Tristan's POV

I've been reading through one page in the last hour, and I haven't been able to process a single thing. Whenever I try to read a few words, my mind drifts away.

It's been three days since everything happened with Ashley, but my mind was still replaying everything that happened.

I was in my office and back in my suite at the hotel. This just made it easier for me to be at all the other places I needed to be on time.

I hate being back here though. I think about the time Ashley brought me coffee in my office, the time we'd spent talking in the living room, or even the vague memory of how I'd first met her in my bathroom. It's crazy to think that I had forgotten everything that happened that night.

Vincent was right, it was my conscience I was left to answer to.

Maybe she didn't deserve what I did but I didn't deserve to be lied to either.

Lately, I've been avoiding my whole family. From my grandfather who finally saw me as 'business partner potential', to my parents who wouldn't stop calling me, at least now they have stopped. Even Vincent was a nuisance these days with his tasteless jokes. He sent some videosto Paternity Court cases. Guess what, none of them were the fathers. 'It could have turned out a lot worse,' that's what he texted me the last time, along with the videos.

My phone vibrated on the table. It was probably Vincent. I ignored it.

I pushed the document away, accepting that I would never be able to concentrate.

As if on cue, Luke walked into my office. He had a concerned look on his face. My brain quickly dismissed it. It might just be because he was overworked. Because I've been a bit distant in my work lately, he has had to do a lot more.

"You can have this approved," I said sliding the documents across my desk. I had already read through the draft version and had them make a couple of changes. I'm sure it was all good.

He kicked the document off my desk. "Well, sir." He paused. "You have a littleguest,"he announced.

I looked at him with a brow raised, as far as I was concerned I didn't have any meetings for the day. I was certainly not in the mood to see anyone, especially without an appointment.

"I'm not ready to see anyone, you can tell whoever it is to come by tomorrow," I answered.

"You might want to see this one. She was here yesterday morning and left very late. You weren't here the whole day. I think it's urgent." He added.

Now I was curious. Who could have been so desperate to see me?

"Fine, you can let her in," I answered.

Luke smiled as he stepped out of my office.

Minutes later, footsteps were echoing towards my office.

You can say that I was more than surprised when Katy walked in beside Luke.

She was in her school uniform with her back slung over one shoulder. Her eyes looked red and swollen as if she hadn't slept for a few days with her hair a bit out of place.

What was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be at school?

Was Ashley sending her sister to do her bidding now?

I stared at Luke with a questioning look. He didn't respond, he decided to leave the room.

I was left alone with Katy as she stared at the floor. She looked like she was about to cry.

I might have been at odds with her sister, but I wasn't cruel enough to kick a little girl out, especially looking like that.

I didn't know how exactly I was supposed to start the conversation considering everything that had happened.

"Are you okay?" I asked instead.

"My sister has gone missing," Katy finally said as she broke into tears.

My brain froze as I processed her words.Ashley was missing?

"We haven't seen her in twodays. She just left a note and disappeared.No one saw her that morning," she continued.

She placed her backpack on the floor before fumbling through it until she picked out her cell phone. Her hands were shaking as she unlocked it.

I was still coming to terms with what she had said.

She then shoved the phone into my hands, showing me texts between herself and Ashley. They were as recent as two hours ago.

The texts were mostly about an anxious Katy asking her where she was or when she would return. The replies from Ashley were mostly the same, reassuring as she texted that she would be back soon and that everything was alright. I didn't know what Katy was so worried about.

"She never sends a text without a full stop at the end," Katy pointed out. With the back of her hand, she wiped the tears off her cheeks. "And here..." She pointed again. "She texted O-K, Ashley would never do that. She always writes it out in full as O-kay. This is obviously not her, someone else has been using her phone." She concluded.

I placed the phone on my desk. Her reasoning was absurd, but I was not about to say that to an emotional teenage girl deeply worried about her sister.

"Did you try calling her?" I asked instead.

"Just once, but she sounded very strange. We only spoke for about ten seconds before she cut us off. Something is wrong." She continued.

I didn't know what to make of all of this. For all I know, she could have run off with someone. I used to think I knew her, but it turns out I don't.

