"What do you mean he’s missing?" Aiden asked, his voice tight with frustration as he held the phone to his ear. His free hand clenched into a fist, and he sighed deeply. How had everything spiraled out of control so quickly? Just this morning, he’d had the situation firmly in his grasp. Serena had been cooperating, trusting him completely. He had deftly subdued Owen Thompson’s weak attempts at blackmail, and Sidney had arrived just in time for the party as planned. It had all been falling into place, right where he wanted it.
So why, by evening, had it all unraveled? Sidney had come to the party but left before Aiden could introduce him to Serena. Serena herself had turned on him, her distrust growing sharper by the hour, and now Owen—of all people—had apparently fled.
Rubbing a hand across his face, he exhaled harshly. "How could he have gone missing? Wasn’t he injured?" His voice carried an edge of disbelief.
"Yes, sir," came the hesitant reply from the other end of the line. "He was injured. That’s precisely why the guards got lax. When he asked to go to the bathroom alone, they let down their guard. He disappeared through the bathroom window."
Aiden closed his eyes briefly, fighting the urge to let out a curse. He’d been counting on Owen staying put, at least for now. "Please tell me you were able to get something—anything—from him before he disappeared."
There was a pause on the other end of the line before the voice answered, "Not much, sir. All we know is that he found out about Madam’s condition through his parents. He made contact with her in Vancity."
Aiden slammed the phone down onto his desk, his patience fraying at the edges. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. Owen had slipped right through their fingers, and with Serena already on edge, this was the last thing he needed.
He paced the length of his office, trying to think of his next move. His mind raced, but one thing became clear—he had to talk to Serena. Whatever anger or suspicion she was harboring needed to be addressed, and quickly. After all, Serena was the key to his revenge.
Determined, Aiden strode down the hallway toward her room. He knocked firmly on the door and waited but there was only silence. He knocked again, harder this time, but still nothing. Witha frown, he pushed at the door and realized it was already open.
The dress she had been wearing an hour ago lay on the bed haphazardly. But his attention was diverted by the glint of metal on the table. He cursed as he walked forward. There, on the dresser there was a note," I’ve gone to see and look after Owen. Don’t worry, I will return once he is alright. Until then, don’t look for me."
Aiden cursed under his breath. What was wrong with her? Why did she have to be so impatient. Hadn’t she shown in the past that she was smart then why did her brain stop working when it came to Owen?
Pulling out his phone, he quickly asked the guards to look for her. Dam* it! Why did she have to take off the ring?
***
Serena sat on the edge of the small bed, her hands working deftly as she wrapped the last of the bandages around Owen’s injured side. As he lay there, half conscious and groaning in pain, she felt a pang of guilt. If only she had not trusted Aiden and left for the party, Owen might have been in a better state. Though she’d told Aiden that she believed those goons were sent by him, her heart did not believe them. Not truly.
But she knew that he was also not entirely innocent, hence her guilt towards Owen, the only innocent one in all of this.
As she tied off the bandage and gently adjusted the covers over him, Owen groaned softly. His eyelids fluttered, and his head lolled to the side as he tried to focus on her. "You should... go back to your husband," he murmured, his voice hoarse and weak.
"Just rest, Owen. Don’t think about other things."
He groaned and his hand moved to hold hers, "I don’t deserve this... but having you here... makes it easier," he said. "I’m sure I’ll recover faster. Thank you, Rena. For always loving me and being by my side."
She sat quietly as he quickly fell asleep, holding her hand tightly in his. She sat still, uncomfortable with the contact but her guilt not letting her pull away.
Finally, his grip loosened, and she carefully slipped her fingers free. But as she did, something caught her eye—her bare finger. Her wedding ring. It wasn’t there. She frowned. And then cursed! Dam* it! She’d forgotten the thing in her room when it had gotten stuck in the dress!
Serena sighed. Great. Her phone had been smashed to pieces because of the silly accident. She’d forgotten her wedding ring form which he could track her and of course she’d not even informed Aiden...She glanced at the time and stood up, maybe she should ask the maid to give her the phone. At least if Aiden knew she was with Owen, he wouldn’t be worried.
She stepped out of the room quietly and went to look for Maya. They were presently in Maya’a house, the maid who had found Owen lurking outside the house and risked everything to come find her and then bring them here to her own house.
"Maya, could I borrow your phone? I need to make a quick phone call to Aiden. He must be worried."
"I-I can’t, ma’am. I’m sorry, but I can’t give it to you."
Serena frowned, taken aback by the extreme reaction. "What do you mean? It’s just for a moment. I’ll be quick."
But the woman’s face paled even further. "No, no, you don’t understand, ma’am," she whispered, glancing nervously over her shoulder as if someone might be watching. "If Mr. Hawk finds out... if he knows I helped you leave and brought you and your lover here... I’ll be blamed! I’ll lose my job!"
Serena shook her head and tried to explain," Maya, Owen is not my lover. And don’t worry. I’ll talk to Aiden. He won’t be angry."
But Maya shook her head even more fervently, wringing her hands. "Please, ma’am, I... I’m just trying to keep my job. I can’t afford to lose it. My family... we don’t have much. If I’m fired... we’ll be destitute. Please don’t involve me in these games of the rich. I only helped because he was injured."
Serena gently patted the maid’s hand and tried to calm her down,"I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ve done nothing wrong. Aiden—Mr. Hawk—won’t fire you."
But Maya’s panic only grew. "You don’t understand! They never listen to people like me. It’s always the servants who get blamed when something goes wrong!" Her voice was rising now, trembling with a mix of anxiety and fear. "I’ve seen it happen! They’ll say I didn’t do my job properly, that I was involved in letting you run off... they’ll think I was part of it! And how do I know that you won’t pin the blame on me just to escape your husband’s wrath! I might even be blamed for kidnapping you. No no."
"Please, calm down. I’ll make sure no one punishes you. I’ll talk to Mr. Hawk myself. You are imagining too much."
But Maya wasn’t listening anymore. She hid her phone behind her back and walked away from her." I’ll be thrown out, I know it... they’ll say I didn’t do my duty. I can’t go back to the streets. I can’t...You cannot promise me anything. "Tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice broke completely as she raced out of the small home, leaving Serena stunned.
The woman had actually ran away from her own house? With a sigh, Serena sat down on the couch. Now she was well and truly stuck here. At least with Maya here, she could have gone home, asking her to take care of Owen. But now, she couldn’t really go anywhere when he was lying inside on the bed, half dead.
Serena shook her head at herself. If only she’d had the presence of mind to at least leave Aiden a note then all this might not have happened. She lay back and closed her eyes for a moment. The entire day today had been full of surprises...
As she fell asleep from exhaustion on the couch, the man inside opened his eyes slowly. Perfect. Everything had turned out perfectly. Even though Aiden Hawk’s men had ended up interfering with his plan, he had still succeeded in kidnapping her successfully. And she didn’t even know that she was kidnapped.
Now, time for the next part of the plan. Let Aiden Hawk believe that his wife had run away with him. Too bad, if only Aiden had agreed to give him the money, Serena would be with him. But now, Serena was going to be with Sidney... the man who had agreed to the ransom...