Chapter 7: No Way Out
1383 Words
By sunrise, satellite vans lined the entrance of Kingsley Holdings. Reporters crowded behind barricades, cameras pointed toward the towering glass building. Across the city, the Hart Foundation faced the same chaos.
Headlines flooded television screens and social media.
MISSING GROOM: WHERE IS ETHAN KINGSLEY?
WEDDING ENDS IN SHOCK AS HEIR VANISHES.
Speculation spread faster than facts. Some claimed Ethan had run away. Others insisted he had been kidn*pped.
None of them knew the truth.
Inside Kingsley Holdings, Richard stood at the conference room window as his phone rang constantly.
“Sir, the board has requested an emergency meeting.”
“I'll be there.”
“There are reporters asking if the wedding has been cancelled permanently.”
Richard's expression hardened.
“No comment.”
---
Miles away, Adrian arrived at police headquarters, where Marcus was already waiting.
“The detectives received another tip,” Marcus said. “A taxi driver believes he picked Ethan up yesterday.”
“Where?”
“The airport.”
For hours, they searched security footage, questioned airport staff, and interviewed the driver.
“I swear it was him,” the driver insisted.
“Did he board a flight?” Adrian asked.
“I don't know. I dropped him outside Terminal Three.”
The footage proved otherwise.
Another dead end.
Marcus looked at Adrian.
“I'm sorry.”
Adrian stared at the screen.
“We keep looking.”
---
At the Hart residence, Margaret closed the curtains as another camera flashed outside.
“They're everywhere.”
Isabella sat silently, still wearing one of Ethan's hoodies. His engagement ring rested in her palm.
Edward entered.
“The police have expanded the search.”
“They found something?”
“No.”
The small hope in Isabella's eyes disappeared.
Margaret knelt beside her.
“You need to eat.”
“I'm not hungry.”
“You haven't eaten since yesterday.”
“I'm not hungry,” Isabella repeated softly.
Margaret took her hand.
“We'll find him.”
Isabella nodded, tears filling her eyes.
“I know we will.”
---
By the second day, the pressure had doubled.
Kingsley Holdings' share price slipped. An overseas partnership postponed negotiations. Inside the boardroom, directors argued.
“This uncertainty is costing us millions!”
“We need answers!”
Richard raised a hand.
“We are doing everything possible to find my son.”
One director leaned forward.
“The market isn't waiting for good news.”
Richard's jaw tightened.
Neither was the company.
At the Hart Foundation, trustees raised similar concerns.
“Will this affect the Kingsley partnership?”
“What happens to the joint projects?”
Edward remained composed.
“The Foundation will continue operating.”
But he knew they were running out of time.
---
That evening, Adrian returned home exhausted.
Eleanor sat alone.
“Any news?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
She lowered her eyes.
“I keep thinking... if I'd insisted Ethan stay home that morning—”
“This isn't your fault.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I should have known something was wrong.”
Adrian rested a hand on her shoulder.
“We'll bring him home.”
He stayed beside her for a moment.
He was exhausted and frustrated, but one thought remained clear.
Ethan had to be found.
---
The third day brought no relief.
Reporters surrounded Adrian outside the estate.
“Mr. Kingsley, is your brother dead?”
“Did Ethan abandon Isabella?”
“Is another Kingsley going to replace him?”
Adrian stopped.
“My brother is missing. Until he's found, I won't answer rumors.”
He walked away.
But the questions followed him.
And so did the pressure.
---
On the fourth day, fresh CCTV footage placed a man resembling Ethan near a coastal highway.
Adrian immediately joined the search.
“I'll sleep when my brother comes home.”
Search teams spread across abandoned buildings, warehouses, and miles of shoreline.
Hours later, the lead collapsed.
The man was a tourist.
Not Ethan.
Adrian stared at the empty shoreline.
Marcus approached.
“We'll get another lead.”
“We have to.”
---
Isabella refused to remain at home.
“If they're searching for Ethan, I'm going too.”
“You've barely eaten all week!” Margaret protested.
“I can't just sit here!”
Edward finally intervened.
“Let her go.”
Together, they visited hospitals, shelters, and other locations.
Every answer was the same.
No one had seen Ethan.
---
By the fifth day, Kingsley Holdings was in deeper trouble.
“The banks are requesting guarantees.”
“Our partners are delaying new projects.”
“If this continues, we'll lose long-term investors.”
Richard's patience finally broke.
“What exactly are you asking of me?”
The chairman answered carefully.
“We need this situation resolved.”
“My son is missing!”
“And we understand that. But the company cannot survive uncertainty forever.”
That evening, Richard found Adrian in the study.
“The board is losing confidence. Investors are pulling back.”
“We'll fix it.”
“How?”
Adrian had no answer.
Richard took a breath.
“There is still one way to preserve the alliance.”
Adrian immediately understood.
“No.”
“You haven't even let me speak.”
“The marriage.”
Richard's expression hardened.
“Yes. The marriage.”
Adrian stood.
“My brother has been missing for five days, and you're talking about a wedding?”
“I'm talking about protecting the company.”
“And you expect me to marry Isabella while Ethan is still missing?”
“Someone has to protect what this family built!”
Adrian stared at him.
“I can't do this.”
Richard's voice lowered.
“You may not want to. But thousands of employees are depending on this family.”
Adrian said nothing.
For the first time, marriage no longer sounded like a solution.
It sounded like a cage.
---
By the sixth day, the Hart Foundation faced the same pressure.
Trustees demanded answers. Edward defended the partnership, but even he knew the situation was becoming impossible.
That evening, Richard and Edward met privately.
“We cannot keep pretending this will resolve itself,” Richard said.
Edward sighed.
“I know.”
“If the alliance breaks, both families suffer.”
“But Isabella cannot be forced.”
“Neither can Adrian.”
They fell silent.
Neither man liked the choice before them.
---
Later that night, Richard confronted Adrian again.
“The wedding has to happen.”
“I said no!”
“And I said this isn't only about you!”
Adrian's eyes flashed.
“My brother is missing!”
“And the company is collapsing!”
“Then let it collapse!”
Richard slammed his hand against the table.
“Do you know how many people will suffer if it does? Employees, investors, families!”
Adrian fell silent.
Richard's voice softened.
“You don't have to love this marriage. But you have to understand what's at stake.”
Adrian looked away.
He knew Isabella wasn't responsible for Ethan's disappearance.
But every time he thought about the wedding, he felt trapped.
And that feeling was beginning to turn into resentment.
---
On the seventh morning, both families gathered in the same conference room.
Richard stood.
“For seven days, we've searched for another way. There isn't one.”
“The search for Ethan will continue,” Edward added.
“Of course.”
Richard looked at Adrian.
“I won't force you.”
Adrian stared at the floor.
Then he looked at Isabella.
She looked just as exhausted as he felt.
“If this marriage protects our families...” His voice tightened. “I'll do it.”
No one celebrated.
Edward turned to Isabella.
“My daughter, the choice is yours.”
Isabella looked at Margaret, then at Adrian.
The warmth she had once seen in his eyes was fading.
“I'm not giving up on Ethan.”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“Neither am I.”
She swallowed.
“I agree.”
Silence filled the room.
They had not chosen each other.
They had chosen survival.
And neither knew that the marriage meant to save their families would eventually become the source of their deepest resentment.
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