Darko Maceda’s slightly dark eyebrows furrowed. He looked up when his secretary knocked and came into his luxurious private office. The walls were made of thick fiber glass, which was covered with Venetian blinds for some privacy while he worked. A laptop was in front of him on his elegant office desk, which was L-shaped and had chrome base and black glass top.

“What is it, Sonia?” he queried in a strict tone.

The young woman looked at her handsome boss. He was the owner of QuickJet, a famous airline that was on the verge of bankruptcy while his late father managed it. But now, it was one of the country’s successful airlines.

Darko’s long hair was now in a man bun, which made him look sexier. And of course, his secretary was ogling him. He knocked his table to get her attention.

“Uh… the police are here and they want to speak with you, sir,” she said, blushing.

He was used to women drooling over him. It wasn’t only for his attractive look but also for his money. That’s why he didn’t let any woman get close to him no matter what. He just knew that they had that intention of catching him like a big fish and eating his big chunks. Women are always a fucking necessary luxury. He could well afford them but he just didn’t want to buy, unless that particular woman caught his eye.

“Then let them come in, Sonia,” he ordered in his firm baritone voice.

‘Why are they here? Are they going to ask me where Kyrenia is? The hell!’

“Yes, sir.” She opened the door wider.

A police investigator in civilian clothes—blue jeans and white polo shirt—came in with a couple of uniformed ones. He looked young for a police investigator, with military haircut, moreno, as tall as him and didn’t look bad at all. He gave an aura of not to mess with him. Meanwhile, the two constables were a bit older, maybe in their mid-thirties and looked passive.

“Afternoon, Mr. Maceda. Sorry to interrupt your work. I’m Inspector Bryson Winters, my colleagues Constables Hasikos and Kadis.”

He stood up to shake hands with the three unexpected visitors. He looked at Sonia. “Give them something to drink. It seems that they’re not going to let me work for half an hour or so,” he said to her.

“Yes, sir,” she said, looking at the police in confusion. She went out and closed the door.

Darko gestured the dark blue sofa set on his left. From the commercial building’s fifteenth floor they were on, the cityscape of Nicosia could be very well admired. The building with twenty-one floors can be seen, so were the others that were shorter. The mid-afternoon sky was blue with numerous cirrus clouds.

He settled in the single couch, while the police investigator settled in one long couch, and the two constables sat on the adjacent one. He looked at his left, to address the police investigator.

“You said you’re Winters? Are you with Winters Tankers?”

The police investigator chuckled and shrugged. “That shipping line belongs to my brother, and I’m just a police investigator.”

Darko smiled tightly upon hearing it. “I’ve never seen or met him.”

“Well, now that we met, I think you could see the resemblance once you saw him in your… circle,” he said, gesturing his index finger in a circle. “But he’s… shy. He doesn’t show his face in public as much as possible.”

“Right.” Even Darko didn’t show his face much in the public. He was just being careful. “So, what can I do for you? I’m sure you have some questions.”

Winters stared at him with his light brown eyes. “Ah, you know your drill.” He took out his cellphone. He showed Darko a picture of a pretty blond woman. “You know her, right?”

“Of course. She’s my employee. Kyrenia.”

The police investigator nodded. “Can you tell us when it was the last time you saw her?”

He shrugged. “The other night. My employees and I went to a nightclub to celebrate for an excellent quarter.”

“Do you often take your employees out for a celebration?”

“Well… yes. Honestly, I usually give them some money to celebrate. It’s like an award for doing a great job as a team. I rarely go with them. I just happened to come with them to celebrate that night.”

“So, why were you with them, especially that night? Was it because of her?”

Darko’s brows knitted as he frowned. “Why are you asking me that, Inspector Winters? It wasn’t personal.”

“We did ask some of your employees before coming here to ask you, Mr. Maceda. She was particularly close to you, wasn’t she?”

“That’s absurd! We’re not close. But she did try to get close to me, trying to seduce me with her blue eyes…” he paused, realizing his words while his mind was seeing her azure globes.

“Ah… so, did you leave the nightclub together?”

‘Damn it! Should I tell them the truth?’ Darko’s eyes went to the two constables who were just silent, listening to the interrogation. It seemed that they were ready to arrest him even without a warrant.

Darko’s hands grabbed the couch’s armrest tightly. Surely he wasn’t going to get arrested without any proof! But what if there was one that would point him as the number one suspect?

‘Hell! I shouldn’t have given her a ride home when she asked for it.’

“What happened to her? You didn’t tell me yet!” he roared.

Bryson Winters scratched his brow. “Her mother reported her missing. We were hoping you could tell us where she is, Mr. Maceda.”

“What the hell? Are you telling me that I kidnapped her?”

“Your words, Mr. Maceda. Or… maybe you could tell us what you did to her. You were seen leaving the nightclub together. Are you going to deny it?”

“Yes, we were together. I won’t deny it. I called private drivers for my other employees. They were all drunk, and I just decided to give Kyrenia a ride home when she asked me, and her address was on my way anyway. So, you see? Why would I even refuse?”

“Right. And you were the only one sober?”

“I don’t really drink in public places, if you must know!”

The police investigator looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“I think I need my lawyer.”

Police Investigator Winters laughed and shook his head. “You’re guilty, aren’t you?”