With Titus Zane absent, the atmosphere in the entire villa seemed to fall.
Having completed their fundamental tasks, Aunt Liu and Chun Ya retired early to their rooms, not daring to linger in the living room to watch TV.
Nathan Moore remained standing in front of the window, his handsome face more sullen than the darkness outside.
Olivia Zane silently kept him company in the living room, initially hoping to add fuel to the fire, but Nathan’s earlier reaction really frightened her, so she said nothing more.
It was past midnight, and Titus Zane had not returned, her phone consistently off.
In two adjacent rooms on the second floor, neither Nathan Moore nor Olivia Zane could sleep.
In the darkness, Olivia Zane leaned against the bed, still on the phone.
"...Mom, what should I do if she really eloped with Logan Ray?"
"Don’t worry, she won’t."
From the other end of the phone came Ariana Evans’s assertive voice.
"But what if she does!" Olivia Zane’s emotions flared, covering the phone, yet not daring to speak loudly for fear the man in the next room would hear.
"We’d have wasted all our efforts then! It’s been almost a year, do you know how much it pains my heart when Nathan returns from her room, Mom..."
"What’s there to worry about!" Olivia Zane was cut off before she could finish, by Ariana Evans’s stern interruption.
"Small forbearance prevents big plans from going awry; we’ve already waited for more than twenty years, a few more won’t matter!"
"Mom, you make it sound so easy, but if it were you, watching Dad every night with another woman, wouldn’t it break your heart!"
In her desperation, Olivia Zane spoke without restraint, only to be met with another harsh scolding from Ariana Evans.
"Even if it hurts, you have to endure! You don’t calculate properly; after three to five years with her, most of Nathan’s life will be yours, can’t you endure these few years!"
"Mom..." Olivia Zane called out, feeling wronged, tears beginning to overflow.
"Please, can you help me... I don’t want to wait even a day longer..."
"No! Life’s at stake here, it’s not something that can be done carelessly, we must wait for the perfect opportunity, otherwise, both of you could lose your lives!"
Ariana Evans again sharply scolded, not giving Olivia Zane a chance to speak, commanding authoritatively over the phone.
"Get some rest now, your body can’t handle staying up late, if the sky falls, your parents will support it for you. Don’t worry, we won’t let her get away."
After hanging up the phone, Olivia Zane stared at the disconnected call until the screen went completely black, then placed the phone on the bedside cabinet, and obediently lay down, closing her eyes.
In the room next door, Nathan Moore stood at the window with a lit cigarette between his fingers, the count of which he had lost track of.
The window was wide open, breezes swept into the room bringing an additional chill, akin to the aura Nathan Moore was emanating at the moment.
Lowering his gaze, he glanced at the phone sitting on the windowsill, having dialed out countless times, yet still met with a shutdown notice.
Looking out at the endless night beyond the window, Nathan Moore took a drag of his cigarette, his dark eyes slowly narrowing.
His thin lips unconsciously curled into a cold smirk.
Titus Zane, well played, not coming home is one thing, but having the gall to turn off your phone!
After taking another deep drag, he fiercely tossed the cigarette butt, crushing it under the tip of his shoe with force.
Nathan Moore grabbed the phone and dialed a series of numbers.
"Check the train stations and airports right away, see if there’s any news of Titus Zane’s arrival or departure, after this afternoon!"
"President, now?" Ewan Zimmerman vigorously rubbed his sleepy eyes, taking a careful glance at the time.
"But it’s already the middle of the night..."
"Hand in your resignation first thing tomorrow!"
"President, I’m on it right now."