Chapter 396

Dominic assumed Evelyn had slipped away to the restroom before retreating to her room.

When he realized she'd gone upstairs instead, he set down his wine glass with a sharp clink.

A chilling thought sliced through his drunken haze—had Evelyn... run away?

Mooncrest Manor was encircled by a hundred-kilometer radius of dense, untamed wilderness.

In her weakened state, how could she possibly navigate that treacherous forest alone?

His fingers curled into white-knuckled fists as he pivoted toward the staircase.

"Mr. Blackwood!" A bodyguard snapped to attention. "I'll review the surveillance footage immediately! We'll track her exit point!"

The man swallowed hard before adding, "It's pitch black out there with no streetlights. She couldn't have gone far."

"Useless!" Dominic's voice was a whip-crack of fury. "You can't even keep one woman contained?"

"Sir, I'll mobilize every guard—we'll have her back by sunrise!" The bodyguard's promise trembled with barely concealed panic.

The alcohol evaporated from Dominic's bloodstream. His mind became frighteningly clear, a terrible certainty taking root.

"She left before midnight," he calculated aloud. "I noticed her absence after returning from the washroom. Check the footage—someone must have aided her escape!"

The bodyguard nodded. "My thoughts exactly, sir. She couldn't have breached security alone."

Downstairs, Dominic's oldest friends still lingered over drinks.

His gaze locked onto one figure in particular—Nicholas Vaughn. Evelyn had been seated beside him earlier.

At the time, Dominic had dismissed it as coincidence. Now the calculated placement screamed conspiracy.

"Nicholas." Dominic wrenched the wine glass from the man's hand. "Did you help Evelyn escape?"

Nicholas lifted bloodshot eyes, his expression unreadable. "Yes."

A shocked murmur rippled through the group.

"What the hell, Nick?" someone demanded. "Since when do you know Evelyn Thorne well enough to betray Dominic?"

Nicholas shrugged, his words slurred but deliberate. "Simple. I owed her. She called in that debt tonight."

He refilled his glass with shaking hands. "Better to owe my brothers than an outsider."

The crystal stem shattered in Dominic's grip, crimson droplets splattering like blood.

"You've signed her death warrant!" Dominic's roar shook the chandeliers. "That forest is lethal after dark!"

Nicholas merely arched a brow. "Her survival wasn't part of our agreement. If you're so concerned, perhaps ask why she'd rather face certain death than remain here with you?"

A bodyguard came sprinting in, breathless. "Sir! Miss Thorne exited through the rear service entrance! That path leads straight to the ravine—in her condition—"

Dominic was already moving, his polished shoes crushing glass shards as he stormed toward the back door.

One terrible truth crystallized in his mind—this wasn't an escape attempt.

It was a suicide mission.

The grand hall remained electric with tension long after Dominic's departure.

"Nick," someone pressed, "how exactly did you owe Evelyn Thorne? You've never mentioned knowing her."

Nicholas swirled his wine with a humorless smile. "That woman is anything but ordinary."

"Since when do you care about Dominic's playthings?"

A dangerous glint entered Nicholas's eyes. "Make no mistake—Evelyn Thorne is no one's plaything."

He drained his glass in one bitter swallow. "I swore to keep her secrets. But if she dies tonight?"

The empty glass hit the table with finality. "Dominic won't just cut ties. He'll make sure I join her in hell."