And yet...


    "Wait, that doesn''t add up."


    She hesitated. "M and Lysander''s marriage was never made public. No one outside knows they''re together, so how could—”


    "Are you sure Giselle doesn''t know?" Sophie broke in at just the right moment.


    Miranda''s fist clenched reflexively. Of course Giselle knew. Damn it!


    How could they have overlooked that? Giselle was absolutely in the know. She''d gone after Jade first, caught thempletely off guard, steering their attention in the wrong direction. Jade was probably just a decoy.


    Their enemy was using the Montgomery family''s old rivals to do their dirty work!


    Giselle didn''t even have to get her own hands dirty-just a whisper about M and Lysander''s rtionship in the right ear would be enough. No one would care if they were divorcing; if M was a threat to Lysander, they might even-God, would they go so far as to kill her?


    If they''d already resorted to kidnapping, what wouldn''t they do?


    Damn it!


    Miranda instantly grabbed her phone and called Lysander. She couldn''t worry about exposing M''s secret trip abroad now-M was missing. That was all that mattered.


    If this really was tied to the Montgomery family, at least they could focus their search, narrow down the possibilities, and maybe, just maybe, bring M home faster.


    The phone rang and rang, but no one answered.


    Miranda took a deep breath, on the verge of cursing, when Sophie spoke up quietly beside her. "It''s eight in the morning in London right now."


    Still in bed at this hour? Miranda wasn''t buying it. She called again, and again, stubbornly refusing to give up until, on the umpteenth try, someone finally picked


    up.


    "What is it?" Lysander''s voice was cold, almost icy.


    Miranda didn''t bother with pleasantries. "M''s gone missing overseas. Does this have anything to do with your family?"


    There was a pause-a heartbeat, maybe two.


    "She''s out of the country?"


    His voice was tight, barely controlled, simmering with anger. Before Miranda could say anything else, he hung up. When she tried again, there was only silence.


    "Well?" Sophie asked.


    "It''s the Montgomerys, no doubt about it."


    After that reaction, Miranda was sure. Damn that Lysander. She was close to hating him now.


    Ever since M got involved with the Montgomerys, nothing in her life had gone right.


    The longer Miranda thought about it, the angrier she became. If anything happened to M, she''d hold the Montgomery family, Lysander, and Giselle all responsible. She wouldn''t let any of them off the hook.


    "At least we have a lead now," Sophie said, letting out a long breath. She whipped out her phone and started making calls, calmly and efficiently redirecting the search teams.


    ...


    Back in Ennd, Kingsford.


    "Get the jet ready. I''m leaving the country immediately."


    Lysander''s expression was dark as he ended the call, turning to Leonard, who had been giving a report at his desk. Leonard had overheard enough not to ask questions he just nodded grimly and left.


    As soon as Leonard was gone, Lysander dialed Conrad Montgomery. His message was brief: "Dad, I''m going away for a while. I need you to manage thepany."


    "What''s happened?"


    "She''s out of the country."


    There was some shuffling, the creak of a door, and then Conrad''s voice came, low and urgent, "What happened? How did she get out? Why didn''t you stop her?"


    "I don''t know yet." Lysander bowed his head, pressing his hand over his face, and his voice came out rough and low. "I don''t know. She''s missing, Dad. If she—"


    For the first time, his words faltered. The usual irond confidence was gone, reced by raw uncertainty.


    "She''s not going to die," Conrad said firmly. "You know as well as I do whoever''s behind this isn''t after her. They want the Montgomery family. They want—” He broke off, then continued, "As long as their game isn''t over, M will stay alive." "But we''re dealing with a lunatic," Lysander muttered.


    Conrad paused. "Are you sure about going there? You realize that''s enemy territory."


    "I''ll win." Lysander''s tone was cold again, edged with a deadly resolve.


    He exchanged a few final words with his father before hanging up. Then he left


    the study and went to his son''s room. Adrian was already awake, rubbing his sleepy eyes. When he saw Lysander, he called out, "Daddy."


    "Didn''t sleep well?" Lysander asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and scooping Adrian into his arms.


    Adrian hesitated, surprised by his father''s gentle tone, and instinctively snuggled closer, whispering, "No."


    "Nightmare again?"


    "Mm-hmm."


    Lysander stroked Adrian''s hair softly, speaking with an unfamiliar tenderness. "Daddy has to go away for a while-a long trip. While I''m gone, you need to listen to Grandpa and Great-Grandpa, okay?"


    "Where are you going, Daddy? Can''t Ie?" Adrian''s eyes filled with tears as he clung to his father''s shirt. "Mommy''s gone, and now you''re leaving too. I don''t want that."


    "Daddy''s going to bring Mommy back."


    Adrian looked up, hope shining in his eyes. "Will you bothe home together?" "Yes." Lysander smiled, resting his chin gently on Adrian''s soft hair and giving him a tight hug. "We''lle home together."


    "Then I''ll wait for you and Mommy," Adrian said, finally smiling.


    After that, Lysander helped Adrian get dressed and washed up, holding his hand as they went downstairs. At the door, Lysander let go, waved goodbye, and watched his son for a moment in the rearview mirror. When he finally looked away, his eyes had gone cold and steely.


    "Let''s go," he ordered.


    The car sped toward the airport and the waiting jet. Their destination— Florence, Italy.