“No body was found, Mr. Pierce.”
Marcus’s blood ran cold, and his heart skipped a beat. “I’m sorry, What?”
The policeman repeated himself, glancing at the file in his hands. “We found no body, sir. We searched everywhere, but… there’s no sign of her.”
Marcus stared at the man blankly, his mouth slightly open.
“There was no body, which means that…” he trailed off in realization.
His knees buckled, and he stumbled into a chair.
Isabella could still be alive.
His stomach twisted violently. He ran a hand through his hair, almost yanking at it.
“She’s alive” he whispered, almost to himself, like he couldn’t believe it.
The officer cleared his throat. “Do you want us to continue the search, sir?”
Marcus didn’t respond. His thoughts were far away.
“Sir?” The officer called, to get his attention.
“Get out,” he said hoarsely.
The policeman hesitated. “Sir?”
“I said get out!” Marcus shouted, rising to his feet abruptly, causing the chair to crash behind
him.
The officer nodded quickly and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Marcus quickly picked up his phone and called his private investigator. One of the best he knew.
“Johnson,” Marcus barked, pacing the room frantically. “Drop everything. I need you to find someone. Immediately.”
There was a pause before the investigator, Jackson, responded, “Name?”
“Isabella Pierce.” Marcus responded.
There was another pause. “Your wife?” Jackson asked.
Marcus’s throat tightened as his mind flashed to the divorce papers.
“Y..Yes,” he stammered.
“Maiden name?” Jackson asked.
“Reed.”
“Where and when was she last seen?”
Marcus paused as his chest tightened. “Um… there… she was in that orphanage that burned down last week.”
He swallowed as the memory of her eyes flashed through his eyes–that look of resignation and numbness.
Jackson cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Sir, I think she might be de-”
Charter 12
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4:19 pm G D D G
Marcus cut him off instantly. “No body was found, Jackson! Which means she got out. She has to be out there injured, or hiding, I don’t know, I need her found now.”
Johnson was quiet for a moment, then he sighed when he realized that arguing might not work. “I’ll send my team. We’ll get surveillance from every traffic camera, security feed, and many others. You’ll hear from me immediately I get something.”
Marcus ended the call without another word and dropped the phone on the desk. His hands were shaking.
There was a chance that she could be alive.
And if she was, he was going to find her.
He sat on the edge of the desk, running a hand through his hair again. Why was he feeling this way?
He had pushed Isabella away himself, with his actions, and now she was gone, he was spiraling.
“God…” he whispered, clutching his face in his hands. “What the hell have I done?”
A sudden knock at the door made him flinch.
“What?” he snapped, wiping at his face.
It was his assistant, peeking in slowly and cautiously. “Sir, Miss Bianca is here to see you.”
He paused, resisting the urge to groan.
He has barely seen her, because he always locked himself up in his office.
“Tell her I’m busy.”
“She says it’s urgent. It’s about the baby” his assistant insisted.
Marcus’s jaw clenched, and to his surprise, he felt no flicker of guilt, just mild annoyance.
Bianca was pregnant with his child, and he was doing his best to care for her, but as time went by, he realized that she was not Isabella.
Isabella barely asked for anything, she was always content with whatever he gave her. She always looked at him like he was her everything whenever he gave her little gifts.
The door opened as Bianca strode in like she owned the place.
“Marcus,” Bianca immediately began whining, holding her designer handbag delicately. “I need three hundred thousand dollars. There’s this exclusive set of jewelry I saw at the store. It’s a limited edition, so, if I don’t get it now, it’ll be gone forever.”
Marcus blinked slowly, staring at her like she had grown two heads.
Then he asked sharply. “Didn’t I give you a million dollars just two days ago?”
Bianca scoffed. “That was for clothes! I can’t use money for clothes to buy jewelry, Marcus. Don’t be ridiculous.”
4:19 pm G D
