Chapter 47 Chapter 0047

Chapter 47 Chapter 0047
•ANTONIO•

“Where are they, Andrea? Are you sure that I will be able to find her and bring her home?”

He nodded, but there was tension in his face that told me he understood the risk he had taken by coming to see me.

“Yes, but only if you get there on time. Tom has people watching me. I am almost certain they have already told him that I came here because I was supposed to be moved to another place after collecting my things from my house. You need to hurry before he changes locations again.”

“Are you sure they have been following you?”

“Tom is not careless,” Andrea replied. “He would never release me and assume I would stay quiet without keeping an eye on me. I made a deal with him that I would keep silent about where they were if I ever wanted to see my daughter again.”

“Thank you, Andrea. I was starting to believe I would never find her. I will arrange my trip to Brazil immediately.”

I turned toward my office, already thinking of the calls I needed to make and the men I would take with me, but Andrea stopped me before I could walk away.

“When she comes back, I want to offer you the thirty-seven point five million dollars you need to free her from that contract,” he said. “If she still chooses to be married to you, I want it to be because she loves you, not because she feels trapped by debt.”

I frowned at him, surprised by the offer and by the sincerity in his voice. “Are you certain about that?” I asked, even though my heart tightened at the thought that if he had that money, Bella might consider taking it.

“I failed her,” he muttered. “She was taken because of my mistakes. I should never have used her to settle my debts. If you want, I will also repay you the original amount I owed you.”

For a moment I looked at him, weighing his words, then I walked down the hallway to my office without answering.

“Stay here and find them, August,” I told him later as I packed my bag for Brazil. “I know you can bring us justice against the Conti brothers. When I return with Bella, we will continue the search together if you have not finished it.”

He crossed his arms and looked at me with frustration. “Are you sure about this? We have never gone on a mission without each other. If you need help there, I will be on the next flight.”

“I know you would,” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “That is exactly why I need you here. You are the only person I trust to handle everything while I am gone. There is too much at stake, including the club and our operations.”

August lowered his head, then lifted it again with a serious expression. “Fine. But don't speak as if you aren't coming back. You will return, Antonio. If you do not, I will drag you back myself.”

I laughed, and he did too. It had been a long time since either of us had found anything funny. Losing Bella had taken the light out of our lives.

As much as I trusted my men to help me rescue her, I was prepared to die if it meant saving her life. That thought didn't scare me, but living without her did.

“Make sure Andrea is protected,” I added. “Tom and his father might already suspect him. I can't risk him being killed because he helped us.”

August nodded firmly. “I will keep him safe. I will also contact our friend in the South in case you need support there.”

“Thank you,” I said, pulling him into a brief hug before stepping back.

“You need to leave now,” he reminded me.

I grabbed my bag and followed him outside.

When we arrived at the address Andrea had given us in Brazil, we found no one.

The house was empty, with no sign that anyone had been there recently.

Anger rose quickly. I pulled my phone from my pocket and called August before I could stop myself from breaking something.

“August, there is no one here. Where is Andrea?” I demanded.

“He is with me,” August answered immediately. “What happened? Did they move already?”

“I think they left a long time ago,” I said, forcing myself to stay calm. “Put Andrea on the phone.”

There was a pause, then Andrea’s voice came through, tight with worry. “Antonio, I am sorry. I think Tom suspected that I would tell you. Bella and I agreed she would pretend to accept his advances so that we could buy time. I don't know what changed. They were there.”

His words made my stomach twist. “You are saying she agreed to pretend?” I asked slowly, even though I understood what he meant.

“It was the only way to keep him calm,” Andrea replied.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and images I didn't want filled my mind. The thought of Tom touching her, even if it was part of a plan, made my blood boil.

“And you agreed to this plan?” I asked. “You agreed that she would let him believe she wanted him?”

“It was our only option,” he answered, his voice breaking.

I ended the call before I said something I would regret. The anger wasn't truly for him.

It was for the situation, for Tom, and for me because I hadn’t reached her in time.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and turned to one of the men standing nearby. “Call Bruise. He might have contacts here who can help us.”

“Yes, sir,” the man replied as he hurried away.

After coordinating with August and Bruise, we began searching every nearby town.

We spoke to people in bars, at docks, in small markets, and anywhere rumors might travel.

I refused to rest properly, and I barely slept because every second felt wasted if it wasn't spent looking for her.

Days passed, and the search began to wear on my men, but I wouldn't allow anyone to suggest giving up. I was too determined, too focused on bringing my wife home.

Then, after a week of constant searching, we received a new lead.

A woman matching Bella’s description had been seen in a coastal town not far from where we started.

When I saw her from a distance, walking beside Tom, my heart stopped for a moment.

Her hair was shorter and dyed blonde, clearly an attempt to change her appearance, but I would recognize her anywhere.

The way she carried herself, the slight tilt of her head, the familiar shape of her shoulders, all of it told me the truth.

It was her.

Relief and rage mixed inside me as I watched them. I didn’t know what she had endured during the time I was away, but I knew one thing with certainty.

Tom would never take her from me again.