Chapter 111 GUARANTEED.
\~~~LUCIANO.
The door of the Monroe mansion slammed shut behind me, but it might as well have been a gunshot in my head. My heart hammered so hard I could feel it in my throat.
Raina wasn't there. Not with her parents, not safe like I'd stupidly assumed for two whole days.
Where the hell was she? The gravel crunched under my feet as I stormed down the steps, the air hitting my face like a slap. Viktor kept pace, silent but alert, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
I yanked open the car door and slid into the back seat, the leather cool against my heated skin.
“Drive,” I snapped, not caring where. Just away from that house, from those lying cowards who had blamed their own daughter to save their heads . Viktor nodded, slipping into the driver's seat. The engine roared to life, and we drove out, the tires screeching on the driveway.
My hands shook as I gripped my knees. Panic clawed at my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Raina was out there alone after everything she had gone through.
I'd stared at the ring and divorce file for hours that first night, telling myself it was for the best. That the deception, and the lies about who she really was, meant we were done.
But now? Knowing her family had thrown her to the wolves? It changed everything.
“Viktor,” I said, my voice rough. “Did Gabriel say anything? About that day she left?”
He glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his face steady.
Then he shook his head. “No, boss. Nothing new. He just dropped her off at the gate like you ordered.”
I cursed under my breath, pulling out my phone. My thumb hovered over Gabriel's number.
He was the one who'd driven her away from our house. If anyone saw something, it was him. I hit call, pressing the phone to my ear. It rang twice before he picked up.
“Boss?” Gabriel's voice was cautious, like he knew trouble was brewing.
“Gabriel, it's me. That day you drove Raina home, did you see anything? Like where she went after you dropped her off? Anything at all?”
There was a pause, the kind that stretched too long. “No, sir. I left her at the gate, and she got out with her bag, walked up to the intercom. That is it. I didn't stick around.”
“Nothing? No car waiting? No one meeting her?” My grip tightened on the phone, and my knuckles white.
“Sorry, boss. The gate opened, she went in. I headed back right away,” He sounded serious and there was no hint of playfulness in his tone like other days, but it didn't ease the knot in my gut.
“Fine,” I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the seat beside me.
This was useless, she could have gone anywhere from there. Walked off, called a cab, and vanished into the city.
But it’s been two days. What if she was hurt? Hungry? Scared? The images of Raina huddled in some dingy motel flooded my mind with tears streaming down her face, or worse, out on the streets with no one to turn to.
I leaned my head back against the seat, closing my eyes.
God, I shouldn’t have let her go.
The thought came hard and sudden.
I should never have accepted her request for a divorce. Not like that. Not when she was clearly breaking apart right in front of me.
I had thought I was doing the right thing.
I had thought giving her what she wanted would bring her peace.
Instead, I had pushed her into nothing.
My chest tightened painfully.
What kind of man lets his wife walk away when she was drowning?
I leaned back against the seat and breathed out slowly.
I had never felt this kind of fear before.
Not during wars, not when deals went wrong and definitely when blood was spilled.
This fear was different and it had a name.
Raina.
The car hummed along the road, city lights blurring past. I needed to think of who else could know.
Her friends? Colleagues? My mind raced through names, but there was none.
Who else could I call?
Who would she trust enough to run to?
And then, I froze.
Alessia.
I picked up the phone again, dialing her number. It rang three times, each one amplifying my dread.
“Luciano?”Alessia's voice came through.
“Have you heard from Raina? At all? Especially in the last two days?”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
“No,” Alessia replied. “I haven’t.”
My grip tightened around the phone. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“She is not with her parents,” I said.
There was another pause.
“I see,” Alessia said slowly.
“If she calls you…” I started.
“She hasn’t,” she cut in. “And if she does, I will tell you.”
Before I could say anything else, she added, “I’m in a meeting right now. Take care of yourself,” and ended the call.
The line went dead.
I stared at the screen for a moment before locking it.
Even Alessia didn’t know.
I stared at the phone, frustration boiling over. Everyone was useless. Raina was out there, slipping through my fingers, and I was sitting here like an idiot.
Viktor cleared his throat from the front. “Boss, don't worry too much. We will find her.”
I let out a hollow laugh. “You say it like it is guaranteed.”
“We will check the CCTV in the area,” Viktor continued, his voice steady. “Around the Monroe gate, the main roads and track her down. She can't have gone far without someone noticing.”
I nodded slightly, but I wasn’t really listening.
“If anything happened to her,” I said quietly, “I’ll never forgive myself.”
The words felt raw leaving my mouth.
I reached up, fumbling with the top button of my shirt. It felt too tight, like it was choking me. I undid it, then the next, letting the fabric loosen. Air rushed in, but it didn't help. I breathed out slowly, ragged and uneven, staring out the window at the passing buildings.
“Boss,” Viktor said again, softer this time. He glanced back, his usual stoic mask cracking just a bit. “We will find her, okay?”
For the first time since this nightmare started, I heard the gentleness in his voice. Viktor, my right-hand man, the one who'd seen me through deals and dangers without flinching. Now he was trying to hold me together and almost broke me.
Perhaps, I was not the only one feeling the weight of her absence.
I met his eyes in the mirror, forcing a nod. “Yeah. We will.”
But inside, the panic swirled, unrelenting. Raina was out there, and I had to get her back. Before it was too late.