Chapter 8

Emmanuel didn't even hear about Elena until two days after she left the hospital, when his assistant finally mentioned her. This woman really was something else. Her sister needed a kidney transplant, and while most people would be scrambling to donate, she was doing everything she could to dodge it. What kind of heart did she have to be this cold? Thinking about all the awful things she'd done over the years made Emmanuel's blood boil. Honestly, he hadn't strangled Elena yet, and that was already more generous than she deserved. That afternoon, he swung by the villa to grab a few things. As soon as he pushed the door open, he noticed something was off—dead quiet. She wasn't there. Elena had nowhere to go in Velmont. After all that embarrassing drama years ago, her family had thrown her out. So where the hell would she run off to? Emmanuel didn't bother dwelling on it. He headed upstairs to grab his stuff—was just about to leave when something struck him as odd. It felt like...something was missing. But what? His eyes landed on the nightstand—and then it hit him. The photo frame was empty. He froze. Pushed open the bathroom door—nothing on the counter either. Went to the study—those photos were gone too. Rushed back into the bedroom, flung open the closet—every single piece of Elena's clothing was gone. A weird kind of irritation crept up on him. What the hell was she playing at now? He pulled out his phone and dialed her. Disconnected. His brows furrowed. Right away, he called Jordan. "Find out where Elena went." Later that afternoon, Jordan came back with an update. "Mr. Mitchell, we can't locate Miss Wakefield." "Can't locate her? She didn't just vanish into thin air!" Emmanuel's frustration flared. Anyone would be on edge if someone they'd been keeping tabs on suddenly pulled a disappearing act. Jordan hesitated at his aggressive tone. "Sir, Mr. TobiasLarkin is back." "When?" "Two days ago." Emmanuel let out a low, mocking laugh. So Tobias Larkin had returned—and poof, Elena disappeared too. These two had history—childhood sweethearts, practically inseparable. Of course. His expression darkened, and he quickly called Tobias. "Is Elena with you?" "What's it to you?" Tobias shot back without missing a beat. "Tobias, Elena's my woman—one I've already had. Don't tell me someone like you is really desperate enough to pick up my leftovers?" "Emmanuel, you're a real piece of work! What the hell did she ever do to deserve this? Why are you treating her like dirt?!" "Cut the crap, Tobias. Be smart—hand her over. You know exactly what I'm capable of." Tobias let out a sharp scoff. "Bring it on, Emmanuel. I'm not scared of you." Listening to Tobias talk back, Emmanuel's face turned grim. He slammed the phone down and barked at Jordan, "Start buying up Larkin Industries' stocks at premium prices." "Mr. Mitchell!" Jordan looked stunned. Was the boss losing it? Buying at a high price? That was a lose-lose situation. "What are you waiting for? Move!" Tobias had said he'd be gone in a week. But it had already been a week, and there was no sign of him leaving. "Just one more week, Elena. One more week and we're out of here," he told her. Elena glanced at his tired face, a bad feeling stirring in her chest. That night, she overheard Tobias making calls, trying to scrape together funds. That didn't make sense—his family's business in Velmont had always been rock solid. Why would he need extra cash? She picked up her phone and did a quick search. What popped up nearly made her lose her balance—Emmanuel was aggressively buying up shares of Larkin Industries. Why? Emmanuel and the Larkins never stepped into each other's lane before. What changed? Was it...because of her?