Meanwhile, on the other side of the venue, Dylan called Ember. The call connected, and for a moment, his heart eased—she answered. But before he could speak, Emir called him over to discuss something urgent with the rest of the team. Distracted, he turned away for just a few seconds.
When Dylan finally turned back to his phone, he frowned. The call had been picked up, but there was only silence—no voice, no breath, nothing. A chill crawled down his spine.
He redialed. Once. Twice. Still no answer.
Something was wrong.
His pulse quickened. He scanned the area, then hurried toward the ladies' room, instincts screaming at him. He stood outside, knocking gently at first, then harder. "Ember?" he called, voice laced with worry. "Are you okay? Please, answer me."
But there was no response.
Panic bloomed in his chest.
Without a second thought, Dylan called his mother.
When Alora arrived moments later, concern etched across her face, she asked breathlessly, "What happened?"
"Mom... can you please check if Ember's inside?" Dylan's voice cracked, fear lacing every word. "She answered my call, but now she's not picking up... I don't know what's going on."
"I will. Don't panic," Alora assured him, pushing the door open.
She froze.
Blood.
It stained the floor like a silent scream.
Her voice quivered as she shouted, "Dylan!"
He rushed in, heart pounding so loudly he could barely hear her. His eyes widened in horror at the sight of the dark red trail. Frantically, he looked around—and then he saw it.
Ember's phone. Lying near the trash bin. Abandoned.
He dropped to his knees, grabbing it, his hands shaking. "No, no, no..." he whispered under his breath, the air growing colder with every second. His mind raced. Where was she? Who had taken her?
The fear that had been simmering now exploded into full-blown terror, but underneath it, something fierce ignited in him—an unshakable resolve.
"I swear," he whispered, gripping her phone like a lifeline, "I'll find you, Ember. No matter what. No matter who I have to face."
Dylan's hands shook slightly as he called his father, asking him to take Alora his mother—home. But she refused, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes.
"I'm going with your dad. I'll check the CCTV footage and contact the police. But you..." she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "you stay here and pull yourself together. Ember needs you more than ever right now."
Dylan clenched his jaw, nodding silently as they left. The weight of her words settled over him like a storm cloud. He turned toward the mirror, his reflection blurred by the water he splashed over his face.
"You can't fall apart now," he muttered to himself. "She needs you. Find her."
With his heart thundering in his chest, Dylan pulled out his phone and called Adrien. Within minutes, Adrien rushed to the ladies' room, panic already forming in his eyes.
"Dylan, what happened?"
His gaze fell to the bloodstains on the floor, and his face went pale. "Where's Ember? Don't—don't tell me this is her blood?" His voice cracked, and he grabbed Dylan by the collar, desperation seeping through every word. "Tell me this isn't hers!"
Before Dylan could speak, Emir appeared behind them, face grim.
"Now's not the time to fight," he snapped. "If you really care about her, do something useful. Help him. Can you do that, Adrien?"
Dylan tore Adrien's grip from his collar and stepped forward, fire blazing in his eyes. "Are you done? Then be the damn doctor you are. You have Ember's full medical file—you can tell if this is her blood. Do it. Because if it is... we don't have time to waste. We need to find her, fast."
Adrien, shaken but focused, nodded. "Okay..." he murmured, before turning and sprinting to the car to retrieve his medical kit.
Dylan stood there, fists clenched, chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. His world was unraveling—but he refused to let fear paralyze him.
"Hang on, Ember," he whispered under his breath. "I'm coming for you."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, Dylan's parents rushed into the CCTV control room, their hearts pounding with urgency. They scanned the footage anxiously, frame by frame, searching for anything—anything—that might explain Ember's disappearance. At first, nothing seemed out of place. No signs of a struggle. No obvious danger.
But then, something caught Alora's eye.
"Wait... that car." Her voice was sharp with realization. "That black SUV—it seems suspicious," she pointed at the screen. "It's been parked in the same spot every day this week. Always idle. Always silent. But today..." the guards said. He paused, eyes narrowing. "Today, it's gone—vanished, just minutes after the girl you mentioned went missing."
