---- Chapter 25 This was Timothy's first time finding the city he lived in to be so huge that finding a person was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The streets were no longer busy in the wee hours, and there were barely any pedestrians. A rare car would pass by, leaving the streets empty save for the street lamps. Timothy had already driven around aimlessly for over three hours. His vision was getting blurry, and he almost forgot to stop at red lights several times. He had no choice but to return home for the time being. On his way back, he couldn't help feeling expectant. Maybe Madeline was already there. Just maybe. However, when he keyed in the passcode and stepped inside, he saw that everything was the same as before he'd left. The lights were on because he'd forgotten to turn them off, and the living room was still bare. The second floor was ---- completely dark. Timothy refused to believe this. He opened every door and checked every room. Madeline hadn't returned, and he had no idea where she'd gone. It was almost as if she'd disappeared into thin air. This was a cruel, devastating blow. Timothy couldn't stop his hands from trembling as he pulled out his phone, various news headlines flashing in his mind as he did so. A person's imagination was boundless when it came to thinking about bad things, and he only grew more afraid the more he thought about what could possibly have happened. He hastily called his assistant, Adam Brown. " Have you found anything?" He knew Adam would contact him if there were any updates, but he still couldn't help hoping that perhaps this would be an exception. Adam didn't say anything. Timothy's heart sank into an abyss at the silence. ---- "You didn't find her, did you?" he asked shakily. His goosebumps suddenly rose-a sign of an ominous premonition. He hated that he'd been so confident before. "T found her," Adam said. Timothy's eyes lit up, and he demanded, "Where is she?" "She has left Loraynea. Do you remember the flight you stopped two weeks ago? She was aboard that plane. However, I can't be sure what her final destination was because she'd had a flight transfer." Timothy froze. Two weeks ago, a flight he'd stopped, he and Lacey... Madeline must've seen them. Humiliation and guilt crashed over him. He'd hurt her again without meaning to. He should've expected this. He'd been up against Madeline, not a business deal, the company, or a proposal. There weren't any policies or procedures to follow-she was a living, breathing human