Finally!!! I'm back!

The last few weeks have been really hectic! Even now my room is flooded with books, papers and what-nots! But everything's over now. I'm back and ready for action!

Thanks to all those who have reviewed my last chapter. Namely— FlamingIce94, Bokmal14, BBleached and Samstar1990. Thanks a lot!


Chapter 12

"Care to try that new Chinese restaurant, tonight?"

Salima Evans sighed and looked up at the grinning blunette. When would he learn to give up?

"Kane… Don't you ever get tired of being rejected?"

"Don't you ever get tired of rejecting?" the young man countered, still grinning.

"You're hopeless. You know that?"

With that, the red headed female picked up a couple of folders from her desk, and briskly walked off. She suppressed a groan when Kane called out, "Hey! Sal, wait up!" and jogged to catch up with her.

"C'mon! Just one night!" Kane spoke, placing an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure our beloved boss can manage one night without his secretary. Besides, the guy makes you over-work!"

"And pays me extra for my over time," Salima snapped shrugging off his arm. "Unlike some, Ozuma can afford the best."

"Ozuma?" Kane frowned a bit. "On first name basis now, are we? What happened to 'Mr. Shane'?"

"None of your business, Kane."

"Maybe. But I'm not blind, Sal. Don't think I haven't noticed the way he looks at you. I mean, just how many bosses are generous enough to present their secretaries with a Mercedes?"

"I always wanted one."

"And he wants you."

"Maybe. But he's not my type… neither are you, for the matter."

"Oh! C'mon! Don't tell me you've fallen for that red headed Scott." Kane faked a shocked look, though his eyes gave him away.

"Of course not! He's an ass! Don't know why Ozuma chose him!"

"Guess it's one of those rich— What?" Kane asked surprised when Salima threw out her arm in front of him.

"Restricted Area. Authorized Personnel Only." She quoted smugly producing her card from her coat, and sliding it through the magnetic slot.

"I hate this place," Kane grumbled as a pair of steel doors slid open to permit the red head, before closing again.

"Finally!" Salima breathed before making her way through the deserted corridor, her steps echoing loudly through the emptiness. 'This place gives me the creeps. Wonder what sort of clandestine secrets Ozuma hides up here.'

Salima increased her pace as she spotted a polished oak door at the end of the corridor. A huge marble leopard sat crouched beside the door, bearing its fangs. Its huge emerald eyes made it look oddly alive. Salima shivered slightly. She jumped when a shrill ringing sound pierced through the silence. "Goodness!" she gasped taking out her cell phone and almost instantly frowned when she noticed the name flashing on the screen.

"Kane!" She hissed, making her way towards the door, doing her best to ignore the statue.

"What? Aren't you happy to hear my voice again?" came the smug reply.

"What do want?" Her hand rested on a gem studded door knob.

"A night with you."

"Oh, Kane! Why can't you understand? You're a nice person. But you're just not my type!"

"Give me a break, Sal! I'm not you're type. Shane's not you're type. That Scott's isn't your type either! Is there anybody, in this whole planet, who actually is of your type?"

"I—" Salima pushed open the door.

"Well?"

"…Tall, masculine and exceptionally handsome, with a sharp, fair a complexion, two toned hair, blue… tattoos, I think, on either cheek and dressed in black with dark shades…"

"… That was… accurate."

"Bye now!"

"But—"

Salima snapped shut the phone and swiftly ran her fingers through her fiery red locks. After making sure that she looked presentable, the petite secretary moved forward with confident steps. The room, she was in, was probably the biggest one in the Saint Shields Main Centre. From the walls to the floor it was painted in white. A grand marble stair case at the centre, rose up to a landing that extended all across the circular room, somewhat like an indoor balcony. There were no windows on either level. Expensive statues lined the walls of the ground level, while the walls of the upper level were lined with huge cabinets. Another enormous sculpture of a leopard posed beside the foot of the stairs. Unlike its counterpart outside, this one was caught mid-way while pouncing on some unknown prey.

However, it was neither the leopard nor any of the other sculptures that had caught Salima's interest. Even as she climbed up the stairs. She kept her eyes fixed on a particular object, leaning against one of the cabinets. The said object could have effortlessly passed for a master piece of a sculpture himself, if not for the swift movement of his long, slender fingers as he turned the pages of the thick folder in his hands.

Two things told Salima that this Godly creature was not only powerful, but also very, very important. The first was the fact that he was currently standing in the West wing, which was forbidden to all, except the members of the Shane family. The second was lightning pace at which he was scanning the documents, like someone who knows perfectly well what he is looking for—someone very much acquainted with the top secrets of not only the Saint Shields, but also of the Shane family.

