Chapter 57

Rudolf's POV
“Where are you?” I asked, trying to sound calm even though my mind was still filled with anxiety about Mikayla.
“I’m at home, Rudolf. Just preparing some things for our search,” she replied, her voice sounding a little excited but with a tone that showed doubt.
“Okay, I’ll pick you up. We need to continue the search for Mikayla,” I said, feeling the need for cooperation to achieve this goal.
After waiting a while, I arrived at Hannah’s house and saw her coming out the door. As she got into the car, I noticed a slightly worried look on her face.
Something didn’t seem right. “Hannah, are you okay?” I asked, wanting to make sure she was ready to help with the search.
She nodded, but I could see the tension in her jaw. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that I’m a little worried about everything that could happen to Mikayla,” she said, echoing my feelings.
“So am I. We can’t let anything stop us from doing this. Let’s just focus and work together,” I replied, trying to cheer us both up.
Hannah nodded, and we set off, making plans to find more information about Mikayla. Along the way, we discussed places we might need to visit, and people who might be able to help.
“Do you have any idea where Mikayla could have gone?” Hannah asked as we drove down the road.
“I don’t know for sure, but I feel like she might be looking for a familiar place. We can start from there,” I replied, focusing on the path.
I tried looking everywhere, but Mikayla was nowhere to be found. Every place we visited yielded no results, and as time went on, my frustration grew. The fond memories of our time together became more painful every time I thought about her existence.
In such a state, Hannah tried to help me. She handed me a cup of warm drink, “Drink it so you can calm down,” she said softly, pointing to the cup in her hand.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the cup from her hand. This warm drink might be able to ease my mind a little, if only for a moment.
I took a slow sip, feeling the warmth spread through my body. “I don’t know how much longer I can last like this,” I said, my voice shaking with sincerity. “Every second feels like an eternity without any news from her.”
Hannah sat beside me, providing a calming presence. “We will find Mikayla, Rudolf. We must not give up. Every effort we make is a step towards success,” she said, reassuring me.
With her words in mind, I tried to calm all the worries inside me. I needed to think clearly so I could make the right decision in this search. “What are your plans next?” I asked Hannah, hoping to use this discussion as a distraction from the uncertainty that was gripping me.
We discussed several options for continuing the search. I suggested contacting more of Mikayla’s friends and visiting places she frequented.
“Okay, we can start here. We won’t stop until we find what we’re looking for,” I replied with renewed vigor.
After a drink, we resumed the search once more.
“Rudolf, don’t you miss me?” Hannah asked suddenly
“What do you mean?”
She knows I already have a wife and children, but why did she ask that
She answered, “Well, you lost Mikayla and I don’t know where she went. Don’t you want to come back to me and remember our happy times? I just want to accompany you.”
I answered, “Whatever happens, I will stay with Mikayla. For me, you are just my past, Hannah. So you don’t need to think about coming back to me because that will never happen. It’s over between us. Then you don’t need to help me anymore because I already know where your conversation is going.”
I left Hannah and didn’t need to care about her anymore because she just wanted to come back to me. Even though Hannah called me, I didn’t care.
I went to the office again.
Some files that I needed to sign were piling up on my desk, while the problem with the financial manager that I discussed yesterday was still haunting me. I tried hard to stay focused on my work, even as my mind kept wandering, searching for clues about Mikayla’s whereabouts.
After finishing some paperwork, I decided to meet with the finance manager again. “We need to discuss our next steps,” I said as he entered my office.
“I agree, Rudolf. We’ve gathered more data from the previous audit, and there are indeed some things we need to fix,” he replied, diving right into the details.
He began explaining the audit findings and the steps that could be taken to fix the company’s financial problems. “From the last audit, we found some unexpected transactions and discrepancies in the financial statements,” he said, showing me the file containing the details.
“There are several items that don’t match the records. We need to do some further investigation to get clarification on these transactions,” he continued, looking at me seriously.
I nodded, trying to process all the information. Every detail he explained, like the numbers and statistics, seemed like a backdrop to the worry that was constantly gnawing at my mind about Mikayla. But I knew we had to take this seriously.
“What are the first steps we need to take?” I asked, trying to come up with a plan that could be implemented quickly.
“We need to visit some vendors and consultants to get more information about the suspicious transactions. Also, we should call in the legal team to make sure we are in compliance with any regulations that may affect our move forward,” he explained, adding important notes on the board.
“Okay, let’s schedule a meeting with the legal team and the relevant vendors right away. We can’t afford to wait to get this resolved,” I said, sensing the urgency of the situation.
He agreed and began to draw up a schedule and list of contacts to reach out to. “This is going to be a lot of work, but we need to get this done quickly so we don’t damage the company’s reputation any further,” he said.