A chill ran down her spine.
They froze, dread blooming like poison in their veins.
"It was waiting for her until today And now it's gone—," Alora whispered.
Without hesitation, Dylan's father pulled out his phone and called the authorities. His voice was urgent, commanding.
"We have a possible abduction. Trace a black SUV—license plate partially visible on CCTV. A girl is missing. Her name is Ember."
Back at the scene, Dylan's pulse raced as he waited for news, unaware of what his parents had just uncovered. His thoughts were locked on Ember—on the way she smiled, the warmth in her eyes, the way she made the world feel right even when it was falling apart.
And now... she was gone.
Emir turned to Dylan, his expression grim. "What exactly happened?"
Dylan's jaw tightened as he handed over his phone. "These... these are the last messages Ember and I exchanged just moments before she vanished. And now, she's nowhere to be found."
Emir scrolled through the messages, reading them carefully. One stood out.
"Did you ever meet the girl Ember mentioned? The one she kept running into?" he asked, glancing up sharply.
"No," Dylan replied, his voice low and heavy with tension. "I've never met her. But Ember said she kept seeing the same girl everywhere—every spot, even when we were just walking through the city. It's like she was following us."
Emir's eyes narrowed. "Then I'm certain—that girl has something to do with this. I'd bet my life on it."
"What was her name?" Emir pressed, urgency creeping into his tone.
Dylan thought for a moment, then answered, "I think... Leora. That's what Ember called her."
At the sound of the name, Adrien, who had just returned with the medical kit, froze in his tracks. His breath caught as he whispered, "What did you just say?"
"Leora," Dylan repeated, watching Adrien's face pale. "She's the one Ember has been running into. Over and over. She said it felt... unnatural."
Emir turned to Adrien, who looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Why? Do you know her?"
Adrien's voice was barely a whisper, choked with disbelief.
"My sister..."
"What?" Dylan asked, squinting slightly. He hadn't caught Adrien's words—the tension had clouded his focus.
"Nothing," Adrien said quickly, brushing it off. "I'll just check the blood." He turned away, not ready to reveal the truth that burned inside him, and began collecting the samples with trembling hands.
Meanwhile, Emir was still scanning Ember's phone. His eyes suddenly widened. "Dylan—look," he said, handing over the device. "There's a voice recording saved on her phone."
Dylan took it, his fingers tense as he tapped the screen. The audio started to play.
It was his own voice.
A call... from half an hour ago.
And then another voice echoed through the speakers—a female voice, smooth and sweet, but laced with venom.
Leora.
They listened in stunned silence as her words unfurled like poison into the air, every syllable curling with cruelty.
"So sad, Ember... This is what happens when you lie to someone." Leora's voice cooed through the speaker. It sounded like silk wrapped around a blade. "You said you were just friends with him. But you weren't, were you? You lied... and now, you have to be punished."
Dylan's fists clenched at his sides, his breath caught in his throat. Every instinct in his body screamed to protect Ember—yet all he could do now was listen.
The audio continued, her tone gleefully dark.
"Oh no, look at that... blood." She giggled softly, the sound sending a chill down Dylan's spine. "Poor Ember. There's blood coming from your head. Oh! I almost forgot—you can't see it right now, can you?"
She leaned closer to the microphone, and the rustle of her clothes against the phone made Dylan's heart race. He could picture it too clearly—Ember on the floor, helpless, and Leora hovering like a predator.
Then came the sound of her dialling.
"Take her," she said coolly, as two male voices shuffled into the background. "Make sure no one sees."
A few seconds of silence followed. Then the soft scuffle of feet dragging Ember's unconscious body.
Ember had been recording her conversation, unknowingly capturing the shadow that had been following her.
Dylan's chest rose and fell in harsh breaths. The rage inside him had transformed into something deeper—something primal. She was hurt. She was bleeding. And he hadn't been there to stop it.
Dylan's knuckles turned white around the phone. Adrien stood silently in the corner, still unwilling to confess that the voice belonged to his sister. But the truth was now undeniable.
