Chapter 17

Ontario, Canada.

Souline's pov:

It was just another ordinary day. I got up early, went through my morning routine, showered, brushed my teeth, changed clothes, did my hair and makeup, and then left my house. I usually eat at the cafe because I rarely eat at home, but this time I went straight to Alliana's house to get some papers.

As Alliana's assistant and best friend, I have a spare key that she gave me in case I need to get into her house. I also gave her a spare house key in case she needed to gain access to mine.

I got in my car and started driving to her house, which is about fifteen minutes away from where I live. Ontario traffic was not an issue this time; it was smooth. I eventually got to her house and parked in her garage. I noticed her car was still there, which was odd because she usually goes out to eat. I didn't think much of it because I assumed she didn't want anything.

I got out of my car and unlocked it before proceeding to the door. I came to a stop in the middle because I felt like something was staring at me or looking at me. Worse, they're stalking or spying on me. When I turned around, there was no one there. It was probably instinct, so I shrugged and went on. The strange thing is that when I put my hand on the doorknob, it opened by itself.

It wasn't secured.

My brow furrowed, and I thought to myself, "Why isn't her door shut? Did she forget something? Has she been robbed?" I dashed inside and shut the door. I took a look around to see if anything had been stolen. Everything was left in its original state.

I dropped my belongings and went upstairs to her room. When I opened the door, her room was empty. "Alliana?" I asked as I turned on the lights and noticed her bed was disorganized.

I walked around and opened the closet to see that it was organized. I went to her bathroom to see if she was in there, but she wasn't. "What the fuck," I thought to myself as I walked back into her room. It was very unlikely for Alliana to leave her room like that, especially since she despised being disorganized and all over the place.

I was about to leave her room when I noticed her phone on her nightstand. I took her phone and examined it to see if it was cracked. It had a dim, but it wasn't too bad. This gave me a bad feeling, and it made my stomach twist. I left her phone on the bed in case she returned and looked for it. I returned downstairs to look for anything else.

Her living room was spotless, her kitchen was clean, and her basement remained untouched. Except for her room, nothing had been touched. I sat on the couch and went over everything again. I even had bad thoughts about someone kidnapping, abducting, or even murdering her. Who would want to hurt Alliana, who is nothing but a sweet and educated young lady? I had to think realistically about all of the people she had imprisoned.

Could one of them flee and abduct her for vengeance? That's not possible. They are all still imprisoned. I had the impression that someone had taken her, but murdering her was out of the question.

I went to look for the papers and took them from my drawer. I was still working on Celeste and Celine's SA cases because Alliana wasn't here and we promised them we'd help them.

I sat and looked over their documents and information. I took my phone from my pocket and dialed Gio to see if he had any information about Alliana's whereabouts.

"Hello?" Giro asked. "Hello, Gio. Souline here. I have a question about Alliana," I said. "Hey Soul, what about her?" Gio asked. "Did you talk to her?" I asked. "We talked about an SA case yesterday. Why?" Gio asked. "I went to her house to get some papers, and her door was open. I went inside to look for her, but she wasn't there," I elaborated.

"Weird. Have you made any attempts to contact her?" Gio asked. "Her phone was left at her house," I said. "That's strange; you don't think something could've happened to her?" Gio asked. "I don't think so; Alliana doesn't have a lot of enemies," I replied.

"The people she put in jail are still there; what if she went out and forgot her phone?" Gio wondered. "I thought so, but her car is still parked here, her phone is still here, and her room is disorganized," I explained.

"That's very suspicious and strange. You don't believe she could have been abducted?" Gio asked. "I hope that's not the case, but everything points to it," I said. "Have you given this to the cops?" Gio asked. "I'll report it if she doesn't show up within the next twenty-four hours," I said.

"I hope she returns soon and safely; it's very unlikely that she would disappear like that," Gio said. "I know," I admitted. "Be safe, and please keep me updated," Gio advised. "Alright. Thank you for your help," I said before hanging up.

I sighed and returned my gaze to the papers. I wanted to finish this case and go on a search for Alliana, but she'd want me to look over this case to see if I found anything significant. I've looked through it for thirty minutes and haven't found anything.

I remembered that Alliana was supposed to visit Velma at the children's cancer hospital today. Because she isn't here, I decided to go tell Velma why Alliana didn't come to see her.

