CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ava on the other hand, she was in a state of emotional turmoil. She didn't know whether to cry or laugh, thinking that they were finally getting close to the truth. Just as they seemed to be making progress, everything shattered.

Just then, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Kira. "Hi, girly!" Kira's cheerful voice chimed in.

Ava's tone was subdued. "Hey...

what's wrong? Your voice doesn't sound cheerful."Kira said

Ava's tone turned concerned. "Hm? You don't expect my voice to be cheerful when we're running after someone we've never even seen, do you?"

Kira's voice cut through the tension. "Can you just come pick me up? I just landed."

Ava's expression changed as she processed the request. "Really..?" She trailed off, already knowing she had to go.

"Okay, I'll come get you," Ava said,she turned to the boys telling them to go back to the office.

Ava took a taxi to the location Kira had specified, which turned out to be an airport. Ava thought it was strange that Kira would use an airplane to travel within the country.

As Ava arrived at the airport, she strolled around, looking for Kira. Suddenly, she spotted her friend. Kira looked adorable in her baggy jeans, turtleneck, and cat earpod on her head.Her long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders.

Ava approached Kira, removing the earpod from her ear. Kira looked up, and her face lit up with a smile. "Oh, girly, I missed you!" she exclaimed, opening her arms for a hug.

But Ava playfully hit Kira's hand instead. "You traveled out of town without telling me?" Ava teased.

Kira looked apologetic. "Oh, Alva, I'm so sorry. It was an emergency, and I forgot to tell you."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "You forgot to tell me? I'm your friend!"

"I didn't," Kira said, holding up her hands in surrender. "Okay, fine. The truth is, yeah, I forgot to tell you. But as soon as I got to where I was going, I wanted to call you, but I was scared you'd get angry."

Ava smiled wryly. "So?"

Kira looked at her with a mischievous grin. "So?"

Alva raised an eyebrow. "You know I didn't bring my car, so I just took a taxi."

Kira shrugged. "No problem, as long as my friend brought it"

As the taxi sped off, Kira turned to Alva and asked, "So, how's the case going?"

Ava sighed. "It's not going well. I'm getting frustrated."

Kira's expression turned curious. "What's wrong?"

Ava's eyes locked onto Kira's. "That reminds me, I was receiving threatening messages, but it has stopped."

Kira's eyebrows shot up. "You were receiving threatening messages?"

Ava nodded. "That's why I asked you to come over that night.I was scared."

Kira chuckled. "Wow, a detective scared?"

Ava smiled wryly. "Detectives are human, right?"

Kira nodded. "Okay, tell me what happened."

Ava hesitated before speaking. "Someone told me that one of my colleagues might be involved, but I didn't think much of it. I thought it was just an assumption."

Kira's eyes narrowed. "So, you're still suspecting him?"

Ava shook her head. "No, I'm not suspecting him anymore. I think it was just a false lead."

Kira's expression turned thoughtful. "What's the new update on the case?"

"Well, they've covered their tracks perfectly," Ava said. "The killer hacked into the media system and our own system, erasing all evidence. Even the woman who called our station claiming she saw the Shadow Killer... we went to meet her, but it seemed the killer got to her first. She was terrified and refused to give us any information, seems like the killer had threatened her."

Kira's eyes widened. "Wow, this is getting out of hand."

Kira looked at her with concern. "Why don't you just resign and leave this case to someone else? You're not safe."

Ava shook her head. "I've thought about it, but if I resign now, I'd be a coward. I need to see this case through to the end."

Kira looked at ava and said, "I hope we're heading to your house?"

Ava nodded. "My house. Why?"

Kira smiled mischievously. "I want to stay at your place for a while. I don't feel like going home yet."

Alva raised an eyebrow. "What about your parents? Won't they wonder where you are? Don't they know you're coming today?"

Kira shrugged. "They kind of know I'm coming today, but I told them I'd be staying over at your place."

Ava chuckled. "Wow, that's convenient. At least I won't be alone for a while."

Kira grinned. "Besides,you still need to get some work done. Don't worry, you can tell them you've been investigating cases and I'll vouch for you."

Ava smiled. "Don't worry, I'll get you home safely and then head back to the office."

After hours of driving, they finally arrived at Ava's home. The taxi fare was paid, and they stepped into the house.

"Welcome home," Ava said with a smile.

"Home sweet home," Kira replied, collapsing onto the couch.

Ava chuckled. "I didn't remember you were coming today, so I didn't cook anything."

Kira waved her hand dismissively. "No problem, you can head to the office now. Before you come back, I'll cook something yummy for you."

Ava smiled, trusting Kira's culinary skills. "Of course, I trust you.

Julian met with his father, Victor, who informed him that he had spoken to the men and everything was in place. Julian asked his father directly, "Did you give a contract to the Shadow Killer to kill the president?"

Victor's response was calm and collected. "Of course, I did. It's all about gaining favor for you, son. I don't want anyone else stealing the spotlight."

Julian's expression turned concerned. "What if everything backfires? What's the plan then?"

Victor waved his hand dismissively. "That's not your problem. We need to focus on eliminating the Shadow Killer once he's done with all the dirty work we give to him. That way, our secret will remain safe."

Julian let out a dry laugh. "The Shadow Killer? You've never even seen his face. He's always masked when he takes our contracts. What makes you think we can eliminate him?"

Victor thought for a moment before responding. "We can give him another contract, then set a trap for him. We'll gather some men and hide them nearby. Once the Shadow Killer shows up, they'll take him down and unmask him."

Victor's expression turned cold. "No, scratch that. We'll just kill him on the spot."

Julian's eyes narrowed, clearly unconvinced by his father's plan.