The Ransom
Ace’s POV
The city outside his penthouse windows blurred into a smear of neon and shadow. Ace hadn’t slept in 72 hours. The clock on his desk ticked louder with every passing second, a metronome for his failure.
*“How much is she worth to you?”*
The ransom message glared from his laptop, the words carving into his skull. He’d hired every investigator, called in every favor, burned through a fortune in bribes—and still, nothing. Isabella had vanished like smoke.
Ethan stood in the doorway, a coffee in hand that Ace would never drink. “Victoria’s lawyers are threatening a defamation suit. You can’t keep accusing her without proof.”
Ace didn’t turn around. His gaze stayed fixed on the security footage frozen on his screen—Isabella leaving the office that final day, he