"We've been trying to find her. The police won't help because they think we don't have a case. Her dad is trying to help us find her, but we haven't had much luck." She sobbed.

Her dad? I thought he was completely out of the picture.

"You have to help us find her. She would be in danger for all we know." She pleaded. She abrupted further into tears.

She looked like she was about to have a panic attack and I wasn't sure how I would deal with that. "Why don't you sit," I offered, helping her settle into the chair opposite mine.

I scanned the room for anything that could help. Would a paper bag be ideal in this situation? I was never good at consoling people.

Right on cue, Luke returned to my office with a cup in his hand as he walked over to Katy's side.

"You should have this hot chocolate to drink. It may help you calm down." Luke said handing her a cup.

It took her a while to catch her breath before she finally began drinking the hot chocolate. It surprisingly worked.

"Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt your sister?" Luke asked, his tone gentle.

"No one that I know of," she said with a pause. "There is an ex-boyfriend, but I doubt he did it. He was too pathetic. Everyguy she has ever dated was pathetic." She said looking up at me. Ouch.

Her eyes shot wide open as if realizing something. "Unless..." she whispered. Her voice sounded frightened. "Did you do this?" she asked.

My eyes widened in shock. "What?...No," I answered dismissively.How did I suddenly become a suspect?

"Am I going to pass out from this hot chocolate? Is it poisoned or are you trying to make me disappear like my sister?" She blubbered.

"No one will hurt you," Luke assured her.

It took her a few seconds to gather that she was safe. She paused for a while, staring at her feet on the ground. "Well..." she paused. "I should probably get going, my mother doesn't know I'm here." She announced.

She got up to leave, placing the cup on the table. She pulled her bag over her shoulder.

She nodded in my direction before turning to leave.

"Luke, can you have one of the drivers take her home?" I asked.

Luke nodded.

If Ashley was really in danger, it probably wasn't safe to have Katy walking around.

"Tristan," Katy paused. "I'd stay far away from my house if I were you. My mother has been planning on having you disappear. Except you'll never be seen again, you'll be buried in our backyard." She added.

"Got it," I answered with a thumbs up.

It was great to know I had made more enemies.

Luke then processed to walk her out.

My brain could barely think or process anything right now. Could Katy have overreacted?

I couldn't easily dismiss this. It could be the greatest mistake of my life if it turns out that she is in danger.

I needed to think, who would gain a lot from Ashley's disappearance? Whoever it was, they weren't doing this for money otherwise they would have asked for it already.

Only one person comes to mind.

***

Throughout the car ride, I considered turning around several times.

Sure, I wanted to find Ashley and make sure she was okay but was this worth it?

Either way, I had to get over myself. There was a family who was worried about their daughter.

I pulled into my parent's driveway. Three days ago, I never imagined that I'd step back into their house, especially without a gun over my head.

I considered turning back but if there was someone who had something to do with this, it would be my mother. She was manipulative enough to do it. She has done things equally twisted before, so she is very much capable. As for the reason, I am yet to find out. I wondered if she did it because she was desperate to get my attention.

I stepped into the house. A few maids welcomed me in who looked surprised to see me. I followed my father's voice which led me to the living room.

"You should give him a break and some time to process everything. We can't keep getting new phones to call him," Dad said.

Dad was seated on the couch while Mom paced around, clenching on a phone.

I cleared my throat, grabbing their attention.

"Tristan," Mom whispered. She walked towards me, extending her arms for a hug. I blocked her by putting my hand up in front of me. She got the message as she stopped in her tracks. "We didn't think that you'd come to see us," she said, her voice rising in excitement.

"Believe me, it's not a pleasure being here," I replied dismissively. "I'm just going to get straight to the point," I paused. "What did you do with Ashley?" I asked more directly.

Both mom and dad looked at me confused as they exchanged looks.

"What happened to Ashley?" Dad asked, displaying a genuine look of concern on his face.

"She's been missing for twodays," I explained.

Their eyes widened as they turned to look at each other in shock. But then again, Ididn't expect her to be so upfront.

"Why...What happened to her?" Mom asked, flabbergasted.

"That's what I'm here for," I replied nonchalantly.

