Chapter 8

On the other side of town, a banquet was being held in the most luxurious hotel in Captorn. Since the Hart family was one of the most powerful families in Captorn, Dustin naturally drew a lot of attention for his birthday banquet as the Hart Group's heir. Plenty of guests attended, and all of them were well-known figures in elite circles. Yet, the man at the center seemed distracted. His friends also noticed that something was amiss. "Hey, that's strange. Why isn't Mel around? Did she forget?" "How could that be? Mel has never forgotten anything about Dustin in all these years." "True, but the banquet is already in full swing. This is the first time she's ever been this late…" They glanced at each other before finally fixing their eyes on Dustin. Seeing him lost in thought, Harry Nolan couldn't help himself and asked carefully, "Dustin, why don't you call Mel again just in case?" "There's no need. She's just preparing her gift." Dustin shook his head almost instinctively. Though his friends still found it strange, they didn't say anything else. They thought that they might just be overthinking it. At that moment, the banquet moved on to the gift-giving segment. Harry and Dustin's other friends each presented their gifts. Soon, it was Jane's turn. Even though Harry and the others disliked Jane for abandoning Dustin back then, it was still Dustin's birthday banquet that day. So, they ultimately held their tongues. Blushing, Jane stepped forward with the gift she had prepared personally. "Dustin, this is what I…" Before she could finish, Dustin glanced at his phone, and his expression suddenly changed. In full view of everyone, he shoved Jane aside and bolted for the exit. Jane was completely caught off guard and was knocked to the ground. The sharp pain brought tears to her eyes, and she tried to call out to him. But this time, the man who had always put her first didn't even spare her a glance, simply running out of the hall. The people in the crowd stared at one another in bewilderment, not knowing what had just happened. Harry and the rest of his friends were caught off guard, too. Then, someone suddenly remembered that Melanie still hadn't appeared tonight. His expression changed. "Could something have happened to Mel?" As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone grew anxious and hurried after Dustin, leaving Jane alone on the ground. Hearing those words, she gnashed her teeth in fury. Melanie. Once again, it was Melanie. But no one cared about what she was thinking. Dustin sprinted all the way back to the villa, only to find it empty. Still, he refused to give in. He rushed upstairs and searched every possible corner, but there was no use. Not only had Melanie disappeared, but everything connected to her had vanished as well. Dustin stood in the vacant room, staring at the message on his phone from just moments earlier, and the number saved beneath her name. After a long pause, he seemed to remember something and dialed the number. He didn't even realize that his hand was trembling uncontrollably as he pressed the keys. The busy tone droned into his ear, causing a surge of nervousness. But Melanie didn't answer. When the line finally cut off, the doorbell rang. He didn't know how he made it downstairs and opened the door, but Harry and the others were outside with worried expressions. Everything still felt surreal to Dustin. "Dustin, why did you suddenly rush back? Did something happen to Mel?" Forcing himself to bear with the strange ache in his chest, he opened his mouth. After a long silence, he rasped out hoarsely, "Mel said she's gone…"