Chapter 9 " Turn San Francisco upside down if you have to - find Julia ! " Herbert roared into the phone . " Even if she's dead , I want to see her corpse ! " " Boss , " his subordinate's voice crackled nervously , " we've searched everywhere - hospitals , the docks , underground clinics ... there's no trace of her . " " Then find her brother ! " Herbert slammed a hand on the desk . " That sickly bastard was injured last time , wasn't he ? He must be holed up in some hospital . Control him , and Julia will have to show herself ! " He hung up , chest heaving , veins bulging at his temples . " Herbert ? " Stella stood timidly at the study door . " Who ... who are you looking for ? " a Herbert turned , the violence still blazing in his eyes , making her shrink back half a step . He forced a long breath . " It's nothing . Just casino business . Not something you need to worry about . ' " ) She stepped closer , careful as though approaching a wounded beast . " I made you some sweet soup... it might help calm you down . " He took the bowl , downing a sip . It was sweet , cloyingly so , like her . Yet no amount of sugar could smother the storm in his chest . Half a month passed . No word of Julia or Josh . Herbert's temper grew more vicious by the day . The casino trembled under his rage . How could it be ? A wounded woman , a frail brother , how could they simply vanish under his nose ? One night , he was drunk again in the top - floor suite . When Stella arrived , a subordinate was hunched before him , whispering a report . Herbert cursed , hurled a bottle , glass shattering across the floor . The man fell silent the moment Stella stepped in and fled the room . Pushing aside her unease , she moved forward to steady him . " Herbert , why drink so much again ? Let me help you back to bed . ' His bloodshot eyes swam with liquor . Suddenly , he seized her wrist . " Julia ... " His voice cracked , raw , desperate . " Don't go ... I was wrong ... come back ... " Stella froze , the blood draining from her face . Hadn't he said his wife was dead ? 23 Her gaze darted around the room , on the dressing table , wardrobe , nightstand ... not a single photograph . What kind of devoted husband erases every trace of a dead wife ? The next day, Herbert accompanied her to a prenatal check - up . On the ride home , she spoke softly , testing the waters . " Herbert , when will we hold our wedding ? If we wait too long , I won't be able to hide the baby . " Before , he would have been overjoyed . Now , irritation flared inside him . " The casino's a mess . When things settle , we'll do it . " Her head lowered . " If you think it's a burden ... I can leave . " 81.82 % LAIRE CROS Dreame - Read Romance Stories When the realized his feelings , he had lost her forever ! lovels reading at night 4.4 * FREE Installed Open He was silent for several seconds before replying , " Don't overthink it . Once the casino business is handled at the end of the month , we'll have the wedding . " Back at the casino , while Herbert was in a meeting , Stella slipped into the records room . The guards didn't dare stop her . She rifled through every file she could find , yet there was nothing , no trace of " Julia Robinson . " " Sis - in - law , what exactly are you looking for ? " one of the younger men asked cautiously . " I want to see Julia's records . " The words slipped out of another man's mouth before he could stop himself . " Miss Robinson's records ? Boss ordered them all destroyed after she left ... ah ! " He cut off with a yelp as the man beside him elbowed him hard . Stella's face went pale , her heart seized in an icy grip . She stumbled out of the archives , dazed , her steps carrying her down the stairwell without thought . And there came the sound of inhuman screams , faint , muffled , from the depths of the underground . A a Dreame - Read Romance Stories When he realized his lesings he had toother forever ! 44 FREE Installed Open Bovely reading at Krok 81.82 %