Chapter 2 - The Art of Disappearance
By the time Grant’s Maybach pulled into the private circular drive of their Lake Shore Drive estate forty minutes later, the house was dark.
Not welcoming dark, but abandoned dark.
Grant strode through the grand foyer, his heels clicking against the imported Italian marble. "Clara?" he called out, loosening his black silk bow tie with one hand.
No answer.
He walked into the master suite. The walk-in closet—usually filled with her dresses, neatly categorized by color and season—looked strangely hollow. He frowned, stepping inside. The rows of designer coats were missing. Her vanity, usually cluttered with gentle floral lotions and simple silver brushes, was wiped completely clean.
A sharp spike of unease pierced his chest. Grant strode to the nightstand.
Resting right in the center of the mahogany surface was a single object.
The heavy platinum-and-diamond wedding band he had placed on her finger twenty-three months ago. Next to it was a slim, white legal envelope with his name scrawled across it in her clean, elegant cursive.
Grant.
He tore the envelope open. Inside was a single sheet of paper, printed with crisp legal headings from a high-powered downtown firm he recognized instantly—the same firm he used for corporate liquidations.
Pursuant to Section 4 of our prenuptial agreement, I am officially providing thirty days' notice of voluntary withdrawal from the marriage contract. All personal belongings have been removed. Do not look for me. The settlement terms outlined in Appendix A are final and non-negotiable.
— Clara Callahan.
Grant stared at the words. The paper felt paper-thin, yet it carried the weight of an avalanche.
"Voluntary withdrawal?" he muttered, a dark chuckle escaping his throat. "It's a marriage, not a hostile corporate takeover."
He reached for his phone, dialing her cell.
May you like
The number you have dialed is no longer in service.
Grant froze. He dialed his private security detail, his voice dropping into an ice-cold snarl the second the head of security answered. "Find her. I want to know where Clara is within the hour."
