Elena… Elena…
Chloe's voice echoed into the quiet room, pulling Elena out of her slumber. Her eyelids lifted slowly, and the dried tear marks on her cheeks tightened as she blinked looking weak and confused.
Chloe sat at the edge of the bed, her expression painted with concern. "Baby girl, what is going on with you?" she asked softly. "Your cousins said you won't come downstairs, and you won't even touch your food. Do you want to starve yourself before Charles comes back?"
Elena's heart slammed into her ribs. She pushed up weakly on the mattress. "Is he here? Did the police rescue him?" Her voice wobbled, thick with hope and dread.
Chloe sighed and brushed a stray strand of hair away from Elena's face. "Come on. I brought you some food." She set a tray on the bedside table. "You need to eat."
Elena barely looked at it. "I don't care about food, Chloe. I only care about getting Charles back."
Chloe placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "He's safe. I'm sure of it. The police will find him soon and everything will calm down. But you can't keep acting like the world ended."
Fresh tears welled in Elena's eyes. "You don't understand. I love him. I love him so much it hurts."
For a split second, something sharp flashed in Chloe's eyes. A small, satisfied smile curled at her lips before she smothered it. "And you will pay the price for loving my man," she thought bitterly.
She inhaled deeply and forced her voice into a calm tone. "Listen. We have a lot of business matters this week. I didn't want to bother you because of the wedding, but if we don't act now, we'll lose investors."
Elena slumped back against the pillows. "Chloe… you're the closest person to me. Handle it. I can't think straight right now. I need to focus on finding Charles."
"Fine," Chloe said. Her voice remained gentle, but her eyes gleamed. She pulled out a folder of documents. "At least sign these. I already reviewed everything. The contracts are good for the company. You don't have to go through them yourself."
Elena didn't even hesitate. She took the papers and signed each page, barely glancing at the text.
Chloe's fingers tightened around the stack once she retrieved them, her nails sinking into the paper. A quiet rush of triumph warmed her chest. "Too easy," she thought. "Once the shareholders sign, this company will fall straight into my hands."
She allowed herself a quick, quiet laugh. Oh Charles, you charming thief. Look at what you did to this poor thing. The sharp woman I once admired has vanished. Love really does turn people into fools, like big big time fools.
She softened her expression again and rose from the bed. "Alright. I'll leave you to rest. Please try to eat."
Elena swallowed hard. "The police… have they found anything?"
Chloe let out a slow, practiced sigh. "No, darling. I spoke to the detective this morning. They are trying their best. We just have to wait."
She was about to go when Elena reached for her hand. "Thank you, Chloe. I don't know what I'd do without you especially now that things had turn out like this."
Chloe smiled sweetly. "Anytime, sweetheart. I'm always here for you."
But as she stepped away, her soft smile dropped into something cold and sharp for a brief moment.
She left the room and headed straight to the Moretti Foundation building. Her heels clicked confidently on the marble floor, each step carrying the energy of someone about to win big. Without pausing, she entered the CEO's office.
Clifford Edwards, the temporary CEO, looked up from his desk.
Surprise flashed across Clifford's face before curiosity settled in. He straightened his tie and forced a smooth smile.
"Miss Chloe Davelon."
"Good morning, sir," Chloe replied. Her voice carried a calm confidence, and her smile held the sort of charm that walked into a room knowing exactly who it could destroy.
Clifford leaned back in his chair, studying her with caution. "How is Elena? I'm sorry I missed their wedding."
Chloe's smile sharpened. "No need to apologize, Mr. Edwards. We both know you were relieved the wedding didn't go through."
He stiffened. "I beg your pardon?"
"Come on," she said, stepping forward and trailing her fingers lightly over the glossy desk. "You never wanted Elena back in power. Marriage would have sealed her position, and then your little seat here would have become temporary."
Clifford scoffed. "Ridiculous."
Chloe moved behind his desk in a slow circle that felt too graceful to be innocent. She eased herself onto the edge of the desk, crossing her legs. The hem of her skirt shifted, just enough to pull his gaze despite himself.
"I can make your little dream come true," she whispered, leaning in as her perfume wrapped around him like warm smoke.
