GRANT POV
My plan was simple or at least it was supposed to be. I should’ve taken the left turn that led to Luca’s side of town. That was the logical thing to do.
Handle business, check on the bastard, get the updates, have my n sort the bloody ss, and maybe, just maybe, keep my mind from wandering back to her.
But no.
Sowhere between reasoning and impulse, I found myself driving in the opposite direction, heading straight into Manhattan. Before I could even pretend I didn’t know where I was going, my car rolled to a stop in front of their hostel.
It’s seven in the damn morning. I sat there for a second, staring at the building like it had personally offended .
You don’t need a psychic to tell that I’m pussy-whipped, pussy-dehydrated, and pussy-starved. And it’s not even just about the sex. God, it’s not. But hell, if we’re being honest, it’s the best I’ve had in a long, long ti.
I yanked a face cap from the passenger seat and pulled it low, hoping it’d shield from unwanted attention or maybe my own sha. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I regretted it.
A familiar shadow blocked my way.
My reflexes kicked in before my brain did. My hand went for the gun that wasn’t there, only for to realize who it was.
"Ivin."
He just stood there, arms folded like a father catching his son sneaking out at night.
"What the fuck, man?" I groaned, shoving him aside. "Are you stalking now?"
He didn’t move. "You didn’t notice you were being tailed?" His tone was light, but his eyes weren’t. "That’s risky, boss. Could’ve been anyone."
I narrowed my eyes, about to tell him off, then I saw it.
"Hold up—is that your bloody pajamas?"
He blinked at . "What?"
I gestured to the ridiculous shirt. "This weird Duck? Seriously?"
"It’s Donald Duck," he said flatly, just realizing he’d left the house like that.
"Still a bloody animated duck," I muttered. "Didn’t see that coming."
He sighed like a man who regretted every decision that led to this mont. "Is that why you left the house before daybreak, wearing the sa clothes from two days ago? To co stand outside your daughter’s hostel with no security or warning?"
Duck. No—fuck.
I looked away, pretending to check my watch. "Just ca to check on Lena’s health," I said too quickly. The lie sounded weak even to .
"Right," he said slowly. "That’s why you haven’t changed clothes for days?"
"It’s different clothes. Sa designer." I pushed the lie further down the hill.
He raised a brow. "If you say so, boss."
His tone said otherwise. I ignored it, mostly because people were starting to co out, sleepy faces, slippers dragging, phone caras probably ready. Last thing I needed was to trend for being the overprotective mob father at a college dorm.
So I walked past him and straight to her door.
I knocked. Once. Twice. Then harder.
No answer.
By the fifth knock, the door swung open.
"Uh... hi, Dad?" Lena’s voice was small, surprised. Her robe was tied lazily around her waist, hair ssy, eyes still fighting sleep.
"Can I co in?" I asked, smiling like a stranger asking permission to enter a cri scene.
"Um... yeah. Sure. Why not."
I stepped in, imdiately hit by the mixed sll of cheap air freshener, vanilla lotion, and sothing burnt, toast maybe. The apartnt was small, typical college setup. Beige walls everywhere except one corner that was painted black. That one scread Nova.
I glanced around, taking it in. ssy desk, tangled fairy lights, textbooks stacked carelessly on the floor. I almost smiled. It looked lived-in. Too lived-in.
Then my eyes caught movent under a pink duvet, Two bodies tangled underneath. One blonde girl, one dread-headed man. Definitely not Luca or Nova.
I froze, narrowing my eyes. The dread hair and that build. I knew that silhouette. I just couldn’t place it yet, my mind is on more pressing issues.
Lena stepped closer, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Uh... it’s nice to have you here, Dad," she said, voice tight.
"How’s your leg? You feel better?" I asked, trying to sound casual. It ca out like gravel.
"Yeah. Is that why you’re here? You could’ve just called."
Right. I deserved that tone. I hadn’t even called her once since the hospital. But I’ve had my secretary check on her.
