Chapter 83: Desperately Looking For Her

The last thing William expected to see when he was on the way to the office was an email from Luca. It was a forwarded email titled ‘Resignation Letter- Effective Immediately’. At first, William thought Luca was possessed and had quit out of stress.

But when he opened the email, he realized it was originally from Sarah.

The message lacked any personal touch. It was like she had put zero effort into writing it out. He was pretty sure she had copied it from the internet and not even proofread it. At least, she wrote her name and the day of her resignation correctly.

William didn’t think twice before picking up his phone and dialing her number. When Sarah didn’t respond after trying multiple times, he sighed and turned the car around. He headed to her apartment.

‘This is childish,’ he thought, not understanding that he had played a huge role in her acting this way. It was not only the fact that he had admitted to manipulating her. It was also the fact that Sarah heard George call her an illegitimate child who shouldn’t take over Stone and Brothers.

She never mentioned it, but that was what triggered her the most. She had always known William was cunning, but it was salt in her wounds this time around.

William parked in front of her apartment and went up the front steps. He knocked on her door and rang the bell multiple times. He pinched the bridge of his nose when it had been ten minutes but Sarah didn’t open the door. He looked under the heavy flower pot where she kept her spare key. To his shock, he found that it was missing.

“You planned this, too?” he asked. He had a nagging feeling that she was inside the apartment and listening to him struggle outside. Knowing how he lacked boundaries when he was upset, Sarah promptly locked all the doors and windows and removed the key from the hiding spot.

She was busy packing her meager belongings and booking flights so that she could start in some other city, but William was making it difficult. If she shouted back and told him to leave, he would just feel the need to break the door down. When she was in a relationship with William, she didn’t mind his pushiness and blazing anger, but after breaking up, she found it bothersome.

She stared at her fully packed suitcase as she leaned on the front door. She felt the door move when he banged on it. Finally, she heard a neighbor walk over and question William about what he was doing.

“Hey, mister!” the man called. “The person inside doesn’t want to meet you, why don’t you leave?”

William didn’t respond to the man. The man took another step forward and placed his palm on William’s shoulder. William swiveled around. “Take your hand off me,” he growled.

The man raised his hand over his head and backed away. “You are out of line, dude. The person inside might not report you to the police but I don’t mind calling them in for disturbance.”

William raised his brow. He looked at the door and finally recalled the scene when he was in the police station and Sarah had to get him out.

He sighed. “I’ll leave for now,” he said for Sarah and the neighbor. “Sarah, I will be back later. Please pick up my calls,” he begged. He knew she wouldn’t respond, but he still hoped. Finally, he trotted over to his car and left.

In his rearview mirror, he saw the neighbor still standing around, making sure he was gone. William felt relieved that Sarah had a nosy neighbor who wasn’t afraid to speak up for her even when she didn’t.

Even if it hindered him this time.

When William was out of sight, Sarah opened the front door and walked out. The neighbor looked at her with sympathy.

“He left,” the neighbor said after a moment.

“I know,” Sarah said calmly.

“You should make up with him,” the neighbor started but then shook his head. “Only if you feel safe with him.”

Sarah nodded. She did, but she wasn’t sure her heart would be safe if she remained with him for longer.

- - - - -

Two Years Later.

“Any news on Sarah?” William asked as he flipped through the script in front of him.

Luca saw the lack of interest in William’s face and responded slowly. “I haven’t found her as of yet. I am still looking into Vera and Marcus Mendez being involved in her disappearance but I have not found a clue in that direction, either.”

William’s finger on the paper paused for a second before he spoke. “Even if they are involved, Sarah left on her own will.”

The woman was heartless, leaving him over an argument they could have overcome easily. If she had loved him, that is. Over the last few years, he had started questioning why she had been with him that long if she didn’t like him enough to fight with him… for him. And he had come up blank.

And that was exactly why he was looking for her. To find out the answer to his questions.

“But it is still strange that she seems to be wiped from existence,” Luca said under his breath.

“The interview starts in five minutes. Chairman Colton, please come with me,” the assistant producer called.

William looked up and offered a curt nod before standing up. “Don’t stop looking,” he said before leaving Luca behind.

Luca sighed and shook his head. Her phone number had stopped working within two days of her resignation. She was not on social media and even Amanda had no idea where Sarah had gone to. All the bus stations and airports were checked and in the last two years, her name had not come up on any lists.

If she was only using cars to travel, it was understandable. But none of her cards and bank accounts had been used either. How she was surviving was a mystery to Luca. She would have left a trail, but so far, Luca had found nothing.

On some bad nights, Luca was scared that she had been in some danger or something awful had happened to her. But he pushed those thoughts away. He also resentfully wondered why she hadn’t contacted him in the least. If she asked, Luca would not tell William about her location.

But she didn’t do that either.

The bright spotlights fell on William’s hard face. Any trace of the young man who was in love was gone. What remained was a hardened businessman who had nothing in his life apart from work.

“Chairman Colton, welcome to the show…” the host started.

“Thank you for having me on,” William responded gruffly.

As William answered every question the host asked about the government project he had successfully completed, he wondered if Sarah was seeing the show live. She had played a huge role in the success but she had left before seeing it come to fruition.

If not for his anger and resentment towards her, William sincerely wanted to thank her for her professional help. Or so he kept telling himself.

He desperately wanted to see her at least once more.