The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 71

Steven couldn’t shake the worry gnawing at him. For a second, he wondered if Lucie might do something drastic. But then he remembered how calm and logical she always was. Doing something reckless just wasn’t her.

“Lucie really hasn’t come back yet?” he asked, voice tight.

Mr. Anderson shot him a hard look. “I should be asking you that. Where did you send her?”

Steven froze, panic flickering across his face. “Grandpa, I’m serious. I can’t reach Lucie at all. I’m really worried.”

“You think I’m joking?” Mr. Anderson’s voice was cold. “I’m asking you, where is my granddaughter? If anything happens to her, Steven, you’ll answer to me.”

With that, Mr. Anderson walked into the villa and told the guard to shut the gates behind him.

Steven felt his scalp go numb and his chest clench. The sense of dread was suffocating.

Nick and Andy stood nearby, both looking grim. “Mr. Heath, we can’t get a location on her phone at all,” Nick said.

Andy added, “Should we check with the airport and customs? See if she’s left New Amberton?”

Steven snapped, “Then what are you waiting for? Go!”

“Right. We’re on it.”

The bodyguards immediately sprang into action, pulling every string and calling every contact they had to track Lucie down.

Steven slumped in the back seat of his car, feeling an anxiety he couldn’t put into words. Sure, they’d fought before, but she’d never reacted like this, never threatened divorce. This time, she really meant it. He could feel it.

Ten minutes later, Steven’s patience wore thin. He’d lost count of how many times he’d asked, “Anything yet?”

“Just about, sir,” the tech guy muttered, fingers flying over the keyboard.

The rest of the bodyguards were dead silent, barely daring to breathe. Everyone knew Mr. Heath’s temper—when he blew up, no one was safe. They all silently prayed for Mrs. Heath to come home soon. She was their shield; with her around, Mr. Heath was almost human.

He kept trying her number, but every time it just rang and rang until the recorded voice kicked in: “The number you have dialed is powered off. Please try again later.”

He must have called a hundred times, but it was always the same. No answer. No trace. It was like she’d vanished from the world.

He sent her text after text.

[Babe, where did you go? Can you just call me back?]

[Whatever it is, we can talk in person. Please don’t hide from me. I’m really worried. I just need to know you’re safe.]

Nothing. No reply. His messages just disappeared into the void.

Steven spent three days in Westbrook, searching everywhere and getting nowhere. On the fourth day, his company called an emergency board meeting, and he had no choice but to fly back to New Amberton—alone.