Clifford's breath faltered. His voice dropped. "Miss Davelon… what do you want?"
With a smile that carried victory in every inch, she set a folder on the desk.
"Look."
Clifford froze before opening it. The color drained from his face the moment he saw the first photograph. Then the second. Then the third. Hotel hallways, dim car interiors, women he should have never touched. His hands shook around the folder as the weight of the truth pressed down on him.
Chloe watched him with a quiet laugh. "You see…" She traced a finger across one of the photos. "I know your wife very well. And she is not a gentle woman. She is the type who will take everything. Your career. Your wealth. Your pride."
Her nail tapped the photo. "You don't want that, do you?"
Clifford's throat bobbed as he swallowed, eyes locked on the scattered evidence. "What do you want?"
Chloe slid another sheet of paper across the desk. "Elena signed the contract to transfer her ownership of Moretti Foundation to you."
Clifford's eyes nearly popped from their sockets. "This would give me majority ownership. There is no way Elena would—"
"She did," Chloe said, cutting him off with a soft but solid tone. "She is not in the right frame of mind to run anything. She signed freely."
He shook his head and pushed the paper toward her. "No. I want to hear it from her. This is too major a decision."
Chloe released a slow sigh and leaned in until her breath brushed against his ear. "And that is the problem, Mr. Edwards. You are not in a position to bargain and with due respect sir don't test my patience."
His gaze drifted lower, down the curve of her waist and the subtle dip of her neckline. He had noticed Chloe from the beginning—ever since Jude Moretti was alive. She had always been too distant, too untouchable. Yet now she stood here, dangerous and inviting, holding both his ruin and his salvation.
A knowing smirk touched her lips as she brushed an imaginary speck from his lapel. Her fingers lingered long enough to make his breath catch.
"You have been watching me," she murmured. Her voice slid across him like velvet. "I'm well aware of that."
Clifford let out a shaky breath, his grip tightening on the armrests until his knuckles whitened.
"This is how it goes," Chloe said, stepping back just enough to let the air between them pulse with tension. "You sign the documents. Then you transfer five hundred million dollars to the account listed in the contract." She brushed a slow finger along his jawline, her touch light but sharp. "Simple. You keep the company. I take what is mine."
Clifford stared at her, his heartbeat pounding like it was trying to escape his chest. His eyes darted between the papers on his desk, the incriminating photos, and Chloe standing in front of him like a velvet-wrapped threat.
He breathed in, long and broken, then reached for the pen.
Chloe watched him sign with a deepening smile, the kind that promised she had already planned ten steps ahead.
"Good boy," she murmured, sliding the folder of pictures into her handbag. "And do not make me wait for that transfer. I do not tolerate slow men."
She spun on her heel and walked out, her departure sharp and final. Clifford stayed frozen in his chair, gripping the edge of his desk as the reality of the deal pressed into him like cold steel.
Three days passed. Elena heard nothing from Chloe—no calls, no texts, not even a short update. At first, she assumed Chloe was drowning in company work. But when her calls went unanswered and her messages remained unread, that assumption twisted into something far darker.
Elena sat at the edge of her bed, clutching the sheets as fear clawed slowly up her throat. Was Chloe in danger? Had the same people who took Charles come for her too? The idea left her breathless. The thought of losing someone else she cared about stirred a deep panic in her chest.
Not Chloe too. Please, not her.
Night settled like a heavy blanket. Elena sat in the dim quiet of her room when her phone buzzed. A WhatsApp video call. The number was unknown.
Her heart lurched. She stared at the screen, frozen. She had ignored every unknown call since the kidnapping. Only Chloe and the detective had direct access to her now. She could not bear the thought of strangers seeing her like this—pale, hollow, and barely holding the pieces of herself together.
Yet something about this call made her hand tremble.
She drew a deep breath and swiped to accept.
The screen brightened.
And everything inside her went still.
Charles.
Alive. Healthy. Smiling.
He sat in a beautiful room, but the way the light hit his face cast long shadows that twisted his features. His dark eyes gleamed with a cold, satisfied glint, as if he were savoring her shock one heartbeat at a time.
"Hello, my lady," he drawled, his voice low and full of contempt. "Did you miss me?"