Chapter 17
1459 Words
Daniel left the study with his pulse pounding hard behind his temples. The house below had become chaos. Staff rushed through corridors, doors opened and slammed shut, and Nancy’s sharp voice carried from one room to the next as she barked orders at anyone in sight. None of it drowned out the one thought repeating in his mind.
Where the hell was Maisie?
He pulled out his phone and called her immediately.
Straight to voicemail.
His jaw tightened. He called again.
Voicemail.
Again.
Nothing.
A cold unease slipped beneath his anger. Maisie would not just disappear. She was not dramatic. She was not reckless. She hated scenes and avoided confrontation whenever she could. She would rather swallow hurt than create public chaos.
So why today?
Why now?
He paced the corridor and called again. Voicemail.
Unless she knew.
The thought stopped him dead.
Did Maisie know about him and Amelia?
No. Impossible.
They had been careful. More than careful. Messages deleted instantly. Quiet meetings behind closed doors. Stolen moments in rooms no one used. Late-night visits when the house was asleep. Amelia had always insisted they were untouchable if they were smart enough.
And they had been smart.
Hadn’t they?
Then why had Maisie seemed different last night?
He remembered dinner clearly now. She had barely spoken. She had looked calm, too calm. Her eyes had lingered on him once or twice in a way that unsettled him. Not emotional. Not upset. Just distant.
Watching.
His stomach tightened.
Had she heard something through the wall? Had she seen Amelia leaving his room? Had she opened a door at the wrong moment and quietly walked away without saying a word?
He swore under his breath and shoved the phone back into his pocket before heading downstairs.
Nancy stood in the main hall, pale and wild-eyed, one hand clutching her robe tightly around her.
“Well?” she demanded.
“She is not answering.”
“Then keep calling.”
“I am.”
Maisie’s father stood near the staircase already dressed for the ceremony in a tailored morning suit. He had always been a quieter presence than Nancy, but the fury in his face was impossible to miss.
“This is disgraceful,” he said coldly. “Guests are already arriving.”
Daniel ignored the remark.
“I am going to the office.”
Nancy frowned. “The office?”
“She owns half the company,” Daniel snapped. “If she has gone somewhere she feels in control, it will be there.”
Maisie’s father scoffed. “You should have controlled your own fiancée better.”
Daniel’s temper surged, but he bit it back and turned for the door before he said something that would make everything worse.
The drive to the office felt endless. Every traffic light delayed him. Every slow driver in front of him felt like an insult. His hands gripped the wheel so tightly that his knuckles whitened.
Could she know?
The question would not leave him.
He and Amelia had been careless last night. Too comfortable. Too certain. Amelia had come to his room after midnight. It had started as a whispered argument and ended the same way it usually did. They had believed the house was asleep.
Had Maisie seen Amelia slip back down the corridor?
Had she heard voices?
Had she stood outside the door listening while he betrayed her hours before the wedding?
His chest tightened.
If that was true, then this was no random disappearance.
This was revenge.
By the time he pulled up outside the glass-fronted office building, humiliation had curdled into fury.
He strode through reception without slowing.
The receptionist looked up in alarm. “Mr. Daniel.”
“Is Maisie here?”
“No, sir.”
“Has she been here this morning?”
She checked the system quickly. “No sign-in records.”
He swore under his breath and headed for the lift anyway.
He checked her office first. It was empty. Her desk was immaculate, chair tucked in neatly, computer dark. No coat, no bag, no sign she had stepped foot inside.
He checked the boardroom.
Empty.
Her private lounge.
Empty.
He moved through floor after floor like a man possessed while staff pretended not to stare. They had all clearly heard about the wedding. They all knew what today was. Every curious glance felt like another humiliation.
By the time he returned to reception, his tie was loosened and anger radiated from him.
“If she comes here,” he said coldly, leaning over the desk, “you call me immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
He turned and walked out, feeling every eye on his back.
The groom searching for his missing bride.
Pathetic.
When he returned to the estate, luxury cars lined the drive. Guests were everywhere. Women in elegant dresses stood in small clusters whispering behind polite smiles. Men adjusted cufflinks and checked watches while pretending nothing was wrong. Champagne trays moved through the crowd and the string quartet continued to play as though the day were still perfect.
Daniel stepped from the car and saw heads turn instantly.
They knew.
Nancy hurried down the steps toward him.
“Well?”
“She was not there.”
Her face twisted with panic.
Maisie’s father appeared behind her, his expression thunderous.
“You let this happen,” he said.
Daniel stared at him. “Me?”
“You were meant to marry her today. Instead, my daughter has vanished and this house is full of guests.”
“Your daughter walked out,” Daniel said sharply.
“She would not do that without reason.”
The words hit harder than intended.
Without reason.
Daniel’s mind flashed straight back to Amelia leaving his room in the early hours.
Amelia herself appeared then, calm and composed in a fitted dress, as though she were above the disaster unfolding around them.
“Everyone needs to calm down,” she said smoothly. “We can still manage this quietly.”
She stepped closer and reached for Daniel’s arm.
He shoved her hand away so sharply she stumbled back a step.
“Do not touch me.”
Her eyes widened. “Daniel.”
“This is your fault.”
Nancy froze. “What?”
Daniel turned on Amelia fully now, rage spilling over.
“She must have seen you. Heard you. Last night.”
Amelia’s face drained of colour. “Keep your voice down.”
“Oh, now you care about discretion?”
“Daniel,” she hissed, glancing nervously at the nearby guests.
“You said no one would know. You said we were careful.”
“We were.”
“Clearly not careful enough.”
Nancy stared between them in confusion and horror.
Maisie’s father stepped forward slowly, his expression turning colder by the second.
“What is he talking about?”
No one answered.
Because the truth had suddenly entered the room.
Daniel dragged a hand through his hair, breathing hard.
“She has done this because of you,” he spat at Amelia. “And now I am the one who will be humiliated.”
Guests were openly watching now. Whispers spread across the garden like fire.
He could hear the words before they were even spoken.
He was stood up.
His fiancée ran.
What did she find out?
Daniel looked across the flowers, the marquee, the seating plan, the expensive decorations, and the society guests pretending not to stare.
Every eye felt like mockery.
Something in him snapped.
He strode into the centre of the gathering and snatched the microphone from the wedding coordinator.
The music stopped.
Conversation died instantly.
“Everybody out.”
Shock rippled through the crowd.
“I said get out.”
Still they hesitated.
His voice thundered louder.
“The wedding is cancelled.”
Gasps sounded everywhere. Hands flew to mouths. Phones appeared in hands.
Nancy rushed forward. “Daniel!”
Maisie’s father swore furiously.
Amelia stood frozen.
Daniel shoved the microphone back into the stunned coordinator’s hands.
“Leave,” he barked.
This time they moved quickly. Heels sank into gravel. Chairs scraped. Guests whispered openly now.
“She left him.”
“How embarrassing.”
“Oh my God.”
Every word burned.
Daniel stormed back into the house, ripped off his jacket, and hurled it across the hallway. It smashed a crystal vase against the wall.
“Daniel!” Nancy shouted.
He turned and drove his fist into the wall beside the staircase.
The c***k echoed through the house.
Pain shot through his hand, but he barely felt it. His chest heaved as he stared at the damage.
“She made a fool of me,” he said hoarsely. “She will regret this!”
- Writer
