Chapter 275: Chapter 275
Chapter 275
Maria stepped through the massive glass doors of Castellan Enterprises, pulling her coat tight around her shoulders. The polished marble floor reflected the high ceilings, but the usual lively energy of the corporate headquarters felt completely stripped away. The moment her heels clicked against the lobby tile, heads began turning. Employees standing near the elevators lowered their voices, nudging each other as they stared at her.
Maria kept her head up, trying to ignore the awkward whispers floating through the air. Everyone in the building knew about Ethan’s sudden disappearance, the police investigations, and the mounting pressure on the family, but being on the receiving end of their pity and curiosity made her stomach twist into knots
.
She walked straight to the main reception desk, where a young woman with heavy makeup and a high ponytail was furiously typing on her computer. When the receptionist looked up and recognized Maria, her hands froze over the keyboard, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Mrs. Castellan," the girl said, quickly pushing her chair back and standing up. "Good morning. Can I help you with something?"
Maria forced a soft, polite smile onto her face, resting her hands on the counter. "Good morning. I’m actually looking for Celine. Do you know if she’s up in her office today, or if anyone has seen her around the building recently?"
The receptionist blinked, looking slightly confused before her expression shifted into a knowing look. "Oh, Celine? No, Mrs. Castellan, she hasn't been here in months. She completely stopped coming into the office ages ago."
Maria frowned, her eyebrows drawing together. "Months? Are you sure? She was working directly under Ethan's supervision."
"Positive," the receptionist said, leaning in closer over the counter as her chatty nature took over. "Honestly, the whole floor was talking about it back when it happened. She just dropped off the radar out of nowhere. The rumor around the office was that she and Mr. Ethan were dating, so nobody was really surprised when she stopped showing up for normal work hours. People were saying he set her up somewhere else, or that she just didn't need the job anymore once they got close. But yeah, her desk has been totally empty for a long time now."
Maria stood quietly for a second, digesting the information. She had assumed Celine was still an active employee, someone who might have a trace or a lead on where Ethan went when he ran out of the hospital. Hearing that the girl had vanished from the company months ago made her realize just how much of her son's life had been completely hidden from her.
"I see," Maria said, her voice dropping an octave as she took a step back from the desk. "Thank you for telling me."
"Of course," the receptionist replied, watching Maria with wide, inquisitive eyes, clearly hoping Maria might drop a piece of news about Ethan in return. "If she happens to call the front desk, should I tell her you were asking?"
"No, that won't be necessary," Maria said. She turned around and walked out of the lobby, keeping her gaze fixed on the front exit while the stares of the staff followed her all the way to the glass doors.
Once outside, the cool afternoon air hit her face, but it did nothing to ease the growing knot of worry in her chest. She got into her car, rested her hands on the steering wheel, and stared blankly at the traffic passing by. She couldn't just go back home and sit in an empty living room, waiting for a phone call that might never come. She needed to look everywhere Ethan had ever spent his time.
Twenty minutes later, Maria pulled into the underground parking garage of Ethan’s private penthouse complex. The quiet garage echoed with the low hum of her car engine as she parked in her designated spot. Right across from her vehicle sat Ethan’s black Lamborghini. The front bumper was completely smashed in, the body frame cracked, and the driver's side headlight shattered into hundreds of tiny plastic pieces from his recent crash. A thick layer of grey dust had already settled over the hood, making the expensive sports car look abandoned and forgotten.
Maria stared at the wrecked car through her windshield for a long moment, the sight of the damage pulling a sharp, painful breath out of her throat. It was a physical reminder of how out of control everything had gotten.
She grabbed her purse, got out of the car, and headed straight for the private elevator, pressing the button for the top floor. The ride up was quick and silent. When the elevator doors slid open directly into Ethan's penthouse foyer, she was met with absolute silence.
"Ethan?" Maria called out, her voice bouncing off the high concrete walls.
No answer came. She stepped inside, her shoes leaving faint tracks on the dusty hardwood floor. The living room was completely frozen in time. The thick curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the daylight and casting long, dull shadows across the modern leather sofas. She walked over to the kitchen island, where a clean glass sit on the counter next to an unopened bottle of water. She ran her finger across the marble surface, coming away with a coat of grey dust. Nobody had been inside this apartment for weeks.
She walked down the long hallway toward his master bedroom, pushing the heavy wooden door open. The bed was unmade, the sheets tossed to one side just as he had left them the last time he slept here. His closet door stood half-open, showing rows of tailored suits and jackets hanging in perfect order. She walked inside the closet, reaching out to touch the sleeve of one of his coats, bringing it up to her face just to see if she could catch a trace of his cologne. There was nothing—just the faint, stale scent of an unused room.
Maria walked back out into the living room and stood by the large floor-to-ceiling windows. She grabbed the edge of the heavy curtain and pulled it back, looking out over the city skyline below. Everything out there was moving normally. Cars were driving down the avenue, people were walking into shops, and the city kept going while her entire world was falling apart piece by piece.
She thought about what the receptionist at the office had said. Celine hadn't been seen in months. Ethan was missing, likely injured and running on pure adrenaline. Richard was busy trying to protect the family name and corporate assets, showing more concern for stock prices than his own son’s safety. She was completely alone in this search, floating through empty rooms looking for clues that simply didn't exist.
A tear slipped down Maria's cheek, and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand, angry at herself for showing weakness in an empty apartment. Crying wasn't going to bring Ethan back, and it wasn't going to tell her where Celine had gone.
She dropped the curtain back into place, letting the room fall back into shadows. She pulled her phone out of her bag, unlocked the screen, and scrolled down to her contacts until she found the private investigator her family had used years ago for corporate security. Her finger hovered over the call button for a few seconds before she pressed it firmly against her ear, turning her back on the empty penthouse as she headed straight for the elevator.