Salima walked towards the East wing and nearly dumped the folders in her arm within a cabinet. Then she moved as close the West as possible, without crossing the forbidden line, and pretended to arrange some files with a lot of care. Out of the corner of her eyes she took a better look at the exotic stranger, who seemed have moved even closer towards the line on his side. Salima glanced at the endless cabinets on his other side, in wonder. 'Did he actually finish going through all those?' She turned back towards the stranger who taken up yet another thick folder. He looked quite young. Younger than Ozuma and Lee; definitely younger than McGregor, as well. But there was a distinct aura of maturity and wisdom about him, something the other three lacked. He wasn't dressed like any of Ozuma's personal business tycoons. His attire was quite casual but it made him look striking nevertheless. For some reason, Salima could not picture him as a monotonous power hungry, business person. Perhaps he was a close relation of Ozuma, and was there out of curiosity. Salima looked him up and down. He was incredibly gorgeous. Any movie star would die to acquire just a fragment of his looks and figure. Maybe that's what he was! An actor or perhaps a model… But then again, how come she never saw him before? Someone as handsome as him would've probably made the headlines everyday!

Finally, Salima decided to end her guessing game and take the first initiative to know this alluring being. Her years of experience had already taught her to be tactful. After all, this guy was definitely someone to approach with care.

"You wouldn't happen to have any idea when Mr. Shane would return, would you?" A dutiful secretary could always inquire about her boss.

"After he gets over the shock." The stranger replied in velvet like voice, without looking up.

"I see." Yep! Definitely someone important to Ozuma.

"Poor thing. He's been miserable ever since Ms Shane's attack."

That seemed to trigger his interest. Salima suppressed a smile when the stranger finally looked up. But she instantly shivered, when he pinned her with his hypnotic eyes. "McGregor's on the case, isn't he?"

"…I…er…" it took her a while to recover from the piercing gaze. "Yes, that's right… But I kinda doubt how good he actually is. To be honest, I don't really trust the police— especially after meeting him! I mean he seemed rather… er…"

"Self-possessed." He finished, taking up another folder.

"Right you are." She allowed herself a small smile. 'He despises the red headed leech as well!'

"Been working with the Shanes for long?" His voice was casual, but not very curious.

"Three years, if that is long."

"What about Yan?"

"Lee? Well, I first met him in Rome—that's where our main center had been back then. He was just a simple staff under Ms Shane when he first joined, I forgot his exact post. He wasn't exactly what you'd call 'exceptionally talented' but he was hard-working. Almost fiercely so. I've never seen a guy more determined than him. It was almost like… like… he was too desperate to prove himself to someone!"

Salima stopped a bit in order to see the reaction on the others' face. She was surprised to see the stranger leaning against the last cabinet of his wing, arms folded across his chest. 'When did he finish all that?!'

"What attracted him towards his boss then? Or perhaps it was the other way round?"

"Other way round, actually." Salima continued, delighted that she had been able to engage the attractive young man in a conversation. "Lee had always been loyal towards Ms Mariam, but I don't think he felt that way about her. I mean, he nearly got a heart attack, when Mariam decided to make him her personal secretary. The poor guy was pretty confused. But it was clear that Mariam wanted more than a professional relationship—dragging him to her business parties, asking him out to lunch and finally promoting her as manager. And then, before you know it, they announced their engagement!"

"It seems rather a sudden attraction."

"Oh, but it is! At first, Mariam didn't regard him so much; she treated Lee just like any other staff. I mean, Mariam seemed to have changed her views about him almost abruptly. Like she suddenly discovered that he was her chosen mate!"

"Ozuma Shane was okay with that?"

"That's were the family drama starts—he was not. He'd been very uncomfortable with the way his sister kept hitting on an employee. He nearly went purple, when they announced their engagement. The whole office echoed with his voice as bellowed at his sister that night. To say it was shocking would've been an understatement. Ozuma and Mariam hardly ever disagreed; it was like they worked with the same mind. But it all changed when Lee entered into the picture. You can't imagine the shock on Ozuma's face when Mariam announced that she wanted to move in with Lee in Japan."

"He never did accept Lee, did he?"

"Never. Why else do you think we moved our head office here, in Osaka?"

"You had a grand inauguration of this building on the 23rd, didn't you?"

"That, we did… I don't remember seeing you there…" Salima trailed of rather suggestively.

"I'd been busy," he shrugged casually. "Besides, I've heard that the party didn't end up very well."

"That's true. Actually, you're really lucky to have escaped from it. It was a total disaster. First of all, Ozuma and Lee spent all their time glaring each other up; then there's Ms Mariam. She looked seriously ill, and spent most of her time locked up—she refused to see both her brother and her fiancé. Of course, the final blow came on the 23rd, itself. A phone call informed Lee about his close friend, Mariah's death. The girl had been murdered—it's been on the papers lately."

"Yes, I remember. She'd been close to Yan, hadn't she?"

"Very close. Before his engagement, Lee used to talk about her all the time. You'd think she was his girlfriend!"

"Mariam knew about her?"

"She did. But she never had a problem—treated Mariah like a sister. She even attended her birthday party, a few months back. I was there too."

"Mariah proposed to someone there, didn't she?"

"Ray Kon—the main suspect. Shocking isn't it? I met the guy. He was quite charming. Of course, he was physically strong, but a nice young man like him seems really incapable of murder. It seems unfair…"

"Nobody said that life would be fair…"

"It's true."

