Chapter 16: The Search for Aurora

Sebastian had never felt this kind of fear before.

His whole body was tense, his heart pounding so hard that he could barely hear anything else.

He sat in Aurora’s living room, surrounded by their parents, trying to explain how she had gone missing.

But his mind kept pulling him back, to their past, to the promise that had tied them together since childhood.

Sebastian and Aurora weren’t just childhood friends. They were bound by something deeper, a promise made long before they could even understand it.

Their families had always been close. The Lancasters and the Evans were two of the most powerful business families in the country, their friendship going back generations.

And long ago, before either Sebastian or Aurora was even born, their parents had made a decision.

Their children would marry each other...

It was a simple agreement, signed and sealed before they even knew what love was.

Growing up, Aurora and Sebastian had been inseparable.

They played together, studied together, and shared every small moment of their childhood. It was never forced upon them.

Their parents never pressured them to like each other, it just happened naturally.

Sebastian had always protected Aurora. If anyone bullied her in school, he was the first to step in. If she ever cried, he was the one to comfort her.

And as the years passed, something changed between them.

They weren’t just two kids promised to each other anymore.

They wanted to be together.

By the time they were teenagers, they had accepted their engagement wholeheartedly. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation.

They cared for each other in a way that felt natural, effortless.

Sebastian had fallen in love with her.

Not because their parents had arranged it, but because Aurora was everything he had ever wanted.

She was kind, strong, and breathtakingly beautiful. She knew him better than anyone else, just like he knew her.

And now, she was gone.

Sebastian sat in the Lancaster mansion, his hands clenched into fists.

“I should have never let her go alone,” he said, his voice shaking.

Aurora’s mother, Evelyn, looked just as broken as he felt.

“You said she went to buy breakfast?”

He nodded.

“She left early in the morning. I was in the hospital. She told me she’d be back soon. But when she didn’t return, I got worried. I searched everywhere, no one saw her. It’s like she just... vanished.”

Sebastian’s father, Richard Evans, exchanged a look with Henry Lancaster. They had both built their empires from the ground up.

They knew how dangerous the world could be.

“She was last seen near the café,” Sebastian continued.

“But there were no security cameras in that area. I asked around, but no one remembers anything.”

Henry sighed. “And you waited three hours before calling us?”

Sebastian winced.

“I thought maybe she was just delayed. I didn’t want to overreact. But now...” His voice dropped, filled with guilt.

“Now I know I should have acted sooner.”

Aurora’s mother wiped her tears, trying to stay strong. “We need to find her.”

“I’ll go to the police,” Henry said.

“No,” Katherine, Sebastian’s mother, interrupted.

“We can’t just rely on the police. We need the entire world to know Aurora is missing. We need the media.”

Sebastian hesitated.

“But what if....”

“We don’t have time to worry about risks,” Katherine said firmly.

“Aurora isn’t just a normal girl. She’s an heiress. If she’s missing, people need to know.”

Henry sighed but finally nodded. “You’re right. The sooner we spread the news, the faster we’ll find her.”

The next morning, the world woke up to the biggest headline of the year.

"Aurora Lancaster, Heir to the Lancaster Empire, MISSING!"

"Billionaire Heiress Disappears: Kidnapping or Tragic Fate?"

"Aurora Lancaster & Sebastian Evans, A Love Story Cut Short?"

Every major news channel covered the story.

Articles flooded the internet, discussing her disappearance and her engagement to Sebastian.

News anchors debated whether it was a kidnapping, an accident, or something even darker.

Paparazzi gathered outside the Lancaster estate, waiting for any updates.

Sebastian, however, ignored all of it.

He sat in Aurora’s room, staring at the engagement ring she always wore.

He had promised her he would always protect her.

And now, she was lost...

But no matter what it took, he would bring her back.

Even if it meant tearing apart the whole world to find her...

TO BE CONTINUED...