Submitting to my Ex Uncle Chapter 243

It’s been three hours.

Three hours since the explosion.

Three hours since his n scoured the coastline, searching every dune, every footprint, and every shadow.

Eight hours since he last heard Celeste’s voice.

He stood now in the control room of his overall tech room, surrounded by monitors. The air slled of coffee, gun oil, and electricity.

"Amara’s tracker pinged once," his tech said quietly. "We’ve got movent near the south docks. But Celeste’s signal—"

"Still nothing."

"Yes, sir."

Dominic didn’t speak again. He only nodded once. His eyes stayed on the central screen, where a grainy drone feed showed the black sprawl of the city’s edge.

The silence stretched.

Then, his phone buzzed. It was a private line.

Every head in the room lifted.

Dominic’s gaze flicked toward it, steady, snd unhurried. He picked up and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Cross." A faint, distorted chuckle ca through the other end. "Still so angry. You haven’t changed, Dominic."

Carlos.

Dominic’s jaw tightened. "You have three seconds."

Carlos laughed softly. "Ah, I missed this. The arrogance. The tone. I can see why she adores you."

"Where is she?"

"Safe," Carlos said simply. "For now."

Dominic’s silence was sharper than any threat.

Carlos continued, almost casually. "I must admit, it took a lot to separate the two of you. Your wife has spirit. I can see why you guard her so closely. She’s... different."

Dominic’s fingers curled slightly around the phone, but his voice didn’t rise. "Na your price."

Carlos humd. "You think this is about money? I asked you to marry my princess."

Dominic said nothing.

Carlos’s tone shifted. "You’ve built your empire on control, Dominic. On fear. You make people disappear, but no one touches you. It’s almost poetic thatl the one woman who makes you human is the one I now have."

Dominic’s silence deepened.

Carlos waited, perhaps expecting rage, a threat, or a broken voice. But nothing ca. Only a quiet breath.

When Dominic finally spoke, his voice was calm, low, and terrifyingly steady. "Enjoy your mont, Carlos. It’s the last peace you’ll ever have."

Carlos laughed again, though this ti there was hesitation beneath it. "I’ll give you a chance. et . No weapons, no guards. We talk."

"Where?"

"The old refinery outside the bay. You rember it."

Dominic’s gaze drifted to one of the monitors. It was the sa map he had used years ago, when he and Carlos were partners. He rembered it perfectly.

"I’ll co," he said.

"Alone."

Dominic didn’t answer. The silence stretched so long that Carlos’s voice cracked a little when he spoke again. "You hear , Cross?"

"I heard you," Dominic said finally.

Then he hung up.

For a mont, the room was utterly still. The n didn’t dare speak. The sound of the phone hitting the table was soft, and deliberate.

"Trace it," Dominic said.

The tech was already on it. "Working, sir. It’s bouncing through five different relays—"

"Find it." He ordered.

"Yes, sir."

Dominic turned toward the window. The city lights glimred in the glass. His reflection was cold and clear.

"Carlos wants a eting," he said quietly.

Rodger’s second-in-command stepped forward. "Sir, if he’s behind this—"

"He is."

"Then it’s a trap."

"I know."

"Then we can’t—"

Dominic turned his head slightly. "Prepare the car."

The man hesitated. "Sir..."

Dominic’s gaze shifted toward him, and that was enough.

"Yes, sir."

When he reached his suite, the silence hit harder. The sll of her perfu still lingered faintly in the air.

He picked it up slowly, staring at the faint trace of lipstick on the rim. His chest felt heavy with the weight of knowing that if she were gone, the world would burn until it was just ash and smoke.

He set the perfu bottle down and opened the top drawer of the console. A black pistol lay inside. He stared at it for a long ti, then closed the drawer again.

Not yet.

Carlos wanted him unard. He’d give him that illusion. He’d do whatever Carlos wants until he sees that she’s alright.

.......

By the ti he reached the car, his convoy was already lined up. He stopped halfway and turned to his n.

"No one follows inside. Not until I say."

"Yes, sir."

Rodger, pale but conscious, stood near the hood of another vehicle. A thin line of bandage ran across his temple. "Sir, let go with you."

Dominic’s voice was calm. "You’re not fit for the field."

"Then send soone else. Don’t go alone."

Dominic t his eyes. "I’ve already lost her once tonight. I won’t lose her again because you hesitated."

Rodger swallowed hard and said nothing.

Dominic opened the door, paused, then said quietly, "If anything happens to , get her back. Both of them."

Rodger nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."

Dominic’s eyes softened for a brief second. "You’ll get the location the mont I do."

His n nodded, and with that, he stepped inside his car, and drove off.

The drive to the refinery was long and silent. Rain began to fall, light at first, then heavier. It hit the windshield repeatedly.

Dominic’s hand rested against the wheel, his thumb tapping once against the leather. His mind replayed Carlos’s words, every pause, and every smirk.

"You’ve built your empire on control..."

"...the one woman who makes you human is the one I now have."

The words replayed, over and over, until they dissolved into nothing but noise.

He didn’t fear what Carlos could do. He feared what he himself would do once he found him.

The refinery lood ahead.

He parked and stepped out. The rain soaked into his shirt imdiately, but he didn’t flinch. His shoes crunched against gravel.

A voice echoed from inside. "Dominic Cross, the great ghost himself."

Carlos stepped out from the darkness, with a faint grin slicing across his face. He looked smaller than Dominic rembered. He looked older, thinner, and desperate. His eyes still glead with malice.

Dominic didn’t speak. He stood still, the rain dripping down his jaw, with his gaze locked on the man who took his wife.

Carlos circled slowly. "You look angry."

Dominic said nothing.

Carlos tilted his head. "Nothing to say? No threats? No promises?"

Dominic’s voice was soft. "Where is she?"

Carlos smiled faintly. "Oh, you’ll see her. But you’ll have to earn it."

"I’m not playing your gas."

"This isn’t a ga, Dominic. These are the consequences from your actions."

Dominic’s jaw flexed. "You think you understand consequences?"

Carlos leaned in slightly. "You took everything from once. Now I’ll take everything from you. Piece by piece. Until there’s nothing left of your perfect world but dust."

Dominic didn’t blink. "You made one mistake, Carlos."

Carlos’s smile faltered. "And what’s that?"

Dominic stepped closer. Close enough that their eyes t fully. "You touched her."

Carlos’s grin returned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "We’ll see how long your calm lasts when you hear her scream."