ESTELLE
I returned to work, utilizing my time, hoping to divert my attention from Linden and be productive. It worked for a while because I had to think positively. And I knew in my heart Linden was somewhere with Jasper, drinking beers, laughing together. Still, my stomach churned with dead.
“Hey, honey. The finished products just arrived. I love the new packaging.” Mom sang with her smile from ear to ear as she walked into my office.
I stood up from my chair as the trolley came. “Me too.”
Mom and I sat next to each other as we began unboxing and testing, even if it was already tested. I chose first the organic one. We had a particularly unique type of packaging that the CEO, me, and our designer knew the secret to protect the products from counterfeit fraud.
“It’s impressive.” I loved the antioxidant-tinted serum. It was thinner, lightweight, and easy to absorb on the skin. I sniffed it. “It almost doesn’t have a smell.”
“You’re pregnant. Usually your olfactory is very strong.”
“Right. Try this Vit. C moisturizer.” I gave it to Mom.
She smelled it. “It’s citrusy, light, and refreshing. Sometimes, some products have this pungent smell. It triggered my migraine.”
“Oh, wow.” I opened the packaging of the hydrating set. “I need to have this.”
Mom laughed and paused, testing the lip gloss collection on her hand. “These are yours, honey. Of course, you can take them home.”
“I really love the colors—light and aesthetic. And I have all the products at home, Mom. They’re a reminder of my hard work. I use mine even if I have money to buy an expensive product. I want to prove to everyone that what we have is safe and effective.”
“I think you’re having a girl.”
“Why’d you say that?” I turned to her, smiling.
“The color, the scent, you appreciate sweet and light instead of strong and dark colors.”
“I think she’s gonna be a daddy’s girl.” My smile widened as I was still grateful I had my child to keep going.
Mom squeezed my hand. “I know it’s been tough days, but he’ll be back soon. He never breaks promises.”
“Thanks, Mom, for being here.”
“I will always be here with you. So your next appointment is next week, right?”
“Yes.”
“You and Gabe are gonna find out the gender?”
I grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, about that.”
“You’re gonna keep it from me?” Her eyes squinted.
“You have to wait, Mom.” I widened my eyes.
“Oh, my. That’s my first grandchild.” Mom became teary-eyed. “I still can’t believe I’m gonna be a grandmother.”
I laughed. It felt good to laugh. “You’re not that old. I just get knocked up early.”
She laughed again and shook her head in amusement. “Gabe is a catch. He’s also kind, loves you, and knows in the kitchen. He respects me, not just as your mother, but values my opinion. Knowing I am your employee, I might not get that from another man.”
“Mom.” My heart melted. “You are overqualified for the position. Plus, I trust you, not just as my mother, but I know you won’t let everyone down.”
“I know, honey.” When she paused, I knew she wanted to say something that could trigger my mood. “Have you heard from your father?”
“I decided not to invite him to my wedding. I doubt if he even wanted to attend after our— you know. And he didn’t even try to reach out. He was mad when he found out I was dating Gabriel.”
“Soon, he will realize what he did was wrong or already done. The problem with your father is he’s misogynist.”
“Of course, he wished I was a boy.”
“It doesn’t matter. You are better than men in their line of work. You are better than your father.”
“Thank you, Mom.” I rested my head on her shoulder. “I don’t know what to do without you.”
***
I wished I could just sleep right away once I got home, but that was not the case. I missed my husband. I missed his presence— his laugh, smile, and everything about this house reminded me of him. And it hadn’t been the same without him since he left.
The food on the plate should be appetizing, and the chef had a thing with plating, but it didn’t work on me when I had a lot on my plate right now. I’d rather eat Gabriel’s omelet or his charred-crust pizza. But I had to eat for my child, and I was starving.
“Thank you, chef.” I was about to pick up my fork when I heard a commotion from the living. “Gabriel!”
I was on my feet, sprinting from our dining room toward the hallway in a matter of seconds. I heard the chef calling my name, but I wanted to see my Linden.
I halted, rooting to the ground as I saw the guys. I saw first Lynx, then Quinn. The next man to walk in was Kye, followed by Sax. I tipped my head excitedly to see my man coming next to the door, but it didn’t happen. The door shut, and Linden wasn’t with them.
“Where’s Gabriel?” I asked Sax first. Then, I looked at them one by one. “No. No way. Where is he?” I narrowed at Lynx.
Their faces fell. Their gazes dropped. Their shoulders sagged. Everyone swallowed as if choking on their own words.
“I’m asking every one of you,” I said sternly. “Where. Is. My. Husband?”
Their silence spoke volumes, but I would not accept it.
“Mrs. Linden, we waited two days in our rendezvous, but he didn’t show up. We inquired, and nobody seemed to have seen him after getting into the bar, but nobody saw him get out.”
“So what?” I widened my eyes. I wanted an explanation. I wanted to know everything. “He’s abducted by aliens. That’s it? For God’s sake, you have a multi-million dollar advanced technology. Use it. Call the Hover. Go to Osmium and find him!”
“We’ve been there for twelve hours.”
My eyes narrowed at Lynx. “So you’ve been in the country for twelve hours, and none of you can come to me or call me?” I specifically looked at Sax and Kye because Linden trusted him with his life. And Linden would not hesitate to donate his kidney to one of them if they needed it.
“I’m sorry, Estelle.”
“I don’t need your apology, Sax. Either you’ve been looking in the wrong place, or you’re just not looking hard enough. If this happens to you, Gabriel wouldn’t just stand there and wait for good news. He would scour the world and kick doors to find you.”
“We couldn’t find traces and trails. His watch is not accessible. He didn’t use his passport, so my guess is if he—”
“If he’s still alive? He’s alive! Goddamn it. My husband is alive! I can feel it. I know it.” When my chin started trembling, they took a step to come to me. I raised my hand. “I can’t believe you gave up on him easily. I thought you were all his friends, but it seems to me that you only see him as your boss. Nothing more.”
“Estelle, we’re not giving up.”
I glared at Kyle. “You already are. I guess I’ll just have to hire another contractor to find my husband, even if I have to use all my money. Money doesn’t matter to me if I don’t see Gabriel again.”
“The team is still working off-the-clock, scrolling through ten miles radius. I already called Moses, maybe his Russian contacts have information, and I also informed Terzo maybe he heard something from his associates. We’re here to tell you personally and make sure you’re not alone in this difficult time.” Kye walked to me to pull me into a hug. “I never and will never give up on Linden, even if it takes days or months to find a needle in a thousand haystacks. And I know he’s just out there.”
I nodded and wiped my tears as I looked at him. He was also suffering. His eyes filled with dread and pain.
I drew a deep breath when I suddenly felt dizzy. “Kye.” I managed to call his name and held tightly in his arms before my vision went black.