THE SURPRISE MEETING There wasn't much to do after speaking on the phone with his grandfather. And he didn't feel like going to the office again because it was already late in the afternoon. "Better to make an early start tomorrow," he said to convince himself. The truth was that he was having mixed feelings about seeing Liliana after the way his conversation with Lord Dezani went. So Caleb thought to use the remainder of the day to go out sightseeing. He didn't know any place of interest in Mumbai except what he read up on Google and the few places he had seen on drama series in Bollywood. Putting on a pair of army-green Chinos with a butter-yellow round-neck T-shirt and black trainers, he carried his black summer coat in case the weather gets cold and stepped out to the reception. "Going somewhere, sir?" the receptionist on duty asked him. "Yes. But I can leave my keycard at the reception if it's the hotel policy," he said, sensing it might be the reason the oval-shaped face

STRANGE CALLERThey sat there not talking for another five minutes. Caleb offered Liliana his handkerchief to blow her nose and wipe her eyes. "I don't know why I'm crying like a baby. I'm sorry for letting my emotions run away with your story." Liliana said as she cleaned the mess on her face. "It's because you have a good heart. Even though at first I misjudged you to be an arrogant bitch." Liliana smiled amidst her melancholic state. "Everyone always thinks that way at first.""Everyone, you say? That's hardly surprising," Caleb said laughing lightheartedly. He was surprised at how comfortable he felt sharing his past with her. And now he was becoming curious about her own past. "Can you tell me a bit about yourself?" he asked as the waiter came to clear their table. Caleb realized his coffee was getting cold and drank it in one gulp. The waiter took the tray away. "I would say my childhood wasn't so much fun as I grew up without a father." Liliana began and her eyes started t

TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT GAME Caleb ignored him and waited for the video. He was getting impatient because he was worried about Liliana. She would be wondering what has kept him for so long. Finally, the man punched a few digits on the keyboard of the desktop in front of him and said, "Here, take a look," turning it to face Caleb. Caleb pushed himself forward, his body almost leaning against the desk. The footage showed the outside of the pharmacy shop. He could see the man who gave them the ride as he went back into his car. He started to turn the key in the ignition but his phone suddenly buzzed from the front passenger seat. He sighed and punched the receiver button. "Yes, boss." He said in a measured tone. "Could you please increase the volume?" Caleb said, looking up at the manager. "I want to hear what the caller is saying." But the manager was staring back at Caleb with disguised curiosity. His mind was fixed on the card he was holding. From the moment he saw it, he knew he

IT'S TOO DANGEROUS Caleb was escorted back to his hotel in one of the police's cars, apparently the police assigned to the hotel whom he texted, while the driver of the Cadillac was taken to the station by the patrol team for questioning. Liliana who was still dazed from her near-death experience clinched like a leech to Caleb's arm. Luckily, none of them sustained any injury except a minor cut on Caleb's neck where a shard of glass pierced him. "We will get our hotel medical staff to clean that up and dress it." The policeman at the hotel said, then proceeded to ask Caleb whether Liliana was his girlfriend. Caleb gave her a cool look and shook his head, "No," he replied. "B-but she's my employee." He emphasized that last part to explain away their relationship. It was too dark for Caleb to see Liliana's face under the coconut palm that lined the car park in the hotel premises where they stood, but he could feel the muscle of her hand go tense beneath his. "In that case, we wil

THE HUNT CONTINUES Guillermo sat still after the call with Nathan ended, his hands trembling as his mind became a warehouse of scattered thoughts."Where in the world am I going to get twelve million dollars from?" he flung his hands in exasperation."The Don knows I don't have the money," he lamented, "and he's aware of my predicament - hiding in an underground that is a little bigger than a dungeon. Otherwise, if I were out there, I might have gotten a loan from the bank." Guillermo had gone into serious financial crises after his last contract with the government expired and he was unable to renew it. The company he used to partner with was struck off the list and the contract was given to a new company. One that he always suspected belonged to El-Zaki. How did he know? Simple. When he went to meet the man in charge of issuing contracts, he told him he had received direct orders from above to not renew the contract. But he forced the truth out of the man's mouth and he eventuall