The Royal Contract

Nick was furious that Cassie was able to get away. That was twice in one day that a woman tricked him. But he did not mind Dani since he had other plans for her.

What mattered today was to find Cassie and get her back. She was crucial in his plans, and he still needed the evidence that she held against the Hamiltons.

"You are a fool." Nick looked at the mirror in front of his minibar and saw his reflection. "You allowed her to deceive you once again. You should have taken the evidence at the very start and disposed of her."

He stared long and hard at the man, who almost had it all. He should be married to Dani by now. He should be the one running Ethan's company instead of Alex. But he blew it again and again. 

But now, he feared that his plans might not be enough anymore without Cassie. He shoved the entire content of his drink into his mouth, trying to drown himself in his misery.

"Sir, we searched the entire area, but we did not find her." One of his men reported as he presented himself before him.

Two of his men stood in attention behind him as they waited for his reply. He always thought that he hired the most competent mercenaries money could buy, but why did they fail to find an intoxicated woman.

"Where could a drunk woman go? There was no car missing at the car park. She could not have a walk on the road without anyone spotting her." He did not understand how she could have escaped or vanished into thin air. 

The location of the place was miles away from the city. There was no public transportation that she could use. The only way in and out of that place was through that single road. He highly doubted that she would go through the forest.

Even so, she would not have gone far with her state. The only thing he could think of at the moment was someone helping her or taking her. But who would want her? Or she could have an accomplish.

"But we found this, Sir." His man interrupted his thoughts as he handed him Cassie's phone, which they found in a ditch.

He recognized it because he was the one who gave it to her. He had it traced, but the woman must have thrown it away when she ran away. His men told him that after finding the phone, they could not see any traces of her.

He grabbed the empty glass in the table with his free hand and hurled it on the glass shelves, shattering most of them into bits and pieces of shards that littered the floor. 

"Keep searching for her. Don't dare come back until you find her or something that would point to her. I want her alive." He barked his orders at his men, wanting them out of his sight. "Leave, now."

He held the phone in his hand, shaking his head with regret. He should not have underestimated Cassie. He knew she was evil but did not foresee that she was as cunning as him. 

He always thought that she was acting on his behalf. She fooled him into believing that she was just a dumb bimbo who only wanted to please him by spreading her legs and providing for his needs. 

Then, an alarming thought came to him. He hastily sprinted to his office, shoving the painting away from the wall. Hidden in the wall was a vault, where he kept most of his important files.

He quickly pinned in his passcodes and used his thumbmarks to unlock the safe until he heard the clicking sound. He gradually opened the door, afraid of what he might discover.

As he feared, his vault was empty. He was duped again by the woman he trusted. This time, he had reached his boiling point as he trashed his office space. It was a mess by the time he finished with the place.

"You will never be able to hide from me, Cassie. Once I find you, I will make sure to make you suffer before I kill you." He shouted in anger and frustration.

He sat on his chair and turned to the view outside. He could see the beautiful sky above him, but his mind was busy planning Cassie's demise once he had her in his captivity again.

A vibration on his pocket alerted him of an incoming call. He immediately picked it up, believing it was his man about to give him the good news.

"Hello, my partner. You are not in your office today. Your secretary said that you are sick." He listened to the line, recognizing the voice of his caller.

He had a meeting with him today that he had forgotten since his mind was busy thinking of another problem. He was the last person that he wished to deal with, but he had no choice anymore.

"Edward, I am sorry if I had to cancel on you." He stated on the line, not sure if he sounded hoarse or drunk, but he did not care. "I am a bit under the weather."

He just wanted to get rid of him and deal with him later when everything was less chaotic. At the moment, talking to him would only complicate things.

He was sure that Edward was going to follow up on their plans. But he had no answers for him, especially now that Cassie was missing. Edward would never appreciate his situation.

"Oh, I never knew that a man of your stature, mighty and powerful, is still susceptible to such mere human conditions." He taunted, knowing too well that he was not sick but only making up excuses.

He did hear him slur a bit. An indication that he had already drunk his fill, and yet the day was not even over. It was not a good sign. He did not like to be made a fool of, especially when his money and reputation were on the line.

"As I said, I am not feeling well today. I will call you first thing tomorrow morning for our meeting." Nick wanted to terminate the call, believing that Edward deserved it. 

But he still needed his help, especially now that Cassie was missing. Edward was the only key he had to put Alex down off his pedestal. Without the prince, he had almost nothing to go on with his plight against his enemies.

He could not afford to lose. He would never accept defeat to someone like Ethan, Alex, and Dani. He would die first before he would ever admit failure.

"I am counting on that. Remember, my time and money are valuable." Edward avoided saying a direct threat. They were partners, after all. 

Nick still held a large volume of the money that he invested in his company. Besides, Nick still had what he wanted. He could not just let go of his association with him.

He still needed him in the executions of his plans.. But from the way Nick had been acting lately, he believed Nick was a loose end that he had to get rid of eventually.