Ch-10

•~•Solane’s POV

The hospital director’s office felt colder than before, but I wasn’t sure if it was the air conditioning or the cold weight of the situation.

With my hands folded neatly in my lap and my back straight, I stared at the polished desk in front of me.

Twelve long hours had passed since Nathaniel disappeared from his hospital ward, and the night felt heavier because of it.

Melissa was outside, speaking with the police. As expected, her arrival had been nothing short of dramatic—she had flown in immediately after my call about Nathaniel’s disappearance.

We searched everywhere—his ward, the hallways, even the CCTV footage. Nothing. Not a single recording showed him leaving the hospital.

I leaned back slightly, biting the inside of my cheek to keep the satisfied smile from creeping onto my lips.

The way he disappeared—no, the way he was taken—made my chest swell with pride for my Dad. He had been thorough, just as he promised—just as I wanted.

I inhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay in character—to look as tense and anxious as I was meant to be—while thinking back to how it all came into play.

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Flashback

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I remained seated on the bed after Nathaniel left the hotel suite, staring at my phone on the bedside for a long while before finally picking it up and dialing my Dad’s number.

It rang twice before he answered.

"Sweetheart." My Dad’s voice was warm, but I could hear the concern beneath it. "Are you okay?"

I sighed. "Dad, calm down. I’m fine… I just need your help with something."

There was a pause on the other end, his worry seeming to deepen. "What is it? You know you can always count on me.”

I leaned back, pressing my lips together, hesitating for a few seconds before speaking. "I need you to arrange a kidnapping."

The silence on the other end was deafening.

I braced myself for shock, for reprimand, for even a hint of hesitation.

Instead, he simply asked, "Nathaniel?"

My brows knitted together in a small frown.

I had expected at least some resistance, maybe a ‘Are you sure this is a good idea, sweetheart?’ But no.

He sounded completely on board, without a hint of judgment or shock.

"I thought you’d at least reprimand me," I said, my frown deepening.

"I already let you marry that bastard," he said. "More than that, I told you I’d support you however I can to get your revenge. Now, tell me—why do you want him kidnapped?"

I exhaled, gripping my phone tighter. "I think he’s faking his inability to walk."

Silence.

Then he asked, "And kidnapping him will help you confirm that?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "If I put him in a situation where he has no choice but to get up and run, he will. And I’ll have my proof."

My Dad hummed. "Clever. When and where do you want this to happen?"

I bit my lip. "Today. More specifically, this morning. I’ll text you the details later, but Dad, I want it to be clean. No leads. No mistakes."

"Consider it done," he replied without hesitation.

Then, after a pause he continued, "I’ll have some of my boys handle it. They’ll demand a ransom to make it look real. In the meantime, be careful. Don't get yourself involved in anything that could complicate this."

"I won’t," I said firmly—though, truthfully, I wasn’t so sure.

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Flashback Ends

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The office door swung open, snapping me out of my thoughts. The hospital director stepped in first, followed by Melissa and a detective.

His gaze flicked to me for barely a second before shifting back to the director.

I stood immediately, fake worry etched onto my face. “Have you found him?” I asked, letting just enough tremor slip into my voice.

Silence.

The detective and director exchanged glances, and Melissa only stared at me, her lips pressed into a thin line.

I let my hands tremble slightly, then stomped my foot against the floor. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on? Where is Nathaniel?”

Still, nothing.

“Fine.” I said and drew in a sharp breath, then turned toward the door. “I’ll just call my uncle. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to help find my husband.”

Before I could take a step, Melissa was suddenly in front of me, her hands slightly outstretched to block my way.

“No, darling.” Her voice was gentle, coaxing. “There’s no need to get your uncle all worked up. You and my son just got married—it would only cause unnecessary panic if he found out your husband suddenly went missing.”

I forced my lips to tremble, letting out a shaky breath. “So what do we do? Just sit here?”

Melissa gently guided me back to my seat. I let her.

Inside, I was laughing.

This was too easy—my act was flawless.

I should’ve studied acting instead of business relations.

Lowering my lashes, I stole a glance at Melissa, searching her face. Judging by her reaction, she wasn’t suspicious of my involvement.

In fact… she was calm.

And now that I thought about it, that was odd.

For someone who could easily resort to murder for her son’s sake, she was eerily composed.

I had expected her to tear the hospital apart, demand every officer in the damn country search for Nathaniel. But no. She had simply called the police, reported the incident, and now she was here, trying to soothe me.

Strange.

I forced myself to look concerned again as I glanced up at her. “Is there any news on Nathaniel’s whereabouts?”

The detective finally spoke this time, his voice thick with frustration. “We suspect it’s a kidnapping, Mrs. Grant.”

A shudder crawled down my spine. My fists clenched.

I wanted to vomit.

“Call me Solane,” I corrected immediately, my voice clipped.

The detective hesitated before nodding. “Of course. Mrs. Gra—Solane.”

I swallowed hard, forcing down the bile rising in my throat.

God. Just hearing someone call me by that name made my stomach churn.

The detective continued, “Unfortunately, we have no leads yet. No one saw anything, and there’s no security footage showing how he was taken.”

My fingers curled tighter in my lap, holding back the urge to smile.

Of course, you dimwits wouldn’t have any leads. My Dad is too smart for you all.

The sheer perfection of it almost scared me.

No traces. No witnesses. No security footage.

How?

Even in a high-end hospital like this—cameras everywhere—he had made Nathaniel disappear without a single slip-up.

My pulse quickened.

I shook the thought away, but it stuck to the edges of my mind.

To pull something like this off so flawlessly… in such a short time.

Could it be possible?

I mean, my Dad was a businessman. A wealthy, connected, resourceful businessman.

But this… this felt too professional.

Like something straight out of the mafia.

I had never questioned it before. Never wondered just how deep his power ran.

But now… I wasn’t so sure.

I took a slow breath, forcing my expression to remain anxious. “So what do we do now?”

The detective sighed. “We wait.”

I frowned. “Wait?”

"Yes," he said. "I'm sure the kidnappers will contact either you or his mother for ransom. Once they do, we’ll start tracking them."

As if on cue, a phone rang.

Melissa flinched, fumbling inside her coat. When she pulled out her phone, her face paled.

"It’s an unknown caller," she said, her voice low.

The detective straightened. "Answer it and put it on speaker."

She did.

A distorted, mechanical voice filled the room.

"Mrs. Grant… We need five hundred million dollars. Cash. And just for the record, if you involve the police, we’ll make sure to send your son back to you… in parts."

Then the line went dead.

Melissa’s phone slipped slightly in her grasp. Her breath hitched.

"They’re going to kill him," she whispered, voice trembling. "My son… they’re going to kill him."

I watched her.

The way her lower lip quivered and her shoulders shook, as if she was trying—really trying to hold on to her sanity.

And then, I saw it.

A flicker in her eyes.

Not anger.

Not frustration.

Fear.

Oh.

A slow, delicious warmth spread through my chest.

Melissa Grant was afraid.

For the first time since this entire ordeal began, I had the privilege—the honor—of witnessing true, undeniable fear flicker across her face.

And it was beautiful.

Yes. Feel it. Drown in it. Just like I did that night.

My fingers curled tighter around the fabric of my dress as I met her gaze, feigning helplessness. "What do we do now?”