Rowan POV
Without thinking, I called my assistant.
“Can you get me a chartered flight to Vegas? Need it ASAP.”
I dropped the call right after and proceeded inside the house to prepare.
“Are you going to see her now?” Marcus’s question stopped me in my tracks.
In truth, I had forgotten about him because my mind was several hundred miles away.
I looked back, surprised.
“I thought you left.”
Mar
Rowan POVIn the end, I realized what Marcus said made sense.I can not claim Hanna fully until Linda’s case is closed.I can’t have her doubt my words when I finally claim her for myself.With that thought, I grabbed my phone.“Aren’t you doing anything except to harass me?” I rudely asked Marcus when he laid his back on my bed, looking like he had no intention of leaving my room.“Go on. Just call whoever you wish to call. I am not going to bother you. I will just lie here.” He told me, acting nonchalant.
Rowan POV“What do you mean she is gone? Where could she have been? I thought you were watching her day in and day out!” I barked on the phone, frustratedly brushing an errant strand of hair that fell to my face.My glasses had gone askew, but I had forgotten about them.My mind was too focused on what Rico, my head bodyguard, was telling me.I righted the glasses, but they almost broke at the force of my hold.“I don’t know what happened, sir. She called in sick yesterday, and now, I received word from her office that she resigned at Hunters.”
Rowan POVIt had been two months, one week, and three days since Hanna resigned from Hunter Hotel Vegas. Since then, even if I turned Vegas and all the neighboring states over, I can’t find any trace of her. It was like Hanna had disappeared on the face of the earth. The airport and docks manifesto revealed nothing about her, so my conclusion was she fled Vegas by car. “You are all useless!” I cried to Rico after he reported that their efforts to find Hanna had all been fruitless.Then, I threw the empty bottle of whisky to him. Unfortunately, since I already saw double, it did not hit him.Rico, for his part, did not dodge the bottle. I watched in frustration as the bottle landed on the floor with a loud crack and glass shards splashed out in different directions. I grabbed another bottle to hurl it on the floor, but Briana’s voice stopped me. “Rowan, what are you doing?” In my blurry vision, I could see her looking horrified, standing just outside the door to my house. I gri
Rowan POV“You deserve it.” Briana scoffed when she saw me looking problematic.We already combined our resources, calling our friends in the business world to get enough leads on Hanna Walker, but all our efforts were futile.There was no Hanna Walker in their employ.“You cannot find a person who does not want to be found,” Marcus said sagely.I snorted at him. “I was still angry at you. All this time, you came to my house to badger me. You were getting information about Hanna and passing it on to our sister.”Marcus grinned and flashed me a peace sign with his fingers.“It’s your fault. Don’t pass the blame on us. If you came out clean and did not make Hanna overthink, do you think she would leave?” Marcus shot back.“I was on a mission. You know I cannot talk about it. My hands and mouth are tied.” I
Rowan POV“It was not her,” Marcus informed me. He held a copy of the forensic autopsy conducted on the charred body found in Hanna’s car. He read it out loud for my benefit. “The DNA did not match hers.” He added.I nodded and gulped the whiskey from my shot glass. “It only proves that she was alive, but it didn’t say where she was,” I responded dully after swallowing the amber liquid. Marcus sat on the chair next to me. I was in my home’s dry bar, sitting on a high stool. In front of me sat a bottle of whiskey and an ice bucket. “I am going crazy, brother. I can’t help worrying.” I told Marcus honestly. He took a fresh glass for himself and joined me. He poured whiskey into his shot glass and gulped down its contents. “What if the Bennetts got her? I don’t think I will ever forgive myself if something happens to Hanna.” My jaw clenched at the thought. I can’t imagine Hanna in the hands of the Bennetts. “Do you think the Bennetts have something to do with her disappearan
Rowan POVIt was over. The Bennetts had been accounted for.The authorities intervened and froze all their assets.Luke and his father were taken into police custody. They were awaiting trial at the Redwood Penitentiary.We were at the district office when Storm approached me.We shook hands.“Our men ripped the warehouse apart. They turned everything over. Unfortunately, they did not find any trace of your girl.” Storm informed me sadly.I nodded.
