Chapter 126 Unknown shadow
He looked normal, maybe a little tense, but nothing alarming.
“Okay… that’s him going in,” Jason said quietly.
The guard fast-forwarded. Moments later, the footage showed Alex inside the restroom, captured from the sink area. He had just finished up. He turned on the tap, splashed water onto his face. Then gripped the edge of the sink for a second and shook his head as if to shake off some fog.
Lucas frowned. “Wait… pause that.”
The guard froze the frame. “Alex’s posture, it wasn’t right. He looks off,” Lucas said, his voice tightening. “Why is he holding the sink like that?”
Jason leaned in, eyes narrowing. “Almost like he’s dizzy.”
“Play it,” Lucas urged.
The footage resumed. Alex lifted his head slowly, water dripping from his face. For a second, he just stood there, blinking like he was trying to focus. Then he staggered, just slightly, but enough to make Lucas’s heart drop.
“Oh my goodness, he’s not okay,” Lucas whispered.
On screen, Alex turned and started walking out of the restroom, but his steps weren’t steady. There was a faint sway to him, like his balance was off.
Lucas’s pulse hammered. “Track him,” he said urgently. “Please, keep following him.”
Because now, it wasn’t just that Alex was missing.
Something was definitely wrong.
Alex’s steps became unsteady as he walked out of the restroom. Lucas leaned forward, heart hammering so loudly he could almost hear it over the screen’s faint hum.
Jason’s eyes followed him closely. “Damn it, he is not walking normally. Could it be that he was drugged?” In my event? Whoever did that will be punished severely.” Jason grunted angrily.
“What,” Lucas said sharply. “That could be it. Look at his hands, he’s leaning to the wall like he’s weak. Something’s wrong.”
The security guard zoomed the footage. Alex’s face came into clearer view. He was pale, eyes slightly unfocused. He stumbled past a hallway junction, pausing briefly as if unsure where to go.
Then, almost imperceptibly, someone appeared walking behind him.
Lucas’s stomach dropped. “Pause! Zoom in, who’s that?”
The guard adjusted the screen. A shadowed figure followed Alex, keeping just out of clear view. But the way they moved was deliberate and silent. It made Lucas’s blood run cold.
“That’s him… someone’s following him,” Jason muttered. He reached for the intercom. “We need security to intercept now.”
Lucas’s hands clenched into fists. “Call them, don’t wait. I’m going after him first.”
Jason froze. “Lucas, wait, we don't know who he is yet. You could get hurt. We don't know what that …”
“I don’t care!” Lucas snapped, already moving toward the door. His mind was a storm: Alex, dizzy, someone tailing him, and that stranger who knew his name earlier. Every second counted.
Meanwhile, heat crawled under Alex’s skin, relentless and suffocating. Sweat soaked through his shirt, clinging to him. His vision blurred as he yanked off his suit jacket and let it fall carelessly to the floor. He staggered forward, unsteady.
“Please… help me,” he muttered, his voice strained.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
Alex paused, swaying slightly, then turned. His eyes struggled to focus before softening with desperation. “Lucas…is that you? Please help me,” he breathed.
The man facing him let out a low chuckle. “Wow. Almighty Alex… brought this low over that pretty boy? Don’t tell me you’re in love.”
“Please… I’m burning up,” Alex whispered again, his voice rough, almost pleading.
A smirk curved the man’s lips. “Oh dear Alex, that drink you took, it was meant for your precious Lucas. But you…” He leaned closer, voice dropping. “You made this much more interesting.”
His fingers lifted, brushing along Alex’s cheek in a slow, deliberate caress. Then he leaned in, first a light kiss against his cheek, then his lips.
Alex reacted instantly, gripping him tightly, responding with a desperate intensity that bordered on recklessness.
The man pulled back with a sharp grunt, wincing slightly. “Damn it, Alex, easy.”
“Lucas… help me…” Alex murmured again, chasing after him, trying to close the distance.
But this time, the man stopped him, holding him back firmly. “No. No more of that.”
His expression shifted, thoughts racing behind his eyes. He needed something bigger—something that would shatter Lucas if he walked in at the wrong moment. Something undeniable.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. “Alex…” he said softly, almost coaxing. “Let me take care of you, hmm?”
His hands moved to Alex’s belt, fingers working it loose with deliberate calm. “Just relax, I’ve got you.”
Alex didn’t resist, he couldn’t. His head dropped slightly, breath uneven, body betraying him as the man lowered himself, completely in control of the moment. He pulled down Alex’s pants to his knee level.
“Wow, you're still fucking tempting,” the man said tapping his erection.
That instant, Lucas burst into the hallway, the distant echo of their murmurs reached him. He ran, adrenaline surging, eyes scanning every corner, every shadow. And then he saw Alex.
He was standing but unsteady, almost drifting as he swayed. And just in front of him was the shadow, squatting.
Lucas’s breath caught. “Alex!” he yelled.
Alex turned slightly, confusion and relief flickering across his face, but the person squatting in front of him didn’t move, didn’t bother, but just watched him approaching.
Lucas knew, in that instant, this was no accident. This wasn’t just a missing-person problem anymore and this could be dangerous.
Lucas’s legs surged down the hallway, his eyes locked on Alex. Every confused movement Alex made seemed wobbly, unsteady, and Lucas’s panic spiked.
“Alex!” he shouted again, voice cracking, echoing off the walls. “Hey, stay away from him.” He yelled at the man, squatting before Alex.
“Alex,” are you alright?” He yelled again.
The guy shot to his feet and chuckled, “Your saviour is here, Alex.”
Alex stumbled slightly, startled, turning his head toward Lucas. He was dizzy, off-balance, like he could collapse at any second.
And then Lucas saw the shadow again. The figure that had been with Alex was moving now, stepping away from Alex. Lucas couldn’t make out his face, but every instinct screamed danger.
Lucas barreled forward, adrenaline surging. “Don’t touch him!” he yelled, voice raw.
Alex’s eyes widened, confusion and fear mixing. “Lucas… I…I feel…”
“Shhh, I’ve got you,” Lucas said, reaching him just as the figure paused as if to do something.
Lucas lunged, stepping between Alex and the shadow. “Back off!” His voice was steel, trembling with fury.
The figure froze. For a heartbeat, the hallway was silent except for Lucas’s heavy breathing and Alex leaning slightly on him.
Then the figure shifted, disappearing down a side corridor as quickly as he could.
Alex leaned against Lucas, weak, dizzy, and almost trembling. “Lucas… I don’t know what’s happening. Help me.”
“I know,” Lucas said, gripping him tighter. “But I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not now, not ever.”
He bent down, and pulled up his pants but Alex protested. “No, don’t pull it up.”
Lucas’s chest heaved, his protective instinct surging, but beneath it all, relief that Alex was safe.
“Come on, I will help you at home, okay.” Lucas said, leading him out.