Noria Knight: Citylights, #1

By Arielle Alia

Pace Castillo is a member of the Noria Police Force. Members of the Noria Police are known for being loyal, noble and fearless. Because of these traits, people call them Noria Knights.

 

As Pace begins investigating the murder of the supermodel, Solange Dorian, three confident and intelligent women became his persons of interest.

 

To his utter shock, one of the women began meddling with his love life and turning his life upside down!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arielle Alia
• Release date: Jan 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393771937

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Ravine felt the practice mat as she landed on her back after her elder brother, Warren, flipped and threw her down. It was followed by her brother's triumphant laughter as he stood before her. They were having their usual sparring contest on their backyard.

You need to train more, little sister, before you could defeat me in a fight, he teased.

Red-faced and with pride hurting, Ravine rose from the mat.

We should fight two more times to determine who really is the winner between us! she protested.The one who wins twice would be the real winner.

Warren shook his head.

If I fight you two more times, you could get bruises. And once Mom sees that, I'm dead! He began thinking. How about we change the type of our competition? This time, let's do a race. The first one who gets up into our roof wins!

Game! Ravine readily agreed.

Ready? One, two, three, go! shouted Warren.

The two siblings sped toward their house. They clambered on the side of the house and used whatever could serve as handholds to get themselves up the roof. These included the water pipes, the windows, even their mother's wall climbing plants. Both of them reached the top almost simultaneously. They also heard their mother's angry voice inside their house warning them of what would happen to them if they destroyed the roof.

Both Ravine and Warren burst into laughter.

You lose again, dear sister!

I did not! she protested. I reached the roof the same time as you!

I put my feet first on the roof, he said.

Cheater! she stuck out her tongue and glared at her brother.

Warren grinned and sat himself on the roof. He looked out into the ocean and stared at the neon lights coming from the island city of Noria. Their house was built on top of a hillside and from there, they could see the lights coming from the buildings in the island and the speeding metro rails that went around the island all day and night. One could also see the special light rail train running on the Renaissance Bridge that connected the famous island to the Mainland where Warren and Ravine had lived all their lives. The light train was the main thoroughfare used by commuters to get to the island and back to the Mainland. There were also several dozens of ferries that docked on the Nile Harbor of the island.

Are you still daydreaming? Your dreams will finally come true starting tomorrow since you will be going to Noria. You are going to be part of the city that you have always admired, said Ravine as she sat herself beside her brother. Warren had gotten a job in Janssen Magnus Inc., one of the construction companies that build buildings in the island. Some sort of construction was continually going on in the island city.

Warren smiled at Ravine.

I still can't believe it. There were so many from my engineering class that wanted to work in Noria after our graduation. Almost all of us applied for a job there. I couldn't believe I was able to get a job, and I was even given permission to live there!

Ravine studied her brother. At twenty-one years old, his dreams were starting to come true. She was fifteen and she still had high school and then college to go through before she could carve out her own life. It would be years before she would be able to get a job or live in Noria.

Noria City had very strict policies in regard to accepting permanent residents. Fifty percent of those working in the city had to go back to the Mainland after their shifts. There were only three ways before a person could be given the right to live as a resident in the city. First, one needed to be a local or a blood-relative of the first island inhabitants living in the city. Second, if you married a local city resident and third, if you worked for a company based on the island or owned by the local inhabitants. Employees of said company could rent an apartment or condominium in the island as long as they were working for the company.

Her brother, Warren, qualified on the third requirement. Her brother was one of the most brilliant young engineers in the Mainland. He graduated magna cum laude and even before getting his diploma, dozens of local and international companies had already been calling and were interested in hiring him. But her brother had always been fascinated with Noria. It was among his life long goals to live and work in that famous city.

Everything is happening in Noria! All the best people are going there. And the moment you succeed in that city, the whole world will know about you because the whole world is watching that city! her brother exclaimed after their parents brought them to Noria for their vacation several years ago. Her brother fell in love with the city since that day, and had dreamt of living there ever since.

Hopefully, when you get to live in Noria, you will finally get yourself a girlfriend. You shouldn't waste the opportunity. The most beautiful women in the world are there or at least visiting that island. Unless of course the reason you have remained a virgin until now is because we both prefer guys? Ravine jested.

Warren glared at his sister. Ravine burst out laughing.

Why would I want a beautiful woman who has nothing inside her head or has an awful personality? I am not going to get a girlfriend like that. I also don't want a girl who doesn't know what she wants. I specially don't like a girl who can't decide who among her dozens of suitors she loves, Warren said insinuating something.

Ravine glared at her brother and put her hands on her hips.

Hey, I am just being careful! There are so many jerks today pretending to be gentlemen. Most guys nowadays are irresponsible, worthless and can't even stand on their own two feet. And then there are those guys pretending to be men. Did you know that Julius isn't really courting me? He only visits me in our house to get a glance at you.

Warren grimaced.

Get rid of him then. I am not interested in him. And for the record, I am not a virgin!

Ows!?

The reason why I don't have a girlfriend is because a girlfriend would have just been a distraction when I was in college. Having a relationship with a woman would also be a hindrance to my dreams right now. Girlfriends need a lot of attention and care. And I don't have the time or the strength to give them that. I prefer to reserve my time and effort to much more important things.

