CHAPTER FOUR: THE FIRST LIE

"Someone just kidnapped Vivian."

The words slammed into me. For a second, I thought I heard Marcus wrong. 

"What?"

My voice came out weak. Marcus looked just as shocked as I felt. The phone remained in his hand. His expression was grim..

"Who called?"

He didn't answer immediately.

That scared me because Marcus always had answers. Tonight, he looked completely caught off guard. 

Because Marcus always had answers.

Tonight, he looked completely caught off guard.

"Marcus."

He finally looked at me.

"It was Adrian's head of security."

My stomach tightened.

"So it's real."

Marcus nodded. A chill ran through me. I should have felt angry, I should have felt satisfied after everything Vivian had done, I should have felt something ugly. Instead, fear settled inside my chest because kidnapping wasn't normal. This wasn't gossip, this wasn't betrayal, this was dangerous. 

"When did it happen?"

"About thirty minutes ago."

My heart sank. Thirty minutes. That meant Vivian disappeared shortly after Adrian left to see her. Marcus cursed under his breath then his phone rang again. This time it was Adrian. Marcus answered immediately. 

"What happened?"

Silence. I was Marcus carefully. His face became darker with every second he spoke. 

"Any demands?"

Demands?

My pulse quickened. The kidnappers had contacted Adrian already. This was happening fast, too fast. Marcus listened for another moment then ended the call. 

"What did he say?"

Marcus rubbed his forehead.

"They contacted him."

My stomach dropped.

"What do they want?"

His gaze met mine.

"Money."

I released a breath. For a second, I thought it would be something worse then Marcus continued. 

"A lot of money."

That didn't surprise me. Adrian Knight was one of the richest men in the city. Everybody knew that. The surprising part was what Marcus said next. 

"They specifically asked Adrian to come alone."

The room fell silent. That didn't sound like a normal ransom. That sounded personal, very personal. A bad feeling settled over me. 

"Do they know Vivian?"

"I don't know."

Marcus sounded frustrated.

"And neither does Adrian."

My mind raced. Nothing about this made sense. Why kidnap Vivian? Why now? Why tonight? A sudden thought hit me. My blood ran cold. 

"What if this isn't about Vivian?"

Marcus frowned.

"What do you mean?"

I swallowed.

"What if she's just the bait?"

His expression changed immediately. He understood. The same possibility had crossed his mind. The room became quiet again. Neither of us liked where this was heading. Another call interrupted the silence. This time Marcus answered immediately. 

"What?"

His voice sharpened then he grabbed his car keys. My stomach tightened. 

"What happened now?"

Marcus looked at me. His face was serious.

"They found Vivian's car."

I stood immediately.

"Where?"

"Near the old harbor."

Fear crawled into my chest. The old harbor. Nobody went there anymore. Most of the warehouses had been abandoned for years. It was the perfect place to hide, the perfect place to disappear.  

"I'm coming."

Marcus shook his head.

"No."

"Marcus."

"No."

His answer came fast, firm, and protective. I hated it

"Stop treating me like a child."

His jaw tightened.

"This is dangerous."

"So?"

His expression darkened.

"So somebody got kidnapped."

The reminder hit hard but I refused to back down

"I'm still coming."

Marcus looked ready to argue then he sighed.

"Fine."

Twenty minutes later, we arrived. Police cars surrounded the area. Flashing lights painted everything blue and red. Officers moved between warehouses. Security teams searched every corner. The entire place felt tense like something terrible was about to happen. 

The moment Adrian saw us, his gaze landed on me. My chest tightened. He looked exhausted, his tie was gone, his sleeves were rolled up. For the first time in years, he looked completely shaken. Not cold, not distant, not untouchable human and somehow that hurt because this version of Adrian never existed during our marriage. He walked to us. 

"What is she doing here?"

I almost laughed. That was his first question. Not hello, not are you okay? That. Marcus stepped forward. 

"She stays."

Adrian looked ready to argue then stopped probably because there were bigger problems. An officer approached. 

"We found something."

Everyone turned immediately. The officer handed Adrian a small envelope. My stomach tightened. Adrian opened it. Inside was a photograph. The color drained from his face instantly. Fear shot through me. 

"What is it?"

Nobody answered. Marcus grabbed the photo first then he froze. My heart started racing. 

"Marcus."

He didn't move, didn't speak, nothing. I snatched the picture from his hand. The second I saw it, my blood turned to ice. It was Vivian, tied to a chair, blindfolded, terrified. Across the bottom of the photograph were four words written in red. 

YOU HAVE TWELVE HOURS.

A cold silence followed then another item slipped from the envelope. A folded piece of paper. Adrian opened it. His hands were shaking. That terrified me more than anything because Adrian Knight never shook. Ever. Slowly, he unfolded the note then read it. His face lost every trace of color. The paper slipped from his fingers. Marcus caught it first. His eyes scanned the message then he swore. 

"What?"

Nobody answered. My heart pounded painfully. 

"Somebody tell me."

Marcus looked at Adrian, Adrian looked away. That was when I knew this wasn't just about Vivian. It never was. I grabbed the note before anyone could stop me. The message was short. Only one sentence. One sentence that changed everything. 

Bring Elena Ross to us or Vivian dies. 

The world stopped. My hand started shaking. My pulse thundered inside my ears. Marcus immediately stepped in front of me 

"No."

Adrian's jaw clenched.

"No."

Neither of them were talking to me. They were talking to whoever sent the note and somehow that terrified me even more because both men looked like they already knew something I didn't. I slowly lifted my head. 

"What is going on?"

Silence. Marcus looked away, Adrian stayed quiet. Fear settled quietly. Fear settled inside my chest not because of the note, not because somebody wanted me because of their faces. They weren't shocked. They were scared like this wasn't random, like they had been expecting something, like they knew exactly who was behind it. I took a step back then another. 

"What aren't you telling me?"

Nobody answered. That answer was enough. My stomach twisted. My voice came out barely above a whisper. 

"Who wants me?"

The silence stretched then a deep voice spoke from behind us.

"He lied to you from the very beginning."

Every muscle in my body is locked. Slowly, I turned around. A stranger stood several feet away, dressed in black, watching Adrian, watching me, watching all of us, then he smiled and pointed directly at my husband. 

"Ask Adrian why your father chose him before your parents died"