You Need Me

Chapter 30

"You are done, Sir?" Tom asked as he saw Leon walked out of the governor's office alone. They had just arrived 20 minutes ago. Leon nodded and continued walking to exit the building. Tom quickly followed from behind.

It was their last day in Mir and Tom still did not know what they came here for. It did not look like Leon came here to talk about Mir Islands Project because Leon only brought Tom with him. For the past two days, Leon only stayed in the hotel without doing anything except taking a few phone calls. Tom tried to ask what they were actually doing but every time Tom brought up the question, Leon would deliberately send him away to buy souvenirs.

Outside, they descended the large staircase right in front of the entrance. It was not even noon yet, but the sun was so strong that the moment they stepped out of the building, Leon could feel his sweat running through his back.

"The weather here is totally the opposite of Bellfield's." Tom remarked as he looked around, trying to remember where he had parked their rental car. Leon recalled how Viola was always shivering even when their home had the best heating system installed. He took out his phone and realized he had not contacted her since he left Bellfield three days ago. He was about to make the phone call when he noticed his car had arrived in front of him. He put his phone back into the pocket and got into the car, squeezing himself among a mountain of souvenirs Tom had bought for him.

***

"Your husband hasn't called yet?" Rana asked while putting up a floral display on the table.

Viola shook her head lightly and continued filling a rack of plastic tubes in front of her with water.

"Why don't you call him instead?" Rana asked again. Her hands did not stop working. They were busier than usual today. The florist had been hired to do decoration for a wedding venue. She took a water tube from Viola and insert a freshly cut flower. Rana then skillfully arranged the flowers into a beautiful centerpiece and placed it in the middle of a long table prepared for the wedding reception.

"I don't know what to say." Viola murmured.

Rana sighed. She knew why Viola was in low spirits. That night, she saw Viola sitting with a young man in the park. Rana was about to call her when she saw Viola slapped the man on the face and walked away with tears in her eyes. She wondered if that young man was Viola's friend. Did Mr. Oliver know about him? Rana shrugged her shoulders and gathered her working tools, moving to work on another table.

It was nearly 7 in the evening when Rana and Viola were back to their shop. After changing, Viola said her goodbye and left the florist. As she walked to the nearest bus stop, a voice called her from behind.

"Viola..."

Viola stopped walking. "What do you want?" Viola knew the owner of the voice without looking back.

"Viola, can we talk?" Walter walked closer to her.

Viola did not say anything.

"I... I want to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said last time. It was my fault. I... I left you... when you needed me..." Walter said apologetically.

"It's fine. I don't care about that anymore." Viola tried to hold her tears in. "Let's not meet again in the future." Viola started to walk again.

"Viola! Wait!" Walter grabbed her hand and pulled her into a quiet alley.

"Let me go, Walter." Viola tried to push him.

"No, I won't." Walter held her shoulders firmly. His begging eyes looking into Viola's confused green eyes. "I... love you, Viola. Please, come back to me..."

"What are you saying?" Viola struggled but she could not release herself from Walter's strong arms. Where are the guards?

"Get them!" A woman's voice was heard giving out an order from behind. Before Viola could make out who it was, two men pulled her and Walter apart and punched Walter in the stomach. Walter fell on his knees and cried in pain.

"What... what are you doing?" Viola shouted. "I didn't ask..." At that moment, Viola realized that the two men were not the guards assigned to protect her. She stepped back. "Who... who are you?"

"You should hire a better bodyguard, Madam." One of the men walked towards her, smiling menacingly. Before Viola could shout for help, the man raised his hand and struck the side of Viola's neck. Viola lost her balance and everything turned black.

***

"The plane is taking off soon. You need to turn off your phone now, Sir." A cabin attendant advised.

Leon tapped on the screen to end the call. There was no one answering on the other side anyway. He had tried to reach Viola multiple times in the past 30 minutes but all the calls were left unanswered. He glanced at his wristwatch. She should be at home right now. Is she angry because he left quietly that morning? He thought. Leon looked through the small window beside his seat. His plane had stopped for refueling. He checked the time again. He would be in Bellfield in 5 hours. He switched off his phone and relaxed himself on his wide chair.

"Find out where Viola is now." Leon ordered his assistant, who was sitting in front of him, with his eyes closed.

"Now, Sir?" Tom was doing a crossword puzzle on his phone when his boss suddenly gave him an assignment. Leon did not answer. Tom quickly exited the game and typed furiously on the smart device. He had to do it quickly before the cabin attendant approached them again.

"Sir." Tom's voice woke Leon up.

Leon looked around. He remembered he was still on the plane. "What time is it?"

"It... it's 2 am in Bellfield, Sir." Tom replied. His voice agitated.

Leon sensed Tom's uneasiness. "What is it?"

"It's... it's Madam, Sir." Tom scratched his neck. He looked worried. "I... how should I put it... I know it's not uncommon for a lady to forget about time when... they are having a good time..."

"I don't know what you are talking about. Speak clearly." Leon was getting impatient.

Tom took a deep swallow and closed his eyes. "Madam is missing, Sir."