Chapter 435

Vivian's fingers trembled as she pulled out her phone, dialing Ethan's private line. "I need to hear his side of the story. There's no way that girl would dare act so brazenly!"

The call went straight to voicemail. Even Ethan's assistant, Elijah, had no clue about his whereabouts.

"This isn't like him." Margaret's perfectly manicured nails tapped anxiously against her phone case. "He should be at Blackwood Group headquarters right now. The NEON-X prototype launch is next week, and the QuantumTech merger requires his signature."

Her pulse quickened as she tried every contact in her phone. Each call yielded the same result - nobody had seen Ethan since yesterday.

A cold dread settled in her stomach. The tech industry was on the brink of revolution. Once the QuantumTech deal closed, competitors would be wiped out overnight. Blackwood Group would dominate the market for decades.

And now her son had vanished right before the most crucial business deal of his career.

The boardroom wars had claimed Sebastian years ago. Was history repeating itself?

"We're calling the police." Margaret's voice cracked as she punched 911 with shaking fingers. Her vision blurred with unshed tears.

She couldn't lose another son. Not like this.

"Mrs. Whitmore," Cassandra interjected smoothly, "perhaps Mr. Blackwood went after Miss Lockhart? They had quite the argument at the cemetery yesterday."

"The cemetery?" Margaret's head snapped up. "He rushed out last night when I mentioned it. You think he went back?"

"Apparently Miss Lockhart took quite a fall near the cliffs there." Cassandra's lips curved into a knowing smile. "She might know where he is."

Margaret bolted for the door without grabbing her purse. At the last second, she doubled back to snatch the lilies Isabella had arranged earlier.

"These were meant for her anyway. Let's move!"

Cassandra followed, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. This time, Vivian Lockhart wouldn't slip through their fingers.