The Vindication Gents

Chapter 1.32

One year later…

Kai Virtanen’s POV

I am beyond pissed off right now. I had spent my entire year finding that bloody woman and nothing had proved to be fruitful. I have assigned the most skilled, the most intelligent PI to get the location of my wife but they all just came back empty-handed.

“Maybe she did not want to be found,” Antonio said as he was drinking his white wine as I was sighing while I held vodka in my hand. We were in a bar in Hungary as I have some business to attend here and Antonio was around for some appointments with higher-end clients.

“Well, maybe perhaps I should have stopped her from signing that paper and denied the fact that she had felt something when she lied to my face,” I said as I remembered that face she made when she refused me. I closed my eyes as I gripped my glass.

“Easy, man. This is a public space, not a freaking circus,” Antonio said as he gripped my arms. My knuckles loosen around the glass.

“Sorry, I was not used to being this mad but I guess it was overdue,” I said as I gulped my vodka before I slammed it into the door. I pulled out some bills and I was getting back to Finland tonight.

“I see you around then?” I asked Antonio. He laughed.

“I see you when I see you,” he said. I smirked at him before patting his back as I went out of the bar to the waiting car that my driver had just arrived in.

“To the airport, please,” I said as I went to look outside the window, as I was looking at the couple that was holding their children's hands as they walked down the sidewalk. I wondered if Kathleen and I would ever have that.

Of course, after her decision to make sure that she stayed away from the crown, she forced me to take our marriage out. I did not think at the time, as I was very angry at her, trying to shut me out from her life, our lives together. So I told my lawyer to bring some fake divorce papers as I just signed them on to piss her off.

But of course, Kathleen did sign it on and without a second glance. Now, I was furious to know that she wanted me out of her life. I laughed at my pathetic self, trying to win beat someone that beat my league.

I arrived at the airport and I immediately got inside. I needed to find her as soon as possible and told her that the paper was fake and our marriage did not end at all. I laughed some more as I knew that vodka was playing with my head right now.

“Your seatbelt, sir,” my steward told me as he went to strap me. I was too drunk to think before. I just wanted to see Kathleen’s smile. That left a dimple on her face. Her maroon eyes were shining with mischief. I missed all that and the only way that I could see was in my dreams.

After I arrived in Finland, Katherine was there to meet me. And of course, my feelings for her had been subdued to being my sister-in-law's kind of love. I was done having a crush on her when I spent one night with Kathleen.

“Hello, Kai,” she said as she was hugging me. She did not get mad when I told her no about the proposal to be the next king. She did understand it as I looked at her. She knew my face, a face of anger, frustration and regret.

“So, how was Hungary?” She asked me as she was walking side by side with me, with her hand on my arm.

“It was all good,” I said as I saw her fiancé was waiting for us in front of his car. He waved at us as Katherine was leaving my side before she went to kiss him.

“Missed me?” He asked as Katherine was laughing at some jokes that he made.

“Hey buddy,” I said as I looked at him. He shook my hand as I was looking around for my driver.

“Is my car not around?” I asked them.

“Well, I sent them on holiday so you stuck with us,” Katherine said as she looked at her fiancé.

“And I have some good news for you as well,” she said as she handed me some files.

“What’s this?” I asked her. She shrugged.

“You’ll see, but now, let’s get you home and fully rest before your adventure,” she said as she pushed toward the backseat.

“My adventure?” I asked her. She winked at me.

“You will know after reading those. Now, let’s go, let’s go,” she said as her fiancé laughed and we got off from the airport and he sped off from the airport.

*****

After some time, I spent it with Katherine and Leo, as they were kind enough to make sure that I was full. I went to spend some time in the guest room, telling them that I was tired from the journey. They just nodded before I headed to my room.

I sat on the bed before I looked at the files. I didn’t want to read it as my eyes felt heavy, but I guess one paper would not hurt. And when I opened it, it indeed made my eyes feel lighter. Kathleen’s pictures were everywhere.

What she was doing from the beginning of her disappearance until the most recent one, she was talking to a kid that might be one or two years old as someone was standing beside him.

“What the hell?!” I said as I looked at the address that was stated inside the file. Mount Aguish, Finland.

“So, you have been hiding there, my love. Well, not for long now,” I said before I planned to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night. But first, I needed to borrow some things.

I went to sneak around the house when Leo and Katherine were retired for the night. I was going through their things as I needed some flashlights, some lights for emergencies and some food if I ever got stuck inside the mountain. But when I looked back at the image, it was clear that Kathleen had been staying at that man’s house.

What was her relationship with that man? How dare she get on without me?!

My mind was furious right now before I went to look for keys to the hybrid car that Katherine had. I needed to be stealthy and quiet when I got out of the car. Thankfully, the car keys were on the counter as if they were purposely being put there.

I shook my head before I took the keys and the supplies that I had put inside my backpack. I went to the garage and I unlocked the car before I went out of the garage and onto my destination as I put it inside the GPS. It was not showing some result but the closest one was a tavern that was beside the supposed Mount Aguish.

“Good enough for me,” I said as I pressed the accelerator and went to find my bride once more.

I went after the destination route to the tavern but it was 3 AM and I was so tired that I thought I was. I saw a motel nearby and I thought that maybe for a moment, I could lie down and continue to search for my wife in the morning when I was fully rested and ready to get out again.

I walked inside the lobby and I asked for a vacancy. They have it and it would be 30 euros for a night. I told them I would be staying for two nights but I thought it did not matter. I needed to rest. I had to if I wanted to look presentable to Kathleen.

I went to park my car in front of the room as I took the keys and went inside the room. It was cozy, to say the least, but at 30 euros per night, I thought it would be okay by that standard if not much worse.

I went to put my backpack and I went to look at the files again. My eyes were heavy so I headed straight for bed and just slept without brushing my teeth and cleaning my face. It was a bad habit, I know, but I just could not force myself to do that.

When I finally woke up, I saw the clock stating that it was 2 PM. I grimaced as I didn’t think that I would be sleeping half of the day. I went to look out the window as there were not many people around. I went to clean myself and freshened up before I headed out to get some food and maybe ponder on my next move.

“Do you know any place that I can get any food?” I asked the receptionist as she was playing with her hair.

“Yeah, you can just head to the Aguish tavern if you want some delicious food. Not going to lie, it was one of the places in town that offers authentic cuisine,” she said as I nodded before heading out. I had guessed I had my answer then.

As I went to the tavern before parking my car, I saw a familiar figure who was talking animatedly with someone inside the restaurant. I gripped my steering wheel as I tried to calm myself. I smirked at myself as I saw that figure moving in the restaurant, serving its patrons. I could see that she had not dyed her hair anymore and those shiny, glossy manes of hers were catching the sunlight in a new way that I find mesmerizing.

“Soon, my love,” I said before I headed out of there, forgetting that I was hungry after all.