Chapter 3

Author's pov:

The grand wedding hall was filled with the most esteemed members of high society, as relatives and acquaintances of the groom and bride engaged in polite conversation while awaiting the ceremony's commencement. The magnificently decorated venue, replete with the finest floral arrangements and décor befitting such a significant occasion, exuded an aura of expectancy.

The great ornate doors at the hall's entrance swung open at precisely the specified hour, bringing all eyes in that direction. Mr. Maxwell Alarcon entered, dazzling in his expertly fitted black suit. The superbly made suit, cut in the current trend, complemented his aristocratic body.

Accompanying the groom was his best man, who stood proudly at his side as they took their place at the front of the hall, faces turned expectantly towards the entrance. The prestigious gathering grew silent as everyone awaited the entrance of the bride.

The guests in the wedding hall had grown restless as more than a quarter-hour had passed since the ceremony was meant to begin. All eyes were fixed on the large wooden doors at the back of the room, waiting for the bride to enter. At last, the doors swung open, but instead of the bride, a young woman whom few recognized came rushing down the aisle.

With urgency in her steps, she approached the altar where the groom, Maxton Alarcon, stood waiting with the officiant.

The woman held out a small folded note in her outstretched palm without saying anything. Maxton accepted it, a puzzled expression on his face, and opened the paper. As he read the brief letter contained therein, his eyes scanned back and forth. As he realised what the words written there meant, he looked devastated. He looked up, the paper crumpled in his fist, to see that all eyes in the room were now on him. The visitors grew silent as they waited for an explanation for this unexpected turn of events.

Maxton Alarcon descended from the altar with crumpled paper clutched in his hand and exited the wedding venue. He walked up to the bride's parents and asked stressed, "Where is your daughter?”

The father looked just as stressed as Maxton felt. "We don't know where she is, we're just as shocked as you are. One minute she was getting ready with her bridesmaids and the next she was gone. No one can seem to find her.”

Maxton started looking around the room at all the guests who had gathered, but nobody seemed to know where the bride had gone. Seeing all the people murmuring to each other just made Maxton more upset.

He grabbed the father's collar in frustration and said "Because of her disappearance, this whole wedding is going to be ruined! And you're all going to suffer the consequences of her actions. I'm not going to just let her get away with this.”

He took a deep breath to calm himself down then turned to his groomsmen. "She has to be around here somewhere. Fan out and search the entire venue, inside and out. I want her found immediately, do you understand? Now go!" The groomsmen hurried to comply with Maxton's order, worried about what else he might do if they didn't come back with the bride soon.

Maxton urged his associates to immediately begin efforts to locate his missing bride-to-be as his father publicly chastised the bride's parents, presumably for some imagined violation.

Maxton was feeling very frustrated when his subordinates returned from searching for the bride without any success. All the guests had arrived expecting a wedding, but now it seemed the bride was missing.

Maxton took a deep breath and walked over to address the waiting crowd. "My apologies for the delay everyone," he began. "It seems there has been some misunderstanding. I want to assure you all that the wedding will still take place, we simply need some more time to sort this out.”

He continued, "Please know how grateful I am that you have all made the effort to celebrate this special day with us. For now, you are free to head home. I will be sure to contact everyone as soon as a new date is set.”

The guests murmured to each other, clearly confused by this unexpected turn of events. But they began gathering their things to take their leave, offering Maxton words of support as they departed.

Once the guests had gone, Maxton's frustration boiled over. He walked straight to the bride's parents to demand answers. "Because of your daughter's actions, you and your entire family will pay the consequences. I will not forget this embarrassment you have caused me.”

Maxton's father gave him a smirk as he said "Call me when you find that girl. Let's see if you have any luck.” With that, he turned and left.

Maxton stood there thinking about his father's words. He knew finding this one girl wouldn't be easy. But he was never one to back down from a challenge. "Alright then," he said to himself with determination.

He headed to his office to get started on the search. His most trusted subordinates were already waiting for him. "You called for us sir?" asked his right hand man Jackson.

"Yes," Maxton replied. "I need you all to mobilise your resources and contacts. Find out whatever you can about the whereabouts of Elise Carroll. My father seems to think I don't have what it takes. So let's prove him wrong.”

The men all nodded, ready to get to work. "We'll do our best sir. But tracking down one person who doesn't want to be found won't be simple," Jackson warned.

"I know," said Maxton. "Which is why I'm giving you all a week. Use any means necessary, but I want her location by this time next week.” “Don't fail me.”

With that, the subordinates scattered to begin their search. They knew their boss Maxton was counting on them to find this girl before the deadline. But more importantly, they didn't want to disappoint Maxton's father. 

Maxton leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He had assigned his top men to the job, so he hoped they would be successful. But his gut was telling him it wouldn't be that simple. This girl seemed clever - who knows what tricks she had up her sleeve?

His father was counting on him, though. So however clever she was, he had to have faith in his men. They would track her down before the deadline. They had to. His father's challenge - and his own reputation - depended on it. Only time would tell if his best would be good enough. For now, all Maxton could do was wait and see what news, if any, his subordinates would bring him today.