In the days that followed, Adrian deployed every available resource, sparing no cost in the desperate search operation.
He himself became a hollow shell of a man, keeping sleepless vigil over that stretch of ocean, his bloodshot eyes fixed obsessively on the waves.
Yet a week slipped by, leaving nothing but crushing despair.
Everyone urged him to abandon hope. The chances of Elena's survival were next to none.
Adrian broke down entirely.
In the dim VIP room of an upscale bar, thick with the stench of liquor,
Adrian lay slumped on the sofa, his tie crooked, his expensive suit stained with alcohol, fingers clenched around an empty bottle.
His glazed eyes stared blankly as he kept whispering the same name.
"Elena, Elena… where are you?"
His friend Ryan Carter pushed open the door to
