Her gaze lingered on Andrew Lane, a mix of nervousness and shyness in her eyes. Her palm, still clasped tightly around his, began to sweat, her heartbeat racing beyond control. Each breath came short and shallow—she hardly dared to exhale, afraid that even the smallest movement might disturb him.
Andrew parted his lips to speak, but just then, his phone buzzed from the pocket of his jacket.
At this hour, it could only be a message from the people he’d sent to look for Emily Blair.
“Andrew…”
Still, there was no response. Isabella Austin hesitantly called his name again.
Snapping back to the moment, Andrew gently pulled the comforter up to Isabella’s shoulders, tucking her in with careful hands. His voice was soft. “No, it’s alright. I’ll leave once you’re asleep.”
Disappointment flickered in Isabella’s eyes as her heart gradually slowed. “I see… Well, okay then. I’ll try to sleep.”
Andrew nodded.
Isabella lay back in the soft, warm bed, her gaze lingering on Andrew for a long while before finally closing her eyes.
It’s alright, she thought. I can be patient. One day, Andrew Lane will realize how much I mean to him.
They had so much history, so many years behind them—she believed that, in time, he would come to love her willingly.
The night wore on, her body’s internal clock gently urging her toward sleep.
Half-drifting, she felt the warmth of his broad palm slowly, carefully slip away from hers.
Even though he was leaving, Isabella could sense his caution—not wanting to wake her, hoping she would sleep soundly through his departure.
Through sleepy eyes, Isabella watched Andrew’s silhouette disappear through the door, her heart filled with a lingering warmth as she drifted off.
Once out of the room, Andrew immediately pulled out his phone, his eyes scanning the incoming messages with practiced speed.
[Mr. Lane, we can’t find any travel records for Ms. Blair—no flights, no train tickets, nothing.]
[Mr. Lane, someone is deliberately blocking our search.]
[Mr. Lane, we’ve traced the interference back to Kevin Lane. He’s not trying to hide it from you, so he probably doesn’t intend to keep this a secret. What should we do next?]
[Mr. Lane, if you want to find out Ms. Blair’s whereabouts quickly, Kevin Lane is your best bet.]
Andrew grabbed his keys from the entryway table, shrugged into his jacket, and headed out the door.
He slid into the driver’s seat, slammed his foot on the gas, and the car glided onto the road, picking up speed well above the legal limit as he raced toward The Lane Estate.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, every intersection he reached turned red just as he approached. Each stop forced him to wait—sometimes a minute, sometimes two.
At every red light, Andrew leaned his head back against the seat, impatience etched across his face. He yanked off his tie and unfastened the top button of his shirt.
With his eyes closed, he let out a long, weary breath.


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