Chapter Two #2
“She claimed she had a headache,” Sebastian said smoothly. “She probably went home early. I am about to wrap things up here and head back to the condo myself.”
Arthur squinted at him, his sharp eyes evaluating Sebastian with suspicion. “Did you two have a fight? It’s unlike my daughter to leave without saying goodbye.”
“Of course not,” Sebastian replied instantly, his expression a masking his disdain for the old man. “You know we do not fight.”
That was true. They never fought.
Arthur held his gaze for a long, uncomfortable moment before nodding slowly. “Alright. Make sure she takes care of herself. Call me tomorrow afternoon for lunch. We need to discuss why you have yet to give me a grandchild. Perhaps you devote too much time to the company.”
There was a threat somewhere in there, Sebastian was sure. He just didn’t give a fuck now to think over the old man’s words. Five years ago? He would have, but not now. He was too rich and too powerful to answer to him.
“I will be there,” Sebastian said smoothly.
“Perhaps Elizabeth should tag along as well. After all, half the effort of conception falls on the woman.”
Arthur scoffed, waving him off without another word
Sebastian said his goodnights and headed outside, handing his ticket to the valet.
Moments later, he was behind the wheel and the drive from the hotel to their luxury high-rise building took him less than ten minutes.
The condo was pitch-black when Sebastian arrived. Flicking on the lights, he stepped inside, his designer shoes echoing against the polished concrete floors.
“Elizabeth?” he called out, slipping his jacket off and tossing it over the back of the white leather sofa.
No answer.
He walked down the long, dimly lit hallway toward her bedroom. He was due for a conjugal appointment. Might as well get it over with, he thought as he approached her door.
The door was half-open and he pushed it inward, expecting to see her sleeping under the heavy duvet, but the bed was neatly made and untouched.
Sebastian frowned. This was strange.
He walked over to the nightstand and found her phone charger missing. Turning around, he walked toward her closet and pushed open the double glass doors. Everything looked almost entirely intact, except for a gaping hole on the lower rack where her favourite duffel bag usually sat.
Maybe she’s in my bedroom, he thought, and the idea irritated him. He didn’t want her anywhere near his personal space.
Much to his relief, she wasn’t there either when he went to check. He then went from room to room, but didn’t find her anywhere in the apartment.
He tried her phone, but it went straight to voicemail, which was even stranger.
There was no sign of her anywhere.
He walked back out to the kitchen and just so happened to notice a small, glittering object on the counter. It was her wedding ring, a thin platinum band he had placed on her finger five years ago.
Maybe she went to her father’s, he thought, remembering that was the only time she ever used the duffel. Feeling a strange sense of freedom in her absence, Sebastian didn’t give it another thought.
That night, Sebastian had the best sleep he’d had in months.
Unbeknownst to him, his wife was already ten thousand feet in the air, flying across the ocean to an entirely different country and her vanishing without a trace was about to become his nightmare, he just didn’t know it yet.
For three days, Sebastian lived in blissful, undisturbed peace. The condo was quiet, his mornings were uninterrupted and he didn’t have to dodge any awkward attempts at conversation or endure another scheduled night in her bedroom.
He simply assumed she was at her father’s estate and he liked her absence. It felt good not having to go to bed or wake up feeling resentful.
It wasn’t until Monday afternoon, while Sebastian was sitting in his corner office staring down a set of investor decks, that his private line rang.
He glanced at the caller ID: Arthur Murray.
Sebastian took a slow sip of his espresso before answering, adjusting his posture. “Arthur. Good afternoon.”
“I’ve been trying to reach Beth,” Arthur’s voice boomed over the speaker, sharp and demanding, cutting straight through the pleasantries. “Can you tell your wife that I wish to speak to her?”
Sebastian paused, a slight frown creasing his forehead. “What do you mean? Isn’t she with you?”
Silence heavy as lead hung on the line for a second. “Why would she be here when she has her own marital home?” Arthur asked, his tone harsh.
“Beth isn’t here,” Sebastian said, worry and fear rising in his chest. “Not since the party at the Four Seasons.”
“You mean to tell me that my daughter has been out of reach for three days?”
“I thought she was with you,” Sebastian said defensively. “She left the gala early on Friday, and when I got home, her duffel bag was gone. Naturally, I assumed...”
“You imbecile!” Arthur roared into the phone. “Are you not her husband? You haven’t seen your wife in three days and you didn’t think to report it? You didn’t think to call me?”
Sebastian stiffened, the cool composure he prided himself on suddenly cracking. “Arthur, calm down. She probably just went on a getaway or stayed at a hotel to...”
“Shut up,” Arthur growled, his voice thick with fury.
“Elizabeth doesn’t go on getaways, you and I know very well that she goes nowhere else apart from my house and your penthouse.
She calls me every morning at eight o’clock.
She hasn’t answered her phone since Friday night!
Find her. Today! And if a single hair on my daughter’s head is harmed, I will destroy you! Do you understand me?”
The line went dead with a harsh click and Sebastian slowly lowered his phone, blood draining from his face as reality slammed into him.
His wife, Arthur’s daughter, was missing. The possibilities of what could have happened to her were endless, and none of them were good.
This was an emergency and he needed to deal with it ASAP.
He scrambled to his feet, grabbed his jacket and practically sprinted out of his office. “Clear my schedule for the rest of the day,” he barked at his assistant as he walked past her desk.
Ten minutes later, he was tearing through their shared penthouse like a madman.
He threw open the doors to her walk-in closet and looked inside, this time with more scrutiny. The clothes were all there, except for a few casual pieces.
He rushed back into his study and opened the safe, only to discover that the stash of cash he kept inside was gone.
All ninety thousand dollars.
It wasn’t much, but to Elizabeth, who wasn’t known for her extravagance, it was a neat sum she could comfortably survive on for a few months.
Where the fuck was she? Had she run away with a lover? He wondered. She was a vulnerable woman, and it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that some Miami gigolo had led her astray.
Somehow, he didn’t find that thought pleasing in the slightest. The idea that another man could take what was his was unacceptable.
Elizabeth belonged to him and the fierce conviction with which he felt it, took him by surprise.
Sebastian pulled out his phone and dialled his chief head of security. “I need you to pull the security camera footage from the penthouse lobby and the main garage from Friday night between nine PM and one AM. Right now.”
Within twenty minutes, the video clip hit his phone.
Sebastian watched in stunned silence as the high-definition footage played out on his screen. At 9:35 PM on Friday night, Elizabeth walked out of the penthouse elevator. She was dressed in a plain grey hoodie, leggings and sneakers, carrying a duffel bag over her shoulder.
Sebastian watched in shock as Elizabeth, all alone, walked past the front desk without so much as a backward glance, stepped out onto the Miami street and simply vanished into the night.