The Traps of Black Swan

Opposite to whatever the expectation and guesstimation were going on at Leon's end, another end of the voice had a hint of worry, "Tia, did you catch a cold?"

Tia, Leon, and his men: "..."

Leon couldn't believe Ava Kelly could be so attentive. He assumed Ava Kelly is close with Tia; hence she was able to identify it. He gave a black look at the pale girl in front of him so that she could keep up with her act.

Tia recovered quickly from her thoughts. It was the first time she was witnessing Aarvi is very careful about little things. Of course, there will always be a first time for everything.

Tia adjusted her voice when she responded to Aarvi without offending Leon and his men. She wanted to stall time until she could find a way out of there without risking her life.

"N-no, Sister Aarvi. I am perfectly alright." Tia responded in her usual happy and cheerful tone.

All heard a melodic hum in acknowledgment. Leon's men looked at each other. They understood Leon fancied a soft, mellow woman that even her hum sounded rhythmic on their ears.

Aarvi's voice continued, "I came shopping at M.O.M. I had lunch here. Why didn't you eat yet, Tia? Shall I get you something?" MOM- Mall of Mocon.

'Didn't Dax tell Sister Aarvi about my kidnap yet? Why is she telling us her real location?' Tia was confused. She already knew Aarvi wanted to buy a birthday gift for Aaron's grandfather, Jordan Rivas.

Leon moved. Tia's eyes widened tried to go back from Leon. The latter just pressed his palm on Tia's lips to stop her from speaking anything.

If Tia calls Ava Kelly to some places, it might raise suspicion. He didn't have time to go to Tia's place and arrange everything in such a short time to meet Ava Kelly.

He clicked on the mute option to avoid Ava Kelly listening to his voice. He straightforward instructed Tia, hiding his real emotions, "Tell her you will meet her at the mall." He didn't bother threatening her and glared at her eyes without lifting her hands from her lips. Tia nodded her head in acceptance instead of earning a slap. She wanted to have some strength to escape from there.

Tia didn't know what Leon had in store for Aarvi. As far as she could remember, Dax was in the office. Aaron went to his office after collecting a bouquet from Aarvi, and Shawn was busy with his work. That means Aarvi was alone in the shopping mall.

She had the urge to alert Aarvi, but she didn't. If she gets caught by Leon or Leon's men, she will lose her life pathetically. So she passed on Leon's words in a little hurried voice as soon as Leon clicked on unmute on the mobile screen, "Sister Aarvi, please be there. I will quickly reach you."

"Alright..." Leon hung up the call before Aarvi could utter an extra word. His men finally got the right to breathe out and in.

Leon stood up hurriedly from his chair. The Tom and Jerry game was coming to an end. He was excited to capture Ava Kelly.

'How will she react? Will she be surprised or frightened?' He snickered, thinking, 'How does it matter?' He wanted to catch her off guard and see her reaction. The thought of it entertained him, putting him in a good mood.

He weighed down the chances of Dax passing any information to Aarvi, but Dax didn't know Leon was the one who kidnapped Tia. Shrugging off his thoughts, he focused on his decision.

He was rushing out with Tia's mobile in hand but halted. Tia knows many things about Ava Kelly, so he wanted Tia safe to neutralize Ava Kelly. So he couldn't take the risk of his men r.a.p.i.n.g Tia and the latter losing life.

He looked daggers at Tia, who stared at him with her eyes wide. Then, he commanded his men, watching her reaction, "Don't you dare lay a finger on her."

Tia: "..."

Leon strode away in a blink of an eye after bossing on his men.

Leon's men, who had thought of filling their appetite, let out a frustrated groan. They had fruit in their hands but can't savor it.

'Should I be relieved?' Tia was not relieved. Instead, she wanted them to try something and untie her.

-----

At Mall of Mocon,

Aarvi picked up a brooch from the jewelry shop she had ordered a week earlier. She didn't know if Jordan would like her gift or how much it was important to give a meaningful one. She hardly knew about Jordan. Nevertheless, Aaron wanted her to focus on her work without fretting over gifts to buy.

Scolding the stubborn man in her mind, she paid the bill ignoring the awe gazes on her. Her plan wasn't to buy an expensive gift. Instead, she wanted something unique and antique, which cost her a little more than she had thought.

Aarvi controlled her urge to roll her eyes when she heard the whispers of salespeople trying to link her with the socialite families as a daughter or wife of a rich man. However, Aarvi was rendered speechless when she heard them guessing she could be a mistress as they never heard of Evans in the Mocon city.

'You don't know Evans? You will know soon and bow to me next time.' Aarvi smirked in her mind.

"Ms. Evans, please visit us again." The manager personally handed her the bag and looked hopeful for her to keep shopping with them.

Aarvi flashed a serene smile without displaying any of her emotions. Then she walked away as the manager started scolding their workers for being loud.

Aarvi went to the open cafe in the center of the mall to wait for the unlucky guest. A Shadow team member brought her laptop and helped her keep the gift bag in her car.

She started working on her pending work without wasting time. She had attended a meeting in the morning with Dax, so there was a lot to work on waiting for her.

Looking at the pile of works, she was sure she would have to be awake with Aaron to work overnight.

Time ticked by, her work completed one after the other in complete relaxation without waiting for the guest. Whereas the Shadow team was on high alert, they were feeling their palms sweaty, heart drum. Aarvi had told them to relax, but how could they rest when they knew who would meet Aarvi?

They couldn't believe the one who should be tense was unfazed about the whole situation. Aarvi looked like she was enjoying working in the cafe instead of sitting between the four walls.

The one who they were waiting for finally appeared. The Shadow team members were astonished to see Leon arriving alone and couldn't believe Aarvi could guess that so well.

'What is she?' They felt their spine turn cold.

As Leon neared Aarvi, they couldn't stop themselves from recoiling their gun to be prepared for any emergency.

Leon walked decisively, looking around, thinking where one could be waiting.. Finally, his eyes landed on a woman who looked serene, clear as a blue bright sky that could calm anyone's heart.