The second Lucian left the hotel, he rushed toward the forest. He called Cayden while he was on his way.
“Have the men pay extra attention. Roxanne has gone into the forest.”
On the other end of the line, Cayden murmured an affirmative reply. He was impressed with how much Roxanne cared about Estella. It‘s so late at night, yet she still went into the forest to look for Ms. Estella.
After hanging up the phone, Lucian heard a voice filled with fear.
“Lucian, any news on Essie?”
Aubree had searched nearby but to no avail. As she was too scared to go into the forest, she returned to the hotel instead. To her surprise, she saw Lucian at the entrance and was overwhelmed with guilt.
Lucian put his phone away and glared at Aubree when he heard her voice.
All he saw was her in a red dress that was still clean. There was not even a drop of sweat on her face. Her breathing was a little uneven, but it was possible that was just because she was scared of him.
Aubree‘s heart clenched when she looked into Lucian‘s eyes, which were burning with rage. “I‘ve searched all afternoon but couldn‘t find her anywhere. How did the search go on your side?”
“Essie went missing because she left to look for Roxanne. That is what you told Roxanne, isn‘t it?” Lucian replied with a question of his own.
Aubree‘s face stiffened and panic was written all over it.
H–How did Lucian know about this?
Lucian got his answer when he saw the look on her face. “You better pray that nothing happens to them. Otherwise, I won‘t show you any mercy despite the years we‘ve known each other.”
With that, Lucian walked past her and left
Aubree could tell that he was truly furious. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve in a fluster. “Lucian, I didn‘t mean it. She dropped by the hotel this afternoon, and I simply shared what I guessed. I never meant to put the blame on her.”
Lucian turned around. The aura he exuded was chilly and scary. “You‘re still putting the blame on others? She was never at fault! It‘s bad enough that you went behind my back and got my mom worried by telling her about this. Now, you‘ve made things worse by coming up with a lie to trigger Roxanne. What do you wish to accomplish from any of this?”
Lucian‘s intimidating aura sucked the air right out of Aubree‘s lungs. She had to force herself to stand as she defended herself. “I don‘t mean anything. It‘s my fault for not keeping an eye on Essie, and—”
“It is your fault!” Lucian shook her hand off. “Leave if have no intention of searching for Essie. Stop wasting my time.”
After he said that, he turned around and left without even glancing at her.
Cayden led his men and searched every inch of that forest.
Despite searching until ten at night, they still couldn‘t find Estella or Roxanne.
When Lucian rendezvoused with them and got an update, his foul mood worsened.
Cayden stood beside Lucian and could feel the surrounding air becoming more and more chilly. He could sympathize with Lucian.
It was late at night, and they were in the wilderness. Roxanne was a woman and Estella was a kid. Anyone would be worried.
“Mr. Farwell, perhaps you should return and get some rest. It‘s been a long day,” suggested Cayden cautiously.
He had been working for Lucian for years, but he had never seen the man in that disheveled state before.
Lucian was still covered in mud because he hadn‘t changed out of his clothes after the activities in the morning. Having searched all night in the forest, he looked pale, and his hair was messy. Yet the aura he gave off was still as overpowering as ever.
He furrowed his brows and said, “Let‘s split up and search the place.”
With that, he turned around and went deeper into the woods.
