The thought flashed across Jacob's mind, but he did not think about it too much.
"I won't let it bother me," he murmured as he walked out of the building's main lobby.
"Something's bothering you, Jacob. What's wrong?" James asked Jacob as soon as he stepped into
the car. James could see that the younger man was troubled.
"I'm fine, uncle. I just feel that something might be off. Don't you find it strange that Jonathan is here?"
Jacob caught his reflection in the rearview mirror and saw how serious his expression was.
"That is strange. But I don't think it was him who did all this. After all, damaging the company's name
will not do him any good. But I do think that you may be his main target." James patted Jacob's leg as
he said this. He was trying to both warn and comfort his nephew.
"I think so too. I'm anxious about it. I feel like I have enemies in every direction." Jacob sighed. Now he
had to pay close attention to everything around him, especially when it comes to the company's future.
He took out his phone and called his assistant, Cindy. But there was no answer.
"What is it?" James asked. His tone was soft and serious.
"She's not answering. It's unlike her to miss a call. It seems like there's something wrong." Jacob felt
cold. He should have asked Cindy who she was dating before she left the meeting room. She looked a
little frightened. She was not her usual calm self.
"What should we do then?" James asked. He was worried now. The situation seemed much worse than
they had previously imagined.
"Let me think it through." Jacob looked straight ahead, lost in his thoughts.
"You call the police. I'll call the office and ask my assistant which ones among the younger senior
managers were absent from work today," James said methodically.
"Okay," Jacob agreed.
He called his friend at the nearest district police station. He formed a bond with this police officer
because of the recent explosion incident in their company, which required police assistance. This
particular officer had a mole on his face.
The officer advised Jacob to visit Cindy's residence and checked her whereabouts before they made
further action.
Jacob followed his friend's advice.
Meanwhile, James sighed beside him. He just called their office. His assistant confirmed that several
people were not present. This made him worry more.
Both men looked at each other, their brows were knotted.
"We'd better go straight to Cindy's place, uncle. We might find answers there. We could figure out the
office situation later on." Jacob's frown was deeper now.
"Okay." James nodded.
The car sped up a little as the driver sensed the tension in the back seat. The two passengers glanced
at each other again, but said nothing.
Jacob closed his eyes and tried to relax. But his mind was racing. He was sure something was wrong
when Cindy did not pick up his call.
He tried to quell his raging thoughts. As he looked out the window, he hoped everything would turn out
fine in the end.
Their speeding car left a cloud of dust along the road. The dust seemed to dance before it disappeared
into the sky, dispersed by the wind.
Their luxury car would attract stares from pedestrians as they passed by. The on-lookers could not help
but notice their vehicle. By now Jacob was already numb at such attention. He already made peace
with his position.
Cindy lived in a two-floor, duplex apartment in the suburbs. Her place may be small but the rent was
surprisingly high.
Jacob spoke to the landlord who said that Cindy went out this morning and was yet to come back.
Jacob's apprehension worsened. He called Cindy again. This time, she finally picked up. Jacob was
relieved.
"Cindy, where are you? What happened? You can tell me, it's okay." Jacob's tone was calm, and there
was no anger behind it.
"Mr. Jacob, I…" Cindy's sobs prevented her from speaking coherently. She tried hard to control her
tears and covered her mouth.
"What's wrong, Cindy?" Jacob said slowly. He gave his assistant some time to collect herself.
"I'm sorry Mr. Jacob. The file was destroyed," Cindy said in between sobs.
"Why? What happened? Are you okay? Where are you?" Jacob was disappointed, but he was more
worried about Cindy.
It didn't matter if the file was destroyed. At worst, the company would lose the order. But if his assistant
left, he knew that his office staff would be crippled. Cindy was excellent at her job. It would be difficult to
find someone as competent and efficient as her.
"I'm at the bridge. I think my life is no longer worth living." Cindy's voice was cracking.
She felt like everything she had worked for was in vain. No one really knew how much she had
sacrificed to have this boyfriend, in hopes of living the happy life with him.
And no one really had any idea what exactly she had gone through. She stood at the bridge, looked at
the water below. She felt the cold wind on her face. The wind wasn't blowing that hard, but she could
feel the chill on her face, it ached. Even in the early spring, the wind was intolerable to her.
"Calm down, Cindy! Which bridge are you at? We'll be there soon. We can solve this. Please don't do
anything stupid." Jacob's voice was anxious.
He could still remember how his former assistant Andy had died protecting him. And now Cindy could
end up the same way. But he would not allow it.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Jacob. I failed you. I'm sorry that I have been too blind to see the man through and
have caused a huge loss to the company. I feel ashamed. I don't have the strength to face you or start
all over again. I'm really sorry." Cindy was heaving on the other side of the phone. The wind felt painful
as it hit her ears.
"Don't worry about it, Cindy. It's not your fault. Listen, we're at your house at the moment. We're coming
to you really soon. The file is not that important. I know you did your best. You're one of the most
excellent people in my team. I value you, and I believe in you. So please, don't do anything stupid. We
are going to solve this."
Jacob tried his best to comfort Cindy.
She looked around her before looking at the water again below. She thought that it might not be that
cold. She wiped her tears. The wind was giving her a headache.
"It's not just about the company, Mr. Jacob. I think I've ruined myself as well as my life. It has been
shredded almost to bits. There is no way I can fix it. And any efforts would be useless." At this, Cindy
hung up the phone. She was drowning in her own despair.
Jacob would not have understood what had happened until now. He would not allow the matter to fully
overcome his assistant. He felt responsible for her.
As he heard their conversation, James knew that something really bad was happening to his nephew's
assistant. As soon as Jacob entered the car, they sped up to the bridge. There were many bridges in
the city. But only a few were symbolic. They didn't need to guess where Cindy was.
The car was now running on high speed. Jacob's mind was in turmoil.
James frowned and decided to call the police again. They could probably use their help now.
The police agreed to immediately dispatch a unit at the bridge. They were familiar with cases like this.
James hung up the phone, relieved, if only a little.
He looked at his nephew who was deathly silent beside him. He could feel the tension emanated by his
body.
"What are you thinking? Are you alright?" James asked.
The way he put his phone back to his pocket was a little awkward. A sign of the worry and exhaustion
he currently felt. Jacob looked at his uncle. Only then did he realize that James was getting old.
Time flew by so fast. It was barely noticeable, and always ready to take away the people he loved.
Before he noticed it, time had already passed him by.
Jacob sighed, "I'll be fine uncle. I've prepared for the worst. But I don't think she'll do it. Besides, life is
too short to wallow on things like this. I'll convince her to get over it. It's really not a big deal compared
to a person's life."
James placed his hand on Jacob's shoulder. "Everyone's capacity for resilience is different. It may not
be a big deal for you, but for others, it could mean the whole world."
"You're right, uncle. We need to find her as soon as possible." Jacob steeled himself, and his raging
thoughts and emotions. This was not the time be overwhelmed, he thought. This was the time to be in
charge of things.
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