jared

A series of knocks echoed through the hallway.

"Sir, the master wants to talk to you," a maid's voice interrupted my thoughts

"Okay, tell him I'll be there in ten minutes," I replied, my mind still foggy as I dressed up and headed toward my father's office.

He sat there with a blueprint of his new jewelry shop, eager to share his vision with me. As I studied the plans, I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship—though it wasn't all that different from his previous stores, it had a charm of its own. My father had built an empire: five jewelry shops and ten coffee shops and restaurants scattered across Shadow Glen, many of them inherited from his father. I was to inherit them too, but looming over this inheritance was the shadow of his work as an informant for Jared's father, using the anonymity of his businesses to gather valuable information from the conversations that fluttered around

After our discussion concluded and plans were finalized, I descended the stairs to check on Elara. I hadn't seen her all day, and a gnawing worry settled in my chest. I needed to apologize for whatever had transpired the previous night. As I reached her door, it was already 12:30 when I knocked, but there was no response. I knocked again, this time more insistently, but still received silence. The maids I encountered merely shrugged, claiming she hadn't left her room in quite some time. A sense of urgency gripped me as I kicked down the door, expecting to find an empty space, but to my shock, she lay sleeping on her bed. My heart raced with relief and anxiety as I approached, but as I touched the bed, I felt only the heavy weight of blankets. I pulled them back, revealing a pile of clothes instead of her.

"Elara! Elara, where are you? Stop this, you're no longer a child!"

I called, panic lacing my voice. I rushed upstairs to my mother, my breath hitching as I urgently inquired if she had seen Elara. Her face paled, and she shook her head, tremors of fear in her voice.

"Only heard she wanted to be left alone...

What do you mean this?"

I played a recording from Elara's phone, the sound of her voice striking a chord of dread within my mother.

"No, Elara wouldn't dare… maybe she's just at the ice cream shop or at the skating center or at the club".

she said, her voice a mixture of hope and disbelief.

"It's alright, I'll check and ask around. She wouldn't go far," I reassured her, though unease gnawed at me.

I hopped in the car and drove off, my thoughts racing with desperate pleas: please be safe, Elara. Please be there. The world outside was fraught with danger, and I felt the weight of it pressing against my chest with every passing moment. I scoured all the places my mum mentioned, retracing our steps, but each destination yielded no trace of her. When I finally returned home, the atmosphere was thick with anxiety; no one had seen her.

My mother's sobs echoed through the house as my brothers tried futilely to console her. My father was already on the phone, a look of worry etched into his features. I stood there, drenched in mixed emotions, grappling with thoughts—if Elara had confided in me about wanting to run away, I would have supported her. I would have found a safe haven for her; she didn't have to face this alone. As the storm of thoughts swirled in my mind, memories of the previous night flooded back. Did I say something to hurt her? The uncertainty tormented me as I realized time was slipping away.