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Christian’s entire body tensed. His heart lurched. Christian turned on his heel and strode out of the building. He drove straight to Ivy’s house, but when he arrived, the place was locked.
Frowning, he drove to Licious, scanning the coffee shop for any sign of her. Nothing.
A muscle ticked in his jaw as frustration and unease clawed at his chest. His grip tightened around the steering wheel. The city lights blurred past as he drove, his eyes darting to the sidewalks, the roads—anywhere she might be. But she was nowhere to be found.
It was already late at night.
"Where the fuck did she go?" he muttered under his breath, making another round by her house, only to find it still locked.
His jaw clenched as he pulled out his phone and dialed Samuel’s number.
"Find out where Ivy is. Right now. Immediately."
He ended the call without waiting for a response and headed straight to Sawyer’s office.
The moment Christian stepped inside, Sawyer looked up in surprise. There was another one of their friends present in the room. Larry Lawson.
Larry was tall and lean, with an easy charm that came naturally. His dark brown hair was tousled in that effortless way that somehow still looked deliberate. His sharp hazel eyes held a glint of mischief, and the light stubble along his jaw only added to his roguish appeal. Dressed in a crisp black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he lounged casually in the chair, one ankle resting on the opposite knee. His lips curved into a smirk the moment Christian walked in.
Christian didn’t waste a second. "Ivy quit her job," he said, pacing back and forth, his hand rubbing his forehead. "She isn’t at home. She’s not at Licious either."
“Hello to you too, man.” Larry muttered with a frown.
Sawyer’s brows pulled together as he rose from his chair, approaching Christian. His gaze flickered to Christian’s hands—they were trembling. His entire frame radiated tension, worry, and barely contained agitation.
"Christian, you need to calm the fuck down," Sawyer muttered, frowning as he dragged Christian to sit on the couch. "Why do you get so fucking out of control when it comes to Ivy?"
Christian didn’t answer. His silence was heavy, his worry only deepening by the second.
Chapter 8 Disappear
Larry leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Could it be that she’s trying to disappear?" he asked cautiously, watching Christian’s reaction. He rubbed his mouth with his fingers before adding, "Just to… escape you?"
Christian’s eyes flashed dangerously. "That’s not possible," he snapped. "She knows she can’t run away from me. I’ll find her—even if she disappears to the fucking ends of the earth."
His hand shot out, grabbing a glass of water from the table. He downed it in one go, but the thought of Ivy leaving only fueled the rage bubbling inside him. His grip on the glass tightened, his knuckles turning white. The next second, he hurled it across the room.
The sharp crash echoed, shards of glass scattering across the floor. He didn’t even flinch. His hands were still shaking, his face locked in a tense, unreadable expression.
At that moment, his phone rang.
He snatched it up quickly, his heart thudding. Was it Ivy?
But then, the name ‘Samuel’ flashed across the screen.
"Speak," Christian ordered the second he answered.
"Sir, we’ve found Ms. Watson. She quit her job and emptied her current home. She’s moved her belongings."
Christian’s entire body tensed, the worry on his face shifting into something darker—rage mixing with unease in a lethal combination.
"She emptied her place?" His voice was dangerously low.
Was she really trying to run away from him?
"Yes, Mr. Evans," Samuel confirmed. "She’s moved into her parents’ house for now. She’s staying with them, but I believe it’s temporary—her belongings were transferred to a storage unit rather than their apartment."
Christian’s gaze flickered to the shattered glass on the floor. His eyes darkened even further. "Did you check for flights? Has she booked any to leave the country?"