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Chapter29
Sebastian
Where was she?
It had been at least thirty minutes since Belle had left, and I felt a twinge of remorse when I realized I had not noticed her absence immediately. With my attention focused on my guests, engaging in conversations, receiving congratulations and condolences. It was overwhelming as people kept coming and going, wanting to talk to me. I had not expected this level of attention after all this time.
As I glanced at my watch, a feeling of unease grew in the pit of my stomach. I caught Barclay’s attention and signaled him to come over, despite being engaged in a conversation with one of the board members. Once he reached me, I quickly apologized and excused myself from the conversation.
“I want you to go to my office and get the dark portfolio off my desk.”
Barclay gave a brief nod and passed the tray of drinks to one of the hired event staff. As he left, I resumed the conversation with my guest, hoping that he would reappear with Belle when he returned. Although she rarely got lost, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was having difficulty locating the portfolio, which was clearly visible on my desk.
The moment had come for me to deliver the opening speech for the non-profit auction fundraiser. With the potential to raise a significant amount of money for a charity dedicated to empowering women rescued from sex trafficking, the stakes were high. However, I postponed the speech, unable to concentrate on it amidst my growing distraction. I was eager to locate Belle, but sneaking away was damn near impossible.
Ten minutes later, Barclay returned to the ballroom without Belle. His expression was a giveaway that something was amiss, as he hardly showed any emotion other than annoyance or concern. As he handed over the portfolio, I was about to inquire about Belle’s whereabouts, but one of the board members who had earlier asked about the store’s layout approached me unexpectedly and gestured to the portfolio.
“Is that the layout? Can I see it?” the man asked.
I blinked and turned to him. “Um… yes. Sure.”
Then the event coordinator came rushing up to me. “Mr. Carrington, it’s time to start the auction. In fact, we’re slightly behind schedule.”
Damn it.
“Fine,” I said, pulling my notecards out of my pocket.
The stage was set up for the string quartet, but the event staff had cleared it for the moment, and I approached the microphone to deliver my speech. Despite my growing anxiety about Belle’s whereabouts, I tried to concentrate on the event and my words. I convinced myself that Belle had merely wandered off to indulge in the chocolate room and that she would return unscathed. Still, I resolved to give her a light punishment later for making me worry.
Yes, she was fine. There was no other conceivable possibility.
Yet, a lingering worry stayed in the back of my mind as I gave my speech, thanking everyone for coming and telling them how important the cause was. I skipped the part where I was going to introduce Belle to everyone, making it clear that she was my woman, my equal. I’d have to do that another time.
When I was done, there was a smattering of applause and people flocked to the tables of goods set up for the silent auction. This gave me a moment to breathe, and I headed straight for Barclay, who was scanning the crowd with his keen eyes.
“Have you seen Belle?” I asked as I reached him.
My heart raced as the words left my mouth. Belle wouldn't just vanish at this point in our relationship, that much I knew for sure. I didn’t believe that she’d let me worry if she could avoid it.
“No, and there’s something else,” Barclay replied. “Your office. It was…disturbed.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“The statue from your desk was on the floor and the chair in front of the desk was askew. It was subtle.”
But I could see that he was concerned about it.
“Go find Belle,” I said, listing off her favorite places in the castle.
Barclay went to search the spots Belle most enjoyed, while I tapped out a message to Maxwell, requesting him to come to the castle. He was in London, attending to business, but I was going to send the private jet for him.
The ball dragged on while I waited for Barclay to reappear. Or, better yet, Belle.
Finally, things were winding down. Everyone had a great time, and I was told over and over how great it was that I was holding these balls again. I barely acknowledged any of it. I was in a state of full panic as the last guest finally left, and I ordered everyone, my regular staff and those hired for this event, to search the whole castle for Belle. The image of her plunging into the icy pond flashed in my mind, but I shook it off. There was no way she would go back out there after what happened.
I headed to my office and ran into Barclay just outside of it. A simple shake of his head told me he hadn’t found a trace of her. I went into the office and saw everything that he’d described, but then I spotted something Barclay had missed. A few drops of blood on the floor near the front of my desk. It wasn’t much, but my heart sank. Something had happened to Belle. Someone must have taken her.
I looked at that damn piece of paper with the reward written on it and scowled.
