Chapter 124

Chapter 124
Matteo's POV

The moment I stepped out of that hall, the air felt different. It felt lighter and cleaner as I finally breathed after ages.

They thought they could just marry Violet to me and then I would not be left with any other option than to accept the child. I don't have any grudges with the unborn baby but I hate lies.

Violet would have told this to me earlier. I wouldn't have married her anyway, but telling the truth could have saved her from embarrassment.

No one said a single word, as I left. The wedding was over before it even began.

I loosened my collar as I stepped outside and went straight to my car. I want Serena. I know she will not forgive me but that doesn't mean I will not even try.

I slid into the backseat of my car, shutting the door myself. The driver didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. My silence was enough to tell him where to go.

As the car moved, my mind replayed Italy. The deal I finalised there.

I can never forget the expression of shock that I witnessed on Mr. Pearson's face when I told them that I secured the deal in my name.
Before going to Italy, I was planning to ask the don to sign a deal in my name, but the attack that I took on myself worked in my favor.

In return for saving his life, he offered to let me ask anything. It was like I got the chance served on a silver plate so I grabbed it. I asked him to sign the deal in my name in place of Pearson. This way, I could secure more power than him, and I wouldn't need his help to become a mafia king, the thing he was using against me, forcing me to marry his daughter.

Now it's over!

The empire was already shifting. Today wasn’t the start of my reign.

It was just the announcement.

Now no one could stop me from becoming the mafia king. I am not going to listen to anyone, not even my father.

I will do as Serena says. I am ready to accept any punishment she gives. Any!

I leaned back against the seat, my jaw clenched as Serena’s face intruded on my thoughts. I don't know why I am once again having this feeling, but Serena is in some danger. It is the same feeling that I got the night I called her from Italy.

I can't control the restlessness. My chest felt… tight.

I exhaled sharply.

I shouldn’t have left her alone.

But I needed to finish this mess once and for all before claiming what was mine. I didn't want to give her unnecessary stress and trauma than I already have.

Still, something gnawed at me, a feeling I couldn’t place. The moment I crossed the threshold, I knew something was wrong.

By the time the car pulled into the driveway, the uneasiness had settled deep in my bones.

The driver opened the door and I stepped out. My gaze immediately lifted toward the entrance.

It was quiet and clean. There was no movement, no man present at the gate.

Where the hell are all of them!

I would take care of them later. I first need to see my Serena. Shrugging my shoulders, I walked ahead, and when I stepped inside, my blood ran cold.

It was quiet and lifeless. The silence in the house felt like the one that spread after the storm.

The silence pressed heavier as I moved further inside. I first checked into the kitchen and it was empty.

Where is the maid?

If she has gone out in the middle of her working hours, then I swear she is gone.

Shrugging off her thoughts, I walked up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Serena's room was already open. I instantly walked inside only to find it dead.

Now my heart started hammering in my chest.

The room was neat, just the way she always kept it. But she wasn't there.

"Serena," I called her out, just in case she was in the bathroom or something, but nothing came back.

I opened her bathroom and she wasn't there either.

Fuck!

Where is she?

I backed out slowly, my mind racing faster than my feet. I checked every room, the guest bedroom, the study, the terrace, every single place but I couldn't find her anywhere.

My fingers tangled in my hair as I pulled them slightly.

I was going out of my mind. Where is she?

My eyes flicked to the camera and I instantly ran to the security room. Thankfully, I got them fixed yesterday.

I stopped for a second when I saw the emergency door beside the security room open.

Has she escaped?

My head shook.

No! Before making any assumption, I should check the footage.

I entered the security room and turned on the CCTV monitors. I scanned quickly and put the video on fast forward. I froze when I saw Serena stepping out of her room.

She looked nervous and confused. She scanned her surroundings before walking down the corridor. My eyebrows drew together in surprise when I saw her going towards Kayden's room.

What? Why?

Without watching anything further and leaving everything as it is, I ran towards Kayden's room. It was already open. I was sure I would find Serena there, but to my surprise, even Kayden's room was empty.

What the hell!

Where is she?

The open doors of the wardrobe caught my attention. With silent steps, I entered it only to find another hidden door there.

How did it come?

I never knew about it.

Without any hesitation, I walked inside, and what I saw made my heart drop in my stomach. My breath caught in my throat and my eyes widened.

One of the walls was plastered with Serena's photographs. The photos were taken without her knowledge.

What the fuck?

The color from my face drained and the ground beneath my feet shifted.

My vision blurred with red.

“What the fuck…” I breathed.

My mind was blank. Completely blank. It cannot accept what my eyes were seeing.

And then I caught sight of the open laptop. I played the video on the screen. It was the raw footage of Serena's testimony.

So it was Kayden all this time?

It was so shocking to me that my legs almost gave out.

I felt so hot that I had to remove my coat and open the buttons of my shirt. I trusted him so much. He was like my baby.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"FUCK!" A loud scream tore through my lungs.

I was feeling like destroying everything. I pulled out all the photographs of Serena from the wall before running back to the security room.

I played the footage from where I left. It felt like a nightmare player right in front of my eyes.

Serena was chased by Kayden. She fought her best but in the end, Kayden took her away from the emergency room, just before I came.

I immediately called Nick, "Track Kayden's car. I want the location in five minutes"

"Bu... But..."

Before he could say anything, I hung up.

You are gone Kayden.