Alexander’s POV

I stood on the balcony of the master bedroom, absentmindedly smoking. The ashtray beside me was overflowing, a small mountain of ashes piled inside. It had been the only thing keeping me going for the past three days.

I had just returned from Aurelius Technologies after another long and unsuccessful day.

The villa felt unbearably empty.

Quiet.

Cold.

Some days I didn’t even want to come back here.

Raphael had practically forced me to return and get some rest, but rest felt impossible.

Whenever I closed my eyes, all I saw was Alicia.

Alicia looking at me with sadness.

Alicia staring at me with those lifeless eyes.

Three days.

Three whole days of searching, and we still hadn’t found a single trace of her.

Nothing.

It was as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth.

Did she hate me that much?

Enough to leave behind her hometown, her career, her friends...

Everything?

The sound of an engine pulling into the driveway snapped me out of my thoughts.

I looked down and saw Miles Harper and another executive stepping out of a black sedan.

I watched them walk toward the villa before crushing the cigarette into the ashtray and heading downstairs.

By the time I entered the living room, Maria had already welcomed them inside and served refreshments. She was about to come upstairs for me, but stopped when she saw me descending the staircase.

"Mr. Blackwood."

Both men stood and greeted me.

I nodded before taking a seat opposite them.

"What brings you here?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

The two exchanged awkward glances.

Miles cleared his throat.

"Mr. Blackwood, as you know, ever since the passing of the late Chairwoman, the chairman’s position has remained vacant."

I remained silent.

He continued.

"After the will reading, you became the largest shareholder in the company. By right, that makes you the next chairman."

I leaned back against the couch and listened without speaking.

The second executive took over.

"With the company’s current situation, it isn’t wise to leave the chairman’s position vacant for much longer. I believe you understand what we’re trying to say."

A long sigh escaped me.

Of course I understood.

Nana had entrusted the company to me.

I understood that responsibility better than anyone.

But right now...

I wasn’t sure I could carry it.

Not in this state.

"I understand what you’re saying," I finally replied. "And I will consider it."

The relief on their faces barely appeared before I continued.

"But right now, I’m not in the right state of mind for leadership."

Their expressions stiffened.

I looked away briefly before speaking again.

"Too many things have happened in a short period of time. I need to sort them out first."

My gaze lowered for a moment.

"I can’t take on a responsibility this important when I can barely focus on anything else."

The room fell silent.

Then I slowly stood.

The discussion was over.

"When I’m ready, I’ll contact you."

The two executives exchanged another glance before standing as well.

"Mr. Blackwood," Miles said carefully, "I hope you’ll think about this seriously. The company is in a difficult position right now."

I simply nodded.

With nothing left to say, they left the villa.

The front door closed behind them.

Silence returned.

I stood alone in the living room for a long moment.

The truth was...

Nana’s death had affected me far more than I wanted to admit.

And now Alicia was gone.

Those two losses together felt like a weight crushing my chest every second of every day.

I didn’t know what to do anymore.

I didn’t know where to search.

I didn’t know whether Alicia was safe.

I didn’t know whether our baby was safe.

Those thoughts haunted me every waking moment.

Every time my phone rang, I hoped it would be news about her.

Every time it wasn’t, the disappointment felt worse than before.

Three days.

And I still had nothing.

In this state, becoming chairman of Blackwood Dominion Enterprises was the last thing on my mind.

Right now, there was only one thing that mattered.

Finding Alicia.

Before it was too late....

I returned to the master bedroom.

It was still exactly the way Alicia had left it.

I couldn’t even bring myself to let Maria change the sheets. The bed still carried her scent, and so did the room. It was the only thing that made her absence feel a little less unbearable.

After standing there for a moment, I walked into the closet.

It, too, remained untouched.

My gaze drifted toward her jewelry collection.

She hadn’t taken a single piece.

Rows of designer jewelry sat neatly arranged inside the glass cabinet. Most of them were gifts I had asked Jane to purchase whenever I traveled for business. There were necklaces, bracelets, earrings—far more than anyone could wear regularly.

Yet among all of them, only one caught my attention.

The necklace I bought her the day she asked for a divorce.

That day, after the interview, I had felt relieved.

For the first time in years, I believed I had finally done the right thing. I had convinced myself that if I worked harder and treated her better, perhaps we could start over.

Perhaps we could build the future I wanted with her.

So I bought that necklace.

I bought it with hope.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

All that hope had shattered before the day even ended.

My gaze shifted to another box nearby.

Inside were the wedding bands we had chosen together.

I picked them up slowly.

Ever since I brought them home, Alicia had never worn hers.

At first, I thought she simply needed time.

After all, I had been the one who ruined everything. I didn’t want to pressure her, so I kept mine as well, waiting for the day she would be ready.

But that day never came.

She never wore it.

Never spoke about it.

She simply placed it among her other jewelry and forgot about it.

My chest tightened painfully.

I carefully returned the rings and continued searching through her belongings.

Every drawer.

Every shelf.

Every corner of the closet.

I searched for anything.

A note.

A receipt.

A clue.

Anything that could tell me where she had gone.

But there was nothing.

Nothing at all.

Eventually, I sank onto the floor, exhaustion weighing heavily on my shoulders.

For the first time since she disappeared, I truly understood how helpless I was.

Then suddenly, something crossed my mind.

The box.

The one Alicia had brought back from the mansion.

Maybe it had something to do with her disappearance.

I immediately stood up and began searching again.

I checked every drawer one by one, hoping to find it.

Minutes passed.

Just when I was beginning to lose hope, I found a box hidden deep inside her wardrobe.

It wasn’t the same one.

But it looked remarkably similar. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

My brows furrowed.

The box had been tucked away carefully among her dresses, almost as if she never wanted anyone to find it....