She nodded in fear and then said "Dan please leave me"

"And why would I do that my Pearl" I said nuzzling his nose in my neck.

She started hyperventilating and I had to let go her and to calm her I said "Pearl calm down".

She was calm after some time and looked at me in fear. I could see the questions, confusion and fear and so I said taking her hand and said "You want to know why you are here and why I am calling you Pearl". She nodded and I told her the story in bits and pieces.

Ivan's POV

As I moved away from Mrs. Franoik, I felt the anguish of the past come back to me. In order to calm myself, I went in search of my healer, my farfallina. As I moved towards her room I passed by a servant who with room service trolley. I looked at him and asked "Where are you going?"

"Sir, I am going to the kitchen" he replied.

"Kitchen's on the other end. You are going in the wrong direction" I said.

"Oh... I am so sorry sir. I am new and I didn't know. Thank you for your help" he said and bowed to me.

I gestured him to move and made my way towards Richard's room. I knocked on the door and was surprised when he opened the door.

"Oh Ivan it's you" He asked confused.

"I wanted to see Evelyn" I said.

"Evelyn... but she is not here" he answered confused.

"Ok then might be she is in the library" I said and he nodded.

I moved to the library which was empty and then I checked the entire mansion but didn't find her.

I again rushed to Richards's room thinking he was trying to hide Evelyn from me. I knocked again and asked him "Did Evelyn come here"

"No she didn't," he said but now even his worried expression was visible so I understood this is not one of his tricks to keep us away.

We asked the servants and they all searched but no one found her. I called my men and they confirmed they also didn't see anyone leaving the mansion.

I asked Richards to call all the servants and when I looked at each one of them I didn't find the one whom I met while moving to Richards's room. I asked Richards about him and when he told me "I never hired anyone new recently. All these are from my old mansion".

I felt ground slid under my foot because I literally let someone steal my Cara away from me and I got the CCTV footage but needless to say there was no footage of that time. I ran to the place where I met that fake servant and checked all the rooms but didn't find any clue.

Richards's POV

When I and Evelyn came to our room, I thought to use this opportunity to ask for second chance from her. There had been silence between us since we gave privacy to Ivan and Mamma and Evelyn took a business magazine to avoid me as usual. Before I could muster the courage to broach the subject she started coughing and I told her that I will get some water for her when she said "It's fine you are the patient so I will get us water".

She immediately took the empty Jug from the table and left the room. I kept practicing the words I would say to her to convince her to give me a chance. It had been a long half hour and she still didn't turn up and it disappointed me that she faked in order to avoid me. Suddenly I heard knock on my door and I opened it hoping it was Evelyn but Evelyn doesn't have to knock. So I opened the door to find Ivan standing outside my door.

"Oh Ivan it's you" I was confused he came her when Evelyn was not here.

"I wanted to see Evelyn" he said. Even though I don't like him hovering over her all the time, cousin or not he seems like a possessive boyfriend.

"Evelyn... but she is not here" I replied to him.

"Ok then might be she is in the library" he said and I nodded. It was quite strange to me that he and Evelyn are not together and I thought might be there's a chance I am making progress and she's avoiding me to gather her thoughts. It brought smile to my face.

Again after 10 minutes Ivan knocked my door and asked whether Evelyn made it to my room and this made me feel as if something wrong happened. I suddenly felt that the life of the mansion is lost and my Evelyn is not nearby. The thumping of my heart increased and I searched every nook and corner of my mansion in search of her. I got all servants and guards to report if they have seen my Precious. I felt helpless as when no one has seen her going outside and she never made it to my room then where she is. I called the Police commissioner and launched a search for her immediately.

I could see that Ivan was also restless like me and my doubts about not being her cousin were cleared when he yelled at his me "You fucking useless fellows, I told you keep my bride safe and you would not do even that one task I gave you".

When he turned and our eyes met he walked off. I wanted to stop him when Mamma stopped me and said "She was betrothed to him at the time of birth".

I was shocked at that information and I felt betrayed thinking Evelyn didn't tell me that.

Probably Mamma read my expressions and said "No you got it wrong. She doesn't know. This was between me and his Mother. I thought she would have forgotten because there had been no communication between us from the past 9 years". 

I nodded my head and my doubts about him being involved in the kidnapping taking place in my mind but the way he was angry and the way he was worried again cleared them. I called my PI and the information I got from him shocked me. I never thought my own brother was lusting after my wife and I was so oblivious to that. I immediately made my mind to visit him and get my precious back.

Note:- When she refers Mother --> she refers to her biological mother Rosaline.

when she refers Mom --> She refers to Riley

Evelyn's POV

I was terrified when he told me that my mother left me to him as a second chance. He even showed me the letter my Mom wrote to him. He clearly misunderstood her words, she wanted her friend to protect her baby not be her second chance. I didn't know what I was supposed to do now. I knew this man since my childhood and once he's set his mind on something he does everything in his power to get it.

"Pearl what are you thinking ?" He asked jerking my shoulder.

"My mother she.. she didn't give me to you as your lover" I whispered.

"Yes, she didn't but Sweetpea she mentioned second chance. I can't love someone who is not like her. That is the reason I didn't fall for anyone but you" He said smiling.

"But If you loved her and my father's best friend then I am still like your daugt...." I said when he cut me off by holding my jaw and said "You are my lover, my happiness, my life and if you think Dom was my best friend then you are wrong because he betrayed me. Your mother rejected me making me live a lonely life. She made a mistake which she's paid back by giving you to me" He said.

"You know sweetpea if Richards would not have distracted me by business and had not demanded to get married to you. By now we would have been married and we would have been parents of loving babies" he said releasing me. I cringed at his words.

"Danny you are my adopted mother's husband and I can't and won't ever accept you as anything but my mom's husband" I told him while shaking.

He laughed for a minute making me more terrified and said "Sweetpea your dear mom didn't tell you we divorced one month ago. The time she spent being at your house I thought she might have told you".

I could not believe that the mother hid it from me. Suddenly he pulled me on his lap and I sat side saddling him, I tried to pull away but he didn't let me. I looked at him with my pleading eyes and when tears rolled from my eyes he said "Pearl, you used to sit on my lap when you were small remember".

I shook my head in no then he said "Pearl you forgot don't you remember when we ran from orphanage one evening and reached a park and you said you were tired and you wanted to sit but you were afraid to sit on the ground. And when I sat on the ground and suddenly you sat on my lap claiming your dress will get dirty. I knew you were afraid but I let you be because my pearl nothing is important than your happiness".

I looked at him and from his expressions, it seemed like he was reminiscing his time with my Mother. He smiled at me and then said "Do you remember when on your birthday I got you the cupcake on the terrace of our orphanage and you hugged me and again you sat on my lap in this very position. On that day I really felt closer to you, you know this is a very intimate position for couples.

"What the hell Pearl why would you do that?" he yelled at me.

I pushed away from his lap when I saw he was distracted and shouted "Do you realize what you are narrating. I was not there with you in the orphanage. I grew up in your house believing you as my Father. You are reminiscing the time you spent with my Mother. I am not my mother, let me go. I am Evelyn I am not Rosaline Mr. Franoik" I shouted at him.

He got up from the bed and strode towards me and I paced back until I reached the door and I turned to open it when I felt him close the distance between us. I shivered with his closeness, and the next words he uttered me shocked me "My dear Lyn I knew you would be jealous. I just wanted to test whether you hold any feelings towards me or not. Now that I know I will make sure you realize them yourselves. You, my dear, are my lost sweetheart" and kissed me on my crown before letting me go and moving out of the door.