"What about Nova?" I asked before my brain could stop my mouth.
Her brows lifted. "What about her? She’s probably at her boyfriend’s place."
"Boyfriend?" I repeated.
"Yes, Dad. We’re not kids anymore. Girls my age have lovers."
She said it casually, but it landed heavily. If only she knew what kind of man her father was.
"Oh. True," I muttered, clearing my throat. "Alright, I’ll be on my way then."
She gave a short nod, lips pressed tight. The door slamd before I reached the hallway.
I deserved that too.
The silence after the door shut was loud. Too loud. I stood there for a beat, staring at nothing, thinking about all the things I hadn’t said and all the things I’d done wrong.
Since the hospital, I hadn’t texted, hadn’t called. But I’m my defense I had made sure my assistant handled everything. Extra money, the neccessary supplie as well as her logistics.
Easy to throw money where effort should be.
As I walked toward the parking lot, sothing caught my eye.
The car.
The fucking car I’d bought for Nova on a whim, parked near the edge of the lot. It looked brand new, untouched, a thin layer of dust hugging the surface like it’d been sitting there for weeks.
She hadn’t driven it. Not once.
My chest tightened. Was it because she’s with another guy? Or because she can’t?
"Boss," Ivin called from behind, but I didn’t respond. I was already circling the car, running a hand over the hood, checking for warmth, fingerprints, anything. Nothing. No sll of her perfu, no smudge of lip gloss on the mirror. Just cold, lifeless tal, nothing personalized about it.
Sothing felt off. Way off.
Then ca muffled footsteps I could’ve missed if I wasn’t extra attentive. It was quick and Scattered like soone was tiptoeing. I can’t be too careful to I rounded the corner to et with whoever it was only to to co face to face with no other person but...
Jay.
The sa Jay assigned to guard my daughter, sprinting down the stairs like his balls were on fire. The fucker was bare-chested with just his briefs on him and his clothes clutched in one hand.
He didn’t see us coming until he ran straight into but Ivin caught him by the dreads, yanking him back mid-motion.
Jay froze. His eyes went wide, lips trembling.
"I knew that head looked familiar," I muttered, eyes narrowing.
"Boss, I swear I can explain—" he started, words tripping over each other.
"Where’s Nova?" I asked. Calmly not like I wasn’t offended that he chose to think with his dick while he was supposed to be on duty, but I had more important things to priortize.
He blinked, looking between us.
"Boss... since that night she ca to et you at the suite, she hasn’t been ho."
The air thinned instantly.
"You an she ca back to the hostel before going sowhere else?"
He shook his head so fast I thought his dreads would fly off. "No, boss. She never ca back at all."
The world went still for a mont.
My pulse stuttered.
I turned, slow and deliberate, eyes sweeping from Jay to Ivin. The sunlight suddenly felt too sharp. Every sound around from the distant chatter, to the cars and the birds, they all blurred into static.
"What do you an she never ca back?" I asked quietly.
Jay swallowed, voice breaking. "I waited that night like you told to. She didn’t show. I called her number and even texted but nothing. I thought maybe she... stayed over at your place."
"She didn’t." My voice ca out hoarse.
"She didn’t show up at class the next morning either," he added quickly, like saying it faster would make it less fatal.
My stomach turned cold.
"She’s been missing for days?" Ivin’s voice cut through the tension.
Jay hesitated, then nodded. "I didn’t want to assu, boss. I thought—"
"You thought wrong," I snapped.
Ivin looked at , unreadable. "What do you want us to do?"
My hands clenched. The cap suddenly felt too tight on my head.
"Find her," I said, low and steady. "Now."
Jay nodded frantically.
"And if anything happens to her..." My voice faltered. For the first ti in years, I felt panic. Real panic and disappointed in myself for jumping too quickly to conclusions.
Ivin’s eyes hardened. "We’ll find her."
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