The moment Abby saw who had arrived, her smile froze.
"Mr. Connolly."
Neville nced around the room. "Star''s not back yet?"
Abby shook her head, a flicker of worry in her eyes. "I''ve tried calling her over and over-she never picks up. But the phone''s still on; it''s not switched off."
She looked at Neville, her voice tight. "Mr. Connolly, you haven''t heard from Star either?"
For once, Neville''s expression turned serious. "You all go ahead with the show. I''ll check the security cameras."
He was just about to leave when a small hand caught the sleeve of his coat. Neville turned to find Marvin looking up at him, eyes wide and pleading.
"Dad, Ste''s going to be okay, right?"
Neville ruffled Marvin''s hair gently. "Star''s going to be fine. I promise."
"Swear you''ll help me find her, Dad.”
Neville''s voice was low and steady. "I promise. I''ll bring her back."
With that, Neville stepped out, closing the door softly behind him. A cool breeze drifted in as the door shut, leaving the room heavy with unease.
Everyone stared at the closed door, their faces etched with worry.
Out in the audience, Aurora nced at the row beside her and caught sight of the Watsons'' anxious faces. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
She leaned over and whispered, "Florrie, do you know the performer on stage?"
Florrie Watson hesitated, then replied in a whisper, "He''s my brother. My real brother."
Aurora''s eyes widened. "You mean... Mr. Watson''s... son from another rtionship?"
Florrie nodded, her voice barely audible. "Yes. My father searched for him for years he wants him toe back and take over the family business."
Aurora''s expression shifted slightly. In high society, there was never a shortage of scandalous stories.
Nicolle''s past, for instance, had once been the talk of the town.
Years ago, Nicolle had fallen passionately in love with a woman from a modest background. He defied his powerful family for her, even severing all ties with the Watsons.
But love without a family''s blessing rarely survives. Without his family''s support, Nicolle was no match for the Watsons'' influence.
They pulled every string at their disposal, forcing Nicolle to break things off with his lover and marry someone of equal social standing.
He didn''t love his wife, but he never strayed back to his former me, either. Their marriage was polite, distant-never more than two strangers sharing a house.
But his wife had secretly loved him from the start. She''d seen with her own eyes how he was willing to give up everything for another woman. How could she settle for a cold, passionless marriage after that?
Slowly, her heart grew darker, her jealousy more consuming. If Nicolle so much as exchanged a few words with another woman, she''d be convinced he was cheating.
Men like Nicolle nevercked for admirers. Women threw themselves at him, no matter how many times he turned them away.
vitall-and the
His wife saw
resentment festered. At first, she''d simply hire someone to scare off his admirers. But her tactics grew more viciousover time-shed faces, staged idents, making sure those women''s lives were ruined beyond repair.
Eventually, women started to disappear altogether.
No matter what she did, Nicolle never spared her a second nce. Deep down,
she knew he could never forget his first love.
So she set her sights on the woman herself.
By then, Nicolle hadn''t spoken to his old me in years. But driven to desperation
by his wife''s relentless attacks, the woman finally reached out to him, begging him to rein in his wife.
Nicolle intervened, pleading with his wife to stop and promising to try to make their marriage work. By then they had a son and a daughter, his wife was beyond
average
reason-determined to erase any trace of the woman who haunted Nicolle''s heart.
She dug deeper, following every lead, until she stumbled across a secret: the
woman had quietly given birth to a boy.