Missed chapter.

Hi guys! I'm so sorry!

I was checking the book file on G****e doc and realized I skipped a chapter between chapter ninety seven and ninety eight! ༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽

Because of how crazy the deletion would be, I decided to upload the missing chapter in this note (I.e for free.)

It would mean the world if you could go back to read chapter ninety seven for a quick refresh and then read the original chapter ninety eight in this note so the progression of events won't be confusing. I'm so sorry!ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ

MISSED CHAPTER

Jessica’s P.O.V

–I am leaving Rosario for a week. Sry for making you wait last night.

I read that text for what seemed to be hundredth time, the familiar knot in my stomach tightening. That same one that had been there since he stood me up at dinner three nights ago. It made zero sense. How he just up and left. Ryder hadn’t even shown up for his shoots, according to his manager.

But in the grand scheme of things, I probably shouldn’t be worried. Ryder was fine or he wouldn’t be posting on social media like he usually does. I left the chats app and scrolled back to innagram, going through the latest posts on his wall. They were videos of him clubbing as usual like the party fiend he was. The last image was taken on a yatch. Only his hand was in the frame and it wrapped around the stem of a champagne glass while the background was a stunning backdrop of the dark sky and glistening ocean. The caption was also very strange but honestly mysterious just like Ryder’s other captions–Life as I knew it is over.

What did that even mean? Was he talking about me? Had he found out something?

I might have planned to break up with him over dinner, but now that he was completely MIA, I couldn’t get rid of the gnawing worry.

Swallowing my pride, I decided to call him. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I stepped away from the bustling studio where the crew was preparing for a new photoshoot. The makeup on my face was flawless as always but right now I was feeling so hot with worry that my cheeks felt mucky and gross. I wanted to wipe it off. The only thing stopping me was the crazy makeup artist working with my team.

As soon I was in a sort of private place, I dialed Ryder’s number and it went straight to voicemail.

Disappointment turned my lips downward and my shoulders drooped. Why was he ignoring me? Just as I was about to try again, my phone vibrated in my hand. Glancing at the screen confirmed it was Ryder calling me.

Relief flooded me as I answered. “Hi,” I said in a tentatively voice, nerves swimming in my stomach. Ryder was okay. Why the hell would I even think that he wasn’t?

“Hey, Syl,” he replied, his voice cheerful and loud. “Listen, I am sorry about everything but I just needed time alone. I realized with the bracelet and all, i was probably moving too fast and freaked you out.”

My heart melted at his words and I wanted to argue, to tell him that I was worried, but before I could say anything, the line went dead.

Confusion and worry replaced my initial relief and my brow pulled tight. I was still trying to make sense of what just happened, Elsa burst into the studio, her hair in such a messy updo that everyone swung their gazes towards her. Elsa had never looked anything less than impeccable.

My jaw even went slack as I realized she was wearing a jeans and tshirt. I’d never seen her in casual clothes.

Ignoring the strange looks she was getting, my manager moved across the room to me, grabbing my hands almost immediately. “Sylvia…what’s going on with Ryder?”

Huh? I fell back a few steps as i cast a strange look at Elsa. “Why are you asking me that?”

She winced for a moment and then pinched the bridge of her nose. “His agent and manager…John, called to tell me that they just had to forgo a contract because Ryder is AWOL. Then you texted John to ask about Ryder’s whereabouts…everyone is worried Sylvia.”

“Okay, Okay, calm down.” I hitched my hands up between us, trying to control my surprise at her obvious anxiety. “Haven’t you guys checked his feeds? Ryder is somewhere in San Cabaros, having a time of his life. He texted me three days ago and told me he was going out of town for a bit. Is that why you…look like this? What’s going on Elsa?”

At this time my eyes were narrowed into tiny suspicious slits. She sucked in a deep breath and schooled her features into a calm mask. “John, Ryder’s manager and I go way back… and we..we..he’s my secret boyfriend, Sylvia. We are dating currently and I love him.” Her cheeeks reddened as she shared this surprising bit of information. “Because of Ryder’s overspending habits…his stupid extravagant lifestyles and knack of living beyond his means, Ryder is broke and has been living off John’s agent cut for the past couple of months. Everything he made from Halls enterprise is fucking gone. Now, on saturday morning, the day Ryder disappeared, the last million dollars was withdrawn from John’s account. There’s no money left anywhere. Nothing. John is in deep shit!”

“Oh my god, Oh my god, Elsa. Breathe.” i stuttered, short of words and shocked to my core. “Why…why didn’t you tell me anything? Hell, you literally set me up to date Ryder and you knew all of this…especially his spending habits! What the fuck?”

“I’m sorry princess fucking Sylvia, can you for once understand that not everything is about you! I am going bankrupt and all you fucking care about is yourself!” Elsa snapped at me, her voice going so high that everyone in the room froze, cutting their gazes to us.

I stood there, still as a statue, my blood running cold. I had never been spoken to like that in the eight years since I became Sylvia Reynolds, not even by my most demanding clients. The words echoed in my mind and it was almost fucking unreal.

Clenching my fists and unclenching them, I finally snapped out of my shock and grabbed Elsa’s arm, roughly leading her away from the crowded studio and into a nearby empty restroom. “What the hell did you just say to me?” i demanded in a low voice as soon as the door shut behind us.

Her eyes widened for a brief moment before they twitched and began filling with tears. Then her expression crumpled and she sobbed. “I’m sorry, Sylvia. I didn’t mean it” she choked out, palming her mouth to stifle the noises. “I’ve just been so stressed. John proposed to me and with Ryder missing with all the money, I don’t know what to do.”

I kissed my teeth and glared at the crown of her rough head until my anger simmered and then fizzled to a low fire. “From Ryder’s Innagram feeds, it’s clear he was partying in San Cabaros. The hell waters yatch party. You should take the first flight there.”

But Elsa only let out a broken laugh. “More than twenty celebrity friends of Ryder was in attendance. Nobody saw him at that party. Not a single soul.”