Chapter 3 - The King Unravels
Back in Chicago, the penthouse on Lake Shore Drive was descending into absolute chaos.
Alexander stood in the center of the master bedroom, his shirt soaked with cold sweat. The walk-in closet was half empty. Claire hadn't taken the jewelry he bought her, nor the designer handbags, nor the couture gowns. She had taken only her basic clothes, her family photo albums, and her medical records. On her vanity table, lying atop the mahogany surface, was her platinum wedding band.
Beside it sat an unopened white envelope. Inside was an ultrasound printout from two weeks ago—a tiny black-and-white smudge showing a twelve-week-old fetus—and a handwritten note in Claire’s elegant script:
You told me I was using the baby to control everyone. Now you don't have to worry about being controlled anymore. Don't look for us. Sign the papers.
A guttural roar tore from Alexander's chest. He swept his arm across the vanity, sending antique perfume bottles, crystal trays, and framed photos crashing into the hardwood floor.
""Boss!"" Marco, his second-in-command, burst through the door with his weapon half-drawn, eyes darting around the bedroom before taking in the sight of his boss on his knees among shattered glass.
""Where is she?"" Alexander demanded, his voice shaking with a terrifying vibration. He grabbed Marco by the lapels, hauling the burly enforcer forward. ""Where did she go?! I gave you two hours!""
""Her phone went dead at O'Hare, Boss,"" Marco choked out, keeping his hands carefully at his sides. ""We combed the airport footage. She went into the ladies' room at Terminal Two and never came out. She ditch her coat and phone. No flights were booked under her name or any known aliases. The cab driver who picked her up downtown said she asked for Terminal Two, but that’s all he knows.""
Alexander let go of Marco, his chest heaving. His hands were bleeding where he had gripped the jagged edges of a broken picture frame, but he didn't seem to feel it.
""Put every man on the street,"" Alexander commanded, his voice dropping into that lethal, quiet register that made even his hardened capos flinch. ""Call our contacts in Homeland Security. Check the bus terminals, train stations, car rentals, private marinas. Check every clinic, every obstetrician within a five-hundred-mile radius. If a woman matching Claire's description buys prenatal vitamins, I want to know within sixty seconds.""
The front door chimed. Moments later, Alexander's mother, Donna Beatrice, swept into the penthouse hallway, accompanied by Sophia. Sophia was wearing an expensive cashmere wrap, clutching a handkerchief to her face.
""Alexander, darling!"" Beatrice cried, looking around in disgust at the overturned furniture. ""Look at this mess! That ungrateful girl is throwing a childish tantrum just to humiliate our family! Let her go. She has no family money, no powerful connections. She will be crawling back on her knees in three days once her bank card gets declined!""
Alexander slowly turned around. The look in his eyes made both women freeze instantly.
""Her cards haven't been touched, Mother,"" Alexander said, his voice deadly calm. ""She didn't take a dime of my money. She didn't take the car. She left her wedding ring.""
Sophia stepped forward timidly, laying a soft, manicured hand on Alexander’s forearm. ""Alex... please don't be so hard on yourself. Claire was always overly sensitive. I can talk to her if you want. I'll apologize, even though I didn't mean to cause any trouble—""
Alexander looked down at Sophia’s hand on his sleeve as if an insect had landed there. Then, with a sudden, vicious flick of his wrist, he slapped her hand away.
""Get out,"" Alexander whispered.
Sophia gasped, stumbling backward. ""Alex?""
""Get out of my house!"" he roared, turning on both of them like a wounded predator. ""Both of you! Take that goddamn necklace off, Sophia, before I rip it off your neck! You knew she was allergic to shellfish! You knew it three nights ago, and you played dumb!""
May you like
""Alexander, how dare you speak to Sophia like that!"" Beatrice shrieked. ""She is our guest!""
""She is nothing to me!"" Alexander bellowed, veins bulging along his neck. ""Claire is my wife! She is carrying my baby! And you two drove her out of my life! If anything happens to Claire or my child, I swear to God, Mother, I don't care about blood ties—I will cut you off completely and leave you with nothing. GET OUT!""
