Chapter 125 Drugged
By the time he reached the restroom hallway, his heart was already beating harder than it should have.
“Alex?” he called lightly as he pushed the door open.
No response.
The restroom was quieter than the party outside, just the faint hum of the lights and the sound of running water somewhere.
Lucas stepped in further, scanning the space. It was empty.
His chest tightened.
“Alex?” he called again, louder this time. Still nothing.
Now the worry wasn’t subtle anymore. It hit fully. Lucas pulled out his phone quickly, dialing Alex’s number.
And that’s when something felt off. Not just that Alex wasn’t there.
But something wasn't right.
Alex’s phone kept buzzing, and buzzing but he wasn’t picking up.
Lucas tried calling again. Still nothing.
A cold knot twisted in his chest as his thoughts began to spiral. That’s not like him. His heart started pounding harder with each passing second.
He shoved the restroom door open and rushed out, scanning the crowd, searching every face, every corner, any sign of Alex.
“Alex… where are you?” He muttered under his breath, moving faster, almost breaking into a run.
In his haste, he collided with someone.
“Hey, man easy,” the guy said, grabbing Lucas’s arm to steady him. Lucas barely registered the impact. “Sorry, I’m looking for someone.” He apologized and took a step forward.
But the guy stopped him. I saw you earlier. You were beside Alex, right?” The guy’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk.
Relief flickered across Lucas’s face. “Then you know him. Have you seen him around like minutes ago? He’s my friend and…”
The guy let out a low chuckle, cutting him off. “Your friend?”
Something about the way he said it made Lucas’s stomach tighten.
“I hope you’re not fucking him,” the guy continued casually, almost amused. “Because if you are, don’t get too comfortable. He’ll dump you soon enough.”
Lucas froze.
For a split second, the noise of the room dulled, like everything had been pulled underwater. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Then it spiked but Lucas tried to breathe.
Then slowly lifted his gaze, eyes locking onto the guy with a sharp, unflinching glare. “If I'm fucking him or not is none of your business.”
Lucas said, his voice tight but steady, “And whether he dumped me or not is also none of your business.”
The guy only shrugged, still smirking, clearly enjoying the reaction.
But Lucas didn’t stay. He yanked his hand free and pushed past him, urgency taking over again. Whatever that guy meant, whatever he knew about Alex, Lucas didn’t have time to unpack it.
His concern for the moment was that something was wrong. He could feel it down his spine. And he needed to find Alex as quickly as possible.
But to his surprise, the guy followed him. “Hey, Lucas,” he called out, voice laced with mock casualness. “I saw him talking to an escort. Maybe he just wanted a quickie.”
Lucas stopped mid-step. Not because of what the guy said, no, not that but because he said his name.
Slowly, Lucas turned around, his eyes narrowing as suspicion crept in. His pulse was already racing from worry, but now something colder slid in beneath it.
“How do you know my name?” he asked, his voice low, controlled but edged with tension.
The guy smiled, unbothered. Too unbothered. “I know a lot of things about you,” he replied, tilting his head slightly as if studying Lucas. “More than you think.”
Lucas’s stomach tightened. The noise of the party seemed distant now, muffled behind the rising alarm in his chest. His fingers curled slightly at his sides as he took a cautious step back, eyes never leaving the stranger.
“Who are you?” Lucas demanded.
The guy didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took a slow step closer, his expression shifting, less playful now, more deliberate.
“Let’s just say,” he began, his voice dropping, “You should be more concerned about where Alex is and what he might be doing with the escort than how I know your name.”
That did it. Fear spiked sharply through Lucas. “Where is he?” Lucas snapped, stepping forward this time, urgency overtaking caution. “If you know something, stop playing games and tell me!”
The guy held his gaze for a moment longer, then smirked again.
“Relax,” he said lightly. “I just told you. He didn’t look like someone who wanted to be found.”
Lucas’s jaw tightened. Every instinct in him screamed that something wasn’t right about Alex, about this guy, about everything. And yet, he had no choice. He had to keep digging. Even if it meant dealing with whoever this was.
Lucas shot him one last glare. “Since you don’t want to help me, stay the heck out of my way.”
He didn’t wait for a response from him, he turned and pushed through the crowd, urgency driving his every step. Behind him, the guy burst into laughter, the sound ringing to him like a bad omen.
However, Lucas ignored it. All that mattered was finding Alex.
His eyes scanned the room again, yet nothing. No sign of him. His chest tightened further.
Where are you, Alex? He muttered, his heart pounding. He kept pushing. Then, finally, he saw a familiar face, Jason.
“Jason!” He nearly screamed it.
Jason turned, surprised. “Hey, I thought you guys already left without saying your goodbyes.”
Lucas reached him, slightly out of breath, anxiety clear all over his face. “No, I…I can’t find Alex. His phone’s been ringing, but he’s not picking up. Since he went to the restroom a while ago, he has not come back.”
Jason’s expression shifted immediately, concern replacing the casual ease. “Wait, what?”
“I’ve checked around, he’s nowhere,” Lucas continued quickly. “And someone just…” he stopped himself, shaking his head. “Never mind that. Jason, is there any way we can check the security footage? Please.”
Jason frowned, thinking. “Yeah… yeah, there should be cameras. This is a high-profile event, after all.” He gestured. “Come with me.”
Without hesitation, Lucas followed. They weaved through a restricted hallway, the music fading behind them, replaced by a quieter, more sterile atmosphere. Lucas’s heartbeat felt louder now in the silence.
Jason pushed open a door, speaking to the security personnel inside. “We need access to the cameras. My brother is missing.”
Lucas stepped forward, barely able to contain himself. “Please… we just need to see where he went.”
As the screens flickered to life, Lucas’s eyes locked onto them, his breath shallow. Whatever they were about to see, He wasn’t sure he was ready for it.
The security man leaned forward, focused. “When exactly did you last see him, and where?”
Lucas swallowed, trying to steady his voice despite the panic clawing at his chest. “He left our seat and said he was going to the restroom. That was more than twenty minutes ago. He hasn’t come back since.”
The guard nodded and began scrolling through the footage, fingers moving quickly over the controls.
“Let’s pull up the restroom corridor,” he muttered.
The screen shifted. There he was. Lucas and Jason instinctively stepped closer. They watched as Alex appeared on screen, moving toward the restroom.