Her Return, His Regret

"What do you mean she's gone?" Jason asked, confusion creasing his eyebrows.

"There's a possibility of kidnapping," Adan answered since Ryan was ignoring Jason. "She's not in the restroom and her phone was found on the floor."

Jason's furrowed eyebrows tightened and worry crept into him. He remarked, "That's not possible. Lora has security always following her around. They are disguised most of the time but they are there to protect her in case of anything." "That wouldn't matter if a criminal is determined to kidnap someone," Adan said just as Ryan stormed out of the restroom.

"Ryan! Where are you going?" Adan called after his friend worriedly.

"To check the CCTV," Ryan replied through gritted teeth, his wounded fist leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

They all went to the CCTV room while everyone in the hall wondered what was happening. Where did Ryan run off to and what about the engagement?

Ivy clenched the arms of her wheelchair tightly as she endured the looks of pity from the guests. How could Ryan do this to her?

Meanwhile, in the CCTV room, the manager of the hotel came forward and Ryan yelled, "How's the security in this place? Is this how you run this place? Someone went missing! I need to find her, now!"

The manager trembled when he was being faced with three imposing figures. He stammered, "I-I'm sorry. We had no idea such a thing would happen on your engagement, Mr Kingsley," the manager said and helped them to pull out the footage. Coincidentally, the cameras along the hallway near the restrooms were conveniently not working.

Ryan's jaw tightened, his stomach churning with worry. He ordered, "Check the cameras at the back. If they sneaked her away, they could have used the backdoor."

The manager quickly pulled out the footage and after rewinding several times, they finally saw someone carrying a woman out and placing her into a car.

Ryan narrowed his eyes and instructed, "I need you to zoom in and get the license plate."

Taking out his phone, he called his assistant, Lawrence Scott.

"I need you to run a plate for me. There's a possibility that it's fake, so I want you to see if you can trace the car through the city cameras," Ryan ordered and cut the call.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, his heart pounding. He felt like he was about to go crazy from worry...

He couldn't lose Lora. Not again.

"I don't understand. Why would anyone want to kidnap Lora?" Jason asked and Ryan raised his eyes sharply.

Without warning, he approached Jason and threw a punch at his face. "She was with you and you failed to protect her!"

"Ryan! The most important thing right now is to find Larisa. This fighting won't help us at all," Adan intervened, stepping in between the two men to stop the fight that was about to start. 'Larisa?' Jason mused.

"Bro, we will find her," Adan comforted his friend, his heart arching when he saw the crazed look on Ryan's face.

Ryan's eyes watered with tears. He

pinched the bridge of his nose and said in a hoarse voice laced with

guilt, "History is repeating itself,

man. Just like my wife, Larisa, net

missing six years ago and I wa forced to make that hard decision, Lora has gone missing on the day I

found out she's actually Larisa... the

wife I thought I lost."

"I can't sit here and do nothing, I have to be out there searching for her in every way possible," Ryan remarked and stormed out with Adan following after him. "What about the engagement?" Adan asked.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"It's cancelled," Ryan said as he rushed outside to get into his car to start his search for Lora.

When Ryan and Adan left, Jason furrowed his eyebrows. So, Lora was actually Ryan's supposed late wife and her name used to be Larisa in the past. It was no wonder Ryan was so interested in her.

During Jason's investigation, he had found out about Ryan's secret wife and knew her name. However, he only knew that she looked like Lora, he didn't expect them to be the same person. Jason recalled Ethan's face and he smiled helplessly. He had always felt like Ethan looked familiar but he couldn't put a finger on it.

Sighing, Jason took out his phone and made a call. He instructed, "I need you to help me find Lora Davis. I need to find her first before that bastard, Ryan Kingsley, does."

Jason's usual calm and friendly demeanor disappeared, his face marred into a vicious look. He won't let Ryan save Lora. Never.

...

An hour passed and everyone had gotten wind of Lora's disappearance.

Lora opened her eyes, feeling a splitting headache. She groaned and tried to get up. However, she realised her arms were tied behind her back, the thick rope tightening the more she struggled.

Her heart raced when memories

from the past flashed through her mind. It all looked and felt the same... the warehouse where she had been kidnapped six years ago... the fear that crept into her when she realised she was being held against her will.

'How did I find myself here?' Lora asked in her mind, looking around to find a way to escape.

She recalled going to the restroom and then someone covered a cloth over her mouth and nose.

Lora fought back the tears that threatened to fall, trauma and panic creeping into her. She hated being trapped in dark, dirty places. It suffocated her.

However, this was not the time to cry or get scared. She had to escape for herself and her children. From her experience, she knew that there was no one who would come and save her. She was on her own.

Lora tugged at the ropes, trying her best to pull free, but they only tightened, burning her skin.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor just as a pair of long legs came into view.

"Hello, Larisa," a soft voice filled with venomous sweetness echoed in the warehouse.