Chapter 15 - The Runaway Bride

Minutes earlier...

Lisbeth’s reaction was immediate as well as rather explosive. The moment she realized Ayra had slipped away, a cold, simmering rage bubbled beneath her skin. 

She'd known this would happen. It still didn't stop her from being annoyed when it did. 

The room was quiet, save for the faint murmur of guests outside the venue. Lisbeth’s sharp gaze swept over the scene, her mind racing to piece together what had happened. HOW it had happened. 

She came up with nothing. 

“You lot,” she called sharply, turning to the gaggle of servants at the door. “Tell me; who was the last person in this room before she disappeared?”

The maid stammered, her face pale. “J-just the team helping her dress, ma’am. I don’t know what happened after that. She asked for some time alone, and, well, we -”

“Time alone?” Lisbeth spat. “And what? None of you dimwits thought to question that? Of course she needed time alone - time to escape! What did I tell you?! Weren't my instructions clear enough?! Answer!”

"You said never to let her out of our sight," the maid murmured. 

"And what did you do?! Oh, wait, don't tell me - you thought she was pitiful and a few minutes wouldn't matter anyway, right?!"

The maid’s lip quivered, but Lisbeth didn’t care. Her anger was on fire, and everyone around her was kindling.

Lisbeth hissed and stalked out the room.

Behind her, one of the guards hired by Lucian cautiously stepped forward. “Ma’am, the guests—”

“Forget the guests!" Lisbeth snapped, spinning sharply to glare at him. “Do I look like I care about the guests? Find Ayra! Now!”

The man nodded stiffly and backed out of the room, whispering orders into his radio. She had long since taught them that to fear her was the wiser choice. 

Lisbeth remained rooted in place, her lips pressed into a thin line as she fought to suppress the storm brewing within her.

"Oh, aunt. Dear, sweet aunt. I really should have crippled you when I had the chance," she muttered. 

She balled her hands into fists, her fingers digging deep into her palm as she fought to maintain control. Few people could make her lose control quite like Ayra could. 

She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed a number with practiced ease. The line connected almost immediately.

“She’s gone,” Lisbeth said curtly. “I want a full lockdown on the estate. Nobody gets in or out without my permission. Double-check the cameras - every angle, every blind spot. She couldn’t have gotten far.”

....

Despite her outward calm, Lisbeth felt the threads of her control slipping, her mind fraying at the edges. 

If she didn't catch Ayra before she escaped the premises, things could get very bad. Which Eleanor would find advantageous no doubt. 

A sudden thought struck her, and she froze. Eleanor.

Lisbeth grabbed her phone again, dialing another number. “Pacho, put a tail on Eleanor. Discreetly. I want to know where she is and who she’s meeting.”

Her jaw tightened as she ended the call. She suspected as much but if Eleanor was truly involved, Lisbeth would deal with her. Personally.

Unable to simply sit and watch, Lisbeth stepped outside to oversee the search efforts. The mid morning air was cool, a sharp contrast to the fire raging within her. She moved quickly, her eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of her fleeing sister.

She passed by a group of guards combing through the nearby hedges and paused to give further instructions. 

“Check the service areas and storage rooms. She might be hiding and waiting for the commotion to die down.”

Unbeknownst to Lisbeth, Ayra was closer than she realized, hidden behind a cluster of decorative shrubs mere feet away. 

Ayra’s breath hitched as she caught sight of Lisbeth, her heart pounding in her chest. 

Lisbeth’s eyes swept over the area, lingering for a moment on the bushes. Then she turned away, her attention drawn by a guard approaching with an update.

“She’s not on the premises, ma’am,” the guard reported. “We’ve checked every corner. She must have left already.”

Lisbeth’s expression darkened, her eyes narrowing. “Then expand the search. She couldn’t have gotten far.”

As the guards moved to comply, Lisbeth turned back toward the main venue. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, each one more infuriating than the last. 

She pulled out her phone once more, her fingers flying across the screen as she sent out a mass message to her network. “Find her,” the message read. “I don’t care how. Just find her.”

Lisbeth paused, staring at the screen for a moment before adding, “And bring her back. Unharmed.”

She blinked back tears. 

The door to the lounge slammed open, rattling the crystal chandelier and startling the man seated at the polished oak desk. 

Lisbeth stormed in, her eyes blazing and her posture rigid with barely contained fury. Her father looked up from his phone, his expression one of mild surprise.

“You should know why I’m here,” Lisbeth snapped, marching across the room to stand before him. “Ayra is gone.”

He tilted his head, his brow furrowing slightly. “Gone? What do you mean?”

“I mean,” she hissed, slamming her hands onto the desk, “your precious daughter, the bride, has run off! She’s nowhere to be found and it's all your fault! Shit!”

She ran a hand through her hair, breathing heavily as she fought to keep her temper in check.  

Her father leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him. “My fault?” he repeated, his tone incredulous. “How exactly is this my fault, Lisbeth?”

“Because... Because... Fuck it, I don't know!"

Her father sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. “Lisbeth, sit down. Yelling isn’t going to solve anything.”

“I don’t WANT to sit down,” she snapped. “I want answers! I want to know how you’re planning to fix this... this...”

Her father stood, his movements slow and deliberate as though he were trying to defuse a bomb. 

He walked around the desk and rested a hand on her shoulder, his touch light but firm.

“Lisbeth,” he said softly, “you need to calm down. It isn’t the end of the world.”

She jerked away from him, her expression one of disbelief. 

“Not the end of the world? Father, this marriage is everything we've worked for! Do you think Lucian’s people are going to sit idly by when they find out the bride has run away? Do you think the Wendells would sit by if this gets out?”

Her father sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. “We’ll deal with it, Lizzie. There’s no need to escalate the situation unnecessarily.”

“Unnecessarily?” Lisbeth’s voice rose, her composure slipping. “This is already a crisis, and you’re acting like it’s just another one of Ayra’s tantrums! We expected it and yet she still managed to slip away!”

Lisbeth had a dreadful feeling that they would not be finding Ayra anytime soon. Ayra was clever. Much like their mother. 

Ferdinand’s face darkened, his patience rather obviously wearing thin. “Do lower your voice, Lisbeth. I won’t have you shouting at me like a spoiled child.”

“Don’t patronize me,” she snapped.

“That’s enough.” His voice was sharp now, cutting through her anger like a blade. “I won’t tolerate disrespect, not from you.”

Lisbeth seethed, glaring at him, then looked away.

However, she was not done. 

“You’ve been too soft, Father. Especially with aunt Eleanor. She’s been meddling, hiding behind that annoying façade of the doting aunt while stirring up trouble. Had you dealt with her properly -”

Ferdinand raised a hand, his calm but firm gesture stopping her tirade. “Enough, Lisbeth. I already knew about Eleanor’s involvement. I knew she was scheming, and I allowed it.”

Lisbeth’s brow furrowed. “And yet you let her continue! You allowed her to manipulate Ayra. Ayra couldn't have gotten out of here on her own!”

Ferdinand’s lips curled into a faint smile.

"It is alright, Lisbeth. The car Eleanor intended to use to pick up Ayra? There’s someone on its tail as we speak. I had her driver flagged the moment I knew she’d gone to see Ayra that day.” 

"Why? But we know her plan. We can guess what she wants to do with Ayra."

"Only vaguely, Lizzie. We're not certain. Plus, there could be a third player in the game. Our actions going forward would have to change if there is. I want to see who Eleanor is allied with."

Lisbeth’s breath hitched, her earlier anger now mingled with curiosity and a... begrudging respect. Say whatever you wanted about her father but he was hardly incompetent.