I made an excuse, claiming that Alliana was sick and couldn't make it because she didn't have enough strength. I gathered my belongings and left her house, making certain to lock the door behind me and Alliana.

I went inside my car and started it, driving straight out of the garage and onto the road. I knew where the children's hospital was because Alliana and I passed it on our way to the cafe every day. I arrived a few minutes later and parked inside the lot. I exited my car and locked it before entering the building.

"Hello? What can I do to help you?" asked a secretary. "I'm here for visitors," I explained. "Are you a volunteer?" asked the secretary. "I'm not, but my friend is," I clarified. "Who is your friend, ma'am?" asked the secretary.

"Alliana Mercedes," I said. "Ah, Alliana?" asked the secretary. "Yes, ma'am," I said. "Why isn't she here?" asked the secretary. "Unfortunately, she is sick at home. She didn't want Velma to think Alliana had abandoned her, so she sent me to see her," I explained. "That's extremely thoughtful of her. Right this way," said the secretary as she stood up.

I followed her into an elevator that took us to the third floor. We went from door to door until we got to the one at the end of the hall. "Here she is. The visit is only twenty minutes long," the secretary stated. I nodded and smiled.

"Thank you," I replied. "No problem," the secretary said as she walked away. I inhaled deeply before putting my hand on the knob and turning it.

I entered and took a glance around, astounded by Velma's room. It seemed so pristine and clear. In my day, we used to have those rooms that appeared unkempt and disorganized. I shut the door and went to the bed where Velma was snoozing while watching some Hello Kitty cartoons on the television.

I softly greeted her and turned down the lights just enough for her to see my body. With a bewildered gaze, Velma gradually moved her head in my direction.

"Who are you?" Velma asked. "Souline Marie, Alliana's assistant, and friend," I said introducing myself before crouching down next to her. Her eyes glistened as I mentioned Alliana.

"Souline? Liana has told me a lot of things about you," Velma said. I raised an eyebrow. "Liana?" I asked. "I call her Liana, and she calls me Vellie. We have nicknames for one another," explained Velma.

I giggled while grinning. "What nickname would you give me?" I asked. "Hm. I'd call you Lina," Velma said. "Where did you get Lina?" I asked. "It was the first thought that sprang to me," Velma said.

"Lina is a cute name. I can understand your choice," I said. "What would you call me?" Velma asked. " Vel," I replied. "Short and simple, I see," Velma remarked. "Yes." I teased her, "It was the first thing that came to my mind."

She grinned while rolling her eyes. "Where is Alliana?" Velma asked. "Alliana is now ill. She became weak and could no longer speak, so she sent me to meet you," I lied. Even if lying to this young child hurts my heart, I reasoned that it would seem more convincing than telling her that Alliana is missing because of this.

"Oh," Velma responded with a tone of sadness. "Don't worry, Vel; she'll visit you soon," I said with a smile. "I hope before it's too late," Velma replied with a smile that appeared broken. I scrunched up my brows and gave her a bewildered look.

"What do you mean before it's too late?" I asked. "Visits are over," the secretary announced. I got up and gave Velma a hug. "I'll see you soon," I said, smiling, before walking away from her.

"Yeah, soon," Velma muttered. I walked out of her room and into the elevator. What Velma said perplexed me. "As soon as possible." What does that imply?

I let out a deep breath and rubbed my temples. I returned to the first floor of the hospital and exited. I entered the parking lot and went to my car. I turned on my car and drove away from the hospital and the parking lot. I went by Alliana's house to see what had changed.

Everything remained the same. I came to a stop at the red light because there was some traffic. I rubbed my brow at the house directly in front of Alliana's. Someone was gazing through the curtains at my car. They moved away from the curtains after I honked my horn. When the lights turned green, I took off.

I got home four minutes later and parked in my garage. Before entering my house, I got out of my car and locked it. I realized I hadn't eaten anything all day due to my many thoughts and worries. I was concerned about Alliana and who could have abducted her, especially since Alliana is nothing but a sweet and kind person.

I went upstairs to take a shower so that I could relax. It didn't work; it made me think harder. I put on my pajamas and sat down on the bed. I turned my ring on just in case Alliana calls or texts me.

I hope she does, or else I'll go insane.