Chapter 105
Chapter 105
AARON
Two days.
Forty-eight fucking hours of silence.
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No movement. No pings from her car tracker. No hits on facial cognition. Her phone? Dead. Credit cards? Untouched. No social media activity. No CCTV sightings. Venus had vanished, like the universe decided to swallow her whole, and I-Aaron Sinclair-was unraveling thread by thread.
The only thing keeping me tethered was motion.
Screens lit up every room in the penthouse. Surveillance footage played on loop. Colton worked nonstop, analyz entries, private airfield departures, traffic cameras. My private security team scanned underground networks. Jane slept since yesterday. We swept every goddamn inch of the city. Nothing.
Connor went to get Sabine and Gianna the second they landed from London. If anyone could draw out a clue from past, it’d be them.
I had eyes on her mother 24/7 in case guilt chewed through her spine and made her do something halfway decent. But eve that lead had gone quiet.
Nothing but ghosts and static.
Until Gianna burst through the door like a bullet.
The door slammed open, echoing like a war drum. Gianna stormed in, fury in her steps, grief clawing at her throat. Behind her, Sabine followed, not quite as loud, but no less lethal.
I stood before they even reached me. “Gianna p>
“Don’t,” she snapped. Her voice cracked like glass. “Don’t you dare say my name like you didn’t fuck everything up p>
Sabine didn’t say a word. She just leaned against the wall, arms crossed tight, watching like a hawk ready to strike.
Gianna stomped straight up to me. Her hands were shaking.
“You said she was safe,” she hissed. “You said she’d be protected, Aaron p>
“She was.” My voice came out hoarse. Hollow.
She let out a brittle, bitter laugh. “Well, guess what? She’s not. Because she’s missing. And that is on you p>
I tried to speak, but she bulldozed right over it.
“You know the worst part?” she asked, voice low now, trembling “She loved you but You didn’t trust her, you didn’t even give her the benefit of doubt p>
I stilled. “What p>
“You heard me,” she spat. “Venus loved you. Loved you like a foo. I told her. I warned her. But no. Sweet, selfless Venus, always trying to save everyone, even when it killed her p>
My jaw clenched.
Her voice broke, but she pushed through it. “She had this big, st pid, golden heart. She thought you were it. Her home. Her
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Chapter 105
future. Even when I told her not to trust you, To keep her distance. Even when you doubted her. She still stayed
“Gianna p>
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“No, you shut up and listen,” she snapped, jabbing a finger into my chest. “If anything-and I mean anything-happens to her, Aaron Sinclair, I swear to God, I will fucking end you p>
Her voice cracked again, but the fire never left her eyes.
“You don’t deserve her,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. You never did p>
She turned, storming out, her footsteps like thunder down the hallway.
Silence settled like smoke.
Sabine stepped forward slowly. Her face was calm, but I could see it in her eyes-she was holding back a scream.
“You-” she started, then stopped like the words choked her.
“Sabine p>
“You lied to me,” she said quietly. “The both of you. All this time it was just a contract p>
“It was more than that,” I said quickly. “It started that way, but it became real p>
She paced the room like it couldn’t hold her fury still.
“I don’t even recognize you anymore,” she muttered. “You’re like a stranger. My own brother-and you couldn’t even trust her p>
“I know,” I said, voice low.
“You know Dorian. You know exactly how vile he is. How manipulative. And you still let his poison get in your head. You took his word over hers p>
I rubbed a hand down my face. The weight of it all threatened crush me.
She didn’t stop.
“You know why I never doubted them?” she asked. “Because of Her. Venus. The way she looked at you. Like you hung the damn moon. You let her down, Aaron p>
Her voice softened then, barely audible.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t blame you right now. I know you’re hurting too and this this the last thing you need. But I’m scared p>
She stepped forward, pulled me into a hug.
And God, I needed that. Her arms. Her presence. Just something to remind me I wasn’t completely broken.
“Venus has become like family to me. Like a sister. I don’t want er hurt p>
Before I could say anything, my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I stared.
My pulse spiked.
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Chapter 103
I answered. “Aaron Sinclair.
There was a pause.
Then a voice. Masked Filtered.
Cold
“We have your wife p>
The air left my lungs.
“She’s alive. For now. One hundred million. Three days. No cope Or you get a body part p>
Click.
Silence.
Then nothing but red behind my eyes.
Connor appeared in the doorway, reading the look on my face like a veteran in a warzone.
“We have her location?” he asked.
I nodded slowly, hand still gripping the phone.
“Not yet. But we’re going to find it p>
I turned to Jane. “Track that number. Every tower it pinged. Every ghost signal. I want it cracked yesterday p>
Sabine had gone pale, but she stood straighter.
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I looked at Connor. “Double the protection on her mother. Dair too. Anyone even adjacent to her gets watched p>
“You think this is Dorian?” Connor asked.
I shook my head. “No. I already confronted him. He denied it. And Dorian’s a snake, not a ghost. If he had her, he’d want the world to know p>
Connor swore under his breath.
I turned toward the window. The skyline stretched out before me, glittering like a lie.
Venus was out there.
And she was alive.
I didn’t deserve her. I might never get her back.
But I was going to burn this fucking city down until I did.
I had nothing left to lose.
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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.