Alexander’s POV

"Sir, could you please come to the police station?" the officer said over the phone.

"Did something happen?" I asked.

"Our officers found Miss Summer earlier today, sir."

My grip on the phone tightened instantly.

"I’ll be there in an hour."

Without waiting for a response, I ended the call.

Just as I suspected.

Lilian had been hiding in Velaridge City this entire time.

And whoever had been protecting her,I would find out soon enough.

I left the study and headed upstairs to the master bedroom.

It wouldn’t be safe for Alicia to come with me in her current condition, but I still wanted to tell her where I was going. I didn’t want another misunderstanding between us.

When I entered the room, however, Alicia was asleep.

She lay quietly on the bed, her breathing steady and peaceful.

I stood beside her for a moment, watching her.

No matter how urgent the situation was, I couldn’t bring myself to wake her.

In the end, I decided to tell her when I returned.

I grabbed my coat and left.

Jim was on leave today, so I drove myself.

I wanted to handle everything as quickly as possible and get back home.

Alicia had never been comfortable with excessive security around the villa, so I had removed most of the guards and replaced them with additional surveillance systems instead.

As I drove, I picked up my phone and sent her a message.

I had to go take care of something. I’ll explain everything when I return.

After sending it, I put the phone away and focused on the road.

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the police station.

"You’re here, Mr. Blackwood."

"Where is she?"

"This way, sir."

I nodded and followed the officer through the building.

As we approached an office, I could already hear a woman’s voice from inside.

The officer opened the door.

Everyone inside looked up.

The chief officer sat behind his desk.

And beside him sat Isabelle Summer.

The moment she saw me, she visibly stiffened.

"Thank you for coming at such a short notice, Mr. Blackwood," the chief officer said.

"Please, have a seat."

He motioned toward the chair opposite Isabelle.

I sat down and gave her a brief nod.

"Mrs. Summer."

"Mr. Blackwood," she replied awkwardly. "It’s been a while."

The officer cleared his throat.

"You’ve probably already been informed."

I turned to him.

"Where is she?"

"She’s currently in the interrogation room."

His gaze briefly shifted toward Isabelle before returning to me.

"She appears to be mentally unstable at the moment, but we’re trying to gather as much information as possible."

I frowned.

"What do you mean unstable?"

I leaned back slightly.

"She visited my grandmother only a few days ago and contacted my wife afterward. Is that something a mentally unstable person would do?"

The officer immediately shook his head.

"We don’t mean she’s unaware of her actions, sir. What we’re saying is that she isn’t exactly herself right now."

He paused.

"She was found alone in an apartment. And her medical records says the accident she suffered a few weeks ago appears to have affected her mentally."

This time, Isabelle spoke.

"The doctors mentioned it after her surgery."

I remained silent.

I knew Lilian.

And I knew how easily she could use her trauma to manipulate situations.

She had done it before.

She could try again.

But it wouldn’t work this time.

Then another thought crossed my mind.

"Which apartment was she found in?"

The officer hesitated.

"It belonged to Daniel Caldwell."

A slow smile appeared on my face.

Just as I thought.

After Daniel’s arrest, I had ordered my men to monitor all of his properties more closely.

Even so, we had found nothing.

Now it all made sense.

She had been hiding in one of his apartments all along.

"So what happens now?" I asked.

The officer folded his hands.

"For the time being, she’ll undergo further psychological evaluation."

"If her condition is confirmed to be severe, treatment will become the priority before any legal proceedings."

I nodded slowly.

At this point, there was nothing left to worry about.

Lilian had been found.

No matter how long it took, she would still have to answer for her actions.

"My lawyer will handle everything from here."

I stood up.

"Mr. Blackwood."

Isabelle’s cautious voice stopped me.

I turned around.

She had also risen to her feet.

"Don’t you want to see her?"

For a brief moment, the room fell silent.

Then I shook my head.

"There’s no need, Mrs. Summer."

My voice remained calm.

"I won’t have anything to do with your daughter from now on."

Pain flashed across her face.

She stepped closer.

"I know my children have caused you a lot of trouble. Especially Lilian."

Her voice grew softer.

"On their behalf, I’d like to apologize."

I studied her quietly.

For as long as I had known Isabelle Summer, she had always been humble.

Even after the incident years ago, when she had every reason to blame me, she never did.

Instead, she kept insisting that it wasn’t anyone’s fault.

Looking back now, I couldn’t help but wonder if she had known more than she ever let on.

But I didn’t dwell on it.

"You don’t need to apologize, Mrs. Summer."

With that, I turned and left.

As I walked through the hallway, I caught a glimpse of Lilian through the glass window of the interrogation room.

She looked nothing like the woman I remembered.

Her hair was messy.

Her face was pale.

And a noticeable scar stretched across one side of it.

It was probably from the accident.

This sight would have worried me alot a few months ago.

But now I felt nothing.

It felt like I wasn’t even supposed to feel anything.

I didn’t stop.

I kept walking.

Once outside, I got into my car and checked my phone.

There was still no reply from Alicia.

I wondered if she was still asleep.

Then I remembered something she had said before.

She wanted to see Lilian herself.

If Lilian truly was mentally unstable now, then meeting her wouldn’t be safe.

But if Alicia insisted, I wouldn’t stop her.

I would simply make sure she wasn’t hurt.

With that thought in mind, I started the engine and drove back toward the estate.

<<<<<>>>>>>

"Welcome back, sir."

"Thanks, Maria." I loosened my tie as I stepped into the villa. "Is Alicia still sleeping?"

I’d been gone for almost three hours.

Maria shook her head.

"No, sir. She woke up earlier. I took her lunch upstairs before I went to the laundry room."

I nodded and headed upstairs.

Without another word, I pushed open the bedroom door.

The room was empty.

My gaze swept across the bed.

The blanket was slightly creased, proof that she’d been there recently, but Alicia herself was nowhere in sight.

I checked the walk-in closet.

Nothing.

The dressing room.

Nothing.

Frowning, I moved toward the bathroom.

"Alicia?"

No response.

A knot formed in my chest.

"Are you alright?" I asked, concern creeping into my voice.

Silence.

I knocked on the door.

"Alicia?"

Still nothing.

My grip tightened around the doorknob.

"I’m coming in."

I pushed the door open.

The bathroom was empty.

I froze.

For a moment, I simply stood there staring.

Alicia always locked the bathroom door whenever she was inside.

Slowly, I stepped back out.

Maybe she was on the balcony.

I walked over and pulled the curtains aside.

Empty. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The balcony doors were shut.

My brows furrowed.

Then I remembered the parenting books she’d been reading lately.

Maybe she was in the study.

I immediately headed downstairs.

The study was empty.

"Alicia?" I called.

No answer.

The uneasy feeling in my chest deepened.

I checked the library.

The living room.

The dining area.

Every place she occasionally visited.

Nothing.