Chapter 17
Elias paced back and forth inside his study, his grip tightening around his phone every few seconds.
The man was dressed casually in dark trousers and a plain T-shirt, but despite it already being dinner time, he hadn’t eaten a single thing. His appetite had disappeared days ago.
In fact, sleep barely came to him anymore either.
He dragged a frustrated hand through his hair while pacing restlessly across the room before looking down at his phone again. His thumb pressed the call button once more.
The line rang.
And rang.
But Amara still didn’t pick up.
“Goddammit, Amara,” he muttered through clenched teeth.
He continued pacing while trying to convince himself that everything was fine, but the call history on his screen only made the anxiety worse. More than a week.
More than a damn week since she had answered any of his calls.
Dark circles sat beneath his eyes from the lack of sleep, and the exhaustion only made the panic clawing at his chest worse.
A moment later, Elias abruptly turned away from the desk. Instead of calling Amara again, he pressed the speed dial button and brought the phone to his ear.
Felix answered within seconds.
Before the man could even speak, Elias barked, “Come into my study right now.”
Outside the house, Felix had been handling work calls regarding Elias’s upcoming meetings when his phone suddenly rang.
The moment he heard the sharpness in Elias’s voice, he immediately ended the business call he was on and hurried inside the house without wasting another second.
Thinking he might have missed something important, Felix quickly climbed the stairs and entered the study.
The moment he stepped inside, Elias strode straight toward him.
“Give me your phone.”
Felix blinked in confusion at the sudden order, but he still pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over without questioning him.
Elias immediately dialed Amara’s number before shoving the phone back into Felix’s hand.
Felix blinked at him in confusion, nearly fumbling the phone in the process.
Elias stared at him with a tense expression, his jaw tight and impatience clear in his eyes.
“Quickly,” he said sharply. “Tell her I want to see her.”
Felix looked confused for a second, but before he could say anything, the call was picked up.
The moment the line connected, Felix immediately noticed Elias staring at him intensely from across the study.
The anxiety and irritation Elias had been carrying for the past few days had already spread to everyone around him.
The employees barely dared to breathe near him lately in fear of triggering another outburst.
Felix straightened slightly before speaking politely.
“Mrs. Creed—”
Amara cut him off instantly.
“I’m Miss Hawk now, Felix,” she corrected coldly. “How many times do I need to remind you?”
Felix immediately looked awkward while Elias narrowed his eyes dangerously from the side.
Felix let out a hesitant laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, Miss Hawk.”
Elias crossed his arms tightly over his chest, staring at Felix impatiently as if silently threatening him to hurry up.
Felix cleared his throat before continuing carefully, “I was wondering if you could come over to Mr. Creed’s house. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and couldn’t meet you because…” He glanced nervously at Elias before continuing weakly, “…you changed your locks.”
Elias shot him a dark look at that part.
Felix immediately corrected himself. “What I mean is… he’s been really worried about you since you haven’t seen each other in days. He called you several times, but you never answered.”
On the other side of the call, there was a faint rustling sound before Amara sat down on the couch. A moment later, she let out a long breath.
“And what does that have to do with me?” she asked flatly as she leaned back against the couch.
Felix froze for a second, caught off guard by her cold tone, before quickly trying again.
“Miss Hawk, Mr. Creed is really worried about you.”
Standing beside him, Elias immediately nodded in agreement and pointed sharply toward the phone, motioning for Felix to ask about the apartment password.
Felix swallowed nervously under Elias’s intense stare before continuing carefully, “If you could tell us the new password to your apartment, Mr. Creed can come over and see you. You know how worried he gets when it comes to his wife.”
Amara let out a small scoff on the other end of the line.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she answered casually. “I’m divorced now. If there’s a man searching for his wife, tell him to go to the police station and file a missing person report. Stop calling me, for the love of God!”
The line went dead before Felix could even respond.
Silence filled the study.
Felix slowly lowered the phone and looked at Elias awkwardly.
The atmosphere inside the study instantly turned tense.
After a few seconds, Felix forced out a nervous smile and carefully cleared his throat.
