The door burst open.
Nathan stood rigid in the doorway, his tablet clutched tightly in one hand.
Nathan: "She's gone. Seraphina. Her driver found her scarf near the rear gate—no sign of her after the ball."
Elias didn't move at first. He stood by the window, his back straight, the untouched glass of scotch still resting on the table behind him. For a fleeting moment, there was something almost human in his stillness—something brittle.
Elias: "Gone?"
Nathan: "It looks deliberate. Witness spotted a black van leaving the area in a hurry. No ransom note yet. But…"
He hesitated. Elias's face had shuttered, unreadable again. But his hands—clenched tight behind his back—told a different story.
Elias: "She wouldn't just walk away."
Nathan: "Security's reviewing the footage now. I'll update you the moment we have anything concrete."
Elias gave a terse nod. "Tell the board she's under protection. Quietly. No press. No leaks."
Nathan blinked. "You don't think this is connected to—?"
Elias cut him off with a single glance. Cold. Final.
Elias: "Handle it."
As Nathan turned and disappeared down the hallway, Elias stayed where he was, staring out into the slick, rain-blurred city. Neon lights shimmered across the glass, fractured and indistinct. But in his reflection, something sharp had returned—something precise. Dangerous.
What he didn't know—what none of them knew yet—was this:
Adeline was gone, too.
But no one was looking for her.
Not yet.