Chapter 256

4:00 p.m., Brooks Corporation. Jareth Carrington pushed open the door to Celestia Brooks’ office, expecting to see her smile lighting up the room. But it was empty. The grin he'd been wearing dropped instantly. Thinking she probably just stepped into the restroom, he didn’t alert anyone and decided to hang around, casually flipping through the paperwork she had been working on. He really thought she’d be back in a minute or two. But ten minutes passed, and there was still no sign of her. Eventually, he couldn’t wait any longer and headed straight to the assistant’s office next door. Inside, Secretary Jin was busy reviewing some documents. Hearing someone come in, he looked up—only to see Jareth striding in with that unmistakable aura. “Mr. Carrington,” he greeted politely, immediately standing up. Jareth didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Where’s Celestia?” he asked directly. Jin looked puzzled. “Miss Brooks isn’t in her office?” “Nope. I waited a while, but she didn’t show. Thought m