Claimed by one billionaire saved by another

CHAPTER EIGHT

Darian's Pov

The phone rang while I stood at the foot of the bed, staring at the hauntingly empty space where Sylvie should have been. Her pillow remained untouched, a mocking reminder of her absence.

The faint, floral trace of her perfume lingered in the air, barely there now, like a memory stubborn enough to refuse to die. I answered without checking the screen, my thumb sliding over the glass with a practiced numbness. “Yes.”

“Mr. Blackwood,” a voice came through, steady and professional. “This is Inspector Charles from the NYPD.”

The air left my lungs in a sharp hiss. My spine went rigid, the kind of instinctual bracing you do a second before a high-speed impact.

“What do you have for me, Inspector?” I asked tensely.

“There has been a development in your fiancée’s case,” he replied. “Mr. Kael Voss is currently at the station giving a statement.”

The room plunged into a suffocating silence. “…Kael Voss?” I repeated the name slowly, tasting the bitterness of it.

“Yes, sir.”

My jaw tightened until the bone throbbed. Of course. For three years, nobody had a glimpse of him, and now he suddenly resurfaced the very moment Sylvie disappeared. The timing wasn't just suspicious; it was a taunt.

“I’m on my way,” I said, grabbing my keys off the counter.

“Mr. Blackwood, there is no need to rush. This is only a routine statement.”

“There is every need. I have to see him ” I countered coldly, cutting the connection before he could offer more useless reassurances.

The drive to the station was a blur of chaos, thankfully I didn't crash into any passerby as I weaver through the late-afternoon traffic.

Inside the station, the atmosphere shifted. I ignored the front desk, the curious looks, the half-hearted attempts to intercept me. I pushed open the interrogation room door without knocking to find Kael Voss sitting there, looking infuriatingly composed.

He didn't even bother to stand.

“So,” I spat, glaring at him, “you finally decided to show up.”

Kael remained seated, his expression a mask of coldness. “Good afternoon to you, too,” he said calmly.

“Stop playing games,” I snapped, stepping toward him. “Where is she?”

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze searching my face for cracks. “You should be asking the police that question, not me.”

I let out a dry, angry laugh. “You think I’m stupid? You think I do not see what is happening? I know how you are, Kael.”

He leaned back, his composure unshaken. “You’re being emotional, Darian. That makes you careless.”

I clenched my fists, the heat rising in my chest. “She is my wife!” I yelled.

“Not yet,” he corrected me, smiling as if he enjoyed the pain, though a flicker of exhaustion crossed his eyes.

My eyes went dark. “You always do this. You act like you’re better than everyone.”

Kael didn't flinch. “And you always act like you own her.”

For a second, I thought I was going to swing at him. The air in the small, coffee-scented room felt heavy enough to shatter.

“You’ve always wanted to ruin her life,” I said, my voice shaking with restrained fury. “Ever since she stopped listening to you and started making her own choices.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “You don’t know anything about our past and what happened,” he snapped.

I stepped directly into his space, looming over the table. “I know enough. You took her peace. You took her trust. And now you took her freedom.”

The room went dead quiet. I saw his hands curl into fists beneath the table.

“If you think I kidnapped her,” he said slowly, his voice dropping to a dangerous vibration, “then prove it.”

I stared at him, breathing hard, the pulse in my neck thrumming. “I will.”

Kael stood up, smoothing his jacket. “Until then, stop accusing me of things you can't explain. Call my lawyer. If you want to talk more, do it the right way.”

I didn't move as he walked out of the room without looking back. I watched him disappear down the corridor, free, while I was left standing in the wreckage of his silence.

I spun toward Inspector Charles, who was standing by the door. “You are letting him leave?”

The Inspector exhaled slowly, looking tired. “Mr. Blackwood, We do not have sufficient grounds to detain him.”

“He is the only man with a motive! You questioned him and then you let him walk right out the front door.”

“Motive is not enough evidence to request an arrest.”

“So wealth buys freedom now?” I asked. “If he were anyone else, he would be in a holding cell.”

The inspector met my gaze with a hardened stare. “This is not about his money.”

“It always is. And if she is hurt because of your hesitation, I will not forget it and neither will I forgive you.”

I turned and walked out, the air outside feeling too thin to breathe. My phone vibrated before I even reached my car.

“Sir,” Marcus’s voice was taut with tension. “We have a lead.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “Talk.”

“A woman matching Miss Sylvie’s description was seen earlier today. Near a refuse area. An alley.”

My heart slammed hard enough to hurt. “Alive?”

“Yes, sir. Witnesses said that the lady was wearing a stained wedding gown that was covered in mud and blood.”

“I’m coming.” I said leaning to open the car door. “Secure the premises, I don't want anyone leaving until I arrive.”

The alley smelled of damp concrete, old exhaust, and waste. A large dustbin sat where witnesses said she had been sitting, overturned slightly. I stared at the spot, my chest tightening until it was hard to draw a breath.

“She was here?” I whispered.

“Yes, sir,” Marcus replied from behind me. “But by the time we arrived, She was nowhere to be seen and there's no way we can confirm that she is really the one.”

I turned sharply, my eyes wide. “What do you mean she was nowhere to be seen? Is there no other trace?”

“No one knows. Some said she stood up and walked away. Others said a man helped her. No clear description.”

My fists clenched at my sides. I sank to my knees, my suit hitting the grime of the pavement without a second thought. I pressed my palm against the rusted, cold metal of the bin. It was deathly cold, and the thought that she had been pressed against this, shivering and alone, felt like a physical blade between my ribs.

I pulled my phone out and hit redial for Charles.“Inspector, you said you were doing everything possible to find her.”

“Yes, Mr. Blackwood.” he replied as if he was just waking from a slumber.

“She was found,” I said, my voice cracking. “And you lost her again because you people are not doing your work.”

There was a long pause. “We were not notified in time.” He said as if my security were supposed to notify the police on a case

“You are failing her and giving the citizens more reason to doubt the police force.”

I ended the call and stayed there on the ground. I was a billionaire. I had power, influence, and armies of men at my beck and call. And none of it mattered. Not a single cent of it could buy her back.

Sylvie was still missing, and there was nothing I could do.

I stood up, wiping the moisture from my eyes, the grief replaced by something sharper. Something dangerous. Kael Voss had her. I k

new it in my marrow. And I would find her.

No matter the cost.