The Billionaire's Two-Faced Escort Wife-Chapter 100: The Dockland Trap

"Marcus," Alexander bit out, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that stripped the name of any familiarity. "Code Black. Now. Track the car. Track all employees. Get eyes on the security feed for the Governors’ entrance and the service exits. I want a perimeter established within five minutes. Adrian is gone."

​He barked the coordinates of the Gala, then ended the call, already moving. He strode toward the main security station, his perfectly tailored suit and impeccable composure failing him. He was a storm of focused fury.

​"Heaven knew Alexander was ready to raid the country if he didn’t have Adrian on his arms in few seconds."

​Within three minutes, Alexander was standing over the shoulder of a trembling security guard, watching the high-resolution feed from the exterior cameras, Marcus’s team already remotely hacking into the system.

​They rewound the footage. There was Alexander leaving the car, following the woman in the black suit. Adrian, magnificent in the gown, leaning against the sedan, alone. The time stamp ticked forward.

​Then Sebastian Vale appeared. The confrontation, the proximity, the terrifying isolation of Adrian against the car door. Alexander watched the scene unfold with a roaring silence in his ears. He saw Adrian’s body language shift from defiance to utter defeat. He saw Sebastian lift the phone.

​And then, the moment that broke Alexander: Adrian’s head dropping in resignation. The defeated movement toward Sebastian’s waiting SUV, the hand-holding, the slow, agonizing departure.

​The footage showed Sebastian’s SUV leaving the perimeter at 01:58 AM.

​Alexander straightened, his face utterly devoid of emotion, making him look more terrifying than any fit of rage.

​"Sebastian Vale," he stated, his voice flat and deadly. "You really have pushed your limit,"

​"Sir, we’re tracking the SUV now," Marcus’s voice crackled through Alexander’s earpiece. "It left the main highway fifteen seconds ago. It’s heading toward the old docklands warehouse district. Private property, very isolated."

​Alexander didn’t hesitate. He took the keys to the fastest car in his personal fleet from the valet, tossing him a hundred-dollar bill without looking.

​"Inform the police this is a kidnapping," Alexander instructed Marcus, already halfway to the exit. "But they are not to move until I give the order. I want every single route in and out of those docks covered. Sebastian wants Adrian. He just declared war on the wrong man."

The Price of Silence

​Meanwhile, in the confines of Sebastian’s luxurious, darkened SUV, Adrian sat rigid, the midnight blue silk gown feeling like a chain. The air was thick with the scent of scotch and Sebastian’s wounded pride.

​"Don’t worry, Adrian," Sebastian slurred, resting a heavy hand on Adrian’s knee. "We’re going somewhere where we can talk privately. Where I can prove to you that I know the real Adrian, the one the world tried to crush. Not this pretty lie Alexander has made you wear."

​Adrian flinched violently at the touch, leaning into the door. "Stop. You promised not to publish. You have your half of the bargain, Sebastian. You have me. Now leave Alexander out of this."

​"Leave him out?" Sebastian scoffed, his eyes blazing with hurt. "He stole you! He turned you into his corporate whore and hid you behind a ridiculous lie! That audio... hearing you beg him, hearing him take you in that back room... it proved everything! He doesn’t love you, Adrian! He owns you!"

​Adrian swallowed hard, fighting the urge to defend Alexander. He couldn’t risk provoking Sebastian into hitting ’publish.’ "He’s not lying to you. I am his wife. You are delusional, Sebastian. Let me out now."

​"We’re almost there," Sebastian muttered, ignoring the plea. He pressed a button, and the partition between the front and back seats slid up, silencing the driver. "I want you to take that dress off, Adrian. I want to see the man I fell in love with, the one who fought for his mother, the one who never gave up."

​The vehicle finally slowed, pulling up to a massive, black warehouse door. The area was desolate, abandoned—the perfect setting for a final, desperate confrontation.

​Adrian looked out the window, his heart sinking. He knew, with sudden, terrifying clarity, that he was utterly alone. He had protected Alexander’s image, but in doing so, he had placed his own life squarely in danger.

​’Alexander. Please hurry.’

​The black SUV halted with a soft crunch of gravel. Sebastian opened the door and ushered Adrian out, his hand clamping possessively onto Adrian’s elbow. The warehouse loomed high above them, a monolith of concrete and shadows. The air smelled of salt, rust, and neglect.

​"A private place, Adrian," Sebastian murmured, his voice softening with a disturbing false tenderness. "Where we can finally talk without Alexander’s poison clouding your mind."

​He led Adrian through a smaller, reinforced steel door that groaned open, revealing a vast, dimly lit interior. The space was mostly empty, serving as a cavernous echo chamber.

​Before Sebastian could take three steps inside, the phone in his jacket pocket buzzed—a special, urgent tone. He frowned, releasing Adrian’s arm to answer.

