Update [6:53 PM]
…Oakridge Estate
Clink.
The sound of another plate being placed on the table echoed lightly between the dishes of the Venison Bourguignon, as its rich, appetizing steam rose into the air.
Gabriel pulled one of the six chairs of the table.
He looked at the wall clock; the sound of the ticking hand hummed through the silent room. He turned his gaze away from the clock back to the hot dishes and muttered:
"They're supposed to arrive at any moment."
And at that moment—
CREEEEAK…
Gabriel quickly turned toward the creaking door.
Ethan walked in wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers with black stripes.
Ethan smiled with one corner of his mouth confidently, and looked at Gabriel mockingly:
"... pfft—HAHAHAAHH!!"
Gabriel shook his head tiredly, placed his hand on his forehead, and said:
"Are you going to tell me the reason behind your sarcastic laugh?"
Ethan tried to choke down his laugh with difficulty, then pulled the chair opposite Gabriel lightly.
He looked at the Venison Bourguignon dishes for a moment before reaching his hand out and grabbing a piece of meat from Gabriel's plate, letting it fall into his mouth. With his mouth full, he said:
"Nothing, boss… just the suit? And the blue tie? Why all this?"
Gabriel raised his eyebrows with a small smile, looked at his plate, then at the missing piece of meat before staring at Ethan with a dry tone:
"Not the right time for evaluation… get ready, the guests are about to arrive."
Ethan pushed the chair back, dusted off his jeans, and while leaving the room said:
"Whatever you say, boss… just give me your signal when the game starts."
Gabriel's eyes remained on Ethan until he left.
Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrating inside his pocket.
He pulled the phone from his right pocket, looked at the caller—it was Dr. Harris.
He answered immediately:
"Harris. Where are you?"
Harris's voice came through the speaker cheerfully:
"At the gates of your estate, Dr. Gabriel. I didn't expect you to have such a luxurious home."
"—hm— you haven't seen anything yet, Dr. Harris."
"After this… I guess I didn't know you very well, Gabriel."
Gabriel lifted the phone from his ear, then raised his eyes toward a projector device beside the chandelier.
A small smile formed on the corner of his mouth as he headed out to welcome the guests.
After walking for a few moments through Gabriel's modest mansion hallways, he reached the handle of the main door.
As soon as he pulled it, he felt the cold evening breeze slip inside like calm breaths into the estate.
Gabriel smiled welcomingly and extended his hand to Dr. Harris:
"Welcome to my humble home, Dr. Harris."
Then he lifted his eyes from Harris to his brother; slightly taller, with a short white beard, pale green eyes that looked like sleep hadn't touched them since his daughter's disappearance.
Gabriel extended his hand to shake Mr. Michael's and said with a calm tone:
"Mr. Michael… it's a pleasure to meet you."
Mr. Michael smiled, but his eyes remained still, and he said with an almost empty tone:
"The pleasure is mine. My brother told me you prepared this dinner hoping it might ease things on me."
Gabriel nodded lightly in agreement, then looked at Dr. Harris for a moment before speaking to Michael:
"What can I say… when Harris told me your daughter has been missing for eight days—"
He paused again as his cold features began to shift slowly, his tone half sad, half calm.
"I thought of making something that might ease your pain."
Mr. Michael smiled sadly.
Then he felt Harris gently pushing him inside while saying playfully, trying to break the heavy mood:
"Come on, brother, we won't stand at the doorstep forever… right, Gabriel?"
Gabriel smiled with the corner of his mouth, pulled the door wider, and said softly:
"You're right… the food is about to get cold."
And as Gabriel walked with the Harris brothers—Harris and Michael—toward the dining hall,
there were eyes watching them from behind a room filled with screens.
In that darkness, the blue glow of the monitors revealed a hand wearing black leather gloves, holding a Glock 17, loading its magazine with three 9mm bullets.