You are only saying that because you haven't met the woman that would make you fall in love. The moment you meet this woman, you will eat all those anti-women words you spout. And I have a hunch that the woman meant for you is waiting for you in Noria.

Even if she is there in Noria, I still have no time for her. If she really wants me, then she needs to make a lot of adjustments and sacrifices. Because I will never sacrifice my career and life just to indulge her hard-to-please needs.

You know what, Warren, that attitude of yours makes me lose interest in men. Specially when they begin telling me, how they admire and idolize you! Argh! I will never marry a man like you! Ravine swore.

Warren exploded with laughter. When Ravine's brother was like this, he would lose the air of arrogance and self-importance he often showed to people. She got to see the responsible and caring brother who had taken care of her since they were little children. Their father worked abroad, and during her childhood years, Warren served as Ravine's second father and their mother's support. He had always been there for both of them, helping her with all her many and silly problems as well as lending a hand in maintaining the grocery their mother managed.

Ravine knew deep in her heart that if her brother would only allow himself to love, he could become a good and responsible father and husband.

We will miss you a lot, Warren, once you start living in Noria.

Warren smacked her lightly on the back of her head.

What are you talking about? Travel time to the island from our house is only an hour! And I will be leaving you my telescope so you could see me every day from the windows of my condo.

Condo? Aren't you going to live in an apartment?

Once I begin earning more, I would be able to rent my own condo. And you and our parents could visit me and stay there for a while. If it was only possible, I would prefer that I take you all with me in the island.

I don't want to live there. That city is too noisy. No one seems to sleep there. Every establishment is open for twenty-four hours and tourists are everywhere. Mom would never like such a noisy place. It is enough for me to visit that island once in a while. I still prefer to live here in the Mainland.

You should dream big, Vinny! he said, using his pet name for her.

Mind your own business. Unlike you, dear brother, I have simple dreams. I don't like competing for a job or leaving the Mainland.

Warren's left eyebrow rose in disbelief.

You? You are the most competitive person I have ever encountered!

Ravine ignored her brother's remarks and continued talking.

My plan is to manage our grocery, turn it into a supermarket. Or maybe I would make it into a franchise so our family could become filthy rich! Dad wouldn't need to work abroad anymore, and he and Mom could always be together.

CHAPTER 1

The twenty-one-year-old Solange Dorian was included in the top ten lists of the most beautiful women in the world last year. Women idolized and envied her beauty and sexiness that often graced fashion magazines. Men adored and fantasized about her whenever she walked the catwalk wearing clothes by world-renowned designers. She was considered to be the current number one supermodel in the world and for her fans and supporters, her being the face of the recently concluded 2017 Noria World Fashion Show two days ago was the proof of her popularity.

But the world of lights and beauty of the fashion world where Solange Dorian shone for the past several years had now been replaced by the cold, dark, foul and fetid sewers under the Nile District of Noria City. The dozens of clicking cameras that captured Solange's beauty had been replaced by the single camera of the police criminalist that meticulously took pictures of Solange's lifeless and bloodied body lying in the sewer. Her beauty still shone despite the pallor of death on her skin, but the state of her body would send shivers to her admirers.

She's a great loss to the fashion community, commented Sgt. Clement Mercer as he studied the former supermodel's beautiful face.

Death is always the great equalizer, said Sgt. Pace Castillo.

When I heard that she would be here in Noria, I thought I might finally be able to meet her in person to see if she really was beautiful and that her beautiful pictures weren't simply the result of make up or photoshop. I never thought that my wish would come true in such a devastating way, sighed Mercer.

Pace took his eyes away from Solange's body and studied his partner. He and Mercer had been partners for more than five years. Both of them already knew each other's moods and personality. A deep friendship had also been forged between them. Pace had witnessed all of his partner's heartbreaks. Clement Mercer had the habit of falling head over heels over beautiful women. Unfortunately, even if his friend succeeded in making these women his girlfriend, they often left him. Men more handsome, richer and more charming than Mercer often stole his girlfriends away from him.

Clement Mercer didn't have the luck to possess the popular good looks of most male celebrities. He had his own rugged charm but this wasn't enough to enable him to keep his girlfriends. And there was also their job. As a detective of the Noria Police Force, Mercer's time and attention was often focused on their cases. And such neglect was enough for these beautiful girls to turn their attention to other men.

Mercer, at least Solange would never belong to the list of girls who broke your heart, Pace teasingly comforted his friend.

Asshole! Stop being so proud of yourself. You don't have to insinuate that if ever we met Solange while she was still alive, she would have walked past me and only notice you. You are really one lucky son of a gun! How come no girl has ever broken your heart?

Pace grinned.

This face had nothing to do with the healthy state of my heart, Sergeant. I simply don't allow myself to fall head over heels in love with beautiful women who are selfish and have no capacity to care for anyone else.

Are you sure you aren't gay, Castillo? teased Mercer. Most guys who can't commit to one woman or who find themselves going from one girlfriend to the next girlfriend often realizes in the end that they aren't really looking for women but for men. They just needed time to understand what they really are.

Pace burst out laughing.

Sarge, the real reason why I often break up with my girlfriends was because of the trauma I suffered from watching your love life. Pace continued laughing. "So, before I suffer your fate, I will make sure