Chapter 4 Four

Ethan

"Where's Chloe?" I asked when I went to my seat for breakfast and didn't find her in line along with the maids. She usually stands beside Cristy and she was not there.

"We haven't seen her yet," the maid replied. I looked at them and they had their heads down. I got up and decided to go to her room. I didn't bother knocking as I always do and just opened the door. I looked around and found the bed empty. It was as though no one had slept there. I walked in and went to the bathroom thinking she was just there, but I heard no sound of the splashing of water.

My eyes averted to the bed again and I noticed an envelope on the bedside table. I took it and looked at what was inside. My jaw hardened when I read the contents of the paper and threw them away. She was gone and left the divorce papers with her signature on them as if she didn't want to see me. How dare this woman? I was the one who was supposed to leave and divorce her and not the other way around.

I took out my phone and made a call. "Find my wife. I want to know where she is right now!" I yelled before I ended the call. They should find her or I am going to make things hard for them. I left the room and went to the kitchen. Everyone was wandering around and when they noticed me, they fell in line.

"Where is Chloe?" I asked when I stood before Cristy, "You two are close and I often see you talking together. There's no way that you didn't know where she was."

"I have no idea, Sir," she answered nervously. I tried to find some lies in her words but there were none. She had no idea of Chloe's whereabouts.

"What were you talking about these past few days?" I asked again,

"Nothing, Sir. The next day, after Madam Lucille called and asked for her, she was in a daze. It was as if something happened that made her act that way. She looked lifeless and didn't want to talk to anyone." Cristy answered. "She was always excited every time you leave for work for our cooking lesson, but that morning was different. She was quiet and I saw her crying by herself all the time. The next day, Madam arrived and took her. When she came back, she was in a much worse state." she continued. "And Sir, Chloe leaves the mansion only whenever Madam comes and brings her. She never left other than that," she added.

Then Grandma will have the answer. I left the mansion after and drove. On my way, I remember Chloe was defiant when I confronted her, which angered me. I was so proud that I didn't want her to talk back and only wanted my side to be heard. So, was she with Grandma the whole time? What happened? Why would Grandma ever tell me about it?

I had not parked the car properly but I got out and rushed inside. Grandma has to give me a reasonable answer or I don't know what I will do to Chloe when I find her. "What a pleasant surprise!" Grandma exclaimed. But I was more surprised because my mother was there as well and they were having a casual conversation. When did they reconcile?

"Where is Chloe?" I hate beating around the bush so I asked immediately.

"No greeting and all. You barged into my house and asked me as if I took her away from you," she replied,

"Just tell me where she is," I replied,

"Why would you look for her when you don't need her?" Mom asked, but I just ignored her. "Your bitch was always beside you so go to her and get fooled for the rest of your life," she added.

"I am not talking to you!" I shouted.

"Ethan!" Grandma exclaimed. I know that I was out of boundaries, but I wanted to know where Chloe was, so I had no time for her.

"Tell me where she is," I said again, this time in a lower voice.

"I sent her away." Mom said. With that, I looked at her angrily.

"What right do you have to get in between us?"

"I am not getting between you. I simply set you free. You only insult her, so why bother looking for her? Aren't you tired of using her for your carnal needs?"

"You have no idea what was going on!"

"That's what you think. I know exactly what was going on and I already told your grandmother about it!" she yelled back. With that, I looked at my grandmother.

"I didn't think that you would do that to her. She's innocent and kind and very nice. That's why I chose her for you. She's smart, but I guess fate is not smiling upon her, so she had to suffer in your hands. I was so disappointed with you. I never thought that you would grow up exactly like your father."

"I am not like my father! I am nothing like him!" I shouted. The thing I hated the most was when they compared me to that man. He is a scumbag. That's why I was trying to get my own family but my grandma ruined it by making me marry a woman I had never met. It's her fault. Cassidy should have been perfect for me. But she had to interfere.

"Because you spoiled him, that's why he was acting like that," Mom told Grandma.

