Chapter 267: Chapter 267

Chapter 267

The glow of the television screen filled the quiet living room as Ariana handed Ethan a dry towel to wrap around his wet hair. On the screen, a local news anchor stood outside the Castellan private facility, holding a microphone while rain tapped against the camera lens.

The banner running along the bottom of the broadcast read in bold red letters that Ethan Castellan had escaped from medical custody, urging the public to report any sightings to local law enforcement immediately. The reporter spoke in a sharp tone, describing Ethan as a mentally unstable individual who posed a direct threat to himself and others. They broadcasted a mugshot from his recent arrest alongside a high-school photo, warning citizens not to approach him if spotted roaming the streets.

Ethan leaned his head back against the cushion, staring at his own face on the screen without moving a muscle. Hearing total strangers label him a lunatic on live television did not even anger him anymore; it just felt surreal. He had lost his standing, his family name was dragged through the dirt, and his inheritance was completely gone after his father pushed the board to strip his executive rights.

A reporter on screen interviewed a passerby near the hospital gates, asking if people were afraid of an unstable billionaire’s son walking around Monterey without supervision. Ethan simply watched the broadcast, letting out a slow, quiet breath that barely registered in the room.

Ariana muted the volume using the remote control, turning her head to look at him with a mixture of concern and pity. She sat down on the far end of the sofa, tucking her legs beneath her as the screen transitioned to the morning financial segment.

Even without the sound, the headlines were loud enough. Prominently displayed across the news banner was a crisp, high-resolution photo of Sam Keystone standing in front of the Keystone Empire headquarters downtown, dressed in a tailored navy suit with a calm, confident smile on his face.

The media was branding Sam as the new face of Monterey's corporate elite. Glowing articles flashed across the screen with headlines praising him as a hidden gem uncovered in the business world, celebrating his sudden acquisition of major commercial assets across the state. The financial analysts on screen discussed how the Keystone Empire had quietly absorbed Castellan supply chains, positioning Sam as the leading young billionaire in the region almost overnight.

Ethan stared at the image of his best friend’s face lit up on the monitor. He pulled the warm blanket tighter around his shoulders, taking a quiet sip from the ceramic mug sitting between his hands.

A small, dry sigh escaped his chest as he looked at Sam’s victorious smile. For years, Ethan had genuinely cheered for Sam’s success, always believing they would build their legacies side by side at the top of the city. He had wanted nothing more than to see his friend win along with him, never imagining that Sam’s rise required his total destruction.

“Look at him,” Ariana said softly, breaking the silence as she gestured toward the screen with her chin. “He’s everywhere now. Every news outlet in California is calling him a visionary.”

Ethan set his tea mug down on the glass table, his eyes fixed on the moving footage of Sam shaking hands with city officials at a press conference. “I really thought we were brothers,” Ethan said, his voice quiet and completely stripped of his old arrogance. “When his family was struggling to secure contracts years ago, I pushed my father’s board to back them. I always wanted Sam to succeed. I thought if I made it to the top, he was coming right there with me.”

“He played everybody, Ethan,” Ariana replied, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees as she watched his reaction carefully. “He didn't just take your family's money and market share. He took Isabelle away to France under the excuse of keeping her safe from your family’s drama, and now she isn't even allowed to send a simple text message back home.”

Ethan turned his head away from the television, looking directly at Ariana with a serious, sharp focus in his eyes. “We need to figure out where in France he is keeping her. Sam has three registered private estates listed under his family's offshore holdings, but only one of them has full security staff assigned to it year-round.”

Ariana reached for her laptop sitting on the side table, opening the lid and pulling up her private email archives from her work at the gallery. “Isabelle sent me an itinerary right before they boarded the private charter flight two weeks ago. She thought they were staying at a coastal rental near Nice, but when I tried checking the booking reference number she gave me, the portal said the reservation was canceled the day after they arrived.”

Ethan leaned closer to the screen, his mind working quickly as he pointed at the screen. “Sam doesn't use commercial rentals when he wants complete control over a situation. Check the records for his mother’s maiden name, Vance. He bought an old cliffside villa near the border five years ago through a shell company.”

Ariana typed rapidly on her keyboard, her fingers flying across the keys as she cross-referenced the names Ethan provided with past gallery shipping invoices sent to France. After a few seconds of silence, a digital receipt popped up on her screen, displaying an address for a private estate located just outside the village of Éze, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

“Here it is,” Ariana said, her eyes widening as she pointed to the screen. “A private residence registered under Vance Holdings. The delivery confirmation for her personal art supplies was signed three days ago by a woman named Madame Laroche.”

Ethan stood up from the sofa, ignoring the sudden pull of pain in his side as his cracked ribs tightened under his bandages. He grabbed his dark rain jacket from the back of the chair, pulling it over his arms despite the damp fabric pressing against his skin.

“Where do you think you’re going in that condition?” Ariana asked, standing up quickly to block his path toward the front hallway. “You can barely walk without holding your side, Ethan! The police are actively searching for you, your face is on every local news station, and you don't even have a passport or money to get out of the state!”

Ethan stopped in front of her, his jaw set as he looked her dead in the eye with absolute determination. “I don't care about the news, and I don't care about my father's money anymore. Every second Isabelle spends locked in that villa with Sam is a second she believes nobody is coming for her. I am going to France, Ariana, with or without a legal passport.”

Ariana stared at him for a long moment, realizing that no amount of logic or warnings was going to stop the man standing in front of her. She let out a long breath, turned on her heel, and walked over to the hallway desk, pulling out a set of car keys and a small leather wallet from her handbag.

“You aren't making it to the coast on foot,” Ariana said, tossing the car keys directly into his hands before reaching for her own thick coat hanging by the front door. “My brother has a private dock down at the marina with a boat registered under his company name. We drive there now before my neighborhood gets crawling with patrol cars.”