Chapter 116 What happened to you?
Her chest tightened.
They had to reach Damien’s house before Jasmine did. They had to intercept her, otherwise she might disappear completely.
Outside the window, streetlights blurred past.
Richelle leaned back in her seat, anxiety creeping steadily into her chest.
Please don’t be too late.
Beside her, Damien’s voice broke the silence again.
“Richelle.”
She turned slightly.“What?”
“What do you know?” he asked quietly. His jaw tightened.“Why are you so certain something’s wrong?”
Richelle looked at him.
Then looked away. “Now isn’t the time,” she said softly.
Damien’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“Richelle—”
“We need to stop Jasmine first,” she insisted.
Only then would the truth come out.
Damien exhaled sharply. Confusion and dread twisted inside him. He didn’t understand what was happening.
But one thing was painfully clear. Something was very wrong. His hands clenched tighter around the steering wheel as the car sped through the dark streets.
His jaw ticked.
What was happening to his tesoro?
The drive to Damien’s penthouse felt longer than it actually was. No one in the car spoke as the vehicle cut through the quiet evening streets, the city lights blurring past the windows like streaks of gold and white. The tension inside the car had thickened into something suffocating.
Damien’s hands were locked around the steering wheel, his grip so tight the tendons in his wrists strained visibly beneath his skin. His mind kept replaying the same moment over and over again.
Jasmine’s trembling arms around his neck.
The desperate kiss.
The tears. And her words, I love you. It hadn’t felt like a confession, no it had felt like a farewell.
The thought made something twist painfully in his chest. He pushed the accelerator a little harder.
Beside him, Richelle sat rigidly in the passenger seat, her mind racing just as fast. She kept glancing at the road ahead as if willing the car to move faster.
In the backseat, Darcy watched the two of them quietly, anxiety gnawing at her stomach. The moment the car pulled into Damien’s building parking lot, Damien barely waited for the engine to fully stop before stepping out. “Come on,” he said sharply.
They hurried inside.
The elevator ride up to the penthouse was silent but tense, the faint hum of the machinery echoing in the enclosed space. Damien’s foot tapped impatiently against the floor as the numbers climbed.
Richelle crossed her arms, her brows drawn together. If Jasmine had come here… if she had tried to run… They needed to find her before it was too late. The elevator doors slid open with a quiet chime. Damien stepped out immediately.
They moved quickly down the hall toward the private suites.
“Jasmine?” Damien called out once as they walked, his voice echoing faintly through the penthouse.
No answer.
Richelle didn’t wait.
She rushed ahead and pushed open the door to Jasmine’s room. “Jasmine?” The room was dark.
Empty. The faint glow of the city lights filtered through the large windows, casting pale shadows across the floor.
The bed was untouched.
The room looked exactly as it had earlier that morning. Richelle’s stomach sank. “She’s not here,” she said quietly.
Damien didn’t respond.
He had already turned and moved toward his own room. The door pushed open, the soft glow of the nightlight streamed through the slightly parted curtains, painting the room in warm gold shadows.
The wardrobe door was slightly ajar.
The bed covers were rumpled.
Askew. As if someone had gotten up in a hurry.
Damien slowly stepped inside. His gaze drifted toward the bed. The same bed where Jasmine had slept beside him just last night.
His chest tightened painfully.
Just yesterday morning she had been there, curled against him, her hair tangled across the pillow as she slept peacefully.
Now the room felt hollow.
Empty. “What happened to you, tesoro…” he murmured under his breath.
What had frightened her so much that she ran away like that? Behind him, Richelle appeared in the doorway. She watched his expression carefully. Then she sighed softly, “Let’s check the other rooms,” she said gently.
Damien nodded once. They walked back down the hall together. Richelle turned toward Darcy said “Come on, let’s check my suite.”
Richelle followed her quickly.
Damien remained standing in the living room.
His mind was racing. Nothing about tonight made sense. He barely noticed the elevator opening again a few minutes later.
Heavy footsteps approached quickly.
“Damien!” The voice was sharp and urgent.
Damien turned. Uncle Thomas strode out of the elevator, his usually composed face tight with worry.
Two of Damien’s security men followed closely behind him. They had clearly tried to stop him from rushing in. Damien raised a hand slightly.
“It’s fine,” he told them calmly. “He can come in.”
The men nodded and stepped back.
Thomas walked straight toward Damien.
“Where is she?” he demanded immediately. “What happened to my niece?”
Damien frowned slightly. “Calm down,” he said.
But as he said the words, Damien noticed something strange. Thomas looked… frightened.
Not just worried, afraid. “I need you to tell me exactly what happened,” Thomas insisted.
Damien sighed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Jasmine was fine earlier,” he began. “She was with Richelle and Darcy. Then she got a phone call.”
Thomas’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Damien continued. “She stepped outside to answer it. When I saw her again she was crying. She hugged me… kissed me…”
His jaw tightened slightly. “And then she ran outside and got into a black car.”
Thomas’ brows furrowed deeply. “It sped off before I could reach her,” Damien finished. “I tried calling her but her phone is switched off.”
Thomas nodded slowly. “I tried calling her too on my way here,” he admitted. “She didn’t answer.”
At that moment, Richelle and Darcy walked back into the living room.
Richelle approached immediately. “Uncle,” she said softly. Thomas turned to her, Richelle gently took his arm and guided him a few steps aside.
Her voice lowered. “Is it possible… Jasmine was trying to run away from her father?”
Thomas blinked. Surprise flickered across his face. He didn’t ask how Richelle knew. Instead he shook his head slowly. “No,” he said firmly. “Jasmine would have told me.”
His voice softened slightly. “I’m her only protection from her father. She knows that.”