Chapter 299
Chapter 299
Lucy's POV
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the skylights of the upscale Manhattan shopping center, casting dappled shadows across the marble floors. I lingered at the Montblanc counter, my fingers tracing the glass display case of fountain pens. Selecting a birthday gift for my newly discovered father, Victor Laurent, was both exciting and nerve-wracking.
What do you buy for a billionaire father you didn't know existed until recently? God, the pressure is insane.
I paused over a platinum-trimmed limited edition pen. Victor seemed like he would appreciate this. As I bent to examine the intricate engravings, an urgent voice called from behind me.
"Lucy! Thank God I found you!"
I turned to see Natalie Smith rushing toward me, her face flushed, breathing heavily.
"Natalie?" I instinctively stepped back. What was she up to now?
She grabbed my arm tightly. "I need your help. It's about Alpine Group."
I yanked my arm free. "Why come to me about Alpine? That's Ethan's company."
"Because I don't know who else to trust," she whispered frantically, her eyes darting around. "There's a mole selling company secrets to competitors. I just overheard them on the phone—they're meeting right now in the service corridor near the parking garage."
This is weird. Why is she telling me this?
My first instinct was to walk away, but then I remembered Alpine Group's last data breach issue—how Ethan had stayed at the office for nights on end, trying to identify the source. The memory of his bloodshot eyes still pained me.
"Why don't you just call Ethan?" I asked.
"I tried!" She desperately pulled out her phone, showing me the call log. "He's not answering! The exchange is happening now—by the time I reach someone else, it'll be too late!"
I stood there, hesitating. If she's telling the truth and I do nothing, Ethan could face another massive loss...
"Fine," I finally decided to take the risk. "Lead the way."
Natalie guided me through secluded corridors of the shopping center, through employee passages, and finally down to the underground parking garage. With each step away from the crowds, my uneasiness grew.
It's too quiet here. Too empty.
"Just around that corner," she pointed toward an area with almost no lighting, her voice dropping to barely a whisper.
After turning the corner, I found myself facing an empty section of the parking garage. No people, no cars, just concrete pillars and a few flickering lights.
"There's nobody here," I stopped, instinctively backing away. "Natalie, what's going on?"
In that moment, I realized I'd made a fatal mistake. From my peripheral vision, I saw a figure rapidly approaching. Before I could turn, a cloth with a sickly-sweet smell was pressed over my mouth and nose.
Chloroform! Shit!
I struggled desperately, but my limbs felt increasingly heavy, as if filled with lead. Before consciousness completely slipped away, I heard a familiar voice.
"Long time no see, dear Lucy."
---
Ethan's POV
I stared intently at the security footage on my office monitor. The grainy video clearly showed Natalie Smith sneaking into the company at 3 AM, accessing Alpine Group's most confidential files—our trading algorithms and client lists.
That bitch. She's been behind the data breaches all along.
"She's been the mole this whole time," James stood beside me, his voice tense. "IT confirmed the data leaks originated from her terminal."
"Where is she now?" I demanded.
"Entered the building twenty minutes ago. Security is tracking her."
I rose to my feet, about to give orders when the office door was suddenly thrown open. Natalie stood in the doorway, freezing momentarily when she saw me. She quickly recovered, forcing a stiff smile. "E-Ethan, I didn't expect you to be here so late..."
"Evidently," I cut her off coldly, "or you wouldn't have chosen now to destroy evidence."
The color drained from her face. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Cut the act, Natalie." I nodded to James, who immediately projected the security footage onto the large wall screen. "We have everything. Unauthorized access, data transfers, your offshore accounts where you received payment. All of it."
She opened her mouth to defend herself when the office door was kicked open again. Cole Grayson charged in like an enraged bull, immediately kicking Natalie's knee without warning. She screamed in pain as she collapsed to the floor.
"Where's Lucy?" Cole roared, grabbing her hair and forcing her face up. "Where did you take her?"
Lucy? My heart instantly plummeted, a cold fear spreading through my body. "What do you mean? What happened to Lucy?"
"Lucy's missing. My people lost track of her at Westfield shopping center an hour ago. The last person seen with her," he jabbed a finger at Natalie, "was this bitch."
I felt the world collapse around me. Lucy's missing? No, no, no, that's impossible. Panic surged through me like an electric current, making it almost impossible to breathe.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Natalie wailed, tears and snot mixing together as she tried to crawl backward, but Cole's boot pinned her skirt to the floor.
Cole pulled out his phone and played a security video clip. The footage clearly showed Natalie leading Lucy through a secluded area of the shopping center.
"Want to try again?" he sneered.
I lunged forward, grabbing Natalie by the collar and hoisting her up, snarling, "WHERE IS MY WIFE?"
Natalie made choking sounds under my grip, her face turning red from lack of oxygen, her eyes wide with terror. Her fingers clawed uselessly at my wrists, leaving several bloody scratches, but I couldn't feel any pain.
"Please... can't... breathe..." she managed to gasp out, tears streaming down her face.
I loosened my fingers slightly but still held her suspended. "I'll ask one more time. Where is Lucy?"
Cole played the video again—this time clearly showing Natalie leading Lucy down to the service corridor of the parking garage, where there were no other security cameras.
"Last chance," I tightened my grip again, her lips starting to turn blue. "What did you do to Lucy?"
Natalie struggled for air, her eyeballs nearly bulging, legs kicking helplessly in the air. I realized I might actually strangle her to death, and in that moment, I barely cared.
"Ethan, let go, she's about to pass out," James urged.
I relaxed my fingers slightly, and Natalie immediately began coughing, gasping for air, tears and saliva dripping from her chin.
"OKAY! I lured her to the parking garage!" she screamed hoarsely, "But I wasn't the one who took her! I just followed instructions to get her there! Please don't kill me!"
"Whose instructions?" I demanded, my temples throbbing, vision nearly blacking out. Lucy, my Lucy, where is she?
Real fear flashed in Natalie's eyes. "Ivy Wilson."
The room fell into dead silence.
"That's impossible," I stared at her in disbelief, "Isn't Ivy Wilson dead?"
"No, she's not," Cole said grimly, shooting me a dark look. "I've suspected she was alive, but this confirms it."
Ivy's alive? How is that possible? A chill ran down my spine. FUCK! Lucy's in danger—I have to find her.
I released Natalie, who collapsed to the floor like a rag doll, sobbing uncontrollably. My hands were shaking, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my chest.
"Where did they take Lucy?" I asked, my voice so low it was barely audible.
"I don't know," Natalie whimpered, curled up on the floor. "Ivy never told me her plans. She only asked me to get Lucy to the garage. Please believe me, I really don't know!"
Fear and rage completely overwhelmed my reason. I smashed my fist into a crystal decanter on the desk, sending glass shards and whiskey flying everywhere. My hand immediately began bleeding profusely, but I couldn't even feel the pain.
"FIND HER!" I shouted at James, my voice breaking with fear. "Mobilize all security teams, check every place connected to the Wilsons, contact the police, use EVERY resource we have!"
James sprang into action while Cole suddenly grabbed my arm, his expression shifting from fury to cold focus.
"I know where Ivy would take her," he said quietly.