Forty two

Zane's POV

I leaned back in my chair, staring blankly at the half-written report on my laptop screen. No matter how hard I tried to focus, my thoughts kept drifting back to Belle. It had been days since the party at Zeke’s mansion, and I hadn’t heard a word from her since. No replies to my messages, no returned calls—just silence. The more I thought about it, the tighter the knot in my chest grew, until I finally snapped.

With a frustrated sigh, I shut my laptop aggressively, the sound echoing in the quiet office.

“Whoa, calm down, man,” Fletcher said from across the room, glancing up from his own work. He raised an eyebrow at me, his tone careful but curious. “Whatever it is, be calm.”

I loosened my tie, feeling like it was strangling me, and pushed back from the desk. “Calm?” I muttered under my breath as I walked over to the small bar we kept in the office. I grabbed a bottle of whiskey, my hands trembling slightly as I poured a generous amount into a glass. The burn of the alcoho