Chapter 6

Harmony stepped out of the luxury apartment building.

The sharp, freezing wind of the New York winter hit her face, but her lungs expanded with the deepest breath she had taken in years.

The doorman rushed forward, tipping his hat. "Taxi, Miss Roberson?"

"No," Harmony said, waving him off with a flick of her wrist.

She walked to the corner of the busy intersection. She pulled out her phone, her thumb moving with practiced speed. She tapped on Conner's contact. Blocked. Eleni. Blocked. Alon. Blocked. Fallon. Blocked.

She stared at the empty contact list. A physical weight lifted off her shoulders, making her feel dangerously light. She raised her hand, hailed a passing yellow cab, and gave the driver an address for a highly secure, unlisted apartment in Tribeca.

Less than sixty seconds after the yellow cab disappeared into the traffic, a sleek, black Maybach glided to a halt in front of the Roberson building.

The driver sprinted out and opened the rear door. Essex Joyce stepped onto the pavement.

He wore a bespoke charcoal suit that cost more than most people made in a year. His jaw was clenched tight, his posture radiating a cold, aggressive authority. It was Friday. This was his scheduled time to pick up his fiancée for their weekly, highly photographed dinner.

Essex adjusted his platinum cufflinks as he walked through the revolving doors. He expected to see Harmony sitting on the velvet lobby sofa, waiting for him with her usual quiet obedience.

The lobby was empty.

Essex stopped. His dark eyebrows pulled together in a harsh line. A hot spark of irritation flared in his chest. He hated deviations from his schedule. He hated losing control.

He bypassed the front desk and took the private elevator straight to the penthouse.

When the doors opened, the atmosphere hit him like a wall. The penthouse was in chaos. Two maids were on their hands and knees, frantically scrubbing the floor and picking up jagged pieces of a shattered marble statue.

Eleni was pacing near the windows. When she saw Essex step out of the elevator, she gasped, her hands flying to her hair to smooth it down.

Essex's eyes swept the room. He registered the mess, the panic, and the glaring absence of the one person he came for.

"Where is Harmony?" Essex demanded. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a lethal, freezing edge that made the maids stop breathing.

Alon walked out of the hallway, rubbing the back of his neck. He let out an exasperated sigh, trying to sound casual.

"She's throwing another tantrum, Essex," Alon complained, rolling his eyes. "She's incredibly jealous of Fallon right now. She stormed out."

Essex didn't care about their pathetic family drama. He cared that his time was being wasted.

He pulled his phone from his inner pocket and dialed Harmony's number. He held the phone to his ear.

The number you have dialed is unavailable.

Essex slowly lowered the phone. The muscles in his jaw ticked. Being sent to voicemail was an annoyance he delegated to his assistants to handle. But being blocked-by his own fiancée-was an insult he had never encountered.

He turned his cold, dead eyes toward Conner, who had just walked into the room.

"Is this how the Roberson family trains their daughters?" Essex asked, his tone dripping with venom. "To embarrass me?"

Conner swallowed hard. The patriarch of the Roberson family suddenly looked very small in front of the young billionaire.

"I've already handled it, Essex," Conner said quickly, trying to salvage his pride. "Her accounts were frozen days ago. She has no money. She won't get far."

A dark, predatory gleam flashed in Essex's eyes. He had been waiting for Conner to cut her off. Financial isolation was the final step in his plan to break Harmony's spirit and force her into total submission.

But he kept his face locked in a mask of fury. "I don't have time for her childish games."

Fallon saw an opportunity. She grabbed a crystal glass of water from a tray, put on her most fragile, sympathetic smile, and walked toward Essex.

"Mr. Joyce," Fallon cooed softly, holding out the glass. "I'm so sorry my sister is acting like this. Please, have some water."

Essex didn't even blink at her. He didn't look at the glass. He didn't look at her face. He completely and utterly ignored her existence, stepping right past her as if she were a piece of furniture.

Fallon froze, her arm extended in the air. Her face burned a violent, humiliated red as the maids watched her get dismissed like trash.

Essex stopped in front of the elevator. He looked back at Conner.

"Find her," Essex ordered, his voice echoing in the silent room. "And make her understand reality."

He stepped into the elevator. The doors closed.

The moment Essex sat back in the leather seat of his Maybach, he violently ripped his silk tie loose. He glared at his executive assistant sitting in the front passenger seat.

"Track her phone," Essex growled. "Now."

The assistant frantically tapped on his iPad. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He swallowed hard before turning around.

"Sir," the assistant stammered, his hands shaking. "Her phone isn't just off. It's gone. The signal vanished through a series of complex relays and proxies. Our tech team says it's routed through a professional-grade privacy network. It's untraceable."

Essex's breath hitched. He stared out the tinted window at the passing traffic. The arrogant certainty in his chest vanished, replaced by a sudden, dangerous obsession. The bird hadn't just flown the cage. She had vanished off the radar entirely.