Chapter 1: Sly Elapid

"Sir! Something happened with your daughter!" I heard my secretary said as she ran towards my office.

I immediately stood up upon hearing her voice, my forehead knotted because of her action.

Something happened?

I looked at her, her eyes were filled with fear. I've never seen her like this before.

She walked near me. Her sweats are seen, she is in tension.

"Straight to the point." I ordered.

"Aisling is lost. She was kidnapped." She said.

"What?!" I reacted shockingly.

I'm rich, I have a lot of business rivals but why would they bring my daughter up to the problem?

"Sir, Ais was last seen by their school gate. She was picked up by a white van, they were the suspected kidnappers." She added.

I started walking back and forth. Ais is my only daughter. I cannot afford to lose her.

I let out a sigh the moment a picture of someone entered my system. This can't be, he couldn't be the one responsible for the crime, well I'm hoping that he's not.

My secretary looked at me.

"Any further details?" I asked.

"They said not to call anyone. If we send the cops they will immediately kill Ais." She said weakly.

I can tell that this secretary of mine is having a hard time.

I've known her for years, her mind is innocent upon such crimes.

My office was then filled with silence. No one dared to talk. I'm feeling nervous. I'm not sure of who the culprit is.

A few seconds passed and someone entered my office. He is carrying a package while he is smiling widely.

He looked at me.

"Good day Sir, this package is sent for you." He said while walking towards me.

I signaled him to stop.

"How did you get up here?" I asked him.

Everybody knows that the security system here is tight. No one can enter easily.

"Through the door Sir." He answered.

A sarcastic one...

I continued to look at him. My eyes are serious, I'm facing a lot of problems so don't expect me to smile.

"What's inside the package?" I asked again.

He smiled even wider upon hearing me. This courier is creepy.

"Shall I open your memorial plan Sir?" He said as he smiled devishly. With hands moving swiftly, he took his gun out and he made the bullets rain towards our direction.

"Ellaine duck!" I told my secretary immediately. She followed my order.

I lowered myself to avoid being shot. I made myself fit under the desk of my table, I cannot die. Not now, Ais is in danger.

I immediately grabbed my gun in my lower closet. I reloaded it as fast as I could. And there, I shot the man but we exchanged bullets through our body. I wasn't able to move away, my shoulder is shot.

But the man fell down, his blood started to flow. But neither could an unrighteous man die early.

"I'm your nemesis

You will never find out about the thesis

Seek through the parentheses

I'm a snake

A traitor in our own kindred

The water by the ocean shall turn red

You will be nothing but dread." He said.

Before he could lose his breath he smiled once more and he said.

"My life is paid in full, I wouldn't mind dying. I'm sent to start your end. A messenger of sly elapid..." He said before he sighed his last breath.

Sly elapid? This is a serious case. I've never encountered code names before. Could this be a gang?

Ellaine looked at me. She moved out from her hiding place.

"Sir, Ais is in danger." She said.

I know, but how can I save her without knowing where to start?

Ellaine walked towards the dead body, there she picked up a box. The package that was supposed to be delivered.

She opened it, I watched her as she open it.

It was as a size of a shoebox. After unwrapping the package there she pulled out an envelope.

It was a brown envelope. She looked at me.

What could this be? My curiosity is bugging me out.

I signaled her to move closer to me. She handed me the envelope. The moment I held it my heart stopped beating.

The content of this envelope could give me hope or kill my chances.

I took a deep breath and then I started to break the seal.

The moment I pulled out the content of the envelope my tears started falling. It's containing a picture.

Who could do such thing? Do tell me this is a nightmare.

Ellaine took a peek from the picture and she gasped with a shocked expression.

I couldn't believe this, my princess doesn't deserve this. She is being treated like a slave.

Even worse than a slave.

I saw my daughter's arm with a tattooed name. It was written through her flesh. She is badly wounded.

"Sly elapid..." I read the name written in her arm.

My anger rose up upon mouthing that name. I'll make him pay!

I slammed the table with my anger. I groaned my frustrations out.

"UGH!!!" I swear the owner of that code name will pay. He'll regret the day that he messed with me.

I started making a mess. Ellaine just watched me. I turned the table down. With all my force I slammed the chairs to the floor. I wouldn't mind breaking all of this.

When I felt tiredness I grasped for air. I looked at Ellaine once more.

"Sir, anger won't lead to anything better." She advised me.

She is right, but this feeling can never be kept. I must let it out.

The room was filled with silence the only thing that could be heard was our breathing.

My phone suddenly rang. I picked it up from my pocket. I looked at the call register, this number is new.

I answered it immediately.

"Anger shall be your enemy

This is my epitome

You'll pay for messing with me." A deep dark voice said from the other line.

My anger rose once more.

"Who are you?!" I asked.

This is no time for joke or pranks. Swear, he must talk. I'll hunt him down.

"How can you hunt a hunter down?

A prey can never defeat his predator

A deer can never poison a snake

I'm your nightmare born to make your life miserable." He said.

This conversation creeps me out. How did he know my thoughts?

I looked around.

I closed all the open curtains. After closing them all, I went back to talking to him.

"I'll ask you again, who are you?!" I shouted.

I'm losing my patience.

"A puzzle is made to be solved

Look for the clues

I'll be found by the hue

The red between blue." He answered.

"Answer me!!!" I said with frustration.

I took a glance at the screen and there I saw the call officially ended. I threw my phone.

This is not making any sense, but for someone who can understand this it will be easy.

Why didn't I think of him? How dumb was I?

"Call he son of the senior detective, hire Reed Bryst." I ordered.

He is the only one who can help me.