CHAPTER # 5: HELLO

Allison's POV:

I couldn't blink my eyes and kept staring into the distance as I reminisced about the moment when I fell from the bricks while spying on Jacob Hayes. I tried to visualize the incident, hoping I hadn't dropped my ID card there. Uncertain about where I dropped it, my mind told me it was there, but I clung to hope. Taking a deep breath, I quickly grabbed my phone to call Isaac.

"Hey..." I began as he answered the call.

"Hey, Allison... What happened? Is everything okay?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah, yeah, everything is fine" I said while rubbing my forehead. "Um, please tell me you're still in that cab?" I added anxiously.

"Uh, no... The cab is gone. I just got out of it" He replied, and I shut my eyes tightly in frustration. "But what happened?" He asked inquisitively.

"Um, actually, I can't find my ID card, and... I thought I might have dropped it in the cab... So I called you, thinking you might still be in the car and could check if you find the card there" I said anxiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I knew about this café in town, so I dropped by to have some breakfast" Isaac defended.

"No, it's not your fault... I got careless" I said in frustration and gulped, thinking about what would happen if I had dropped it near that under-construction building.

"Anyway, thanks..." I said and was about to hang up.

"Um, wait, Allison..." Isaac said immediately and then added, "The cab driver's details are in my phone, so I can call him and ask if he found any card in the cab"

"Oh, yes..." I said, jumping up in excitement, hoping he would find the card there. "Can you do that for me? I'll be so grateful, Isaac" I added earnestly.

"It's okay, Allison... I'll find out, don't worry" Isaac said, and I hung up the call after bidding goodbye to him. Isaac was really sweet and a gentleman. He would never refuse me anything, and I knew he could be the best man any woman could ever have. But despite all the goodness in him, I never felt any attraction towards him. My heart never beat faster when I was around him, and I never felt the urge to kiss him or be close to him.

Thinking about Isaac for a moment, I realized that something else was more important to consider—my missing card. Panic seized me, and I grabbed my phone before standing up from the chair. Looking down at the coffee I had just gotten, I realized how scared I was, knowing I wouldn't be able to drink it. I discarded the coffee cup in a nearby trash bin and headed to my department.

As I entered, I saw everyone working peacefully in their cabins, while I regretted going to such lengths to investigate that guy, which had gotten me into trouble and potentially put my life at risk if I had dropped that card there. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, I walked ahead and reached my cabin.

"Hey, Allison" Dorothy greeted.

"Hi" I said, holding my phone anxiously, waiting for Isaac to call me with good news.

"Is everything okay?" Dorothy whispered.

"Yeah... Everything is fine" I said, nodding anxiously as she observed me suspiciously for a few seconds before returning to her work. Suddenly, my phone rang, and I quivered, immediately looking down at it, hoping it was Isaac, but it was Josiah.

"God..." I whispered, burying my head in my hands while the phone continued to ring. Sighing in frustration, I got up from the chair and walked towards Josiah's room, ignoring his call. Knocking on the door, I turned the knob and peeped inside.

"Allison" Josiah said, standing up from his chair as I walked in. "Where were you? Why weren't you picking up my call?" He asked, worried and restless, while I gulped and walked towards his desk.

"Um, I'm sorry... I overslept... I got here late" I said nervously.

"Okay, no problem... Sit down" He said, grabbing his chair as well. He seemed worried about something, and I couldn't help but look at him suspiciously.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Allison... I'm so glad you overslept" Josiah said, heaving a sigh of relief, while I looked at him in confusion.

I chuckled nervously and added, "What?"

"Yeah... You know, I was so worried when you weren't answering the call. I thought something happened to you" He said, making me nervous.

"Why - Why would anything happen to me?" I asked him, confused.

"Because you were... you were researching that billionaire... So..." Josiah said, searching for something on his desk.

"What?" I added, growing restless, gulping hard. "I don't understand, Josiah... If I was doing the research, then what?"

"Allison..." He said, then grabbed a pen he found beneath some papers on his desk. "Ah, here it is" He said, looking at the pen and then looked up at me anxiously. "Allison, I want you to abort that research" He ordered, surprising me.

"What?" I asked in shock, then rubbed my forehead, adding, "Why? I mean, what suddenly happened that you want to abort it?"

