CHAPTER 189

CHAPTER 189
The police arrived at Cole Entertainment within minutes of Vincent’s call, but by then the building felt strangely hollow. The boardroom had been emptied, the tension still lingering like smoke after a fire. Officers moved quickly through hallways, checking stairwells, scanning the fire exits, questioning staff, and sealing all the doors. Yet the one man they were looking for was nowhere to be found.

Adrian had vanished.

At first, they believed he had fled the building. His phone was powered off, none of the cameras caught him exiting through the main doors, and his car remained untouched in the underground parking lot. For a moment, the officers assumed he might have slipped out with the exiting crowd during the chaotic aftermath of the meeting.

But Matteo knew better.

Adrian had grown up in these corridors. His father had worked for Cole Entertainment decades ago. Adrian had spent many afternoons hiding behind boxes in the storage rooms, slipping through maintenance tunnels, and exploring the lesser-known parts of the building while waiting for his father to finish work. He knew every blind spot, every unused doorway, every emergency stairwell no one used because it rattled too loudly.

He could disappear inside this building for hours, and no one would find him.

Matteo walked through the corridors with the officers, his expression unreadable but heavy with frustration. Amelia’s safety had been the wedge Adrian used to attack him, and now, even with the truth exposed, that threat still lingered. The idea of Adrian loose inside the building made Matteo’s muscles tighten with protective fury.

By late afternoon, after searching every official room and most maintenance areas, the police called in additional support. A warrant was issued, and soon the building was swarming with more officers. But even then, Adrian did not surface. Eventually, with no sign of him, the officers circulated his image across police channels and approved a nationwide alert. His name, his face, and his detailed description would be in every patrol car within the hour.

Still, Matteo didn’t relax.

Not even for a second.

As the building settled into uneasy quiet, he finally exhaled and realized he needed to find Amelia.

He found her in one of the executive lounges, sitting on a sofa with her legs drawn close, her hands clasped tightly together. Her eyes were swollen, but there was a softness in her face now - an exhaustion that carried a small glow of relief. 

Amelia stood as soon as Matteo entered, her breath trembling, her eyes already filling. She looked at him as if she wasn’t sure he was real, as if the ground might vanish beneath her feet again at any moment. Matteo didn’t walk toward her. He didn’t think. He simply crossed the room in three long strides and gathered her into his arms.

The embrace was immediate and full, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist, pulling her against him as though he feared she might disappear again if he didn’t hold her with both hands. Amelia collapsed into him, burying her face in his chest, gripping the back of his shirt with trembling fingers. The moment their bodies met, all the walls she had built over the last week shattered. A soft, broken sob escaped her, muffled against him.

Matteo lowered his chin and pressed it gently against the top of her head, closing his eyes as if the weight of all the days without her finally caught up to him. One of his hands slid up to cradle the back of her head while the other held her securely at her back.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair, his voice rough with emotion. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I kept quiet while you struggled. I’m sorry you ever had to feel abandoned.”

Amelia shook her head, her tears soaking into his shirt. “I thought you stopped believing in me,” she said, her voice trembling into his chest. “I thought you believed everything they said, everything I didn’t understand myself.”

Matteo exhaled shakily and stroked her hair with slow, steady fingers. “I never believed any of it,” he murmured. “Not a word. Not for a single moment.”

She gripped him tighter, as if the truth unlocked something fragile inside her.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Why did you let me suffer thinking you hated me?”

Matteo pulled back just enough to lift her face, brushing tears from her cheeks with his thumb. “Because if Adrian suspected I knew the truth, he would have changed the plan. He could have hurt you worse. He could have disappeared before we had evidence. I needed him to think he had won. I needed you to act naturally so he wouldn’t realize I was watching.”

Her lips trembled as she looked up at him through wet lashes.

Matteo stepped closer, his voice gentler. “I knew you were drugged. I knew nothing happened with Leon. I knew every moment you suffered was part of Adrian and Viviana’s plan. I was watching. I was waiting for the exact moment to expose them. I needed to hit them when they felt safest.”

