SEBASTIAN’S POV
The room fell silent again, the only sound the faint crackle of the fire in the hearth. I looked down at my hands, feeling the weight of his words.
“I’ll find her,” I said finally, my voice filled with determination. “Whatever it takes, I’ll find her and bring her back.”
Mr. Cole nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “See what you do,” he said.
“Because if anything happens to my daughter, you’ll have me to answer to.”
I met his gaze, my resolve unwavering. “I understand.”
With that, he stood, his presence as commanding as ever. “Good. I’ll leave you to it, then.”
I watched as he walked out of the room, his footsteps echoing softly in the hall. As the door closed behind him, I let out a shaky breath, my mind racing with thoughts of Sasha.
Wherever she was, I had to find her. Not just for Mr. Cole, but for myself. Because without her, nothing else mattered.
The moment I stepped into the sitting room, my heart sank. There he was, Mr. Cole, sitting stiffly on one of the chairs, his face a storm of unreadable emotions. For a moment, I froze.
His presence in my home was unexpected and unnerving, and the weight of his silence filled the room like a lead blanket. I drew in a breath, forcing myself to step forward and face him.
“Mr. Cole,” I began, my voice steady but laced with regret. “I… I owe you an apology. For everything.”
He raised a hand, stopping me mid-sentence. “Save it, Sebastian,” he said with a heavy sigh, his tone clipped and weary. “I’m not here for your apology.”
His words stung more than I cared to admit, but the sharpness in his tone left no room for argument.
I swallowed my pride and nodded, unsure of what else to say. My mind raced, trying to piece together why he was here. If not for my apology, then what?
“Then… why are you here?” I finally asked, unable to hide the tension in my voice.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and clasped his hands together.
The look in his eyes was enough to make my blood run cold. It was a mix of fear, anger, and something else,
something that made my stomach twist into knots.
“It’s about Sasha,” he said, his voice grave.
My heart skipped a beat. “Sasha?” I repeated, taking a step closer. “What about her? Is she”
“She’s been kidnapped,” he cut in, his voice like a hammer to my chest.
For a moment, the world seemed to tilt on its axis. The air in the room grew heavy, suffocating, as his words sank in. Kidnapped. The word echoed in my mind, each syllable sharper than the last.
“What?” I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper.
“She’s gone, Sebastian,” he said, his jaw tightening. “They took her.”
A surge of rage erupted within me, hot and uncontrollable. My fists clenched at my sides, and I struggled to keep my composure. “Who?” I demanded, my voice a low growl. “Who dared to touch her?”
Mr. Cole shook his head, his expression pained. “We don’t know yet. But they left a message. They’re demanding a ransom.”
I couldn’t stop the snarl that escaped my lips. “A ransom?” I spat, the word tasting like poison.
“Do they think this is some game? That they can just take her and walk away unscathed?”
My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, each one darker than the last. Whoever had taken Sasha had just signed their death warrant. There would be no mercy, no negotiation.
“Tell me everything,” I said, my voice cold and deadly.
Mr. Cole hesitated for a moment before pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
He handed it to me, and I snatched it, unfolding it with trembling hands. The note was short and to the point, written in bold, blocky letters:
“We have your daughter. Pay $5 million, or you’ll never see her again.”
Beneath the message was an address and a deadline, twenty-four hours.
I crumpled the paper in my fist, my vision blurred with rage. “This ends now,” I said, my voice a low growl.
Before Mr. Cole could respond, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of my head of security. He picked up on the first ring.
“Boss?”
“Start a search,” I barked, my tone leaving no room for argument. “Sasha’s been taken. I want every resource we have mobilized. I want the city scoured,
every street, every alley, every shadow. Find her.”
“Yes, sir,” came the immediate reply.
I hung up without another word, my jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. Turning back to Mr. Cole, I met his gaze head-on.
“I need to see her house,” I said, my voice firm. “There might be something there, something they left behind.”
Mr. Cole looked at me for a long moment before nodding. “Fine. I’ll take you there.”
The drive to Sasha’s house felt like an eternity, even though it couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes.
My mind raced the entire way, replaying every moment of the past few days, searching for any signs I might have missed. Had there been threats I overlooked? Enemies I underestimated?
Mr. Cole sat beside me in silence, his face a mask of stoic determination. But I could see the cracks, the worry etched into his features, the way his hands clenched and unclenched in his lap.
Despite our differences, we were united in this: the need to bring Sasha back, no matter the cost.
When we arrived, the sight of her home hit me like a punch to the gut. It was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
As we stepped inside, the air felt heavy, as if the house itself mourned her absence.
I moved through the rooms with purpose, my eyes scanning every surface, every corner. The living room was pristine,
just as she’d left it.
The kitchen was spotless, save for a single coffee cup on the counter. But it was her bedroom that stopped me in my tracks.
The bed was unmade, the covers thrown back as if she’d left in a hurry. Her favorite book lay open on the nightstand, the pages dog-eared.
And on the floor, near the window, was a single earring, one I recognized immediately.
I crouched down, picking it up and turning it over in my fingers. It was hers, no doubt about it. My mind conjured images of her struggling, fighting against her captors, and the thought made my blood boil.
“Did you find something?” Mr. Cole asked from the doorway.
I held up the earring. “She was taken from here,” I said, my voice tight. “She didn’t leave willingly.”
He nodded, his expression grim. “The neighbors said they heard a commotion last night, but no one saw anything. Whoever did this was careful.”
“Not careful enough,” I muttered, slipping the earring into my pocket.
I turned to face him, my mind already working on the next steps. “Do you have any security footage? Cameras on the street?”
He shook his head. “The cameras in this area have been down for weeks. The city’s been slow to repair them.”
Of course. That would have been too easy.
I paced the room, my mind racing. “We’ll find her,” I said, more to myself than to him. “I’ll tear this city apart if I have to.”
Mr. Cole watched me for a moment before nodding. “I believe you,” he said quietly.
The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I pulled out my phone again, dialing another number.