Chapter 276

276
Lawrence felt a tightness in his lower abdomen, trying to control his desire as he kissed her lips. It was only in moments like these that he let his true feelings show.

"Emily, you started this. Don't think I'm letting you go again."

Their kiss deepened, but a phone call interrupted them, snapping Lawrence back to reality.

Just as he was about to get up, Emily clung to him, her brows furrowed like she was scared he'd leave.

He pressed his forehead against hers, breathing heavily, and kissed her forehead to calm her down. "Not now. You and the baby are more important."

Whether it was his words or something else, Emily finally let go.

Lawrence got up, silenced his phone, tucked her in, and stepped out to take the call.

"What is it?"

It was Raymond, calling to invite him for a drink. Lawrence wasn't in a rush.

Sure enough, Raymond's teasing voice came through. "Lawrence, it's your birthday party, and the dance is almost over. Where are you?"

"Don't tell me you invited us all on this yacht just to sneak off and have some alone time."

"No, I'm still on the yacht. Got held up. Where are you? I'll come join you for a drink."

With Emily asleep, he figured he could check in.

He couldn't just invite people to his birthday party and not show up.

"I'm not calling to drink. I need to ask you something."

Raymond got straight to the point. "What's going on with you and that Elise? You invited her to your birthday party, and she's dressed so provocatively. Are you serious about her?"

"Listen, you better think this through. You and Emily aren't divorced yet. Bringing another woman out like this, what about Emily?"

Raymond clearly sided with Emily. Elise wasn't Lawrence's type, and he couldn't understand why Lawrence was keeping such a troublesome woman around.

But Lawrence immediately sensed something was off.

"You saw Elise?"

Given the drug he gave her, she shouldn't be awake. How did Raymond see her?

Could she have woken up?

Realizing this, Lawrence's expression darkened.

Raymond, unaware of the situation, responded, "What kind of question is that? If I hadn't seen her, would I be calling you about this?"

"Elise was flirting with some guy in front of everyone. If you don't handle this, you'll be a laughingstock by tomorrow."

"Got to go. Something came up. Can't join you."

Before Raymond could finish, Lawrence hung up.

He quickly called Harold. "Go to the second-floor guest room now. Check if Elise is still there. Hurry!"

"Yes, Mr. Parker."

Harold didn't hesitate and rushed over.

Two minutes later, Lawrence's phone rang again. Harold's voice was urgent. "Mr. Parker, she's gone."

Lawrence gripped his phone, his face darkening further.

He arranged for guards to protect Emily and quickly headed to the room where Elise had been held.

Everything inside was in order, except the bed, which showed signs of struggle.

It was clear Elise had woken up on her own.

Lawrence said nothing, but his presence was suffocating.

Harold's face was grim. He was responsible for the party arrangements, and this mistake was on him.

But his anger wasn't about fear of punishment. Elise's background was significant.

Lawrence kept her around to uncover secrets about the Sanchez family.

Now, Elise had vanished under their noses.

Their hard-earned lead was gone.

Harold, furious, stormed out and slapped a guard. "You were supposed to watch her. Where is she?"

The six-foot guard staggered back from the force.

Knowing he was at fault, the guard didn't dare look up. "Mr. Parker, it's our fault. We shouldn't have been careless and lost her..."

"Please, Mr. Parker, forgive us this once."

"Forgive?"

Harold's eyes were bloodshot. "You lost her and expect forgiveness? Do you think Mr. Parker is running a charity, paying you for nothing?"

"The Parker Group doesn't keep useless people. If you don't find Elise, you're out."

This wasn't just Harold's stance; it was Lawrence's too.

Hearing this, the guard ran out in a panic.

The Parker Group offered the highest salaries. Losing this job meant no one else would hire them.

Harold turned back to Lawrence. "Mr. Parker, Elise escaped due to our negligence. Our people are searching the yacht."

"Found her?"

Lawrence wanted results.

Harold's face changed. He didn't dare say more.

Since Lawrence hung up, he'd sent people to search, but there were no leads.

A glass shattered at Lawrence's feet. His voice was icy. "Keep looking. Dead or alive, I want her found. If you don't, don't bother coming back. Understood?"

Harold swallowed hard. "Understood."

In his years with Lawrence, Harold had never seen him this angry.

Elise had vanished without a trace. She must have left the yacht.

They needed to search the yacht and alert people onshore to track her.

If they failed, even Harold's job was at risk.

As Harold mobilized resources to find Elise, Lawrence returned to the top deck to stay with Emily.

With Elise gone, his main concern was Emily.

It was clear the Sanchez family backed Elise. Whatever she did wouldn't be surprising.

And according to the guards, Elise left the room while he and Emily were dancing on the rooftop.

Elise's feelings for him were blatant. If she saw him with Emily...

Given Elise's vengeful nature, she might target Emily and her unborn child.