Mom's worried look was replaced by disbelief. "And you think I had something to do with this?" She asked.

"You tell me, this wouldn't be the first time you did something sketchy," I answered. If I had looked into everything she had done, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up in prison.

"Why would I do such a thing? I may be a lot of things and I've done things that I'm not entirely proud of, but I'd never hurt Ashley." She paused. Her hands were shaking. "If I wanted to get your attention, I would have done something else morecreative." She continued.

Dad gave her a look, stopping her from further incriminating herself.

"You just thought of your poor mother as a suspect. Have you forgotten what that witch Maddison tried to do to you? She swore to revenge. I don't see you questioning her." Mom retorted.

"We both know that all Maddison wants is money and she gets plenty of that from Grandpa. That leaves just one person left with a motive and cold enough to do it." I answered.

"Well, there is clearly someone else more psychotic behind all this. Like Maddison, you just don't want to accept that she's behind this." She paused. "If she really is missing, she may be in danger. We have to find her. The poor girl doesn't deserve this."

At least she was right about one thing. I was going to find her. It didn't matter if I had to look under every brick.

So many things didn't make sense. This clearly wasn't about money or they would have asked for a ransom. Whoever it was didn't want people to know she was missing, which meant this was personal. Or maybe we were overeating, and she just decided to go for a break somewhere. It wouldn't be unusual.

My phone rang in my pocket. I stepped aside and answeredthe call from Luke.

"Hello?" I answered lowly.

"Sir, your grandfather has called. Do you remember that hotel building he worked on years ago?" He asked. Some years back, my grandfather worked on a construction project two years ago. He wanted to enter the hotel business. The project was nearly completed but he suddenly cancelled it. He said it wasn't worth it. "He wants you to visit the site and give your expert opinion. He isn't too sure about the location or whether it will be profitable." He continued.

"Doesn't he have a whole team for that?" I asked.

"I tried to tell him that but he said he trusted you more. He would like you to do it as soon as possible. He mentioned something about a potential buyer being on the line." He continued.

"Can't you just tell him I'm busy?" I replied as I scratched the back of my head.

My grandfather and his problems are the last thing I want to deal with right now.

"He's just going to keep calling if you don't. I'm sure it won't take long, might as well get it over and done with." Luke insisted.

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll be there in half an hour. Tell him to send the location." I answered.

"Sure thing," he answered. "And also about theDeLuca contract, you still need to sign it. They want things prepared as soon as possible," he added.

"Why don't I meet you at the site so I can sign it there?" I suggested.

"I'll be there," he answered.

We then ended our call.

I returned to the living room to see my parents still looking very worried.

"I'd love to stay here and argue with you guys but I have to go," I announced.

My visit here was useless. Maybe this whole situation was a misunderstanding. Ashley would probably be back home soon.

Mom sighed after sucking in a deep breath. "You might not believe it, but I am sorry for everything. Everything that happened was because of me and it is all my fault. I shouldn't have done everything I did, especially behind your back. In some ways, I was still clinging to my baby. One who would call me mommy and come crying in my arms whenever you got hurt. For a long time, I didn't know who to be anything else besides your mother so I wanted to keep protecting you, I even disregarded the consequences and everyone else. I'm really sorry." She finally paused.

I froze as I took in her words. She was good. She has tried to manipulate me for far too long, I wasn't going to allow her to keep doing it. The thing about your mother betraying you is that you'll never know when to trust her again. "Goodbye Layla," I said before turning away.

I walked out of the house. Luke sent me the pin location.

It took me nearly an hour to drive there. I hadn't realized it was that far. It was in a remote area just outside the city.

From what I learned, he probably made the right call by cancelling the project the first time around. I only agreed to see the place so he wouldn't talk to me about it anymore and because I needed something else to distract my brain right now.

I slowed down as I approached the area. The building was hard to miss from afar. It was at least three stories high and was built with nothing but concrete and bricks. It was not painted nor did it have any windows or doors. Because it had probably been a while since anyone was here, the place now looked completely abandoned. 

I noticed two cars parked outside. Luke was leaning on one of them. Grandpa hadn't mentioned he was sending someone else around here.

