HER FACE, MY WIFE'S SHADOW

Chapter 15: Do I Look Like A Fool?

Alexander’s POV

I walked out of the entrance of the estate, raising my left hand to check my wristwatch.

7:10 AM

James was already waiting outside for me, the engine of the black sedan idling like a low growl in the driveway.

I climbed into the back seat.

"Sir," James began, adjusting the rearview mirror to lock eyes with me.

"The doctor and the two nurses. They are in the basement of the secondary site. What are your orders?"

I rested the back of my head against the headrest, closing my eyes for a moment. In the dark of my mind, Aria’s face flashed; it wasn't the familiar soft compliance of Isabella but a fierce defiance of a woman who would rather burn the world down than yield.

When did she change so much? Or am I still clinging to the belief that she's Isabella?

"Release them," I said flatly, opening my eyes.

James shifted slightly in his seat, surprised.

"Give them a final warning. Tell them if they ever facilitate a disappearance under my roof again, I cannot guarantee they will see the next day. But for now... let them go."

"Understood, sir."

James nodded, putting the car into gear. “On another note, Mr Clark sent a message via email this morning requesting to speak with you.”

“Just reply to him. Aria Bennett is not coming back to New York. Not now. Not ever.”

“But sir…” The rest of his words died in his throat the moment he caught my reflection in the mirror. I didn't need to speak; the ice in my expression was warning enough.

We drove in silence to a high-security safehouse on the outskirts of the city. When the steel door opened, the smell of damp concrete met my nose.

In the centre of the room, the men who had attacked my house the other day were bound to chairs.

They were a mess: faces swollen, clothes torn, covered in the evidence of James’s preliminary work.

I stepped into the light, my shadow stretching long and dark across the floor. I didn't waste time with pleasantries.

"Where is he?" I demanded. "Give me the boss's location, and I might let you live."

The men remained silent, their breathing unsteady as one of them spat blood near my shoe.

For the next hour, the room was filled with the sound of agonised screams until the youngest spirit was broken and began to sob.

"I don't know where he is," he shrieked. "I swear! All I know... all I was told... was about the mission years ago. He threatened Isabella into doing things against her will. If she refused, her new family would pay the price.”

“Even after she betrayed us and married you, he couldn't let her go.” He continued. “Isabella and his right-hand man were the only persons who had seen his face. She was both his left hand and his most trusted operative.”

My shoe connected with the man's ribs, sending his chair crashing to the floor.

"Do I look like a fool?" I roared.

“I'm telling you the truth, Mr Sterling.” He coughed as he clutched his side on the floor. “I know nothing about his whereabouts.”

The leader of the group, who had been silent until now, suddenly let out a dry, loud laugh. He peered up at me through one swollen eye, his expression mocking.

"Mr Sterling! You shouldn't be so naive. You are so blinded by your love for Isabella, or should I say Aria Bennett?”

He leaned forward as much as his ropes allowed. “She will betray you one day, just like what she did years ago. She is one of us and will always have a mark on her soul. The boss will never let her go, especially not to a rotten billionaire."

I grabbed him by the collar, raising him up. "She will never betray me, and she's no longer part of your filthy group.” My grip tightened around his collar. “How do you know she is Aria? Was the boss behind her disappearance? Did he plant another dead body with her face and give the real Isabella a new identity to hide her from me?"

The man’s grin widened. "I wish my master was behind it. If he had hidden her, he wouldn't be fighting you to get her back now."

"When our informants discovered she was alive in New York, we knew we had to secure the asset. Fate really is a funny thing, isn't?”

“The moment we found out about her was the exact moment she accepted the contract from your company. Before we could take her quietly, it was already too late because you found her first.”

“So, we took the opportunity of having those videos to our advantage. Now the whole world knows about her. Get ready for the hungry lions who will come after her.” He chuckled darkly.

I slammed him back against the wall.

I knew it was him all along. He knew I had many enemies who would use my wife against me.

I left the room, his laughter ringing in my ears behind me. I stood in the night air, my hands trembling.