A short silence descended between them. The stranger's flawless face was unreadable, but he seemed to be deep in thoughts. Salima wondered what would be the best way to approach him next. He neither seemed too self-centered, nor did he seem to be a play boy. But he was mysteriously charming, nevertheless—and that's what made him even more desirable.

"I haven't seen you round before. Are you new here?" Salima gave him a friendly smile.

"It's… been a while."

"I see," she hesitated for a bit, "So, are you related to the Shanes, or is it just friendship, Mr.—?" she finished inquiringly.

"None," He replied, without answering her unasked question. The soft curve of his lips twisted upwards very slightly, like an amused smirk, making the secretary stare. "Let's just say, that I'm someone, they'll have a very hard time forgetting."

"Uh… Oh!" Salima averted her eyes from the dangerously alluringly face, as her own face blushed dangerously as well. "Right." 'Good heavens!! Who is he? What is he?'

After a small, embarrassing silence, Salima cleared her voice timidly. Praying that her face didn't resemble a ripe tomato anymore, she began, "Um… So, since it has … 'been a while' for you… maybe I could show you around? What do you s—?"

She stopped abruptly, as soon as she looked up. He was gone! 'What the—?' Salima looked around, but found no one, apart from herself and the innocent looking sculptures below.

"Hello? Er… are you still here… whoever you are…?" she tried, but was answered by her own echoing voice. There was no doubt about it—the enigmatic stranger was gone. Vanished without a trace!

Salima shivered slightly, as she vaguely wondered if he had indeed been there, or whether she'd suddenly had a very divine hallucination. After all, no human being could've disappeared so fast, like that… like him… like he had never existed in the first place…


Tyson's hands twitched on the steering wheel. 'Just one little turn… just a little scratch on that stupid orange surface…and perhaps just a small dent… just one…'

"Don't even think about it."

Hiro's stern voice brought the lawyer down to Earth, abruptly. He glared at his elder brother, who seemed to have read his mind.

"Think about what?" came Max's confused voice, from the back seat.

"Never mind," Tyson grumbled as he (with a lot of self-restrain) steered by the ostentatious Volkswagen, parked on the pavement, to where Michael's familiar sporty looking Ford was parked. Tyson glared at the former flashy vehicle as if it had somehow offended him (which he was sure it did) and parked his Chevrolet behind Michael's car.

The trio got out of the car, and took a good look at the small garden apartment in front. It had a simple yet soothing architecture. The walls looked liked they had recently been painted. The tiled roof sloped on either side, giving it a classical cottage look. A small chimney was perched at the side. The house was surrounded by a small width of land, which had been transformed into a tidy little garden. Neat flower beds bordered the narrow path which led to the front door from the gate. All in all, the place could've been a peaceful residence, if not for the yellow police tapes that barricaded the area— a painful reminder of the ghastly tragedy that had taken place only a few days back.

"Well guys, welcome to the crime scene," Hiro announced dryly.

The elder Granger had been the only one among the three, to have visited the place before. It was the first time for Tyson, who had been abroad for the first few days of the crime, and the same went for Max, who had been busy with post mortem.

"Kai should've been here," Tyson said softly.

"Relax, Ty," Max said encouragingly. "He'll be here. Just like he said he would."

Tyson could feel the small note in his back pocket. Kai's elegant script flashed before his eyes—

I've got work to do. Wanted to get an early start. Go ahead without me. I'll catch up.

The small piece of paper had been discovered on the couch, earlier that morning, along with a neatly folded blanket and untouched pillow. In spite of the thirty minutes he had spent cursing the Phoenix, Tyson was sure that Kai did spend the night there—just like he had promised. The blanket and pillows clearly stated that they had not been slept in, meaning that Kai had stayed up all night and left at the crack of dawn. But the question was: Where? Whatever Kai was up to, definitely required a long time, otherwise he wouldn't have left so early. Or maybe it was because his destination was too far away? Tyson's car had not been moved from its parking spot, out side Ray's house. So Kai couldn't have driven it; but Tyson knew well enough that Kai wasn't fond of public transports. Then where and how did he go?!

Kai's disappearance wasn't the only thing bothering Tyson. All of them had been surprised to see Ray still asleep at eight o'clock, in the morning. Ray was normally an early-riser, and hardly ever slept beyond six. Max decided to let him sleep, since he strongly suspected that neko-jin had not fallen asleep till very late at night. Somehow, the thought of both Kai and Ray lying awake at night disturbed the lawyer.

"Yeah, I guess you're right… He will catch up." Tyson said finally. 'I don't know how, but he will!'


The 'offending' Volkswagen. Any guesses whom it belongs to? Three cheers for all those who thinks it's Johnny's! So, finally we've reached the crime scene. I'll start team BBA's investigation and Johnny's egotism from the next chapter. And of course, you'll get to see more of Kai and Ray!

And speaking of Kai… Remember Salima saying that she did not trust the police very much? That's one of the reasons why Kai did not switch to his 'tough investigator mode'. After all, he does know how to get people to talk, doesn't he? Besides, who'd be able to resist that charm? ^_^

Read and Review!

KPR