Chapter 12

"Did anyone check the estate security cameras?" I asked immediately, my mind racing as my administrative instincts kicked into high gear.

"Security is reviewing the main gates now, but the perimeter fence near the gardens has a blind spot," Lucas said, his eyes scanning the dark treeline surrounding the Sinclair property. "Leah is panicking inside. If Aria wandered off into the grounds..."

He didn't need to finish the sentence. The Sinclair estate stretched across acres of unlit private woods, complete with a natural drainage pond at the edge of the property.

"She wouldn't wander off on her own during a family gathering," I said firmly, walking back toward the garden patio. "Aria was sitting right next to her mother. Someone had to have enticed her or taken her away from the dining hall."

Without wasting another second, we hurried back inside. The living room had descended into complete chaos. Leah was kneeling on the floor, crying uncontrollably as one of Lucas’s sisters tried to comfort her. The servants searched every corner of the mansion while the security team spoke urgently through their radios.

Then a sharp voice cut through the room. “I saw her with Aria.”

I turned around. Ann was pointing directly at me. For a brief second, I actually looked behind me, wondering whether she was talking about someone else. She wasn’t.

“I saw Junia with Aria,” Ann repeated confidently.

Damon folded his arms. “We’ve all been searching for clues while you’ve been standing there keeping quiet.”

“What are you talking about?” I frowned. “I haven’t been with Aria since dinner.”

Before I could say anything else, another woman stormed toward me. It was Esther, Lucas’s younger sister. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

“Where is my sister’s daughter?” she demanded, almost shouting. “What did you do to her?”

I looked past her. Ann… Mrs. Carter… The two women exchanged a quick smile. My heart sank. Was this planned?

“Esther.” Lucas stepped between us. “You will not speak to my wife like that.”

“But Ann saw her!”

“That’s not proof.” His voice remained calm, but it carried enough authority to silence the room.

Esther wiped away her tears. “My daughter is missing, Lucas!”

“I know. We’ll find her.” Despite his calm tone, I could feel the tension radiating from him.

Ignoring everyone else, I hurried outside. If they wanted to blame me, fine. But finding Aria came first.

“Aria!” I called into the darkness. Only silence answered me.

A moment later, I heard footsteps behind me. Lucas. “I’m sorry about what happened inside,” he said.

I shook my head. “We’ll deal with that later.” I looked around the enormous estate. “Tell me something.”

He frowned.

“Is there anywhere on the property that isn’t paved with stone?”

He looked slightly confused before answering. “The old greenhouse behind the lower gardens.”

“Take me there.”

He didn’t question my reasoning.

He reached out, his warm, strong hand wrapping firmly around mine.

"Keep close to me," he said softly. "The path is uneven."

We sprinted down the dark, stone-paved garden trail together. The wind whipped past us, but the grip of Lucas’s hand on mine was unshakeable.

Within minutes, the outline of the old glass greenhouse appeared through the trees. The iron door was latched shut with a heavy rusted bar from the outside.

"Aria!" I called out, rushing forward to slide the heavy iron bar open.

A small, terrified sob echoed from inside the dark structure. "Auntie Junia?!"

I pulled the creaking door open. Inside, sitting on a wooden bench surrounded by broken terracotta pots, was little Aria, her small knees pulled to her chest, tears streaming down her face.

"Aria!" I dropped to my knees on the dirty floor, completely ignoring my evening dress, and pulled the trembling child into my arms. "It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe now. Uncle Lucas and I are here."

Aria clung to my neck, sobbing softly into my shoulder. "The lady told me there were bunnies... then she closed the door and it got really dark..."

Lucas stepped inside, his large frame instantly filling the doorway. The furious, terrifying expression he had worn moments ago vanished the second he looked down at Aria. He crouched beside us, his long fingers gently patting the little girl’s head.

"You were very brave, Aria," Lucas said gently, his voice lower and softer than I had ever heard it before. "Let's get you back to your mother."

Aria wiped her eyes, looking between Lucas and me before reaching out her tiny hands toward Lucas. "Uncle Lucas... carry me?"

A rare, soft look passed through Lucas's dark eyes. He easily lifted Aria into his arms, holding her securely against his chest.

Then he extended his free hand toward me. I looked at him for a brief moment before placing my hand in his. Relief washed over me. We had found Aria. Now it was time to find whoever had done this.

The moment we returned to the mansion, Leah ran toward us. “My baby!” She immediately pulled Aria into a tight embrace, crying as she repeatedly kissed her forehead. “I was so scared…”

“I’m sorry, Mommy.”

Everyone crowded around them. I quietly lifted my eyes. Ann stood frozen. Beside her, Mrs. Carter’s face had gone noticeably pale. Damon had disappeared sometime during the search.

Esther slowly walked toward her daughter before kneeling beside her. “Sweetheart,” she asked gently. “Can you tell us who locked you inside the greenhouse?”

The room fell completely silent. Aria wiped away her tears. Then she slowly lifted one tiny finger. She pointed across the room. Straight at Mrs. Carter.

“That grandma,” Aria whispered. “She’s the one who told me there were bunnies.”

A collective gasp swept through the room. Mrs. Carter’s face turned ghostly white. “W-What nonsense is this?” she stammered. “I would never—”

Slap!

The sound echoed through the silent living room. Mrs. Carter stumbled sideways, one hand flying to her burning cheek. Mrs. Sinclair stood in front of her, her face colder than anyone had ever seen.

“How dare you.”