Chapter 678

"Sir, we've located Ms. Morgan's position."

"Where?" Alexander Whitmore's voice cut through the tense silence of the car.

Simon Graves adjusted his glasses. "After departing the medical center yesterday, she transferred between multiple transit routes before arriving at a private estate."

Alexander's jaw tightened. "Take me there immediately."

The black sedan pulled up to the gated property thirty minutes later, just as Sebastian Powell came storming down the front steps.

With his back turned, Sebastian was berating a group of security personnel. "Incompetent fools! How could you lose one woman under your watch? If anything happens to Isabella, consider your careers finished!"

"But sir, they had tactical gear and outmaneuvered us. We couldn't—"

The guards remained bound with professional-grade restraints, clear evidence of the assailants' expertise. The ropes still hadn't been cut away.

Alexander observed the scene through the tinted window. A full twenty-four hours had passed since the incident, and Sebastian had only just arrived to discover his security team incapacitated.

"These weren't ordinary criminals," one guard insisted. "Their training was military-grade. Shouldn't we contact law enforcement?"

Sebastian's laugh was bitter. "The police? What could they possibly do? Have you forgotten the Powell family's origins?" His voice dropped dangerously. "Twenty years ago, no street thug would dare cross us. Every underworld operation answered to my father."

Times had changed. Since the Powells transitioned to legitimate business, their shadow connections had weakened considerably.

Alexander lowered his window, absorbing every word.

Isabella was gone. Taken.

Sebastian turned at the sound, his confident mask slipping when he recognized Alexander's profile.

Clearly, he hadn't anticipated Alexander tracking him down so swiftly. Forcing composure, Sebastian approached with measured steps.

Despite his family's influence and status in Cresthaven, Sebastian knew he stood no match for the man before him.

"Mr. Whitmore," he began smoothly, "what an unexpected—"

Alexander cut him off, his voice glacial. "Was the child Isabella carried yours?"

Sebastian's breath hitched.

Isabella was pregnant?

This was news to him.

But if Alexander was making the accusation, it must be true.

Memories of yesterday flooded back—Isabella's erratic behavior, the bloodstain on his trousers. The pieces clicked together with sickening clarity.

'She claimed it was cold medicine... Was it actually—'

The realization nearly knocked him backward.

Somehow, Sebastian kept his expression neutral. Admitting anything would be catastrophic—not just because of Isabella's engagement to his brother, but the scandal itself would ruin him.

"You misunderstand, Mr. Whitmore," Sebastian said with practiced ease. "Ms. Morgan and I have a purely platonic relationship. I offered her temporary lodging as a courtesy to my future sister-in-law. That's all."

Feigning surprise, he added, "She's expecting? My brother should have mentioned... Though given their engagement, I'll speak to Father about accelerating the wedding plans."

Every word was calculated, delivered with convincing sincerity.

Alexander had spent a decade mastering interrogation techniques at the academy. He could spot deception in a heartbeat.

Stepping from the vehicle, Alexander drove his fist into Sebastian's abdomen without warning.

The impact sent Sebastian reeling. He collapsed to one knee, bile rising in his throat.

Alexander loomed over him, voice deadly quiet. "One more time, Sebastian. Is that your child?"

Sebastian tasted copper. He'd heard rumors of Alexander's combat skills but never experienced them firsthand.

As Isabella's legal guardian, Alexander's protective fury made brutal sense.

Gritting his teeth, Sebastian shook his head. "Not mine."

He couldn't admit it. Wouldn't.

Alexander didn't strike again. Instead, he studied Sebastian with unnerving intensity.

Sebastian met his gaze unflinchingly. "Ms. Morgan is engaged to my brother. How could the child possibly be mine?"

Their stare lasted several heartbeats before Alexander turned away.

Taking this as a small victory, Sebastian signaled an associate, who produced security footage.

"These men invaded my property and took her," Sebastian said, pointing to the screen.

Alexander's eyes locked onto the distinctive tattoo visible on the lead abductor's forearm. His expression darkened.

Years at the border had taught him to recognize that insignia.

How had Isabella become entangled with them?

Alexander returned to his car without another word, making a call as the engine roared to life.

Sebastian watched him leave, unease coiling in his gut. This wasn't over.

That tattoo... It tugged at some half-remembered knowledge from his family's darker days. He needed answers.

Rushing back to Powell Manor, Sebastian cornered the elderly butler. "Hugh, identify this symbol. What organization uses this mark?"

Hugh Cyrus, now in his sixties, had accompanied Sebastian's father through the family's most dangerous years. Adjusting his spectacles, he studied the image.

His aged eyes sharpened with recognition. "Southwest syndicate," he murmured. "Specialists in high-profile abductions. Why do you ask?"