"Kizy, trust me. I have never done this! I was never involved in-" Markus was still speaking when Kizy cut him off.
"It's professor." Kizy said, trying to catch her breath.
"No please trust me. I haven't done anythi-" Markus was speaking before pausing.
"Wait. Professor?" Markus questioned, though, understanding what Kizy meant.
"This is done by the professor." Kizy said, confirming his doubts.
"What should we do now?" Markus asked, not understanding how to deal with someone whom he had only heard rumours about.
"Joel, you first read the articles in detail and give me the exact time and dates mentioned by those twenty nine girls in their statements." Kizy said, trying to plan things.
"Markus, till then I want you to tell me about when and where you have met these girls." Kizy said.
"I genuinely don't remember meeting any of them. But through the photos posted by the media, the majority of them were those who had attended some program, charity events or other business meetings where I was invited." Markus answered immediately.
"I want information on every single girl." Kizy said, taking out another laptop for herself.
"Kizy, there's another problem." Markus said.
"What?" Kizy asked, typing furiously on her laptop.
"The thing is, one of the girls involved in this is a minor, just seventeen year old. This is the main reason why the topic isn't dying down. Citizens are enraged because of this highlighting piece of information." Markus said, frowning.
"Is she a student?" Kizy asked, guessing from her age.
"Yeah." Markus answered with a nod.
"Rich or poor?" Kizy asked, still typing something.
"Poor. Plus there is proof about the transfer of money to her account. So they are saying that I forced her into this and paid back with money." Markus said, frustrated from the entire situation.
"What about account details?" Kizy asked, pausing from her continuous typing.
"I tried hacking, but it's impossible. Someone better than me." Markus said, dejected.
As soon as the news was leaked, he tried all his means, trying to suppress the news, find information on the girls, hack the minor's account but to no avail.
On top of this, their stock market was hitting its lowest point, adding problems to their already existing ones.
"Let me try once again." Kizy said and started hacking the account.
But after five minutes of trying continuously, she understood that she couldn't do anything about it.
"This isn't working." Kizy said, frustrated because she knew the person behind this.
While she was third best hacker along with Markus, second was none other than Harry, while first position was secured by someone from the Imperial Nation.
Thus she was sure that this was the professor's doing, making the matter more complicated.
"Young Miss I am done with the date and times." Joel said while showing her a pdf.
"Can you find your own location at these timings?" Kizy asked while turning towards Markus.
"I know where I was, but I don't have any proof for the same." Markus said, knowing what Kizy wanted to do, but he knew that he had no way out.
"What do you mean?" Kizy asked confusedly.
"The thing is, grandpa had sent me-" Markus was speaking when Kizy's phone rang.
Kizy immediately picked the call, watching it was from Nina.
"Nina, have you reached back home?" Kizy asked, while looking at the pdf once again.
"Not home yet. But before that, you need to be at some place." A male voice could be heard from behind.
Kizy immediately dropped her laptop, not having any good premonition about this situation.
"Who are you?" Kizy asked, her voice unnatural.
"You don't have to know that. But if you don't reach Aaron's base in half an hour, your friend can say goodbye to her life." The man said in a casual voice, as if he didn't care about Nina's lie at all.
"I don't believe you. Where is my friend?" Kizy asked, trying to stall the man and keep talking, while she gestured to Markus to track the location of the phone call.
"You can think whatever you want. I just wanted to inform you. Reach the base in time or your friend dies. Also don't forget to bring your boyfriend with you. Just you two, no one else is allowed. We need him urgently. And don't try to act smart by asking for rescue. That will only worsen your situation." The man said before hanging up.
"What the hell!" Kizy said while gritting her teeth.
"What happened?" Markus asked.
"Were you able to track the location?" Kizy asked, without answering Markus.
"Not exactly, but it is somewhere near the southern mountain range." Markus answered, checking the location he barely managed to track.
"Will you do me a favour? Nina has been kidnapped, and they want me in C city. Please go save her." Kizy requested Markus.
"No. You are not going-" Markus was still speaking when his phone rang.
He picked up the call only to slam it on the floor after thirty seconds, breaking his phone.
"Mom is missing from the company. Someone left a note saying that we both should go to C city." Markus said, his anger at peak.
Because this was his ultimate threshold. Family. Nobody was allowed to harm even a single strand of hair of his family members, but now his mom was missing for past half an hour.
"When was the last time someone saw her?" Kizy asked, now panicking.
"Half an hour ago, before she went back to her cabin." Markus said.
"Ok. Let's split. We can still-" And once again Kizy was interrupted by a call.
"Kizy save Evie!" Was the first thing that was spoken on the phone.
The call was from the owner of the orphanage at C city, who had visited A city for Kizy's birthday.
"What happened to her?" Kizy asked, alerted.
"Few people came and took her away forcefully. They asked me to pass the message that they will only return Evie when you and Mr. Markus visit them at the decided place." The owner said.
"Don't panic. She will be safe." Kizy said and hung up the call, holding her head between both palms, frustrated from the all out attack launched by Professor.
Finally after a minute of collecting herself, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
"Joel, you have seen Nina right?" Kizy asked.
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- Kizy