Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

When Heather showed Ivy's photo to the women on the outskirts of the group, they exclaimed, "Yes, that's her! She said her nwas Vivienne. Do you know her?" "You're saying she disappeared from the ship too?" Heather's heart sank upon learning Ivy had been on the scruise.

No one knew Ivy and Aurora's past better than Heather did. Ivy must have boarded the ship with revenge in mind after being expelled from the Montgomery family.

Heather couldn't shake the thought that the two must have had a confrontation. Perhaps they quarreled, and with the loose railing on deck, both of them might have fallen into the sea during their struggle.

"Yes, she boarded the ship with us, but after a while, we didn't see her again. We have no idea where she went," one of the women said.

"Mr. Warden, I'm afraid Miss Montgomery has truly fallen into the sea," Heather turned back to Mr. Warden, tears streaming down her face.

Before Ivy's connection to Aurora was revealed, Heather still held onto a glimmer of hope. But now, with both women mysteriously missing, the odds seemed insurmountably grim.

"How are you so certain?" Mr. Warden asked, his face tense.

"Mr. Warden, the woman who disappeared along with Aurora is Ivy Montgomery. You've surely heard her nbefore. You must know what that means," Heather explained.

"Ivy..." Mr. Warden froze for a moment as the nclicked. "The former daughter of the Montgomery family?" "Exactly. She's always harbored resentment toward Miss Montgomery. I suspect they crossed paths on the ship and argued. Coupled with a loose railing... the worst-case scenais that they both fell overboard," Heather sobbed uncontrollably.

"This is terrible! Notify the rescue and salvage teams immediately! How could something like this happen?" Mr. Warden's face went pale with fear. Two lives were at stake. And with Julian returning the next day, how would he explain this catastrophe? Julian Bawas infamous for his ruthlessness. Anyone who crossed him would find themselves blacklisted from their social circles. Everyone knew how deeply he cared for Aurora. If she had fallen into the sea, even if they rescued her quickly, the situation would still be grave.

The real nightmare was that no one knew precisely when or where she had fallen. In the vast ocean, finding her was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if they managed to recover her, they feared it might only be her lifeless body. Worse yet, she could be lost forever, her remains swallowed by the sea.

Mr. Warden shuddered at the thought, unwilling to imagine the consequences. Julian would flay him alive if anything happened to Aurora.

The news spread across the ship, and everyone was gripped with fear. Two people had disappeared-both likely gone forever. Only hours earlier, they had seen them mingling among the crowd.

Rescue and salvage teams scoured the waters, but the ocean was vast and unforgiving. Recovering someone from the sea was no easy task, let alone after so much thad passed. Heather's eyes were swollen from crying. She called Julian's private number repeatedly using the ship's landline, but his phone remained off.

It wasn't until 6 a. m. the next day that Julian landed. He hadn't slept all night, restless with anticipation. The thought of seeing Aurora again had left him oddly anxious.

When his plane touched down, he turned on his phone and saw over a hundred missed calls from an unknown landline number. Whoever called him must have been desperate. Considering how few people had his private number, he realized it had to be someone he knew.

A sense of unease crept over him. Had something happened to Aurora? "Hello?" Julian answered, his voice calm but edged with tension.

The person on the other end sounded hoarse, practically unrecognizable. "Mr. Barnet?" "Yes, it's me. Who is this?" "It's Heather. Miss Montgomery... she's in trouble!" Heather's composure crumbled the moment she heard his voice, and she broke into sobs.

"What happened to Aurora?" Julian's chest tightened as dread washed over him.

"She... she fell into the sea. We've been searching all night, but there's no sign of her," Heather choked out between sobs.

Julian's mind went blank, as though thunder had struck him. Even his usual calm demeanor couldn't shield him from the blow.

"Mr. Barnet? Mr. Barnet?" Heather called out when she heard no response. She knew the severity of the news was too much for him to process.

"What do you mean she fell into the sea? Explain it to me!" Julian finally found his voice, though it was filled with fury and desperation.

Heather stammered through the explanation, recounting the events as best as she could. On the other end of the line, Julian was frozen in place, his knuckles white as he gripped the phone.

When Rock arrived to pick him up at the airport, he was greeted by the sight of Julian standing at the terminal exit, motionless like a statue.

If one looked closely, they would see Julian's eyes reddened, his expression a mix of anger and anguish. His hand trembled as he held the phone.

Even a man who could face the collapse of the heavens without flinching now looked utterly shattered. Rock, who had worked by his side for years, had never seen Julian in such a state.

"Mr. Barnet?" Rock ventured cautiously.

Julian snapped out of his daze, his eyes blazing with a dangerous light. He grabbed Rock by the collar. "Where are the bodyguards I told you to hire?" "Mr. Barnet, I was just about to report. Miss Montgomery attended a cruise gala unexpectedly. The bodyguards tried to follow her onto the ship, but they were denied entry.

"They managed to secure invitations later, but by the tthey boarded, the ship had already departed. On top My of that, my mother was hospitalized with a high fever last night, and my phone ran out of battery.

"They had no choice but to wait at the port for Miss Montgomery's return. I just charged my phone and found gut about this. Has something ET. happened to Miss Montgomery?" Rock asked, though he already feared the worst. Julian's expression confirmed it.

Julian noticed the exhaustion etched on Rock's face, the dark circles under his eyes. He must have spent the Crust eptire night at the hospital. Though Julian knew this wasn't entirely Rock's fault, the situation was unforgivable. "Aurora fell into the sea. Contact every ship at the port, including fishing boats. Everyone is to focus on the search. I want her found-alive or dead!" The last word cout through gritted teeth, as though Julian could barely bring himself to say it.

Aurora couldn't swim. Falling into the ocean meant certain death within minutes. It had already been an entire night. Even a miracle seemed out of reach.

Still, Julian prayed for a sliver of hope, begging the heavens to spare her.

"What?!" Rock was stunned. Just a day ago, he had seen Aurora alive and well. Now Julian was saying she might already be gone. The thought was unbearable.

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