​"Yes?" Sebastian snapped, walking a few steps away.

​Adrian stood frozen, the midnight blue gown now looking ridiculous and out of place in the industrial gloom. He strained to hear Sebastian’s end of the conversation.

​Sebastian’s voice escalated, laced with panic and disbelief. "Devereux’s men? Already? That’s impossible, they shouldn’t even know he’s missing yet! How long? An hour? Are you sure you can hold them?" He listened for a moment longer, his eyes wide and fixed on Adrian, now filled with frantic urgency. "Fine! Just make sure that perimeter holds!"

​Sebastian ended the call with a curse and spun around, his composed mask completely destroyed.

​"The bastard sent his dogs," Sebastian hissed, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. "He’s not even waiting for a missing person report. He’s treating this like an abduction. My security says Alexander’s entire private tactical team is surrounding the docklands. We have maybe fifty minutes before they breach the fences."

​He grabbed Adrian’s shoulders, his grip tight and painful. "This changes things. We need to buy time, and we need to break his spirit now."

​Adrian’s heart pounded with a terrifying mix of fear for himself and fierce loyalty to Alexander. "You need to let me go, Sebastian! You’re escalating this past any point of return!"

​"I am securing what is mine!" Sebastian dragged Adrian toward a dusty, overturned crate and shoved him down onto it. He pulled out his phone again, not to publish the article, but to place a call. He flipped the screen to show Alexander’s contact details, then thrust the phone into Adrian’s hand.

​"Call him," Sebastian commanded, his voice cold and terrifyingly sane now. "You are going to tell Alexander that you left willingly. That the fake marriage is over. And that you are never, ever coming back to him."

​Adrian stared at the phone, his hand trembling. The thought of uttering those words felt like ripping his own soul out. "I can’t—"

​Sebastian yanked Adrian’s hair back, exposing the tender skin of his throat, the spot where Alexander had just kissed him minutes ago. "You will, or I hit publish right now. That article goes live, and Devereux stock tanks before the Board meeting tomorrow morning. He loses everything. Your choice, Adrienne."

​Adrian squeezed his eyes shut. Alexander’s life. The reputation, the company, the years of work—all gone in an instant. He wouldn’t let Sebastian win this way. He took a ragged breath, the pain in his scalp forcing him to focus.

​He hit the call button. The dial tone rang twice before Alexander’s voice—sharp, desperate, and filled with barely contained fury—answered instantly.

​"ADRIAN! Where the hell are you?! Are you alright?! Who took you?!"

​Adrian’s throat seized up. Hearing Alexander’s raw fear twisted the knife in his gut.

​Sebastian leaned close, pressing the cold barrel of his own phone against Adrian’s temple, his voice a lethal whisper: "Tell him you hate him. Say you’re happy here."

​Adrian forced the words out, the voice he used sounding foreign and hollow, utterly devoid of the warmth Alexander knew. He had to be cruel to be kind. He had to make Alexander believe the lie.

​"Alexander," Adrian began, his voice brittle. He took a fortifying breath, pushing all his fear and love into a mask of cold finality. "Stop searching for me. You need to call off your men."

​Alexander’s voice was instantly lower, more controlled, but laced with danger. "Adrian, what is going on? Tell me where you are. Is someone forcing you to say this?"

​"No," Adrian choked out, feeling the searing pain of the lie. "Nobody is forcing me. I left... I left willingly, Alexander. I am not planning on continuing this fake relationship, or this façade that you created."

​Silence stretched between them—a long, agonizing void where Alexander was processing the ultimate betrayal.

​"Fake?" Alexander’s voice, when it finally returned, was dangerously quiet. "Everything between us... was fake?"

​Adrian closed his eyes, a single tear tracing a path through his makeup. Sebastian dug his nails into Adrian’s shoulder, urging him on.

​"Yes. It was always fake. The passion, the loyalty... it was a role, Alexander. A business transaction," Adrian whispered, the lie burning his tongue. He forced the final, damning words out. "I will never return to you. I am staying here... with Sebastian."

​He heard a sound on the other end—a sharp, ragged exhale of pure agony.

​"Adrian..." Alexander’s voice was barely a whisper now, utterly broken. "If you do this... you are ruining everything we built."

​"Goodbye, Alexander," Adrian finished, his voice cracking on the last word.

​He violently yanked the phone away and tossed it onto the concrete floor. The call was disconnected. The silence that followed was heavy, complete, and utterly devastating.

​Adrian sat slumped on the crate, the midnight blue dress now a reminder of a life and a love he had just thrown away to save a reputation.

​Sebastian smiled, a look of twisted triumph on his face. "See, Adrian? We just bought ourselves time. Now, let’s talk about our future."