The Woman Who Vanished

Elaine woke up slowly, eye lids trembling slightly. Her head seriously ached from the hangover and she immediately felt nauseous. But she held back the strong urge to suddenly turn over and throw up.

The first thing she noticed was the silence.

Not the peaceful kind, but the kind that felt too expensive, too controlled. The air smelled different. Clean. Masculine. Heavy.

And her heart skipped a beat.

She sat up abruptly.

The room was enormous. Dark wood. Thick curtains. Gold accents that caught the early morning light. A bed far too large to belong to a normal guest. Satin sheets tangled around her legs, cool against her skin.

And then she saw him.

He stood at the far end of the room, tall and unmoving, a phone pressed to his ear. He was naked beneath an expensive black robe, loosely tied, revealing a powerful chest and a body sculpted with perfect authority. He faced the wide glass wall, overlooking the vast blue stretch of the sea and the cruise ship below, guests strolling, laughing, unaware they were being watched from above.

Elaine’s breath hitched. She didn’t dare move.

“Find that bastard,” he said calmly into the phone.

The voice. It was heavenly!

Her stomach dropped as soon as she realized that she felt turned on by this stranger's voice.

“I don’t care how long it takes,” he continued, unbothered. Then he suddenly switched to another language, which he spoke angrily and fluidly, almost Italian.

Elaine’s pulse roared in her ears. She found herself shamefully clenching her thighs, because the language switch gave him a more sexy appeal.

This is real, last night was real. She suddenly thought to herself. Panic flooded her system.

She slid out of bed as quietly as she could, ignoring the ache in her body and between her legs, clouding out the memories threatening to overwhelm her. Her eyes darted around, hoping to spot her clothes scattered across the floor like evidence of a crime. But surprisingly, they were neatly folded and kept at a corner. Heat flushed her face and her cheeks heated up at this.

She gathered them quickly—dress, shoes, underwear—hands shaking. There was a robe folded neatly at the edge of the bed. Without thinking, she slipped it on, tying it tight around her waist.

She turned toward the door.

Just a few steps.

Just—

“Stop.”

The word cut through the air like a command.

Elaine froze. He had turned. He had known she was awake all this while. The phone was still in his hand, but his eyes were on her now. Fully. Directly. She could feel his heated gaze on her body. She swallowed and slowly looked at him. And forgot how to breathe.

She had never seen a man like him, with sharp features carved with precision. Eyes dark and unreadable. Beauty wrapped in danger. He looked like a man who had never been denied anything—and had no patience for those who tried. He looked like a celebrity straight out of a cover magazine, but with a slightly rougher edge.

He lifted the phone slightly, eyes steadily trained on her.

“I’ll call you back.”

The line went dead.

“Who are you?” Elaine managed to mutter, fear clawing up her throat.

He took one step toward her. Her body reacted before her mind did. A dangerous pull. A memory of warmth and control resurfaced. Of how easily she had been undone last night.

“Don’t,” she said, backing away.

Her heart ached with something she didn’t want to feel.

She could have stayed, remaining rooted on that spot until he got to her from across the room.

For half a second, she almost did.

But then shame washed over her like cold water. She had slept with a stranger. In his bed. In his room. With no idea who he was.

Tears burned the edges of her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said, voice breaking. “I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

And then she turned and ran.

She bolted through the door and into the quiet hallway, bare feet hitting the carpet as she fled without looking back. Her heart thundered as she ran, robe clutched tight around her body.

She didn’t notice the thin silver chain slipping from her neck. She didn’t feel it hit the floor. She didn’t stop until she reached her compartment room. ,When she burst inside, Mara was already there. And she wasn’t smiling.

“Elaine,” Mara said coldly, after staring at her for like, a minute. “You got yourself in trouble.”

Elaine’s chest tightened.

"Mara...I want to apologize_" Elaine began, but was cut off.

“Keep your words to yourself." Mara seethed.

"The head manager wants to see you. Now.”

With that, she got up and left, passing her like air.

Elaine sighed at Mara's attitude. She had successfully turned a companion to an enemy through her actions.

Minutes later, Elaine stood in the office she had only ever entered once before. She knocked twice, waiting for a while before she entered. The head manager, Ms. Truce sat behind a huge desk, typing furiously on a laptop. Elaine remained standing, not getting the go ahead to sit down.

For twenty minutes, she stood waiting. Only the clicking of keyboard echoed through the office.

Suddenly, Ms.Truce's typing came to a halt. She stood up, went round her desk and walked towards Elaine.

She barely had time to open her mouth

The slap came fast. Sharp. Humiliating.

“You disappeared during service,” the head manager snapped. “Do you know what kind of disruption that caused?”

“I— I’m sorry,” Elaine sobbed. “Please—”

“Your contract is terminated,” Ms.Truce cut in. “Effective immediately. I’ll make sure no reputable agency ever hires you again.”

Elaine fell to her knees.

“I beg you—”

“Take her away.”

Two large guards grabbed her arms and dragged her out like she was nothing. Like she had never mattered from the beginning. She was a part of the cruise staff, disposable.

Because the ship was already at sea, she was escorted off by helicopter hours later. Her pleas and futile explanation were overlooked.

By the time the chopper lifted into the air, the cruise ship was already under a lockdown. Every corridor searched. Every staff member questioned.

The Don stood in his room, the silver necklace resting in his palm.

“She took something from me,” he thought quietly. His eyes darkened.

“She has to take responsibility.”

But it was already too late. By the time some men in black arrived at the helipad, she was gone.