Chapter 865

Evelyn's finger hovered over her phone screen before she finally lowered it.

Bianca's silence weighed on her heart like a stone.

"Maybe she needs time," Evelyn murmured, slipping the phone back into her bag. Outside, cicadas buzzed relentlessly as summer's scorching heat loomed.

Baby Chloe giggled in her crib, tiny hands clutching colorful blocks from the early education teacher. Watching the child's innocent smile, Evelyn felt an invisible thorn prick her heart.

"Still no response from Miss Langley?" Alexander entered the nursery with a fruit platter, his gaze landing on the phone in Evelyn's tight grip.

She shook her head. "Phone's off. Messages unread. And Vincent..."

"Also vanished." Alexander finished her sentence, offering a peeled grape to her lips. "Our European branch confirmed her passport is still in the apartment."

The grape burst tart-sweet in Evelyn's mouth, doing nothing to ease her unease.

"Something feels wrong." She squinted at the blinding sunlight outside. "Vincent isn't the type to give up easily."

Alexander's eyes darkened. His traps were already set, waiting to spring. But right now, Evelyn's distress concerned him more.

"I'll have it investigated." He clasped her chilled hand. "Rest first."

The hospital corridor reeked of antiseptic as usual. Evelyn's white coat bore sweat stains from her latest surgery when her phone buzzed—Alexander calling.

"News?" She hurried toward the lounge, voice hushed.

A beat of silence. Then: "I'm at the hospital entrance. We need to go somewhere."

The black sedan left the city behind, landscapes growing desolate. Evelyn gripped her seatbelt. "What's going on?"

"Vincent's last phone signal came from the coast." Alexander's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. "An abandoned fishing zone."

Salty wind slapped their faces upon arrival. Evelyn's canvas shoes sank into damp sand with each unsteady step.

Alexander steadied her. "Easy."

At the cliff's edge, gusts whipped Evelyn's hair wildly. She shielded her eyes, scanning the steel-gray horizon.

"This place is too remote." Her voice trembled. "If—"

"Police are already alerted." He pulled out his phone. "Let's wait in the car."

But Evelyn remained rooted. An inexplicable pull drew her toward the precipice. Waves smashed against jagged rocks below, spraying white foam.

Then her breath caught—

A crimson scarf snagged between wave-breakers, fluttering like fresh blood against the tide.