“Mr. Creed… I guess Ms. Ha—” The moment he noticed Elias’s cold gaze shift toward him, he immediately corrected himself. “Mrs. Creed isn’t in the mood to see you right now.”
Elias’s jaw tightened.
Instead of calming down, the determination in his eyes only grew stronger. Tension radiated from his entire body as he suddenly stood up straight.
An hour later, Amara placed her dinner dishes into the sink after finishing her meal. She had just turned on the faucet when her phone suddenly started ringing on the counter.
She quickly dried her hands and walked over to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Amara Creed?” a serious male voice asked from the other side.
Amara frowned slightly. “Yes?”
“This is Officer Daniel Stocks from the Manhattan Police Station.”
Confusion immediately crossed Amara’s face.
“We need you to come to the police station immediately,” the officer said firmly. “We’ll be waiting for you. This matter is important and needs to be discussed in person.”
Amara’s brows furrowed deeper. “What happened?”
But before she could ask another question, the call abruptly disconnected.
She stared at the phone for a second in confusion.
Amara was still dressed in her night pajamas, but without wasting another second, she grabbed her keys and hurried out of the apartment. Slipping into her sandals, she rushed downstairs and drove straight toward the police station.
Tension slowly appeared on her face during the drive. It was obvious she had panicked and left without even thinking things through properly.
The moment she entered the police station, her footsteps slowed.
The station was strangely quiet.
Her confused gaze landed on the officer standing near the desk, but before she could question anything, the man sitting in the chair in front of the officer slowly turned to the side.
Amara’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Her eyes widened slightly the moment she saw Elias sitting there.
He was staring at her with a calm, unreadable expression, his hands resting loosely on his lap while his dark eyes stayed fixed on her.
Unlike her rushed appearance in pajamas and slippers, Elias was dressed neatly in business attire as if he had just stepped out of a meeting.
The officer sitting across from him finally looked up the moment Amara walked inside and approached the desk.
“You are Mrs. Amara Creed?” the officer asked.
Amara slowed her steps before nodding cautiously. “Yes, I am.”
Confusion was written all over her face as she looked between the officer and Elias.
“What exactly is going on here, officer?” she asked warily.
The police officer immediately stood up from his chair, and Elias rose to his feet as well the moment she approached them.
The officer gestured toward Elias politely.
“Mrs. Creed, your husband has been looking for you,” he explained. “He said you weren’t answering your calls and hadn’t come home for a long time, so he became worried and asked for our help.”
Amara nearly cursed out loud.
“What the fu—”
She stopped herself midway, turning sharply toward Elias with complete disbelief written across her face.
Elias, however, only gave her a calm little smile as if he hadn’t just scared the life out of her.
The officer looked between the two of them before speaking again awkwardly.
“Well… now that we’ve found you, you both can head home.” He smiled politely. “And Mrs. Creed, please try to answer your phone calls next time. Even if you’re angry with your husband, it’s not good to make your family worry.”
Amara forced out a stiff smile while mentally throwing daggers at Elias.
Without another word, she nodded shortly.
A few moments later, she and Elias stepped out of the police station together.
The second they walked outside, Felix hurried toward her.
“Mrs. Creed, your car keys,” he said quickly.
Amara looked at him in confusion, but without thinking much, she handed them over automatically.
The moment Felix grabbed the keys, he immediately rushed toward her car, got inside, and drove off into the night.
Amara’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait— where the hell are you taking my car?!” she shouted.
But Felix had already disappeared down the street.
Before she could react further, Elias suddenly bent down and lifted her into his arms.
Amara gasped in shock as her feet left the ground.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she snapped, struggling against him immediately. “Put me down!”
Elias ignored her completely.
His grip around her legs tightened slightly as he carried her straight across the street toward his car.
Amara kept twisting in his arms angrily, glaring at him. “Elias! Let go of me!”
But he acted as if he couldn’t hear her.
Reaching the car, he opened the passenger door and placed her inside before shutting the door firmly.
A second later, he walked around the driver’s side, got in, and started the engine.
Inside the car, Amara was absolutely furious.
The moment the car pulled onto the road, she turned toward him sharply.