Chapter 102
Chapter 102
AARON
The city lights smeared past my windshield like they were trying to outrun the clock.
But nothing outran me.
Not when Venus was missing.
* 69%
The silence in the car was maddening. The engine’s purr, the subtle thrum of tires on asphalt, none of it soothed me. I wasn’t just driving. I was hunting. Following the ghost of a blinking dot that had died hours ago.
Venus.
I thought she was ignoring me at first. When she didn’t pick up the first few calls, I gave her space. We’d fought. I pushed to hard. Said things I shouldn’t have. I knew she needed time, and I thought I was giving her that. Letting her cool down.
But by the fourth call? When her phone still rang and then stopped altogether? When the texts I sent didn’t deliver anymore?
That wasn’t silence anymore. That was absence.
I didn’t sleep last night. Dread pooled inside me like molasses, thick and slow but inescapable. I kept staring at the screen, refreshing the tracking app, praying she’d turn her phone back ch.
She didn’t.
So I took off at dawn.
Straight to her old apartment. The last place her tracker pinged
I pulled up by the curb, my eyes scanning the lot automatically. Her car wasn’t there. Not a shadow of it. I knew it before I even parked, but I circled anyway, slow and thorough. As if that could change the truth.
Still nothing.
I shut the engine and got out. The air hit cold against my skin, but it couldn’t compete with the fury boiling in my veins.
She was here last. That much I knew.
I took the stairs two at a time, heart hammering against my ribs fists clenched as if sheer determination could conjure her out of thin air.
I knocked on the door. Twice. Sharp. Heavy.
It opened after a pause.
Martha Astor.
Same silk robe, same carefully curated expression. Her eyes widened the exact amount needed to simulate surprise.
“Aaron?” she said, blinking.
I didn’t waste time.
“Is Venus here p>
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Chapter 102
Her lips parted. “What? No. She hasn’t been here. Is she alright!
Her tone was pitched perfectly. Concern. Hesitation. Even a little fear. But her eyes…
Too still.
Too calculating.
4.69% #
“The tracker we installed on her car,” I said calmly, “last pinged from this address last night. Then it went offline p>
She stepped back slightly, clutching the edge of the doorframe like she was shaken. “Oh my God… Aaron, I haven’t seen her. Are you sure she’s okay? Maybe she lost her phone p>
Her voice wavered just enough to be convincing. To someone else, it would’ve worked.
But not me.
I’d built a career reading people. Built a legacy destroying lies. I could smell performance like rot under perfume.
She was lying.
I couldn’t prove it-not yet-but my gut knew it.
Still, I didn’t press.
I offered a nod, pretending to believe her. “She’s probably fine. Ill find her p>
“Oh, thank God,” she breathed, hand fluttering over her chest. “Please, Aaron, let me know as soon as you find her. I’ll be praying p>
“Of course p>
She shut the door, and I stood there for a moment, the hallway feeling colder than it should.
I turned and descended the stairs slowly, thinking. She knew something. That much was clear.
But what?
I got back in the car and pulled out my phone. Started calling.
Every place Venus might’ve gone. The bookstore on 7th she used to work at the one with the ivy-covered walls and dusty shelves. They hadn’t seen her.
The rooftop bar she sometimes visited when she couldn’t sleep. Nothing.
The art studio she once joked about owning just so she could paint terribly in peace. Still nothing.
I called Gianna. Straight to voicemail.
Called Sabine. Still in London. No sign of her there.
I called Jane next. She picked up on the second ring. “Boss p>
“I need a full pull. Venus is missing. Tracker’s dead. Phone’s off. want eyes everywhere p>
Silence. Then, “Understood. Want me to tap into the traffic cam p>
“Everything. Start from her old apartment. Work outward. Check all car movements after 10PM last night. Prioritize black vans or unmarked vehicles. Give me updates every hour p>
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Chapter 109
You got it
I hung up and turned the wheel, heading toward Sabine’s apartment next. Even if the wasn’t tome, I needed to rate it out
It was empty
I sat in the car outside for a moment, the city dimming around me. My fists clenched around the steering wheel
I thought of her. The way she smiled when she was trying to hide it. The way she curled into me like I was safety Like I was hers.
Td fucked up.
I let my own damage blind me.
1 accused her. Didn’t trust her. Drove her into silence.
And now?
Now she was gone.
My phone buzzed in the cupholder.
Connor.
I picked up. “Yeah p>
He didn’t waste time. “The whole fucking world knows, Aaron p>
I rubbed my temples. “Dorian p>
“Dorian,” he confirmed, voice hard. “He leaked the contract. The press is eating it up. Headlines all over town calling Venus a gold-digging mistress. Your reputation’s taking a hit, but hers..uck, man p>
My stomach twisted.
That motherfucker.
“Where are you?” Connor continued. “Where’s Venus? Sabine sad she left London early yesterday p>
“That’s the problem,” I said, voice cold. “I can’t find her. She came back last night. I confronted her about the contract. She swore she didn’t give it to Dorian. I didn’t believe her. She left. Now her phone’s off. Her tracker’s been dead since last night. Last ping was from her old apartment p>
Silence on the line.
“You’ve checked everywhere?” he asked finally.
“Everywhere. No one’s seen her. And her mother-Martha Astor-she’s lying. I know she is p>
“You think Dorian has anything to do with it p>
“Or Colton p>
Connor swore under his breath. “Fucking hell. You don’t think they”
“If they touched her, they’ll beg me to kill them quick,” I said.
“I’ll be there in ten,” Connor replied.
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Chapter 102
The line went dead.
I sat in silence again, the city pulsing outside my windshield.
1 stared down at my phone.
I scrolled through photos of her. Her asleep in my bed. Her sming over coffee. Her laughing at something Sabine said.
God, I’d give anything to hear that laugh again.
To see her roll her eyes at me and mutter something sarcastic.
To pull her into my arms and make her safe.
But right now?
She was out there.
And I couldn’t fucking feel her anymore.
That terrified me more than anything.
1 gripped the wheel tighter and started the car again.
This wasn’t over.
I was going to find her.
And God help whoever got in my way.
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.