She released a shaking breath. “You were protecting me.”

“I always will,” he said.

For a long moment, she let herself stand in the warmth of those words. It didn’t erase the pain of the past week, but it softened it - a gentle hand smoothing the ache until she could breathe again.

Vincent appeared at the doorway, leaning on the frame with a weariness that made him look older. He watched the two quietly and gave a small approving nod. “We should head home,” he said. “The police will continue searching. There’s nothing more any of us can do here.”

Matteo glanced at Amelia. “Go with your father,” he said. “I’ll stay behind and coordinate with the investigators.”

Amelia’s brow creased. “You’ll call me if they find him?”

“You’ll be the first to know,” he promised.

She nodded cautiously, then followed Vincent out of the room. Matteo watched them go, the weight in his chest shifting from heavy worry to cold readiness. Adrian was still somewhere out there, and until he was caught, no one was safe.

The underground parking lot was nearly empty when Vincent and Amelia reached it with Victor, who had returned to drive them home. The concrete pillars cast long shadows under the dim evening lights. Their footsteps echoed in the quiet as they approached the black sedan parked near the exit.

Victor opened the back door for them, and both climbed in. Amelia leaned her head against the window, closing her eyes as the exhaustion of the day seeped into her bones. Vincent settled beside her, glancing at her with concern but choosing silence for now.

Victor shut the rear door and walked around to the driver’s seat.

He never made it.

A figure stepped out from behind the pillar.

Adrian.

His hair was wild, his shirt wrinkled, his tie hanging loose around his neck. His eyes were frantic, a mix of rage, fear, and desperation tangled together. In his trembling hand was a gun - small, black, cold.

“Don’t move,” Adrian hissed, voice cracking.

Victor froze, hands lifting slightly. “Put the weapon down, Adrian. You don’t want to…”

“Shut up!” Adrian barked.

He stepped closer, the gun aimed directly at Victor’s chest. Sweat dripped down his temple. His hands weren’t steady.

“You’re going to get out of the way,” he ordered. “Now. Move.”

Vincent leaned forward from the backseat. “Adrian, stop this. It’s over. Don’t make it worse.”

“Worse?” Adrian spat bitterly. His hands shook harder. “You ruined my life. All of you ruined everything. This was supposed to be mine. It was all supposed to be mine.”

Victor tried to take a step, hoping to disarm him, but Adrian flinched violently and pressed the gun closer.

“I said move!” he shouted.

Victor lunged in one swift movement.

A gunshot exploded through the parking lot.

Amelia screamed.

Victor staggered backward, clutching his chest as blood began to pool under his fingers. He collapsed onto the concrete, his breathing ragged, his eyes wide with shock.

For a moment, Adrian froze too, his face contorting as he realized what he had done. Then, panic surged through him. He kicked Victor aside, pulled open the driver’s door with shaking hands, and climbed into the seat.

“Don’t you dare scream,” he spat at Amelia when she opened her mouth.

He slammed the doors shut, started the engine, and sped out of the parking lot with Vincent and Amelia trapped inside.

Matteo was coming down the stairs when he heard the gunshot. His heart stopped. Felix and the security team sprinted ahead, following the sound. They reached the underground parking lot in seconds.

Victor lay on the ground, blood spreading slowly beneath him.

Matteo fell to his knees beside him. “Victor! Victor, stay with me!”

Victor coughed, his breath thin. He reached for Matteo’s hand. “He… took them,” Victor whispered hoarsely. “Adrian… took Vincent… and Amelia…”

Matteo’s world tilted.

“No,” he breathed. “No…Victor…stay with me. Tell me which direction….”

But Victor’s eyes were already glazing over. His chest rose once more, then fell softly.

He did not rise again.

Felix closed his eyes in grief. Matteo clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened, rage and fear crashing over him so hard he could barely see straight.