I stepped out of my car and approached Luke.

"Have you gone in already? Do you know who that car belongs to?" I asked.

"No, I just arrived here. I haven't checked yet." He answered.

Looking around the area already, I don't know why anyone would want to start a business around here.

Apart from the three cars. The gravel had several tyre marks. Some of the tyre marks seemed much wider as if they belonged to a truck or at least a van. It looks like Grandpa was serious about this, especially if he sent people to come here. There was a good chance he was planning to continue construction shortly.

"We should probably check the inside," I suggested.

Luke nodded.

We stepped through the double doors. We walked into a large open area. I imagined this would have been the lobby. The was another floor on top of us with stairs leading to the area. I'm sure if you were up there, you'd get a good view of everyone down here. It was curved into some sort of a balcony, the railing still hadn't been placed. 

I wonder why he suddenly stopped the project when they were so close to finishing. Some bricks and cement had also been left here. If it wasn't so remote, homeless people would probably camp here.

"I don't know what he sees in this place," I muttered looking around the area. It wasn't bad but I expected more from him.

I was beyond surprised to see a woman descending the stairs. She moved closer to the wall probably to keep herself from falling. I wonder what she was doing up there.

I looked closer,realizing it was Maddison's mom. What was she doing here?

She noticed us as well as she stared at us with her eyes widening. The black clothes she wore and the sour look on her face made her look like she was going to a funeral.

"Tristan? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I should ask you the same thing," I replied, putting my hands into my pockets.

I guess that explains who the third car belongs to.

Maddison was a snake. She probably got it from her mother which meant I couldn't trust her either.

She continued to approach us.

"We were just looking around," Luke answered.

Her nervousness caught my attention. It wasn't until then that I noticed the bruise around her right arm. There was a fresh wound. It looked like someone or something scratched her on the arm.

"His grandfather asked him to look at the area. Hewasn't sure whether to continue with the project or not." Luke continued.

"Oh," she answered with a smile. "I see he has told you two about it as well. He maintained that he wanted to resume the project, he even said I could be involved. I just wanted to come here and see the place for myself and so far it has just been amazing." She explained. "He plans to name the place after my daughter." She added.

I turned my head away in disgust. Had I known this was what it was about, I would have never agreed to come here.

"What happened to your hand?" I asked.

Her mood immediately shifted as she tried to hide her arm. Now I was curious.

"I've been bored lately. You know, my daughter is busy most of the time. I decided to adopt some cats from an animal rescue centre. This morning they decided they weren't going to be nice, one of them scratched me." She explained.

"You may want to cover that up and put on a bandaid. It might get infected." I suggested.

"I will, I just left the house in a hurry." She replied nervously.

"Just so you could come here?" I asked in disbelief.

"I was too excited about the property. When your grandfather mentioned it, he said he might give me a managerial role or something. You know, I haven't worked in a while." She answered.

My grandfather was a lot of things but I've never considered him to be that generous or impulsive when making business decisions.

I was startled as several bricks fell off the top floor, nearly hitting me on the way down. Had I been an inch closer, it would have hit me over the head.

I stepped back and turned my head away, shielding my face as the dust settled.

"What was that?" Luke asked, equally startled.

The three of us looked at each other in surprise.

"Is someone there?" I yelled looking up. I didn't think the bricks would magicallyfall unlesssomeone accidentally knocked them over. Or tried to kill us.

There was no reply. This is probably why you shouldn't walkinto an unfinished building. It could be dangerous.

"We should leave soon. This place is clearly a hazard," Luke suggested.

I nodded. It was better if we left before the bricks hit our heads this time. I wouldn't want the building to collapse on us.

"After you," I said gesturing to

She smiled before matching out ahead of us.

"What woman is so strange," Luke commented.

Her whole family was strange.

Luke and I followed as we left the building.

"I know you are worried about Ashley," Luke said. He stopped me as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "You should stop worrying about her. She has had a tough week. It's normal for her to sound strange or want to go away from everyone for a while." Luke said patting me on the back.

"You are probably right," I whispered back.

I still couldn't get this feeling off my chest that something was wrong, terribly wrong.

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading, please vote and comment down your thoughts on the story.