Chapter 12 : Encounter with Samir.

The new day has begun. Elara entered the police station, the usual clatter of phones, chatter, and hurried footsteps surrounding him. In his usual navy blue uniform, he was looking so tensed and tired. He had a purpose in mind today : to find out who was behind the mysterious phone number provided by the security guard.

Making his way to a computer station, he sat down and swiftly began his search. Elara went through the police database interface, entering the phone number in question. The database was extensive, contained a vast amount of information on various individuals. 

Finally, the search results came back. The name associated with the number was Rafi Ahmed. Elara's brow furrowed as he read further. Rafi Ahmed had a criminal record, including charges for kidnapping and murder. He had spent five years in prison in the past.

Elara felt a rush of anxiety. If Ava was in any way involved with someone like Rafi Ahmed, it could mean she was in serious danger. He clenched his fists. The worry and anxiety were unbearable. He began to bang his head lightly with his hand in frustration. His headache, which had been a dull throb, now intensified.

He had to take immediate action, and his first job was to reach out to a fellow police officer who was known for his expertise in missing persons cases – Michael. He dialed Michael's number, and the officer arrived promptly.

Michael entered Elara's office, his face reflecting the concern he felt for his colleague and friend. He nodded to Elara and asked, "What's going on, Elara? You look troubled."

Elara wasted no time and began to explain the situation. "I've been trying to find my sister, Ava. She's gone missing, and I got this number from the security guard in our apartment building. I traced it back to a man named Rafi Ahmed, who has a criminal record for kidnapping and murder. He's been to prison."

Michael furrowed his brows, his mind racing as he processed the information. "Kidnapping and murder? That's serious, Elara. We need to act fast. Can you share all the information you have on this guy?"

Elara quickly handed over the details he had gathered about Rafi Ahmed. Michael examined the information carefully and nodded. "I'll get on this right away. We'll launch a missing person report for Ava, and I'll lead the investigation. Rest assured, we'll do everything we can to locate her."

....…...

 A Gloomy atmosphere pervaded the room. The passage of time seemed to crawl. Ava found herself in the bathroom, her eyes naturally drawn to a small window near the ceiling. This window offered a glimpse of the outside world through frosted glass. She considered the possibility of escaping through the window, but the risk was big as it's noon. Someone easily could spot her escape attempt in daylight. 

Then, she heard the familiar sound of the door unlocking. She emerged from the bathroom to find a young man standing in front of her. He was dressed in an oversized blue hoodie and blue trousers. Behind him was Aziza, who set a plate of food on the table before leaving the room.

The young man introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Samir, Ibrahim's younger brother. He left for the office early today, and he wanted me to make sure you eat everything."

 "I'll eat later." Ava replied. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, her gaze fixated on the window.

Samir hesitated before stating, "I can't leave until you eat. It's my brother's orders." 

Ava couldn't help but vent her frustration and said, "Doesn't your brother have any other work?" 

She closed her eyes for a brief moment. She was growing increasingly frustrated with the suffocating control that Ibrahim seemed to have over her every move.

Samir shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Right now, taking care of you is Ibrahim's top priority."

Ava turned toward Samir a hint of mockery in her voice as she remarked, "Taking care of me? Oh, how considerate, taking care of me after kidnapping me." 

Samir attempted to defend his brother, "Ibrahim isn't a bad person. His methods may be questionable, but in his heart, you've taken a significant place." 

Still bewildered and frustrated, Ava stood up from the bed and quipped, "Is your whole family insane? Nobody here seems to be normal. Do you even have any kind of humanity?"

"I understand you might be confused, sister-in-law, but..." The moment the word "sister-in-law" left Samir's lips, Ava's world seemed to spin. She clenched her jaw and interrupted him with a mix of disbelief and anger, "What did you just say?"

Samir gulped nervously. Despite being the younger brother of a mafia figure like Ibrahim, he felt a pang of fear as he saw Ava's enraged expression. He stammered, "I.....I said sister-in-law. Can't he address her that? Because Ibrahim intends to marry you."

Ava's shock was palpable. Her mouth fell open, and her gaze turned wide as she sought confirmation, "He wants to marry me?"

Ava's frustration bubbled over, and she impulsively grabbed a large glass vase from the table and held it high in the air. It looked as though she might hurl it at Samir any moment. With her voice filled with anger, she demanded another repetition, "What did you just say? Say it again."

Samir, now truly terrified. He took a few steps towards the door. It was better to leave her alone."No, no, don't throw that at me! You can ask my brother. He's the one who—"

But Ava's fury couldn't be controlled. Before Samir could finish his plea, she hurled the vase toward him. He reacted quickly, unlocking the door and escaping from the room just in the nick of time. The glass vase collided with the door, shattering into a thousand pieces.

Ava shouted through the locked door, "Tell your brother she'll escape from here soon."

Samir quickly dashed upstairs to his room, where his heart was still pounding from the encounter with Ava. He had never seen a woman like Ava. He picked up his phone and dialed Ibrahim's number while lying on the bed.

"Hello, brother," Samir began, "you're not going to believe what just happened here."

Moments later, Ibrahim's deep voice came through the phone, "Samir, what's the matter?" He was engrossed in a discussion with Faisal over an important project. 

 "Brother, you won't believe what just happened. You brought a bomb into this house!" Samir replied. 

Ibrahim's eyes widened in alarm. "A bomb? What are you talking about? Explain quickly, Samir."

Samir took a deep breath, then blurted out, "Well, you see, I was trying to do that thing you asked me to do. So, Aziza Aunt and I went to her room, and while I was talking to her, I accidentally called her 'sister-in-law.'"

There was a brief pause on the line, and then Ibrahim's deep voice came through. "You did what? Samir, especially in this situation ! Why would you call her 'sister-in-law' out of the blue?"

Samir continued, "Well, Ibrahim, here's the kicker, because I called her 'sister-in-law,' she decided to use a glass vase as a projectile. She almost turned my handsome face into a Picasso painting! I had to dive out of the room to save myself."

Ibrahim couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of it all. He leaned back in his office chair, earning curious glances from Faisal. "So, you called her 'sister-in-law,' and she nearly turned your face into modern art with a glass vase?"

Samir chuckled, "Exactly! She threatened to turn me into an avant-garde masterpiece if I didn't get out of there quickly."

Ibrahim managed to compose himself and said, "Keep me updated if anything else happens. And please, don't call her 'sister-in-law' again unless you want to test your luck."

Samir agreed, "I've learned my lesson, brother. I'll be more cautious."