Chapter 10: The Missing Bride
555 Words
The silence in Ethan's penthouse was suffocating.
Isabella stared at him.
"...What do you mean the leak was only the beginning?"
Ethan loosened his tie and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"My security team intercepted a message."
He paused.
"Someone has been following you for the past week."
A chill ran down Isabella's spine.
"Following me?"
"Yes."
She tried to remember if she had noticed anyone suspicious.
Nothing.
"I don't understand."
"You don't have to."
Ethan's voice remained calm.
"I'll handle it."
His confidence should have comforted her.
Instead...
It frightened her.
Who exactly had she agreed to marry?
The next morning...
For the first time in days, Isabella woke up without the constant sound of hospital machines.
Her mother and Noah were safe.
She should have felt relieved.
Instead, her heart felt heavy.
She walked onto the balcony.
The city stretched endlessly before her.
Luxury.
Power.
Money.
None of it felt like home.
She missed her tiny apartment.
Her simple life.
The smell of coffee at the café where she worked.
Everything had changed in less than forty-eight hours.
A knock came at the door.
A maid entered carrying several shopping bags.
"Good morning, Miss Hart."
"Mr. Kingsley asked me to bring these."
Isabella looked inside.
Designer dresses.
Shoes.
Jewelry.
Handbags.
Everything looked impossibly expensive.
"There must be a mistake."
"There isn't."
"The engagement party is tonight."
"Mr. Kingsley wants you ready by six."
"Engagement party?"
Nobody had told her about another public event.
She sighed.
"Of course..."
That evening...
The Kingsley Estate glowed beneath thousands of golden lights.
Luxury cars lined the entrance.
Business tycoons, celebrities, politicians, and socialites filled the grand ballroom.
Everyone had come to meet Ethan Kingsley's mysterious fiancée.
Inside her room upstairs, Isabella stood in front of the mirror.
The silver gown fit perfectly.
Her hair had been styled into soft waves.
The diamond ring sparkled on her finger.
For a moment...
She barely recognized herself.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Ethan stood outside.
For the first time since they'd met...
He looked genuinely speechless.
His eyes lingered on her for a few seconds before he quietly said,
"You look..."
He stopped himself.
Then cleared his throat.
"We're late."
Isabella couldn't help smiling.
"Thank you."
Without another word, he offered his arm.
She slipped her hand through it.
Together...
They walked downstairs.
The ballroom fell silent.
Hundreds of guests turned toward them.
Then applause filled the room.
Cameras flashed.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"They look perfect together."
"I've never seen Ethan smile like that."
"Maybe he really is in love."
From the far corner of the ballroom...
Victoria watched everything.
Her lips curved into a cold smile.
She pulled out her phone and sent one text message.
Now.
Outside the estate...
A black van slowly pulled up near the gates.
Three masked men stepped out.
One of them looked toward the brightly lit ballroom.
"Target confirmed."
Back inside...
The orchestra began to play.
Ethan held out his hand.
"May I have this dance?"
Isabella hesitated...
Then placed her hand in his.
As they stepped onto the dance floor, the room erupted into applause.
Neither of them noticed the ballroom doors slowly opening...
Or the masked men walking inside.
One reached beneath his jacket.
His hand closed around a weapon.
He whispered into his earpiece,
"Take the girl alive."
- Writer
