The hunt begins

Chapter 7

Jason’s POV

I sat in my office, holding a glass of whiskey and smoking a cigar. The room was quiet except for the faint sounds of the city outside.

I looked around—everything was perfect. Large windows, expensive furniture, everything in its place. The walls were lined with sleek, dark shelves filled with books I never read, trophies I had won, and awards that reminded me of my success.

I stood and walked toward the window. The view had always been my favorite part of this office—skyscrapers, busy streets, people moving about their day. From up here, I had a sense of control. Everything and everyone was beneath me.

It had been a month since I sent that bitch away and destroyed everything she held dear—her reputation, her dignity, her future.

If only she had just remained invisible and done her duties as a wife instead of prying into my affairs, she would still have had the child. She’s the reason my heir is gone.

I recalled when she told me she had lost the baby on her way to see me. A flicker of guilt crept in, but I quickly shook it off.

It wasn’t my fault.

I repeated it to myself. She caused it. She went out that night. It wasn’t my fault. I reassured myself.

That little rat dared to challenge me. I would make sure she rotted in that place, spending the rest of her life biting her fingers in regret. She had served her purpose, and now she was nothing.

I flicked my cigar away, watching the smoke swirl in the air.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. The door opened, and Jane, my secretary, walked in, her heels clicking against the floor.

She was a beautiful blonde—long legs, a skirt that barely covered her thighs, and a shirt struggling to contain her curves.

She cat-walked toward my desk, her hips swaying, knowing exactly what she was doing.

“Good evening, sir,” she purred, holding out a file.

As she walked toward me, my mind was already imagining all the positions I would put her in tonight.

I smirked. “How are you, Jane?” My eyes roamed her body.

“I just came to drop this file… and to let you know everyone has left for the day.” She took a step closer. “It’s just the two of us now.”

Her perfume filled the air as she leaned forward to place the file on my desk. She bent slowly, just enough for me to see her panty lines.

I stepped behind her, grabbing her waist.

“Jane,” I whispered in her ear, “are you sure you just came to drop off a file? Or do you want something else?”

She smirked. “Let’s just say… I missed you, sir.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her body against mine. Her voice was breathy, teasing. “Unbutton my shirt,” she whispered.

Jane and I had been having an affair for three years. No matter how many times I had seen those perfect breasts, they still excited me. Unlike Andrea, who was boring—dull in bed, uninteresting. Jane was adventurous.

I lifted her onto my desk, my eyes hungry.

“Now that Andrea is out of the picture, when are we getting married?” Jane asked, running her fingers through my hair. “You said once you divorced her, we’d be together. It’s already been a month.”

“Soon, baby,” I lied without hesitation.

I had promised Jane I would divorce Andrea to be with her, but it was all lies. I never planned on leaving Andrea for Jane. A man of my caliber couldn’t marry someone like her. She must be delusional.

Jane was good in bed, but she was nothing more than a toy. Marriage? That was laughable. I wasn’t stupid enough to marry a woman who had spread her legs for half the men in the office before I claimed her.

She was entertainment. Nothing more.

“Enough talking,” I said, pulling her closer. I saw a bit of disappointment in her eyes, but I didn’t care.

I grabbed her breasts and began feasting on them.

My phone buzzed on the desk, snapping me out of my trance. I glanced at the screen.

Victor.

A sense of uneasiness settled over me. Victor never called unless it was urgent. But right now, I had more pressing matters—like the woman moaning beneath me.

The phone buzzed again.

“Pick up, Jason,” Jane whispered seductively. “It might be important.”

I sighed and grabbed the phone.

“Hello, Victor. This better be important,” I said impatiently.

There was a pause. Then, his voice came through.

“She’s gone, boss.”

I froze. My grip tightened on the phone.

“What?”

“Andrea. She’s gone.”

For a second, I couldn’t move. My mind went blank. My fingers curled around the phone.

Jane unzipped my trousers, still trying to continue where we left off.

I shoved her away. “Didn’t I just push you off, you slut? Get out of my office. Now.”

Jane gasped, looking shocked. But one look at my face told her it was best not to argue. She grabbed her things and hurried out.

My focus snapped back to the call. “Victor, tell me you’re joking.”

“I wish I was, boss,” he said.

My jaw clenched. “What do you mean she’s gone? I left her in your care! How on earth does someone disappear from a place like that? That building is in the middle of nowhere! How did she escape? There were guards, cameras—how?”

“We don’t know yet, sir,” Victor said hesitantly. “She was there yesterday, but when we checked on her tonight… she was gone.”

A low, bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Gone? Gone where?”

Victor was silent.

“Are you deaf? Answer me!”

Victor sighed. “The security footage was wiped.”

I stilled. My fingers tightened around the phone.

“What did you just say?”

“All the footage from the past week is gone,” he explained. “Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. It wasn’t a random escape—it was planned. And it wasn’t done by an amateur.”

My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

This wasn’t just some mistake.

Someone had helped her.

But who?

Andrea had no one. No friends, no allies. I had made sure of it.

Her family? Maybe. But her father hadn’t spoken to her in years. It didn’t make sense for him to help her now.

That left… no one.

I turned sharply, gripping the edge of my desk. “Find her,” I ordered coldly. “I don’t care what it takes. Find her.”

Victor hesitated. “We’re already looking, but—”

“But what?” I snapped.

“There’s no trace,” he admitted. “No witnesses. No records. Whoever took her planned everything perfectly.”

I clenched my teeth so hard it hurt. My head spun as the reality sank in.

Andrea was out there.

She was free.

A slow-burning rage filled me.

She should have been broken by now. Begging for mercy. Crying herself to sleep.

Yet somehow, she had escaped.

I tossed my glass of whiskey at the wall, watching it shatter into a million pieces.

My mind flashed back to the day I went to the hospital to serve her divorce papers. The look she gave me… like a lion ready to devour its prey.

A dangerous thought crept into my mind.

What if she came back?

No. That was impossible. She had no resources, no connections. Even if she escaped, she had nothing left.

Andrea would not get away with this.

She thought she had won? That she could walk away from me?

No.

She had no idea what was coming for her.

A dark smirk spread across my lips.

“Run all you want, Andrea. I’ll find you. And when I do, I’ll remind you why you should have never crossed me.”

I turned to the window, holding my cigar. The city lights stretched before me, shining bright in the night.

It was only a matter of time.

This wasn’t over. Not even close.

The hunt had begun.