Chapter 83

Drew’s POV

The sound of applause still rang in my ears as I led the procession of guests down the grand corridor, each step echoing with anticipation.

The hotel staff had pulled the double doors open, revealing the hallway that framed the path into the heart of the hotel, the part no one outside my closest circle had ever seen.

This was the moment.

My empire’s crowning moment. The culmination of sleepless nights, relentless planning, years of sacrifice, and visions no one believed in until I forced them into reality.

As the guests trailed behind me, billionaires in tailored suits, women glittering in jewels that caught the light like fire, politicians whispering in corners, I should have felt triumphant. Their gasps, the sharp intakes of breath as they stepped into the hidden Eden, told me I had succeeded.

But my chest was tight. The place where Lila had been standing earlier was empty.

She was supposed to be here, just a step back, watching everything unfold like she always did quietly, but with those eyes that saw more than anyone else.

She had been here all day, clipboard in hand, moving like a storm contained in human form, steadying chaos with just her voice.

I had seen her in the corner of my vision during my speech, her presence grounding me in a way I refused to acknowledge. But now, as I looked around I noticed she was gone.

I forced my expression to remain composed, but my jaw clenched as I signalled the nearest staff. My voice was low, sharp, but calm enough to blend with the atmosphere.

“Find Lila, the event planned.” I ordered. “She was backstage earlier, tell her I need her inside now.”

The staff nodded so quickly their head nearly bobbed off and hurried off through the staff corridor. I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay with the crowd, to keep leading them deeper into the marvel I had built.

The glass panels overhead revealed the hanging gardens, green vines draping in natural curtains, flowers blooming with impossible precision under carefully engineered skylights. A man in the crowd muttered “unbelievable” under his breath. Another whispered, “This is… this is art.”

I should have felt pride. I should have been drinking in their awe, their reverence. But my mind wasn’t on them.

It was on her.

Every corner I turned, every pause I made to gesture toward the cascading waterfall that split into twin streams around the stone walkway, I searched for her face.

Where the hell was she?

Minutes stretched into eternities before the staff returned, breathless, face pale under the golden lights.

“I can’t find her, sir.”

The words hit harder than I expected. My hand stilled mid gesture. The guests, thankfully, didn’t notice, too captured by the spectacle to sense the ice flooding my veins.

My eyes narrowed. My voice dropped, rough and edged with steel. “What do you mean you can’t find her? Did you check the entire backstage? The side corridors?”

She stammered, nodding quickly. “I checked everywhere, sir. She’s… she’s not there.”

For a split second, I forgot I wasn’t alone. That hundreds of eyes trailed my every movement tonight. I inhaled sharply, the anger pulsing under my skin demanding to be unleashed, but I caged it. I couldn’t lose control. Not yet.

I turned slightly, catching the attention of my head of security. With the smallest tilt of my chin, he understood, immediately coming close to me.

“Check the cameras,” I said under my breath, my tone low but carrying the kind of authority that brooked no hesitation. “Lila can't be found around. Check and find out if she left the premises.”

He nodded and vanished like a shadow.

I continued walking, words spilling from my mouth almost automatically as I gestured toward the glass bridge that stretched across the hotel. But I wasn’t listening to myself. I wasn’t with these people.

I was replaying every interaction from tonight. Trying to find out if I saw anyone suspicious. Something was wrong and I couldn't just shake it off.

Minutes later, as the guests dispersed across the space, exploring the hotel’s marvels with awe struck faces, my head of security reappeared, urgency written all over his expression. He didn’t bother to hide it. He moved straight to me, ignoring the risk of interrupting.

“Sir,” he said, his voice pitched low but urgent. “We found her on the feed.”

My pulse roared in my ears. “Where is she?”

His jaw tightened. “A man carried her out the staff exit. She looked unconscious. He put her in a car and drove off.”

For a moment, the world tilted. My hands curled into fists so tight my knuckles burned. The sound of guests laughing, marveling, sipping champagne blurred into white noise.

Someone had taken her.

Max. It had to be Max.

The fury that ripped through me was primal and instant. I could barely hear myself over the pounding in my chest.

“Get me the car,” I snapped.

The guard hesitated. “Sir, the launch”

“My assistant will handle it.” My eyes burned into his until he looked away. I signaled sharply to my assistant across the room. She rushed over, clipboard in hand.

“You’ll finish this,” I told her, voice clipped. “Entertain them with food, music. End the night smoothly.”

Her eyes widened. “Mr. Sinclair, what”

“You’ve been with us throughout the planning and preparation so I’m certain you can handle it. Nothing should go wrong.”

There was no time for explanations. No time for anything but this.

I strode out, the mask of composure cracking as soon as I was beyond their sight. Rage and fear twisted in my gut like twin blades, each step toward the exit too slow, too damn slow.

When the car screeched up, I yanked the door open and slid inside, jaw set so tight it hurt. The driver didn’t need to ask.

“Follow the directions from security,” I ordered. “Now.”

The city lights blurred past as we tore into the night. My pulse thundered, each beat screaming in my ear. My chest burned and my hands trembled where they gripped the seat.

He had her. Max had taken her right under my nose.

And I would burn the city to ash before I let him keep her.