Chapter 2 : It can't be him

Esme was standing in front of the building and had no idea Joseph was around her.

" Is someone moving in the building? ".

It was too crowded and noisy and the ground of the building, that even if he had no interest in knowing who was moving, he was still attracted due to the chaos.

He walked to the source and saw a pretty woman standing there beside the truck with that cold expression on her face.

" Be careful with stuff. If you break even one piece, I will snap your head off your body ", She exclaimed in a cold tone, she was aggressive.

Joseph narrowed his eyes as he head that line and looked at the woman in front of him.

" Snap their head off the body huh, pretty aggressive you are ".

Esme turned around the source of the voice as she heard that manly tones. As she turned around, there was a handsome and tall man standing...making her feel like she was watching a celeb. At the time, she also doubted that if he belonged to the entertainment industry, but slid that thought away.

" Who are you? ", She asked while smiling, and an earlier facial expression vanished from her face.

The transition in Esme's facial expression happened so quickly that Joseph wondered if she is the same person as before.

" I live here ", Joseph pointed out at the building and then looked at her.

" Umm! good to know that I have such a handsome neighbour. I am moving in today. And I am sorry for my earlier words of choice. You see...I am quite the mean tongue, I hope you won't get offended by it ", Esme assured him that she was a good person.

Actually, there's no need for her to butter him up or make him feel she is a good person. After all, even if they are residents of the same building, there's no way they would bump into each other.

" This woman is quite strange. Just a moment ago she sounded like a gangster ruling her men. But the moment she saw me, her facial expression changed in whole...".

Joseph thought but never showed it on his face.

He smiled at her. " Please continue doing your job, I need to leave ", Joseph asked for permission to leave.

" Sure! Please go ahead ".

He entered the building and saw Esme walking behind him. She was staring at her phone. Joseph felt awkward but then he walked in the elevator. To his surprise, she walked in as well but seemed to have no interest in anything about Joseph.

" Which floor? ", He asked considering she must be feeling embarrassed or something.

" 12th floor. Thank you ", She said while looking in on her phone.

" 12th floor? ", His eyes grew in shock as he looked at her knowing she was going to the same floor as him.

" Is this a coincidence? ", He wondered but forgot about it.

Esme gave him no attention whatsoever, she was busy texting her friend. And for some reason, a friend of her was not picking up the phone and not returning her text. It was nothing to worry about but she was getting pretty anxious over this.

She did not even realise when they reached the 12th floor, the door opened and Joseph exited. But after a few seconds, he returned to her and then pulled her out of the elevator.

Esme was pretty shocked by this when she saw him grabbing her dress and pulling her out. If it was to be somewhere else, she would have used her fist long ago but restrained herself.

" Excuse me? ", She looked at the man and realised that he was Joseph, the person she met in front of the building.

" 12th floor...Where's your mind? ".

It was only now that she realised what he was talking about. When it comes to her friend, she forgets everything.

" Ahh! I am sorry, I was quite distracted. And thank you so much. By the way! Do you live on this floor too? ", She asked him seeing that they both got off the same floor.

He just nodded to her.

" I should leave now, see you around ", Joseph left after saying so.

" Even though I get strange vibes from him, he is pretty handsome ", Esme was charmed by him to a little extent.

She again diverted her attention on the phone screen and dial the number. She tried many times, but Lyla was not picking her phone at all.

" What's happening on her side? it's literally the 15th time that I have called her, why is she not picking? maybe...I should try to call her after some time ".

Layla was her only friend. No....she had many friends, but lyla is the only one who's true to her with all her heart. It's been a whole day since she was trying to contact Lyla.

But no matter how many times she tried to contact her, she never got through anything.

Esme put that thought away for a while and entered her apartment. She couldn't believe this was her new home now. She has been living in the previous home for like a decade now and it had already become a real home to her.

And now...all of a sudden, she was standing in the new house.

" As a daughter of a mafia, I should get used to it ".

The next day,

Joseph came to work as usual, he was working on a case and his team was pretty deprived and tired from the work. They needed rest but in order to do that, it was important to solve the case.

However, the chief of crime detective department, he was not letting them go. Introducing them to new cases one after another, he was a monster in disguise of a mortal.

" Chief! may I come in? ", Joseph asked for the permission as he stood in front of the door.

" Come in ", He gave the permission.

After Joseph came in, he sat down and was looking at the files, he had no idea what Chief Lukas wanted to tell him.

" Yesterday's mascara...what do you think about it? ", Chief Lucas finally asked.

Joseph put the files on the table and looked at him. " I am not sure. But the killing style and everything implied that it must be done by Adam Arnauld himself. There's no one in the whole city who can be as fearless as him...".

" Indeed...you are my son, we both share the same thinking. But I doubt that it's him yesterday. Do you see the crime scene? and the people who are killed? the style may seem the same but it was slightly different, much smoother and cleaner than what Adam Arnauld can do...don't you agree? ", Lucas presented his thoughts in front of Joseph.

" You mean...there's someone who's more skilled and smarter than Adam Arnauld? or maybe he is thinking of something? ", Joseph asked.

" I have been following Adam Arnauld for the last twenty years. And I am pretty sure about it that as long as someone doesn't get into his nerves, he won't do any harm to them...but the case this time is way too strange ".

Lucas has been following the leads of crimes that Adam has done till now. Even a small crime of Adam can't be hidden from him. And this time...it was too hasty.

As if, it was never Adam or his men to wipe out the whole organisation.

It was someone who's better than Adam and knows every insider information of the organization.

" Do you want me to look into it? ", Joseph asked.

" Of course, I want you to look into it and find out who killed everyone, Cause I am sure it's not Adam ", Lucas was very sure that it can't be Adam who killed everyone.

" I understand. I want to discuss another matter with you. Everyone is very tired, it's been days since they had a peaceful vacation. So after we are done solving this case, I want you to grant everyone a holiday of two or maybe one days. Of course, the decision is yours ", Joseph said which everyone couldn't in front of him.

Adam smiled as he heard his son making points before him when all he should do is listen to him like an obedient Son. But everyone knows it...Joseph is by no means an obedient son. He is more like a ruthless detective.

" I will think about it ".

After having that discussion, they started talking about the murder case they are solving right now. As they were having a conversation...

The news started spreading inside the whole Bureau...

" Boss! A murder case has been reported...".

" A woman is found dead in her house, it's said that she was murdered ".

Two people rushed in and gave this information. Joseph looked at his father. " Mr. Auclair, I am afraid I can't grant your wish ", He said with a faint smile on his face.

" Let's go to the crime scene ".