Love Across the Light Years -The Devil CEO Indulges My Lies.-Chapter 45: Missing.

Felix froze.

And so did Jasper.

Karl watched their stiff expression, dread flooding his chest. He immediately latched onto Felix’s arm like a drowning man clutching the driftwood.

"Felix ... you will save me from Brother’s wrath, won’t you?" he asked weakly.

"Save you?" Jasper snapped.

Without hesitation, he kicked Karl squarely in the side.

"You idiot! You still think you need saving?"

It hurt —badly.

Karl’s expression twisted at once. He staggered, bracing his waist, "Jasper ... how could you say that? I am your own brother. I —"

"Oh, now you remember that?" Jasper took a step forward toward him, his eyes blazing, eager to burn him if possible. "Then how dare you pull something like that on our own brother? You’ve really grown some guts."

Karl opened his mouth to argue —then shut it again.

"My intentions were good," he muttered defensively, though the confidence was long gone. "I was thinking about everyone. Especially Eira. Didn’t Felix say she misses her mother the most? I was just thinking —"

"F*ck, your intentions!" Jasper’s voice rose dangerously. "You were thinking? Heh!" he scoffed. "If you were really thinking, you wouldn’t have been stupid enough to drug him!"

The more he processed it, the angrier he became.

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

Then something clicked.

His expression shifted —from anger to alarm.

He turned sharply toward the exit.

Felix caught the movement first. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Jasper shot back. "We need to stop this before it’s too late. Otherwise —"

He didn’t finish. He moved to walk past them.

Karl panicked.

He lunged forward and grabbed Jasper’s arm. "Wait! Think again! What if it works? If everything goes smoothly, this plan could actually succeed. Brother won’t be lonely anymore. Eira will have a mother. And we ..." His eyes lit with fragile hope. "We will have a beautiful sister-in-law, who can calm him down whenever he acts out."

He knew the risk. He knew if the plan failed, what consequences he would have to face.

But if it worked ...

If it worked, he wouldn’t have to fear the demon’s wrath anymore.

All he had to do was stay sweet to his sister-in-law —and she would handle Brother for him.

Life would become easy. And —

Jasper slowly turned his head.

The look in his eyes made Karl instantly release him.

"Works?" Jasper repeated, his voice flat. "You are still hoping it works? Where did you lose all your shame, Karl Warren?"

Felix pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Karl ... Brother is not some random man you can scheme against. You interfered with something he despises the most."

"But —"

"No," Felix cut him off sharply —rare, but decisive. "You crossed a line this time."

Karl lowered his gaze.

Jasper looked like he wanted to say more, then seemed to realize it was pointless —just a waste of time.

Shaking his head, he turned to Felix.

"Let’s go."

Felix nodded and followed immediately.

Behind them, Karl hesitated only a second before choosing what felt like the safest option.

"Hey —wait! Take me with you. I want to fix this as well."

And with that, he ran after them.

—————

Meanwhile —

Amelia returned to the spot where she had left Adelyn.

Although she hadn’t been able to secure a cab, she had requested assistance from the hotel staff.

But when she arrived —

Adelyn was nowhere to be found.

Panic spread across her face as she scanned the hallway.

But it was empty.

She checked the corners.

But again, there was nothing.

"Where did she go?" she whispered, clutching her head.

At this moment, her phone rang. She pulled it out to see Freya’s name flashing across the screen.

"Freya," she answered breathlessly. "Adelyn ... Adelyn has gone missing."

"Missing?" Freya’s voice sharpened instantly. "Didn’t I ask you to take her back carefully?"

"I —I was taking her. But I couldn’t find the cab on the app, so I had to step out to look. I asked her to stay put, but when I came back ... she was gone. I have been looking everywhere. I can’t find her." Her voice trembled. "Freya, I don’t know what I should do now? I —"

"Calm down!" Freya said firmly, sensing Amelia’s rising panic on the other end of the call. "She must still be there. Look carefully. I will be there soon."

Amelia nodded to herself and ended the call.

Then she turned in the opposite direction, and hurried to continue searching.

—————

At the same time —

On the top private floor of The Imperial View —

Wyatt was pacing outside a closed suite.

The air felt wrong —heavy, pressurized.

He paced back and forth in the corridor, tension radiating off him.

He paused when he heard approaching footsteps.

Turning, he saw Asher and Ford walking toward him, their strides brisk and expression severe.

Wyatt moved to meet them halfway.

"Where is Boss?" Asher demanded.

Before Wyatt could answer —

Crash!

A violent, shattering sound tore through the hallway.

All three turned sharply toward the source.

Wyatt exhaled tightly.

"He is in there."

Another heavy impact followed —like something large slamming the wall.

Ford’s expression hardened. This wasn’t simple rage. His gaze darkened as an ominous feeling rose in his chest.

This shouldn’t be happening so soon.

"What happened?" he asked, already dreading the answer.

Before Wyatt could respond —

Jasper’s voice echoed from down the corridor.

"He is reacting to the drug."

The three turned only to see Jasper walking in, Felix beside him, and a pale Karl trailing behind.

"Drug?" Asher repeated, his brows furrowing. "What drug?"

Jasper’s gaze shifted to glare at Karl.

Karl swallowed. "I ... got it from the black market. They said it was the most potent one. Strong enough to stimulate even a bear."

Silence fell.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Another crash erupted —this time accompanied by something far worse.

The lights flickered for a second.

Even the temperature dropped.

Karl flinched and instinctively hid behind Felix. For the first time, he realized he might have overdone it.

But ... he never knew aphrodisiacs reacted like this.

Wasn’t this a little different?

Did he get duped?

If he did, what exactly had they sold him to make his brother react like this?

Asher and Ford exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing for an entirely different reason.

To others, it seemed like mere physical destruction, but they knew better.

It wasn’t just that.

It was something far beyond.

"What should we do now?" Asher asked in a low whisper meant only for Ford, his voice laced with an indecipherable fear.

Ford looked equally grim. His gaze was distant, as if calculating possibilities.

This shouldn’t have happened.

Not now.

Not when they weren’t prepared for it.

"He isn’t just reacting to the drug," Asher said. "We need to calm him down before it’s too late. If he falls into complete disarray, he will start consuming."

His voice lowered further.

"And if that happens, we won’t be able to control anything. Not him. And not the destruction that follows.

Ford’s expression grew serious.

They had to calm Dylan before it’s too late.

But none of them possessed the means.

The only one who possessed it—wouldn’t save him.

She —

"She? What is she doing here?"

Karl’s startled voice interrupted Ford’s thoughts.

For turned and followed Karl’s line of sight.

And froze.

She ... was here.

What kind of twisted fate was this?

Even Asher was taken aback. His furrow between his brows deepened. "How did she get here?"

He moved to rush forward, but Ford held him back.

Asher frowned. "What are you doing? We need to stop her. She is nothing but trouble. In a situation like this, she would —"

"Only she can help," Ford cut in.

A pause.

Asher frowned. "What?"

Ford’s voice was firm. "In a situation like this, only she can help."

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked, his brows furrowing. He hadn’t heard it all, but he did catch the last part of Ford’s words.

Giving a fleeting glance toward the woman in the distance, he turned back to Ford. "Who is she?"