Chapter 235

The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Pineview Villa, casting golden patterns across the marble floors. Evelyn stretched lazily in bed, her fingers brushing against the cold sheets where Nathaniel should have been. The digital clock on the nightstand blinked 7:32 AM in bold red numbers.

Downstairs, the scent of freshly brewed coffee mingled with Rosalind's famous blueberry pancakes. Evelyn padded barefoot into the kitchen, where Alfred was setting the breakfast table with military precision. "Good morning, Mrs. Martin," the butler greeted with a slight bow. "Mr. Martin left early for an urgent board meeting."

Evelyn sighed, stirring honey into her chamomile tea. These sudden disappearances had become more frequent since Nathaniel took over as CEO. Just as she took her first sip, her phone vibrated violently against the quartz countertop.

"Evelyn! You need to see this!" Gregory's voice crackled through the speaker before she could even say hello. "Check your email. Now."

Her fingers trembled as she opened the attachment - architectural plans for the new Martin Group headquarters, bearing her signature but with critical structural elements altered. The changes were subtle but deadly, enough to cause catastrophic failure during seismic activity. And the submission date showed yesterday - when she'd been at her grandmother Beatrice's birthday party all afternoon.

The front door burst open. Nathaniel stood framed in the doorway, his usually immaculate tie loosened, eyes wild. "Evelyn, we need to talk about the-"

"Blueprints?" She held up her phone, the damning documents glowing on screen. "Care to explain how my designs got butchered and submitted under my name?"

Nathaniel's jaw tightened. "That's what I came to discuss. The board received an anonymous tip about safety violations. Edward's demanding an emergency audit."

A chill ran down Evelyn's spine. Someone was setting her up. And with Isabella Davis back in town after her Paris fashion show, the timing couldn't be more suspicious.

The grandfather clock in the foyer chimed eight times as Evelyn grabbed her car keys. "Tell Dr. Harrison to prep the private jet," she ordered Alfred. "We're going to Zurich."

Nathaniel blocked her path. "The Swiss branch? Why?"

"Because," Evelyn said, slipping past him, "that's where the original unaltered files are stored. And whoever did this clearly doesn't know about my backup protocol."

As she revved the engine of her Aston Martin, Evelyn caught a glimpse of a familiar silver Mercedes parked discreetly down the street. The tinted windows revealed nothing, but she'd recognize that custom license plate anywhere - VANESSA1. Isabella's agent.

Evelyn let out a bitter laugh, not giving Thomas a chance to respond before continuing, "Regret? Don't make me laugh. How could you possibly regret anything? Is this your twisted way of getting back at her for leaving you? But here's the truth—she did nothing wrong. You did. You're the one who couldn't let go, even though you had a fiancée. If you couldn't give Charlotte a future, why drag her into your mess? Was your fragile male ego worth destroying her? Do you honestly think she'll ever forgive you?"

The moment the words left her lips, Thomas's expression darkened further.

"Evelyn," he said through gritted teeth, "you’ve always had a way with words. Are you done mocking me? If so, maybe you could let me focus on finding her before it's too late."

"Oh, so now you're angry because I spoke the truth?" Evelyn shot back, her frustration boiling over. "What’s more important—finding Charlotte or defending your pride?"

"Do you think I want to argue with you?" she continued, her voice sharp. "Thomas, I warned you not to hurt her. You promised. If you couldn’t keep that promise, why keep her trapped in your world? What did she ever do to deserve this? Love isn’t a game, but you’re treating it like one!"

"Evelyn," Thomas said coldly, "are these her words too?"

"Does it matter?" she snapped. "In your mind, she’s already the villain. Why bother asking me if you won’t believe the answer?"

Her anger was barely contained. If they weren’t in Mayby, she would’ve made him pay right then and there.

The tension between them was suffocating.

Nathaniel strode into the room, his presence immediately shifting the energy.

Thomas glared at him. "Control your wife. I’m not in the mood for this."

Nathaniel arched a brow, unimpressed. "Samuel’s already tracking the cab driver’s connections. We’ll have leads soon."

Thomas gave a stiff nod.

Then Nathaniel added dryly, "Your woman is missing, and you’re snapping at me? Maybe if you’d taken better care of her, we wouldn’t be in this mess."

Thomas clenched his fists but said nothing—Nathaniel wasn’t someone he could lash out at.

Nathaniel moved to Evelyn’s side, taking her hand. "He’s using every resource he has to find Charlotte. Just breathe, love."

Evelyn turned away, too furious to respond.

Before she could speak, Nathaniel’s phone rang.

The storm outside raged on, the downpour making communication difficult.

Nathaniel answered, and Samuel’s voice crackled through, barely audible over the rain. "Mr. Martin, the police intel was correct. The driver Charlotte got into the cab with has a history of violent behavior. His coworkers say he’s been reported multiple times for harassing female passengers. You—and Mr. Ellsworth—need to brace yourselves."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Those few seconds stretched into an eternity.

Then Thomas snatched the phone, his voice raw with fury. "What the hell do you mean, 'brace yourselves'?! Find her. Now. If anything happens to her—"

His voice broke, his entire body trembling with rage and terror.

Nathaniel took the phone back, his tone firm. "Samuel, prioritize finding her. Keep me updated."

"Yes, sir."

The call ended, leaving the room in suffocating silence.

Evelyn whirled on Thomas, her eyes blazing. "If she’s hurt because of you, I swear, the Bennetts and I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable life."

Her threat hung in the air, thickening the tension until it was nearly unbearable.