"It's because you left him to me. That's why I spoiled him and turned out like that."

"I am going to ask once more, where is Chloe?" I didn't want to hear them bickering over nonsense as if I was not around.

"Search for her if you want. I already told her that I was not going to tell you where she was. I don't offer help, only to sell her out to the very person she wanted to stay away from." Mom said and got up, leaving me and Grandma alone.

"You think she likes you, that's why she agreed to marry you? Or do you think she was after your money? That's why she let you do what you did to her? You're very wrong, if it had not been for her grandma, she wouldn't even glance at you. Now that she's dead, Chloe has no reason to stay and stick around with you. I didn't think that you were too conceited to do that to a woman. It would have been fine if it was that bitch Cassidy, but Chloe? She was very far from a whore." Grandma said. She got up and left me standing when my phone rang.

"I had him with me," the voice on the other line said.

"I'll be there," I replied and ended the call. I went out and got in the car. After I threw my phone in the passenger seat, I started driving my way to Lincoln. He is one of my friends who was in an underground activity.

"Sir, I don't know what they are talking about." Mau, the investigator I hired to look after Chloe's background, said as soon as he saw me.

"You bringing him here means everything he fed me with Chloe's information was all fake," I told my friend.

"See for yourself," he replied and handed me a folder. I opened it and read everything that was written on it and looked at Mau again.

"Why is his report gravely different from the investigation report you submitted to me?" I asked as I sat on a chair in front of him.

"I had no idea, I just gathered information and reported it to you," he replied. One thing about me is that I don't usually act on impulse. That's why I need to know everything I need to know before I do things my way.

"Who fed you with the false information that you reported to me?" I asked, patiently. He averted his gaze and couldn't look at me. So, he was hiding something.

"Linc, find Chloe. She left the mansion and I don't know where she is now. Mom said she helped her leave and wouldn't tell me where she went. That is if she had any idea about that."

"Already on it, your assistant called me already," he replied. I still had a meeting to catch so I stood up. "What about him?" Lincoln asked,

"Find out who was behind the fake reports. Cut off his hands if he confesses and kill him if he won't." Then I left. I don't normally make such requests, but I didn't want to get fooled by anyone either. And yes, my friends do dirty and bloody things for me.

It was almost two weeks since that night that I forced myself on a woman. I never did that in my life. But Chloe going home so very late in the evening angered me and was fueled by the way she talked back. Plus she was wearing clothes that I forbade her to wear.

Lincoln has not found her yet and I started to get impatient. Mau didn't cooperate and decided to die rather than tell us who asked him to fake the report. "Hon," Cassidy said as she entered my office. As much as possible, I didn't want to talk to anyone because I was waiting for my friend. But this woman, no matter how many times I told her not to call me that anymore, never listened to me at all.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I just missed you. I always do this whenever I want to see you. Have you forgotten about that?" she asked.

"I am married, you shouldn't say things like that casually. It will ruin your reputation." I replied and got back to the folder that I was supposed to be reading since it was a draft of a contract.

"You know my answer to that. I am willing to stay on the sideline as long as you are mine," she replied.

"Leave my office, Mom will be coming here and you know what she will do if she sees you wandering around the company," I warned her. I regretted making her come to the mansion during weekends as it gave her the idea that I didn't want to stop our flame. But I am far from my father and I will never let myself be in any divorce thing that Chloe has left me with. That's why as much as possible, I wanted to choose the woman I want to be with.

"But Hon," she said again, so I looked at her. She was standing in front of my table.

"Stop it and leave," I said in a serious tone, letting her know that I was serious and that I didn't want to say it again. She turned around and started marching her way to the door.

Now that I am alone, I get back to the document and start reading it once again. Nothing came to mind these past few days as I was occupied by Chloe. That woman has done damage to my mind and routine already. Her disappearance has been affecting my work, which I didn't expect would happen.

I was putting a note on the draft contract when I received a call from Lincoln. I took my phone and answered on the first ring. I had been waiting for this. "I found her," he said. Finally!