As he took a deep breath, I added restlessly, "Did... Did he contact you? I mean, did he reach out to you or something?"

"What? No... How would he reach me or contact me? He doesn't know us or this company" Josiah defended, and I looked down, gulping hard, realizing how he could find out about me and the company if I had dropped my card there.

"Yeah, of course... He... He doesn't know" I said nervously.

"Yeah, the thing is... I got a call from one of my sources, and they told me something scary about this billionaire, who is actually a mafia boss" Josiah said, and my heart started racing as I looked at him in fear.

"What - What scary thing?" I asked him in my shaky voice.

"Allison, he told me that the guy got arrested back when he was in California" Josiah said.

"What? Why?" I asked restlessly, not letting him speak.

"Because he was charged with murder" Josiah revealed, and my eyes widened in shock while my heart skipped a beat. I couldn't blink or say anything, just kept staring at him.

"Allison..." He said, snapping his fingers, bringing me back to reality.

"Mur... Murder?" I murmured.

"Yes, but he got cleared and released from jail" Josiah informed, and my heart found a momentary reprieve. "But there are whispers that he actually murdered someone and used his power to get acquitted. The police couldn't keep him behind bars for long" Josiah said, and my heart raced while my hands grew cold.

"And so I want you to please abort this plan, okay? Even if he didn't actually murder someone, I don't want to take any risks and put your life at stake" Josiah said sharply, but I couldn't process the news.

"Uh, did... Did they tell you why he murdered someone?" I asked, taking a deep breath.

"Actually, they weren't sure about the reason, but they heard it from somewhere that the victim did something to wrong this billionaire, which infuriated him to the extent that he killed that person" Josiah said, and I took a deep breath, gulping down the lump in my throat, realizing how I was also in danger now because I tried to spy on him.

As I sat there in shock, unable to speak or blink, Josiah started again, "So it's settled. We are aborting this investigation, and you can get back to your normal work, okay?"

"Um, yeah" I said, rubbing my forehead and adding, "Yeah, sure... I'll go..."

As I stood up from the chair and walked towards the door, Josiah called out from behind, "Allison?"

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around to look at him.

"Is everything okay? You look... disturbed" He said.

"Uh, no... I'm fine... I think I'm still quite sleepy, I guess" I said, chuckling nervously, while he smiled and nodded.

"No worries... You can have a coffee and relax for a while. This murder story also might have scared you" Josiah said, smiling, and I nodded and smiled back.

"Yeah that too... Thanks" I said.

"And remember, we're not doing anything regarding this Jacob Hayes case, okay? It's done" Josiah warned, and I immediately nodded before walking out of his office.

As I walked to my desk, I kept thinking about what Josiah had said. It haunted me. I couldn't help but imagine myself being killed by Jacob Hayes for spying on him. I could imagine myself begging for my life, and I gulped. Lost in thoughts of Jacob Hayes, I didn't listen to what Ryan was saying until he jostled me, and I quivered.

"Hey..." Ryan said, and I looked at him with wide eyes. "You were lost in something" He commented.

"Uh, no... I was just... just thinking about some work" I said, rubbing my forehead.

"Yeah, that's why I said you were lost..." Ryan said, then added, "Where were you this morning? Josiah was so worried, and I don't know why."

"Uh yeah... I... I didn't wake up to my alarm" I said, smiling nervously.

"Okay, everything's okay, right?" Ryan asked, concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine... Don't worry" I said, chuckling nervously. He nodded and returned to his desk. I stood there, took a deep breath, and decided to go to the bathroom and wash my face with cold water to calm myself down.

As I walked away to head towards the bathroom, my phone suddenly started ringing. I took it out from my pocket and saw that it was from a private number.

"Oh, maybe it's the cab driver," I said excitedly. "But why would he call me?" I asked myself in confusion as the phone continued ringing.

Taking a breath, I answered the call, "Hello?"

"Hello, Allison Wesley," the person on the other end said in a deep, velvety, and captivating voice. It seemed like I had heard that voice before, but I couldn't recognize it at that moment.

"Um, who's this?" I asked, my heart pounding.

"People call me Jacob Hayes" He said, and my eyes widened in shock as my heart skipped a beat...