Hanna POV“Hanna, the customer on table 14 wants to talk to you.” Eden, one of my coworkers, informed me.I ditched going to the bathroom to attend to my customer first.I pressed my palms to my aching hips while I waddled the narrow hallway, meeting another coworker on the way.“You look like your stomach is ready to pop, Hanna.”I smiled, seeing the genuine concern on her face.“I am okay. Don’t worry about me.”I walked to the table indicated by my
Linda POVDisbelief registered on her face. It was as if she could not believe that Rowan and I were just friends. I wanted to chastise Rowan in my head. "Awww!" Hanna cried as another contraction hit her.I almost panicked in alarm when she doubled over in pain.I was torn. My emotions conflicted as I watched her struggle in ache. I don’t know what to do to ease her pain. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead. She was panting, too.My heart went out to her. She was in agony.Looking at her, a part of me wanted to disregard her request and call Rowan immediately. If there was someone she needed to be here, it was him. I don’t understand why she was withholding. Rowan loves her.Or maybe she didn’t know? Her outbursts earlier came to mind, and I realized how much she endured due to a misplaced sense of guilt. Another pain hit her. As if by reflex, she clutched at my hand desperately trying to hold on to me, and my heart went out to her. She should not be braving this ordeal a
Flint POV“I don’t know what to think anymore,” I admitted to Brent while drinking vodka in a private room inside the Blue Canyon, a country club in Redwood where we both enjoyed VIP memberships.“Why don’t you ask her? Instead of overthinking and suspecting your brother, go to your wife and seek the answers to all the questions crowding your head.”“I really love talking to you, Brent. You are like a cold bath - scary but necessary.” I told him bluntly.Brent chuckled.“You needed it.”I clapped Brent on the back.“Thanks.”“Let’s go. It’s two in the morning, and the manager had been giving us deadly looks already. I think this club is closing for the day.”After Brent settled the bill, we rose from our seats and ambled back to his car.I left my c
Briana POVAfter the police officers took my three brothers, I got back on my desk and sat morosely there.“Where are your brothers? I thought you had an emergency meeting?” Noah asked, disrupting my solitude.I looked at him sharply. “They were at the police station.”Noah opened the door wider and walked in.He loosened his tie and slumped on the couch. He looked tired, but he was looking at me with love in his eyes.It had been four years since I took a chance on him, and his love never wavered. In truth, it had intensified through the years.
Flint POVI could not believe it.Brinaa had us arrested! The f*ck!After the police handcuffed the three of us, Briana took our phones.“Why are you confiscating our phones? I need that!” Marcus cried.Between the three of us, he was the most uncooperative and talkative.Briana ignored him. “You will get your phones later. For now, I am going to keep it.” She promised before the police officers led us out of her study.Downstairs, I saw the household staff gathered in
Flint POVRowan’s question, asking me about fathering Anna’s baby, hangs in the air.It wrapped around us like an elephant in the room.I took in my brothers’ look, feeling like the odd man out.Can’t I be man enough to take on my responsibility? Can I not be trusted to care for my own family?The dam inside me burst, and I lashed out at my brother, Rowan.“Yes, so don’t cross my line and stop meddling in my wife’s life. They don’t need you.”Rowan stared m
Flint POV“I am not talking to you, Flint. You embarrassed me in front of Linda, and that was unforgivable.”I winced, feeling guilty.In my eagerness to defend my family, I had forgotten that Briana was never an enemy.She was my sister.“I am sorry.”“I am just looking out for you. Haven’t you forgotten how hard women tried to trap you into marriage, not because they loved you but because they loved what you represented?” She lashed out at me.I chuckled. &ldqu
Anna/Linda POV“Hey, sis! ” Flint walked toward his sister with a wriggling Penelope in his arms.When he reached her, he stooped to kiss her cheeks.Penelope saw what he did and did the same. She kissed Briana’s cheek.Briana was left stunned, especially when Penelope showed her natural cuteness.She bounced in Flint’s arms, raising her hands to clap."Yay! Kwin ver gud!" Penelope said in a stilted manner.On the other hand, Flint looked like he was ready to burst into pride. He puffed
Anna/Linda POVWe spent three days secluded in the exclusive villa Flint rented for us. It was nothing short of idyllic. Penelope had a wonderful time. “Dad-dy!” She squealed and jumped on her little feet to evade the coming waves. “Bubbles!” She would cry in gibberish, pointing at the sea foam that crowded her feet and ankles. Then she would run to Flint, and Flint would swoop down to capture her and put her to dry sand. Then, she would stroll toward the waves again, repeating the same actions until Flint rescues her.“You are silent,” Flint said when he deposited Penelope beside me. I was sitting on the sand with my legs stretched out in front of me. He quickly worked on the sand, digging with his hands and throwing them to cover my legs. It attracted Penelope, and she mimicked her father. She took clumps of sand in her hands and threw them to my legs. “You need a spade, my little Queen,” Flint said.He looked around our surroundings before his eyes focused on something no
Flint POVAfter dinner, I was excited to put Penelope to sleep, but to my chagrin, she wouldn’t sleep however hard I coaxed her.She was too busy playing with the rose petals. She kept stepping on them while she walked around our rented villa.“Maybe she loved the downy feel of the rose petals on her soles.” Anna offered a likely explanation for our daughter’s seeming propensity for the flowers.She even pulled her shoes off before she jumped, skipped, and kicked on the petals covering the floor.I dropped my head playfully in response, but inside, I was dying for Penelope to lay her head on the bed so t
Flint POVI saw a myriad of emotions playing on Anna’s face and it made me want to crush her to my chest to offer assurance. I am a Ford.I have everything, but when it comes to Anna, I felt lacking as a man. Of course, it was different with our daughter.Would it be selfish of me if I wanted to be the only man for her, not just the father of her daughter? I wanted to be the best man for them both. “One day, I will make you fall in love with me,” I told her and saw her taken aback. I wanted to add that I will erase every feeling she has for my brother.I will be the only man she would need. The wedding ended. “Congratulations.” The priest held out his hand to send us his best wishes. He even patted Penelope’s head, making her giggle. “You have a lovely daughter.” He told us.Anna and I exchanged a look. She smiled, feeling proud of our daughter. I was, too. We did not linger. Our group left the church and ended up in the parking lot, where we went in separate directions.