Emir broke the silence. "That means... the blood on the floor. It's Ember's." His voice cracked, his calm unravelling. "What do we do now?"
Dylan stared at the floor, shaken. "Her blood... it's not normal," he murmured. "Ember's blood is rare. If she loses too much, it could become unstable—even dangerous to herself. We have to find her—fast."
Adrien opened his mouth, ready to speak—maybe even confess—but before he could say anything, flashing lights pierced through the windows. The police had arrived.
Arzel Dylan's father enter with the lead officer, stepped into the room. His presence was firm, commanding.
"Emir," he said calmly, "go to your parents. Keep the event running smoothly. Make sure no one suspects a thing. We can't risk a panic."
Then, before leaving, emir leaned in close to Dylan and whispered, "Don't lose hope. You're the only one Ember truly knows here. Stay strong for her. I'll catch up with you in an hour." With that, he turned and disappeared into the hallway.
Adrien followed soon after, slipping out quietly to avoid being noticed, the weight of his secret dragging behind him like a shadow.
-----------------
On the other side of the city, far beyond the glowing skyline of Haliçis, Ember was dragged into a secluded mansion nestled in the shadows of the outskirts. The night was thick with silence, the air humming with danger. Leora had been careful—every turn planned, every camera avoided. No one had seen them.
She brought Ember down into the cold, dim basement—its stone walls silent witnesses to whatever darkness lived there. Leora tied Ember's unconscious body to the headboard of a metal-framed bed, her hands tight with cruelty, yet precise, as if this wasn't her first time.
"Bandage the wound on her head," Leora ordered sharply, turning to one of the two men who'd accompanied her. Her voice was cool, collected—inhumanly calm. "I don't want her bleeding out before morning."
The man obeyed in silence, pressing cloth to the blood-matted hair above Ember's temple, while the other kept guard.
Leora turned to leave—but then something caught her eye.
A glint.
Something delicate.
Something that didn't belong in this place of shadows.
She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing.
The ring.
Ember's ring.
The one Dylan had placed gently on her finger—the one that shimmered with memory, with meaning. Leora had watched them for days, hidden in plain sight, a ghost among their laughter and stolen glances. Every time Dylan looked at Ember, touched her, chose her...
Jealousy curdled in Leora's veins.
"He gave you this?" she hissed through gritted teeth, reaching out to take the ring. "He chose you... over me?"
She grabbed Ember's hand and yanked—but the ring didn't move.
It clung to her like it belonged there. Like it was part of her body. The metal didn't just resist—it refused.
Frustrated and furious, Leora drove her sharp nails into Ember's skin, tearing into the delicate flesh as she twisted and tugged the ring free.
Even unconscious, Ember whimpered in pain, her lips trembling.
A single tear escaped beneath the cloth tied over her eyes, soaking into the fabric.
Finally, with a triumphant snarl, Leora ripped the ring free—but Ember's finger was left bleeding, red drops trailing down her pale hand. "He should have been mine." Leora whispered to Ember's unconscious form, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You were just… the dream he got stuck in. I'm reality. And I always win."
Leora sneered and tossed the ring into her pocket.
"Bandage her finger too," she said coldly. "I don't want her to die... not yet. Not until she feels what it's like to lose everything."
With one last glance at Ember, vulnerable and broken in the dark, Leora turned and disappeared—leaving her captive alone in a basement that smelled of damp stone and secrets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On Dylan's side of the city, everything was chaos beneath the surface—but his father worked swiftly, making sure that no one at the event had any idea what was truly unfolding behind the scenes. The guests smiled, unaware. But inside, a storm was brewing.
Meanwhile, the police were combing through Ember's phone. It didn't take long for them to uncover something unexpected—voice recordings. Every call with Dylan had been saved. Every sweet conversation. Every quiet moment. Including the last one.
Dylan's heart clenched as he realized it.
She had recorded it all... because she wanted to keep a piece of him.
