be back.
Veronica stands in the doorway, staring at the broken glass on the floor. The dark stain spreading across the cream-colored wall
She should call someone to clean it.
For some reason she doesn't.
She walks to the window. The same window Victor usually stands at .
She presses her palm to the glass. It's cold, even her heart feels cold it aches.
It's been six days since her daughter disappeared and she is being unable to do anything about it
She thinks about the last time she saw her daughter. The anger in Arabella's eyes. The way she said reputation like it was an insult. The way she kissed her cheek with so much disappointment.
Her daughter was disappointed in her just before she left.
And now she is not sure she will ever be able to make amends.
Where are you, my baby?
She thinks of the note.
I love Liam Her daughter ran away from her. From her father. From everything they built.
She opens her eyes, looks at the broken glass again. At the liquid soaking the wall.
She steps out of the study. Walks down the hallway. Past the dining room. Past the kitchen. Past the staff quarters.
She stops at the security office.
The door is closed. She can hear voices inside.
She doesn't knock. She just pushes the door open.
Two guards are sitting behind computer screens. They jump when they see her.
"Mrs. Garcia—"
"What have you found?"
They look at each other, then the older one speaks.
"We're still processing footage, ma'am. Mr. Garcia has asked us to focus on vehicles matching a specific description."
Her heart skips. "What description?"
The guard stays silent for a minimum. "A black Audi. New models."
She steps closer. "And? Have you found it?"
"We found one, ma'am. Leaving the area around the time Miss Garcia disappeared. We're working to trace the owner now."
Her hands are shaking. She presses them to her sides.
"Who owns it?"
"We don't know yet, ma'am. Mark has all the information. He must have shown them to Mr. Garcia."
Victor.
Why hasn't he told her anything? What is he hiding?
She turns and walks out, her heart pounding against her chest as she goes to her room.
In her bedroom, she picks up her phone. Scrolls through her contacts. Stops on a name she hasn't called in years.
Ethan Leon.
Her ex-lover.
And now she needs his help. And she knows he would never refuse her.
She presses call.
He answers on the third ring.
"Veronica." He sounds surprised. "It's been a long time."
She grips the phone tighter. "I need your help."
"Tell me."
"My daughter is missing."
The line goes silent for one long minute.
"Give me the details."
- Writer
