Chapter 14

No way.

Nelson quickly shook that thought off.

She was an orphan with no family, gone overseas for three years, and the few people she used to hang out with were just some punks. How could she possibly afford a luxury sports car?

Kicked out by the Thompsons—aside from coming back to the villa, where else could she even go?

But the villa was completely dark.

The master bedroom upstairs was spotless. Besides the freshly changed sheets showing someone had stayed there, there was nothing left. Not a trace of her remained.

Even that beat-up suitcase had disappeared.

After Nelson got back to Silverhollow Villa, he'd searched every corner. Not a soul in sight.

Eyes dim, he raised his phone and dialed Evan Brooks.

"Find out where Claire is. And get me a detailed report on what she's been doing abroad these past three years."

"Yes, sir," Evan answered right away, but couldn't help blurting out, "Didn't you plan to divorce Mrs. Cooper? Why bother checking into her life now?"

The air went silent.

After a long pause, Nelson's voice came through, cool as ice. "You've sent over the divorce papers?"

"Sorry, sir—not yet," Evan admitted, guilt thick in his voice. "Velora Studio's contract with us has ended. They've said they're not planning to renew it. We've been tied up trying to fix that. Plus, we haven't been able to get in touch with designer Vera Quinn, so the divorce stuff got pushed back."

Nelson's brow furrowed. "We offered them three times the original deal and they still said no?"

"Yes, sir. They even said they wouldn't sign even if we upped it ten times," Evan said, voice tense. "Our three-year partnership with Velora went smoothly. We've never had any conflict with their designers. The new offer should've been more than attractive. We're still trying to understand why they're rejecting us and doing our best to reach out."

Three years back, right after Old Mr. Cooper passed, the whole company landed on a guy barely in his twenties—a guy who couldn't even control his own marriage. Plenty of board members had just been waiting for him to fail.

Teaming up with Velora had instantly boosted Cooper Jewelry's net profit by 300% in Q1. Profits stayed consistent after that.

With that leverage, Nelson had gained enough momentum to push forward with aggressive development across major projects.

Honestly, one major reason Nelson managed to solidify his position in the company so fast was because of Velora.

And now that the contract had ended after three years... he just couldn't figure out why they'd suddenly cut ties.Nelson paused for a moment before saying, "Let's put the divorce with Claire on hold for now. Look into what Sylvia's been up to lately—I'm handling the renewal talk myself."

"Understood!"

—

A week later.

Outside the XR Media headquarters, inside a sleek black Spyker, Nelson's face was dark as ever.

"Still nothing? Evan, have things gotten too cushy at the exec office? Lost your edge from all that praise?"

Evan nearly dropped his phone from how hard he was shaking. He'd never been chewed out this badly since joining Cooper Group.

Honestly, the whole thing was beyond weird. He had combed through every inch of surveillance in Jadewick and found zero trace of Miss Claire.

Even the cameras near Silverhollow Villa had been wiped clean. Footage from the day she returned to the country? Also gone. It was like she vanished into thin air.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cooper," Evan said weakly. "We've got people watching the mailing address used for the agreement, but so far, still no sign of her. And as for her three years abroad... Her life was pretty normal—just like any regular exchange student. Took part-time gigs in between classes. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Nelson pinched his forehead, voice low. "Anything new, let me know—immediately."

Evan could feel the tension vibrating through the call. "Yes, sir."

Nelson hadn't forgotten the main reason he was here today. He glanced at his watch, tone laced with impatience.

"You sure Velora Studio's signing with XR, and that Sylvia—the designer—is meeting Adrian today?"

He had been waiting since morning, and Adrian? No-show. As for the mysterious designer behind Velora... not even a shadow.

He didn't wait for a reply before his eyes suddenly narrowed, gaze locking on something outside the car window. His expression turned even colder.

—

After cutting ties with her family, Claire spent two full days crashing at Adrian's apartment, practically living like a cat.

She'd promised to meet him today to sign the contract, so she forced herself out into the blazing sun.

Right before reaching the company, she gave him a quick call.

Ten minutes later, the man strolled up with a bouquet of roses in hand.

His black slacks fit perfectly, showing off his long legs. The first two buttons of his shirt were undone, giving him that signature carefree, devil-may-care look.

"Did I embarrass you today, sis?"

He came to a stop in front of her and handed over the bouquet. "To my dearest Miss Vera Quinn—champagne roses today. Hope you like them."

"Thanks, Adrian." Claire couldn't help but laugh, though she was clearly weak to any type of rose.

She took off her sunglasses and reached out to accept the flowers—only to pause when something caught her eye.

A chill ran up her spine as a familiar figure entered her peripheral vision.

In the distance, her gaze locked with a cold, piercing stare.