He remembered the way she'd once shyly smiled at him, her fingers brushing her hair back as she whispered, "I love to hear your voice. It calms me."
That memory hit him like a punch to the chest. He could barely breathe.
Then came a breakthrough.
The police had traced the black SUV from the CCTV footage. It had disappeared shortly after Ember had gone missing—but now, with a clearer timeline and direction, they were narrowing it down.
Dylan's eyes lit with sudden hope.
"Wait," he said urgently, pulling out his phone. "The ring Ember was wearing... it's not just jewelry. There's a tracker inside. I made sure she wore it in case anything ever happened."
He fumbled with his app, fingers shaking as he opened the encrypted GPS.
A blinking dot appeared.
Dylan's breath caught.
The signal was active.
And it was coming from area where he has his own apartment in Haliçis.
"She's there," he said quickly, showing the screen to the police. "The tracker's still moving. That means she's fine."
Without wasting a second, Dylan turned and sprinted toward the car, the officers close behind. But in his mind, he was already there—tearing through the darkness, crashing through walls if he had to.
He just wanted to hold her again.
To make sure she was breathing.
To whisper in her ear, "You're safe now, Ember. I've got you. I'm never letting anyone hurt you again."
As the car sped through the night, Dylan prayed with everything in him.
Please... let her still be there. Let her be safe. Let me find her in time. He remembered the way her fingers curled into his jacket the last time they danced—her whisper, "I feel safe with you." Now, she was somewhere bleeding, and he wasn't there.
Because if anything happened to Ember...
He didn't know who he'd become.
-------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Adrien paced by the hotel entrance, his phone pressed tightly to his ear. Something about all this didn't sit right with him. He called home, needing answers—particularly about one person.
The nanny picked up. "Sir?"
"Where is Lai?" he asked, his voice sharp.
"Ma'am is sleeping right now," she replied, but there was a hesitation in her tone.
Adrien narrowed his eyes. "Really? When did you last see her?"
There was silence for a moment, then she finally said, "At the dining table... when she was having dinner."
He didn't believe her. "Send me a picture of Lai. Right now. If you don't, I'll send my secretary to check. And if I find out you're lying—I'll make sure you never work again."
Panicked, the nanny caved. "I'm sorry, sir! Actually, ma'am said she was going on a vacation... She told me not to tell anyone—not even you. She promised me money if I kept it secret."
Adrien's voice dropped dangerously. "Tell me everything. Now."
"She was just scrolling through her phone when she suddenly got up and started packing. I asked where she was going, and she said she needed fresh air. She warned me not to tell anyone, especially you, because you'd stop her."
Adrien's expression darkened. "What day did she leave the house?"
"A week ago..."
He exploded. "A WEEK?! And you're telling me this now? You're fired. I'm sending someone to escort you out—leave before I forget you were ever loyal to this family!"
He hung up and immediately dialed his secretary. "Check all recent flight records and see if Lai used her passport to travel to Haliçis in the past week. Keep this from our parents. Just update me directly. Also, send me a list of all the properties we own in that city."
"Yes, sir," came the prompt reply.
Just then, Adrien noticed Emir standing near the entrance, staring toward the street. He walked up to him quickly.
"What happened?" Adrien asked, voice low.
Emir looked grim. "Dylan installed a tracker inside Ember's ring. We're tracing it now—I think we're close. I just hope we find her in time."
Adrien frowned. "Where is Dylan now?"
"He went to his apartment. The one he uses when he's working in Haliçis. That's where the tracker led."
Without another word, Adrien rushed to the parking lot. As he drove off, he dialed his secretary again. "Do we own any apartment near the river in Haliçis?"
"Yes, sir. One of your private units. I've just sent you the location."
"Good. And what about Lai?"
"We confirmed she traveled to Haliçis just a few days ago. Also, I'll bring her medication and the medical records you requested from your office. And I will be there in the morning . Sir."
Adrien's jaw tightened as he floored the accelerator, weaving through the city streets.
If Leora was the one who did this and dragged ember into this …if she hurt Ember in any way…
He wasn't going to forgive her.
Not this time..