The words echoed inside Sofia’s mind.
For a moment, she thought she heard him wrong.
“What do you mean missing?”
Adrian grabbed his jacket immediately.
“She disappeared from her apartment. Her phone is off.”
Fear tightened Sofia’s chest.
“You really think Victor took her?”
Adrian’s silence answered the question again.
Sofia hated how often he did that.
He rarely admitted fear out loud.
But she was beginning to understand him.
The more dangerous the situation became…
“Where are you going?” she asked quickly as he headed toward the door.
Sofia immediately followed him inside.
“This has nothing to do with you.”
Sofia stared at him in disbelief.
“Victor literally threatened your family hours ago!”
“That’s exactly why you should stay here.”
Frustration rose inside her instantly.
“I’m tired of being treated like a child.”
Adrian turned toward her sharply.
“And I’m tired of people getting hurt because of me.”
The anger in his voice shocked her.
For the first time, Adrian actually looked emotionally unstable.
His hands were clenched tightly.
Selena’s disappearance clearly affected him deeply.
That realization hurt Sofia more than she expected.
Because despite everything between them—
Adrian ran a hand through his dark hair before speaking again.
“The security team will stay outside your room tonight.”
“You think Victor will come here?”
“I think Victor wants revenge.”
The answer made her stomach twist.
Adrian started walking again, but Sofia suddenly grabbed his wrist.
The contact surprised both of them.
For one strange second, neither moved.
Then Sofia quietly asked—
“What if this is a trap?”
Adrian looked down at her hand around his wrist.
Something unreadable passed through Adrian’s expression before he gently pulled away.
But Sofia wasn’t convinced.
Half an hour later, Sofia stood near the mansion window watching Adrian’s black car disappear into the rainy night.
An uncomfortable feeling settled inside her chest.
Like something terrible was about to happen.
She tried distracting herself by reading, but it didn’t work.
Every few minutes, she checked her phone anxiously.
The storm outside became worse.
Thunder shook the windows while rain slammed heavily against the glass.
Sofia finally stood up restlessly and walked downstairs toward the kitchen.
The mansion felt eerie at night.
As she poured herself water, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
One of the security guards stood there.
“Mrs. Knight,” he said respectfully.
Sofia noticed his expression looked tense.
“We lost contact with Mr. Knight’s vehicle.”
Fear crashed into her instantly.
“The tracking signal disappeared twenty minutes ago.”
Sofia’s pulse quickened dangerously.
“It could mean nothing,” the guard answered carefully.
But his face clearly said otherwise.
Sofia immediately grabbed her coat.
“I’m not sitting here waiting while something might’ve happened to him.”
The guard stepped forward firmly.
“Mrs. Knight, Mr. Knight specifically ordered us not to let you leave.”
Sofia’s patience snapped instantly.
“And if Adrian is hurt right now?”
Because neither of them wanted to think about that possibility.
A few minutes later, Sofia sat inside another black SUV with two guards driving through the storm-covered streets.
Her hands trembled slightly in her lap.
She kept trying Adrian’s number again and again.
The city looked almost empty at this hour.
Streetlights reflected against wet roads while thunder echoed across the dark sky.
Finally, one of the guards spoke.
“We found the last location of Mr. Knight’s car.”
The driver’s face tightened.
Fear instantly crawled through Sofia’s chest.
That was Victor’s territory.
The SUV slowed near the abandoned docks.
Everything looked dark and deserted.
Shipping containers surrounded the area like giant shadows.
Rain poured heavily as the guards stepped out carefully.
Sofia followed despite their protests.
The driver’s side door hung open.
Sofia’s heartbeat nearly stopped.
She rushed closer before one of the guards suddenly grabbed her arm.
The guard pointed downward.
Rainwater slowly washed red stains across the ground near the car.
Sofia felt all the air leave her lungs.
One of the guards carefully picked up something from the wet ground.
Sofia stared at it in horror.
Then her phone suddenly vibrated.
With shaking hands, she answered immediately.
A low familiar voice answered.
“If you want to see your husband alive again…”
Then Victor spoke the words that made her blood run cold.
The call ended immediately.
Sofia stood frozen beside Adrian’s abandoned car while rain poured heavily around her.
The guards stared at her anxiously.
“What did he say?” one of them asked.
Sofia slowly lowered the phone.
Fear spread across their faces instantly.
One of the guards cursed under his breath.
“No,” Sofia said quickly.
Both men looked at her in disbelief.
“He told me to come alone.”
“And you’re actually considering it?” the older guard snapped.
Sofia looked down at the blood near the car door.
Rain slowly washed it away.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Adrian came after her family without hesitation.
Now he was missing because of it.
“I have to go,” she whispered.
The guards immediately protested.
Sofia closed her eyes briefly.
But what choice did she have?
If Victor truly had Adrian…
Half an hour later, Sofia stood outside an abandoned hotel near the edge of the city.
The building looked dark and lifeless.
Fear crawled through her stomach as she stepped inside.
The lobby smelled old and damp.
Suddenly, two armed men appeared from the shadows.
“Boss is waiting upstairs,” one of them said coldly.
Sofia swallowed hard but followed anyway.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
Finally, they stopped outside a large room.
The door creaked open slowly.
Adrian sat tied to a chair in the center of the room.
Blood stained the side of his face.
His shirt was torn slightly, and bruises covered his knuckles.
But the moment he saw her—
His expression changed instantly.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped harshly.
Sofia rushed toward him instinctively.
“I told you to stay away from this!”
A slow clap echoed through the dark room.
Victor Kane stepped out from the shadows with a dangerous smile.
“Well,” he murmured. “This just became much more interesting.”
Victor slowly walked closer while staring between Sofia and Adrian.
“You know,” he said calmly, “I expected Adrian Knight to come here angry.”
His smile widened slightly.
“But I didn’t expect him to look terrified.”
“What are you talking about?”
Victor’s eyes gleamed with amusement.
“A man only sounds like that when he’s afraid of losing someone.”
The room suddenly fell silent.
Sofia’s heartbeat quickened.
She slowly looked toward Adrian.
But Adrian refused to meet her eyes.
That silence felt more dangerous than any answer.
