Chapter 164: Disappeared

ANNA'S POV

The moment Ryan and the others finally left the hall, it felt like all the air in the room changed.

A few minutes ago the place had been filled with murmurs, whispers, and the heavy weight of people watching a scandal unfold right in front of them. Now, most of the guests were either quietly leaving or standing in small groups, talking in hushed voices as if they were afraid to say anything too loudly.

I stood where I was, my arms folded across my chest, trying my best to keep myself calm.

Trying.

Because the truth was, I was furious.

Not the kind of loud anger that made someone scream or throw things. No. Mine was quieter than that. It burned slowly, sitting deep in my chest, mixing with disappointment and exhaustion.

Today was supposed to be perfect.

I had planned every single detail of this ceremony carefully. Every speech, every arrangement, every guest on that list had a reason to be here. I had imagined how proud my parents would feel watching everything go smoothly.

Instead, everything had collapsed in front of everyone.

And the worst part?

It wasn’t just the event that was ruined.

It was trust.

I swallowed slowly and looked away from the entrance where Ryan had just walked out from. My chest tightened slightly, but I forced myself to push the feeling down.

I was tired.

Tired of always getting hurt by the people I cared about.

I didn’t even know what to believe anymore.

A quiet sigh escaped my lips as I turned my attention back to my family.

Dad was seated now, Dan sitting right beside him, one hand still resting lightly on his back like he was making sure he was okay.

Dad wasn’t breathing heavily anymore, which was a relief, but the shock on his face hadn’t disappeared.

Not even a little.

He looked like someone who had just discovered that the world he believed in for years had been a lie.

And honestly… maybe it had been.

Mom stood a few steps away from them,

Seeing them like this made something tighten painfully in my chest.

They were the only people who had never hurt me.

The only ones who had always been there.

And right now, I silently prayed that it would always stay that way.

Because I honestly didn’t think I could handle it if they ever did.

I let out a slow breath and looked around the hall again.

People were still talking about the video.

About Richard Cole.

About the kidnapping.

About everything even though it happened years ago

But one thing stood out to me more than anything else.

Someone was missing.

My eyes scanned the hall again.

Still nothing.

Isabel.

My brows slowly frowned.

Now that I thought about it… when was the last time I saw her?

I tried to remember.

She was here earlier.

Standing close to Dan.

Looking nervous… quiet… almost like she was trying to stay unnoticed.

But after Melissa started causing that scene outside…

She disappeared.

And since then?

I hadn’t seen her again.

My arms tightened slightly across my chest.

That didn’t sit right with me.

Not at all.

You can’t tell me that Melissa suddenly shows up, creates a massive distraction, and then at the exact same time Isabel disappears… and somehow the projector gets hacked.

No.

That didn’t sound like a coincidence.

That sounded planned.

Calculated.

Too perfect.

My jaw tightened a little as the thought settled deeper in my mind.

The chances of Isabel being behind all of this were very high.

Very high.

But the problem was…

I had no proof.

And without proof, no one, especially Mom was going to believe me.

Mom had always had a soft spot for Isabel.

She believed apologies meant something.

Even after everything Isabel had done in the past.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to steady my thoughts.

No.

I couldn’t accuse her without evidence.

That would only make things worse.

What I needed right now was proof.

Cold.

Clear.

Undeniable proof.

And if Isabel was truly behind all of this… then there was only one place that proof could be.

Her phone.

My eyes slowly opened again.

Because if she had planned this… then she must have communicated with someone.

Messages.

Calls.

Transactions.

Something.

Nobody pulls something like this off without leaving a trail.

Unless they were extremely careful.

But from what I had seen of Isabel over the years, carefulness wasn’t exactly her strongest trait when she thought she had already won.

A quiet thought formed in my mind.

I needed to find her.

And I needed to get access to that phone.

Somehow.

I glanced toward Dan and Dad again.

Dan looked up slightly and our eyes met for a moment.

He gave me a small nod, like he was silently telling me everything would be okay.

I wanted to believe that.

I really did.

But right now, my instincts were telling me something else entirely.

Something bigger was still happening behind the scenes.

And Isabel being missing right now only made it worse.

I slowly uncrossed my arms and took a few steps forward, scanning the hall again.

Guests were leaving.

Staff members were quietly trying to regain control of the situation.

But Isabel?

Still nowhere.

That uneasy feeling in my chest grew stronger.

Where did you go?

My mind kept replaying the timeline again and again.

She must have used that moment.

While everyone was focused outside.

That was when she probably took over the projector

I’ll have to come up with some kind of way to get her phone

One moment alone with her phone.

And if the truth was really there…

Then Isabel was about to be exposed.