INICIAR SESIÓN"He, Nathan—" Johnson stammered, his chin lifting slightly as he looked toward the door, clearly expecting to see Celine walk in behind him. When no one followed, his eyes darted from one heavily built man to another. His legs looked weak, almost unable to support his weight. "What the hell is going on? Why did you show up with so many people?"Nathan stood tall in the center of the living room, his suit perfectly fitted, his jaw tight, his eyes cold and unforgiving. The air in the mansion felt different now, thick, suffocating. Even the expensive chandelier above them seemed to dim under the weight of his presence.The silence stretched for several long seconds. Nathan's gaze swept across the room, taking in every detail of the expensive furnitures and properties. All of it suddenly felt like a monument to vanity and cruelty."I want the truth," Nathan said, his voice steady but commanding. There was no shouting yet, but the danger in his tone was unmistakable. "You all knew from
"The number you dialed is not available—"Johnson cut the call before the robotic voice could finish. His thumb trembled as he lowered the phone, then immediately raised it again to redial. The call didn't connect. Straight to voicemail.He began pacing from one end of the living room to the other, his polished shoes striking sharply against the marble floor. His usually composed appearance was gone. His tie hung loose, his hair slightly disheveled, his breathing uneven."Why isn't she picking up?" he muttered under his breath, then louder, frustration spilling over. "Why isn't Celine picking up?"On the couch, Megan sat with one leg crossed over the other, her posture far calmer than her husband's. She scrolled through her phone as if she were browsing shopping catalogs instead of worrying about her missing daughter."Relax," she said lazily without lifting her eyes from the screen. "Maybe she and Nathan are busy having some alone time." She shrugged lightly. "You know how newlywed
The car moved smoothly along the dimly lit road, the hum of the engine the only sound filling the heavy silence inside the SUV. Streetlights flashed past the tinted windows in slow, measured intervals, casting fleeting shadows across Nathan's face. He sat rigidly at the back, his posture stiff and controlled, one arm resting against the door, the other clenched loosely on his thigh.His jaw was tight, his gaze distant and unfocused, as if his thoughts were miles away from the present moment.Marcel glanced at him through the rearview mirror more than once, hesitant and uncertain. Finally, he reached to the side and picked up a slim phone tablet with careful movements."Mr. Mills," Marcel said carefully, his voice low and respectful as he turned slightly in his seat to face his boss directly. "Here's everything we dug up on Ms. Charlotte's past. Hospital records, surveillance videos, internal reports, witness statements. She's… she's been through a lot, sir."Nathan didn't answer imm
"Charlie," Nathan said again, his voice breaking this time, stripped completely of the anger and arrogance that once defined him so thoroughly and completely. His eyes grew wet with unshed tears that threatened to spill over. "I can't live without you. You're the only one I love. The only one I've ever truly loved in my entire life."He took a step closer and lifted his hand slowly, carefully, aiming for her shoulder, desperate for any form of contact, as if touching her would anchor her and stop her from slipping away again like sand through his fingers. But Charlotte noticed the movement instantly, her senses sharper than ever. She shifted back quickly, her heels scraping lightly against the concrete floor of the balcony, deliberately creating distance between them.Her lips curved into a bitter smile, one that held no warmth at all, no forgiveness."Nathan," she said slowly, her voice calm but cutting, each word deliberate and measured with precision. "You say you love me, but y
"Who the hell are you?" Charlotte asked, her voice unsteady and slurred, the alcohol still clouding her senses heavily as the room spun slightly around her. Her brows knitted together in confusion and irritation as she tried to pull her hand free from his grasp. Nathan's grip was firm, almost desperate, his fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist as though letting go would make her vanish again forever."Let go of me!" she snapped, her body trembling as she tried to wrench herself away forcefully."Charlie, I messed up, okay?" Nathan said quickly, lowering his voice, forcing calm where panic threatened to break through completely. His eyes searched her face with urgency and desperation. "I know I did. I was blind. I was stupid. I was everything you think I was."Charlotte stopped struggling for a moment, lifting her gaze to him, trying hard to focus through the haze. His face felt oddly familiar, painfully familiar, yet distant at the same time. She stared at him like one would st
The urgent call from Marcel turned out to be strictly work-related, though it came at the worst possible time imaginable. A major client from New York—one Nathan had spent years carefully cultivating, had suddenly requested a face-to-face meeting, insisting emphatically that it had to be Nathan himself. Marcel had explained everything carefully over the phone, his tone respectful but strained, aware of how delicate the situation was with Nathan's current emotional state."Sir, this client doesn't take postponements lightly," Marcel had said, pacing anxiously in his office. "If we delay too long, they might pull out completely. We could lose the entire account."Nathan had stood by the hotel window, staring down at the glowing city below, his reflection faintly visible in the glass. His mind was elsewhere: on Charlotte, on Caleb, on everything slipping through his fingers like sand."Reschedule it," Nathan said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion."Sir—""I said reschedule it," Nath







