The morning light streamed weakly through the curtains, but Nathan didn't feel the warmth. His head throbbed as he blinked himself awake, the taste of bitterness still lingering on his tongue.
He sat up sharply, realizing he was in his own bedroom.
"What the hell…"
"Finally awake," came a voice from the doorway.
Nathan turned to find Samson, arms crossed, eyes dark with concern.
"What happened to me?" Nathan growled.
Samson stepped in, voice tight. "Luisa drugged you. I found her dragging you toward a private room. She tried to lie, but I got there just in time and brought you home."
Nathan's jaw clenched. "That crazy—she drugged me?" His fists tightened. "I swear, she's going to regret ever stepping foot near me again. She ruined everything. I was supposed to see Stephanie's mum… take Steph home—"
He froze.
Stephanie.
He turned sharply to Samson. "Where is she?"
Samson hesitated.
Nathan stood, voice rising. "Where is she, Samson?"
"She's missing."
The room went still.
Nathan's breath hitched. "What do you mean she's missing?"
"She left the hospital last night. Told the security to back off—said she needed space and threatened them… using your name."
"You're saying my men let her go?" Nathan's voice turned lethal. "Because she dropped my name?"
"They didn't have a choice. She was emotional, angry… and she vanished," Samson said quickly. "We checked the hospital CCTV, but… the main systems were broken. Deliberately. We did catch a suspicious van on nearby footage. We're tracking it now."
Nathan paced, rage bleeding into his every movement. "You better find her. I don't care how long it takes. If Victor or Damien laid a single fucking finger on her—"
He didn't finish. He didn't have to.
"I'll kill them," he growled.
Samson nodded. "We're on it."
Nathan paused. "Does her family know?"
"No," Samson admitted. "Leo told me she walked off to cool down. He thinks maybe she's in a hotel or something."
Nathan scoffed, fury flashing in his eyes. "I have to tell them. They deserve to know what's going on."
He strode toward the bathroom. "Get everything ready. I want updates every ten minutes. And Samson?"
"Yes, sir?"
"If we don't find her soon… all hell's going to break loose."
The door slammed behind him.
And a war began to stir.
———
Nathan's pulse roared
louder than the city outside.
The hospital came into view, a sterile tower of glass and concrete—but all he saw was red. The anger. The fear. The betrayal.
Luisa.
He could still taste the bitterness of the drug she'd slipped into his wine. Her perfume had clung to his clothes when he woke up at home—alone, disoriented.
Samson had found her trying to drag him into a private room.
Like he was a fucking trophy.
And while he'd been unconscious, Stephanie… vanished.
He gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached.
She was supposed to come home with me. I was supposed to see her smile again. Hear her voice. Tell her the damn truth.
Now she was gone—and every second wasted could cost her more.
Samson's voice from earlier echoed in his head:
"We're tracking the van, boss. CCTV was wiped clean. But we're closing in."
Nathan stormed through the hospital entrance, eyes scanning for the room number Samson had texted. His black coat flared behind him as he moved, his boots striking the tiled floor like thunder.
He turned a corner and froze.
There they were.
Elizabeth Quinn sat upright on the hospital bed, her frail figure wrapped in a pale blue robe. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap, but Nathan didn't miss the tremble in her fingers.
Beside her stood a tall, poised woman—elegant and stern. Shoulder-length chestnut hair, sharp eyes that narrowed the moment they landed on him.
The younger woman sat at the foot of the bed, her hand gently on the older woman's knee, comforting.
And Leo stood near the door, arms crossed, expression grim.
Nathan stepped in slowly, and all four heads turned.
The tension in the room spiked—like the very air held its breath.
"Nathan," Leo greeted, nodding once.
Nathan's gaze swept the room, sharp and assessing. "Samson said your mum wanted to see me."
Leo moved closer, clearing his throat. "Right. Nathan—this is my mother, Elizabeth Quinn." He gestured toward the elegant woman. "And this is my sister, Elena."
Nathan's eyes briefly flicked to Elena. He hadn't expected her to look so much like Stephanie. Same fire behind the eyes. Same silent steel.
Elena's arms remained folded as she offered him a curt nod. She didn't speak.
Nathan dipped his head slightly. "It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Quinn."
Elizabeth nodded slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You too. I just… I just wanted to see the boy my husband saved."
Nathan blinked.
That line.
That soft, trembling line.
It hit something in his chest—and not in a good way.
His gaze sharpened, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he studied her face. She wasn't lying… not exactly. But she was holding something back. He could feel it in his bones.
Still, he nodded. "I owe him my life. And I'm grateful. More than words can say."
The room shifted. Silence stretched too long. Eyes darted. Elena stiffened. Leo looked down. Anita dropped her gaze entirely.
They're uncomfortable. Hiding something.
But what?
Nathan didn't have time to dig into it now.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He answered instantly. "Samson."
"We got a hit," Samson said, his voice taut with urgency. "Van was spotted in the warehouse district. Just sent the coordinates."
Nathan's voice dropped into a deadly calm. "I'm on my way."
He hung up and turned to face the room.
"There's no easy way to say this," he said flatly. "Stephanie's missing."
Elizabeth gasped, her hand flying to her chest.
"What?!" Elena's voice sliced through the air.
Anita stood up, eyes wide with panic. "Wait—what do you mean missing?"
Leo stepped forward, his tone sharp. "What the hell are you talking about, Nathan?"
Nathan's voice didn't waver. "She was taken last night. Right outside the hospital. The security team assigned to her said she insisted they stay back. She used my name to force them off."
"What?!" Leo barked. "Why the hell would she—"
"She was angry. Hurting," Nathan said, jaw tight. "She probably needed space."
Elizabeth's voice cracked. "No… no, not my daughter. God, no…"
Nathan took a breath, fingers twitching. "The CCTV was down. Wiped clean. But my team tracked the van. I'm heading there now."
"I'm coming with you," Leo said instantly, grabbing his jacket.
Nathan stepped closer. "It's not safe—"
"I don't care," Leo cut him off. "That's my sister, Nathan."
Elena stepped forward, panic rippling beneath her anger. "You're saying she's been gone all night and none of us knew?"
Anita's lips trembled. "Leo…"
He turned, caught her gaze—and then kissed her. Long and hard. His hand cupped her cheek as if memorizing her skin.
"I'll bring her home," he whispered against her lips.
"You better," she whispered back, gripping his hand tightly.
Nathan watched them—his chest tightening. Stephanie was out there. And she had no one to hold her right now. No one to whisper love into her ears while the dark closed in.
But he'd change that.
He would find her.
And when he did—God help whoever took her.
Nathan turned to Elizabeth, her tear-streaked face wrecked with fear.
"I promise you, I'll bring her back. One way or another."
Her lip trembled. "Please do."
Nathan gave her a solemn nod.
But as he turned to leave, he glanced back one last time—his gaze lingering on the silence between them. The half-truth in Elizabeth's voice. The stiffness in Elena's jaw. The way no one in that room could look him directly in the eye.
They're hiding something.
And when I bring Stephanie back… I'll find out what.