Matthew parked his car in the hotel''s lot and let out a sigh, ncing at his phone. ire had texted him to stay in the car, but now it had been thirty minutes, and there was still no sign of her. His phone buzzed again, but it wasn''t from ire. Just some spam messages. He furrowed his brows, sent her a text asking if everything was alright, and waited for a reply. The seconds ticked by. Nothing. He checked his phone again, figuring maybe her battery had died, but something didn''t feel right.


    ire wasn''t the type to ghost anyone, let alone him, especially not when they had ns.novelbin


    "I bet she''sworking or talking to people, being all social," Matthew muttered to himself, trying to stay positive. But deep down, he couldn''t shake off the uneasy feeling brewing in his gut.


    Thirty minutes turned into an hour. Still no ire. Matthew fiddled with his phone, scrolling through social media to pass the time, but he kept ncing at the hotel''s entrance. Why hadn''t shee out yet? He tried calling her, but it went straight to voicemail. Again. "Come on, ire," he whispered, rubbing his temple. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. The more time that passed, the weirder it felt. ire was never the kind of person to leave someone hanging without a heads-up. If she was going to bete, she''d say something. Waiting another thirty minutes was beginning to feel ridiculous.


    Meanwhile, inside the hotel, Adrian had just finished a long chat with his grandfather. He was about to make his way back to ire, but after scanning the ballroom, she was nowhere to be seen.


    "That''s weird," Adrian muttered, checking his watch. She''d been there just a little while ago. Maybe she went to thedies'' room or something, he thought.


    After 90 minutes of sitting in the car, Matthew couldn''t take it anymore. His gut was screaming at him now. Something was definitely wrong. ire wouldn''t do this without a reason. He had to go in and check.


    Climbing out of the car, Matthew stretched, trying to shake off the stiffness in his legs, and marched toward the hotel entrance. The ballroom where the event was being held was on the first floor, so he headed straight there, his footsteps quick and purposeful. He had to confirm his suspicion.


    However, just as he reached the ballroom, a couple of beefy security guys blocked his way, crossing their arms like they were professional door-huggers.


    "Excuse me, sir. Invitation, please," one of them grunted, standing so tall Matthew had to crane his neck just to see his face.


    Matthew blinked. "Oh, I don''t have one, but I''m just here to-"


    "No invitation, no entry," the other guard cut him off, his expression as t as a pancake.


    Matthew sighed, trying to stay calm. "Look, I''m not trying to crash the party or anything. I''m just looking for someone, my friend ire. She''s in there, and-" "Rules are rules," the first guard said, shifting his stance as if Matthew was about tounch into some ninja moves. "We can''t let anyone in without proper credentials." "Please, just for a minute."


    The guards shook their heads. "No is a no, sir. You are not allowed to enter if you don''t have an invitation."


    Matthew knew it was useless to argue. These guys weren''t going to bend the rules just because he was looking for a friend. And thest thing he wanted was toe off like a desperate party-crasher or worse, a weirdo scammer.


    As Matthew was about to turn away in frustration, the door to the ballroom swung open. Thanks to the soft ssical music ying instead of some loud DJ beats, Matthew''s voice could be heard clearly.


    "Alexander!" Matthew called, spotting a familiar face just inside. He recognized him instantly, even from far away.


    His eyes widened in surprise. Matthew? Really?


    "You are not allowed to shout, sir."


    Alexander, who had been talking to someone, whipped his head around at the sound of his name. He squinted like he wasn''t sure if his eyes were ying tricks on him or not. "Matthew? Is he here or am I just seeing things?" he muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes. Just as Matthew tried to take a step forward, the guard put a firm hand on his shoulder. "No yelling, sir. You''re causing a scene."


    "I''m not yelling. I was calling a friend."


    Matthew red at the guard, ready to argue, but before he could say anything, the door burst open again. Alexander stepped through, his frown deepening when he saw Matthew standing there, looking all kinds of worried.


    "What are you doing here?" Alexander asked, his voice filled with genuine surprise. He stepped past the security, who were still trying to shoo Matthew away.


    Matthew sighed with relief. "Thank God, you can hear me. Have you seen ire?" His tone was sharp, bordering on panicked.


    Alexander shook his head. "No. Why? What''s going on? And why are you asking?" His mind was starting to buzz with questions.


    Matthew''s frown deepened, making


    his face look even more serious than usual. "She texted me. Like, an hour


    and a half ago. Told me toe е pick her up." He waved his phone for emphasis. "But when I got here, she wasn''t outside. I waited, called her, and nothing. Straight to voicemail.”


    Alexander''s heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to stay calm. Alexander''s mind drifted to hisst conversation with Lisa. Can it be Lisa''s n is on the run? He pushed that thought away. Alexander knows that ire is smarter than Lisa and she will not fall for her trap if it


    happens one day.


    "ire? She was here, I mean I did talk to her earlier. Maybe she''s still inside. Let me look around the ballroom before you start freaking out."


    Matthew threw his hands up, already on edge. "Don''t bother, man. If you haven''t seen her, she''s not here."


    "Let''s not assume the worst. Maybe she is on her way home and left you or her battery dies."


    Matthew shook his head. "No, she would never do that. I know her. I''m gonna track her phone."


    Before Alexander could say anything, Matthew spun on his heel and headed out of the hotel, his pace quickening with the second. Alexander muttered a curse under his breath, annoyed by the cameras still hanging around outside the hotel. "Great," he mumbled, catching up with Matthew. "Just what I need."


    The sh of the cameras started the


    second they stepped outside. "Alexander! How''s the event?" one paparazzo shouted, as the others snapped away. Alexander rolled his eyes and ignored them, hurrying to hop into the passenger seat of Matthew''s car before the mob got any closer.


    As soon as Alexander shut the door, Matthew turned toward him with a scowl. "What the hell was-"


    "Drive!" Alexander interrupted, cutting him off before he could finish. He jerked his thumb toward the crowd of photographers swarming the car. "Unless you want them surrounding us, drive." Matthew shot him a dark look, but he jammed his foot on the gas, and the car sped off.


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