DAMIR
The call ended an hour ago. Two, maybe. I wasn't sure anymore. The numbers on the clock kept mocking me. Every tick felt like a fucking gunshot echoing through my head. I'd been counting minutes since Eli told me he was coming.
"Daddy, I'm bored. Can I come over to your workplace today?"
He'd sounded so cute over the phone, playful and whiny in that way that always made me give in. Of course, I said yes. I told him, "Come with the guards, alright? No arguing."
He giggled. "Okay, okay, I will. I'll be there soon."
But he never showed up.
By the third hour, my chest felt tight. I tried to keep my cool, buried in contracts and negotiations, but every single thing on the papers blurred into meaningless scribbles. My thoughts kept circling back to him. He should've been here already. Eli was dramatic, yes, but he never kept me waiting this long. He always burst into my office with a grin and some teasing words that made me want to ruin him right on my desk.
I stood up, tossed the papers on the desk, and reached for my phone. The first person I called was Grigori, head of the estate's security.
"Yes, sir?" he answered immediately.
"Where the fuck is Eli? He told me he was coming over. Did he leave with guards?"
There was a pause on the other end. Then Grigori's voice dropped. "Sir… Eli left, but he told the guards you asked him to come alone. We thought…."
"WHAT?!"
The sound that came out of me wasn't human. It was the roar of a man whose entire world just slipped through his fingers. My heart slammed against my ribcage like it was trying to break out.
"How long ago?!"
"Almost three hours now…."
I didn't wait to hear the rest. I was already grabbing my coat, phone pressed to my ear while I barked out orders. I got in the car, my driver barely able to catch up. My voice shook as I screamed, "I want every damn camera in the city scanning for his face. I want every guard mobilized. If he's hurt…."
I couldn't even finish the sentence.
The drive home was hell. I kept checking my phone for a message. A call. A fucking sign. But nothing. Eli had just… vanished.
When I burst through the doors of the mansion, the staff flinched. I didn't care. I was beyond fury.
"Where is he?!"
"Sir, we thought he was with you," one of the maids stammered.
"Why the fuck would you think that without confirming it with me?!"
Silence.
My fists clenched. My whole body shook with fear. My baby. My spoiled, stubborn, bratty, beautiful baby. He lied just to come see me. And now he was gone.
I stormed into his bedroom. It still smelled like him. Vanilla and soft cotton. The scent made my knees weak. His bed was messy, he'd probably rolled around in it before getting dressed. His favorite hoodie was tossed carelessly on the floor. His phone, one of them still charging by the bed.
I picked it up. No recent texts. No outgoing calls.
My throat tightened.
"Eli… baby…"
I sat down on the bed, gripping the phone like it was a lifeline. I buried my face in his pillow. I could still hear his voice in my head. The giggle. The little sighs when he curled up against me.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I pulled out my own phone and called again.
Voicemail.
"Eli, if you can hear this.. baby, please, I'm not mad. I just need to know you're safe. I'm going to find you. I swear. Just… don't do anything stupid. Stay where you are. I love you, okay? I love you so much."
I ended the call and stood up, breathing hard.
"Grigori!" I yelled through the comm.
"Sir."
"Check the estate's exit logs. Who was posted at the gates when he left? I want every guard involved suspended and interrogated. And get me the full surveillance footage from the minute he stepped out. I want every second, every angle, every shadow reviewed."
"Understood, sir."
I was pacing now. Every part of me burned with anxiety.
"And get the fucking police involved if you have to. He could've been taken…."
No. I couldn't think that. I wouldn't think that.
I slammed my fist against the wall.
"He's not just my lover. He's my life."
My voice cracked. I leaned against the wall, breathing raggedly. Every plan, every appointment, every business deal, none of it mattered.
All that mattered was finding Eli.
Then…
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I froze.
My finger hovered over the answer button.
Could it be…?
My heart pounded as I answered.
"Hello?"
A voice I didn't recognize spoke.
"We need to talk. It's about the boy."