Chapter 34: Chapter 34

— Nothing will happen to her — I repeat to calm myself down, but I'm not sure of anything if I don't even know where Cecilia is. "I won't let anything happen to her."

I walk back to the room to think for myself, but the two of them follow me without asking permission. I call security when I arrive and none of them have found anything on her.

“Keep looking. You only sleep tonight when I find Cecília, understood? Find her! — I send an audio and forward it to all of them in the messaging app.

- My girl... - Paula whimpers and sits in the chair in the corner of the room. "Where could my girl have gone?" What did you say to her? What did you do for her?

"I already told you I didn't fucking do anything!" I grab a pitcher off the bedside table and hit the wall hard, in the opposite direction from Paula. - What the hell! I did nothing!

- I don't believe! She must have been hurt. Cecilia is sweet, sensitive and easily hurt. You're a brute who doesn't deserve her. Paula gets up and faces me. “If you have anything to do with this, Thomas, I swear I'll kill you.

I ignore what she says, because I can understand that she's worried. But I'm pissed. Pissed off for not knowing how to find Cecília and for having these people honking in my ear. If this is another one of that girl's things, I swear I can't take it.

— Let's call the police — Cesar says, with his face in his hands, sitting on the mattress. "What if she's hurt somewhere out there?" My girl, I die without her.

I shake my head quickly, because I don't like to think about that possibility. It… hurts me to think about it. I sit next to Cesar on the bed while he calls the police.

I think about her.

In the face sweet and mischievous at the same time, looking at me with those big, kind eyes, waiting for some statement, for any sign that what we had was more than a contract, than this fucking revenge. Cecilia was practically begging me to say anything, but my fear stopped me. I had the best months of my life with that maddening girl. I spent years running away from any clingy woman and fell in love with a crazy girl who was supposed to be a business, revenge shit.

My crazy girl.

Not having her here by my side, looking at me in that sweet way that only she looks at me, seeing so much more than I show the world, it drives me crazy. Why didn't I tell her the truth? Why did I let her think she didn't own my heart, my body?

She just wanted me to say it was hers. And I am.

I throw everything I find on the floor, and Paula whimpers more in despair, while César is still talking on the phone.

“I need to find her,” I say and push my forehead into my palms. “I can't be without her.

— The police said they have to wait for a deadline to start looking for her, that's the only way it's considered missing — César says and I curse.

"Fuck the fucking police!"

I stand up and grab my phone when it rings again. It's an unknown number.

- Hello?

— Well, well, Thomas de Albuquerque — a man speaks in Portuguese on the other end of the line, but I can't identify who it is. — If he isn't the toughest CEO in Brazil.

- What do you want? Who is it?

" Don't you remember me, buddy?" What a disappointment, Thomas. He lets out an overly dramatic sigh and I snap. I feel the problem is there. “ When it came to fucking with my life, you remembered me so well. Wasn't it Thomas? I was waiting for that contract and you took it from me. It's bad when things are taken from you, isn't it?

And then I understand.

"You son of a bitch!" Where is she?

I see Paula and César approach me, their eyes wide and nodding, asking about their daughter.

“ Easy, easy, Thomas. She is fine. I must say that it was worth coming all this way to meet your precious one - he speaks and I hear noises on the other side of the line. “ I've finally found your weakness after years, Thomas. Years of waiting for a chance to fuck you, with no gaps.

"Give me back my wife, you son of a bitch!" Or I will kill you with my own hands! Bastard!

He laughs on the other end of the line and I hear screams that make my body shiver, because I know they are from Cecília.

“ She bites, ” he says, laughing. — Your little wife is brave . Does she scratch too? I can think of several ways she could scratch me.

I run a hand through my hair and pace, trying to think.

"What do you want, wretch?"

" What do you think, Thomas?" Money. A lot of money. Enough to get my company back on its feet.

I hear another angry scream from Cecília and curse a multitude of curse words.

"How much the fuck?" Cut to the chase!

— I'll send you an address with the amount and the place you need to go — he says still with the mocking tone in his voice.

Bastard! I don't even know who the unfortunate one is. I have already destroyed many people to achieve my goals. I never cared about that until they took Cecilia away from me. I'm going to fuck this bastard for messing with her. I'm going to make the motherfucker regret ever crossing my path.

" You already know, don't you?" If it comes with cuteness, the little princess will not survive. Come alone. You have until midnight.

He hangs up on me and I curse. Soon I get the message with what he wants. It's an insane amount the insane wants, enough to derail my plans to fix the shit Caesar did. I curse loudly and they both come at me.

- What it was? Paula asks. "Was it about her?"

- It was. She was kidnapped by a lunatic. He wants the ransom.

- Oh my God.

The woman collapses on the bed in tears and César approaches me as I take off my suit and throw it away. I find the gun I have stored and put it in my waistband.

- Where you go? I'll go with you - Cesar says, approaching me when I move to leave.

- I'll go alone. You will only get in the way.

"She's my fucking daughter!" You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you go without me,” he yells, his face red with rage.

“Call the police and my security and tell them to go to that address, Paula. Be discreet, please.

I send the information to her cell phone and the woman nods, still crying.

I leave the hotel and walk quickly to the car. César comes after me and gets into the vehicle without my authorizing it.

- What is your plan? Get there and invade. They sure have a lot of people with her.

- I did not think of that. I just—” I tighten my grip on the vehicle, feeling anger and desperation wash over me. "I just need my girl back." I need her, Caesar.

The man looks at me, I see it out of the corner of my eye.

- All good. We'll find it.