Chapter 9: The Vanishing Act

My father’s words echoed in my mind.

“She’s gone, Elena.”

Thea had vanished.

And no one knew why.

I felt my stomach tighten. My sister had always been the perfect one, the one who followed the rules, who played the game exactly how our father wanted. She wouldn’t have just disappeared—not unless something had happened to her.

And now, I was standing in her place, married to a man I couldn’t trust, tangled in a conspiracy I didn’t understand.

I took a shaky breath, trying to process it.

“I want the truth,” I said, my voice sharp. “Everything.”

My father studied me carefully. “You won’t like it.”

“I don’t care.”

His expression hardened. “Thea was supposed to marry Dominic as part of the original arrangement between our families. But three weeks before the wedding—she ran.”

My breath caught.

“Ran where?”

“If I knew that, do you think I’d be sitting here?” He exhaled sharply. “She left without a trace. No messages, no goodbyes. She just… vanished.”

A sick feeling twisted in my gut.

“You really expect me to believe that Thea—your perfect daughter—just ran away from an arranged marriage to the most powerful man in the city?” I narrowed my eyes. “No. Someone made her disappear.”

My father’s expression didn’t change, but I saw it—the flicker of something in his gaze.

He knew more than he was saying.

I leaned closer. “Who helped her?”

He looked at me for a long time. “Drop this, Elena.”

“You know I won’t.”

His fingers tightened around his whiskey glass. “Then you’ll end up just like her.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Thea had vanished. And if I wasn’t careful…

I might be next.

I left the Sinclair estate in a daze. The city lights blurred around me as I climbed into my car.

I needed answers.

If Thea had really run, then someone had helped her. Someone knew where she was.

And I was going to find them.

I pulled out my phone and called Liam.

“Again?” he answered dryly. “What now?”

“Thea.”

A pause.

Then— “What about her?”

“She was supposed to marry Dominic. Not me.”

Another pause.

I could hear Liam curse under his breath. “Damn it.”

“You knew?” My grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“I had suspicions.”

I exhaled sharply. “Find out where she went.”

“That won’t be easy.”

“Then try harder.”

He sighed. “Fine. But, Elena… Be careful.”

I hung up.

I wasn’t in the mood for warnings.

I wanted truths.

I started the engine and pulled out onto the main road. The city was alive—blurring neon lights, honking taxis, people moving in and out of exclusive clubs like ghosts in designer suits.

Then, out of the corner of my eye—

A black SUV.

Following me.

My pulse spiked.

I made a sharp left. So did they.

Another turn. They matched it.

Shit.

Someone was tailing me.

I didn’t hesitate—I hit the gas.

My car roared forward, cutting through traffic. The SUV followed, moving with calculated precision.

I swerved through lanes, heart hammering. Whoever they were, they weren’t amateurs.

I reached for my phone to call Liam—

Then—

CRASH.

The SUV slammed into my rear bumper. My tires skidded. I fought to regain control, barely missing a parked car.

This wasn’t just a warning.

They were trying to run me off the road.

I turned sharply, taking an alleyway—tires screeching against the pavement. The SUV hesitated for half a second before following.

But that half a second was all I needed.

I hit the brakes, spun the car, and reversed at full speed.

The SUV barely missed me as it sped past—straight into a concrete barrier.

I didn’t stay to watch. I hit the gas and disappeared into the night.

I didn’t go home.

Home wasn’t safe.

Instead, I went to the one place I never thought I’d willingly return to.

Caldwell Enterprises.

Dominic’s empire.

I parked in front of the towering skyscraper, my hands still shaking from the chase.

This was a mistake. A terrible, reckless mistake.

But I didn’t care.

I stormed into the building, past the stunned receptionist, and straight into the elevator.

Dominic’s office was on the top floor. I knew he’d be there. He always worked late.

I stepped out onto the executive floor, marching down the long, sleek hallway. His office doors loomed ahead—dark and imposing, like the man himself.

I didn’t knock.

I shoved them open.

Dominic looked up from his desk, eyebrows raised.

“Sinclair,” he drawled. “To what do I owe this dramatic entrance?”

I slammed the door shut behind me.

“Who the hell is trying to kill me?”

His smirk vanished.

I walked forward, placing both hands on his desk. “Don’t play dumb, Dominic. Someone tried to run me off the road tonight. Someone who knew exactly where I was.”

His gaze sharpened. “Are you hurt?”

“I don’t need you to care, Dominic. I need you to tell me—who’s watching me?”

He exhaled, standing.

Then— “What do you know about Thea?”

My heart skipped a beat.

So he did know.

I swallowed hard. “That she was supposed to be your wife. Not me.”

His expression didn’t change. “And?”

“And she ran.”

A tense silence filled the room.

Then Dominic stepped closer.

“You think she ran?”

I frowned. “Didn’t she?”

His jaw tightened. “No, Sinclair. She didn’t run.”

The air between us crackled.

I shook my head, confused. “Then where is she?”

He exhaled slowly. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”

His words sent a chill down my spine.

He didn’t know where Thea was either.

And if Dominic Caldwell didn’t know something…

That meant my sister’s disappearance was bigger than both of us.

And far, far more dangerous.

****

A phone rang.

Dominic’s.

He answered it without taking his eyes off me.

“Talk.”

A muffled voice spoke on the other end.

Then—Dominic’s entire expression changed.

His grip on the phone tightened. His jaw clenched.

Then, slowly, he turned to me.

His voice was like steel.

“Elena.”

I swallowed. “What?”

His gaze burned into mine.

“We found something.”

I barely breathed. “What is it?”

A long pause.

Then—

“A name.”

I felt my blood turn to ice.

Dominic’s voice was low, deadly.

“Thea was last seen with someone before she vanished.”

I braced myself. “Who?”

He looked at me.

And said the last name I ever expected to hear.

A name from the past.

A name that changed everything.