Bella Ford stared at the staff member in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing. The staff member looked deeply embarrassed and said, trying to be as tactful as possible, "Yes. It seems Sixth Master is rather busy. He also said the remaining ceremonies are optional, so they’ve been cancelled. I’m not entirely sure of the specific reasons. You could ask Sixth Master yourself." "The wedding has already been simplified as much as possible! How can Sixth Brother cancel the remaining parts too?" Bella Ford asked on Melanie Carpenter’s behalf. In Abyanabad, weddings are quite intricate. When the prince marries, the celebrations last for a full eleven days. With Adrian Desmond’s status and wealth, a wedding lasting ten days and ten nights wouldn’t be excessive, yet he had condensed the ceremony into a single day. Melanie Carpenter had already made a concession, but Adrian Desmond still wanted to cancel what little remained. "This is too much! My cousin is getting married only once in her life; how can she be treated so poorly?" Bella Ford felt indignant for Melanie Carpenter. "Besides, everything was already arranged. Cancelling it just like that? How is my cousin supposed to maintain her dignity?" "I’m sorry, I’m just a staff member. This is Sixth Master’s decision. If you disagree, please take it up with Sixth Master," the staff member said, neatly sidestepping any responsibility. He excused himself and left the dressing room. The makeup artist, having overheard their conversation, realized her services were no longer needed. She packed her makeup case and tactfully departed as well. Only Melanie Carpenter and Bella Ford remained in the dressing room. Bella Ford slammed her hand on the table, furious. "It must have been that woman’s doing! She must be jealous of you, Cousin, so she convinced Sixth Brother to cancel the wedding!" Melanie Carpenter removed the diamond hairpin, and her coiffed hair tumbled down. In the mirror, the shy blush was gone from her face; even the thick layer of foundation couldn’t conceal her pallor. "Cousin, why aren’t you saying anything? Say something!" "What is there to say?" Melanie Carpenter gave a bitter smile, her heart aching. Adrian had never willingly agreed to this wedding. If she hadn’t forced his hand by attempting suicide, he wouldn’t have married her so quickly. "We’re going to find Sixth Brother! The wedding has already been cut down so much; how can he cancel the rest of it? Does Sixth Brother even have any regard for you, Cousin?" "Forget it. Let it be," Melanie Carpenter said weakly. She had wanted him to marry her. And Adrian, however reluctantly, had done so. What more could she demand of him? "Cousin, you can’t just let this go! This is a once-in-a-lifetime event," Bella Ford said, anxious on her behalf. "When you’re out at social events, people will laugh at you." "Let them laugh if they want to." "Cousin..." Bella Ford shook Melanie Carpenter’s arm, frustrated by her cousin’s passive acceptance. "Don’t say any more. Just let it be." Melanie Carpenter slumped onto the table, looking utterly exhausted. No matter what Bella Ford said, she remained silent. "Cousin, if you keep tolerating her, that woman won’t be grateful. She’ll only take a mile if you give an inch!" The ring was still missing. If Adrian Desmond weren’t a man who scoffed at ghosts and spirits, he would have suspected supernatural forces at play. Otherwise, how could a ring simply vanish into thin air? A group of people stood by, none daring to utter a word. They had searched the entire emergency stairwell—inside and out—at least twenty times, but Adrian Desmond’s lost ring was nowhere to be found. "Damn it!" Adrian Desmond exclaimed. Chapters first released on novel⸺fire.net His phone rang. It was Mr. Lucas. For him to call at this hour, it had to be about Sienna Johnson. Adrian answered quickly. "What’s wrong with Mai?" Adrian Desmond asked directly. "Sixth Master, it’s bad! Madam is missing!" Mr. Lucas reported, his voice fraught with anxiety. "I sensed something was amiss, so I had the door forced open. Madam wasn’t in the room at all," Mr. Lucas explained briefly. "Send people to search the vicinity immediately. I’m on my way back." "Yes, sir. I’ve already dispatched a search party." Adrian Desmond no longer cared about the lost ring. He left the hotel at once and sped towards the Desmond Family residence. Walter Klein offered to drive, but Adrian, deeming him too slow, took the wheel himself. Walter Klein watched Adrian’s frenetic, almost suicidal driving speed, worrying instantly. He drank so much. Driving this fast will definitely lead to an accident. Walter also hurriedly got into his car and followed, but he soon lost sight of Adrian Desmond, whose car was moving too quickly. Adrian Desmond sped from the wedding hotel all the way back to the Desmond Family residence. The gate opened too slowly for the impatient Adrian Desmond, so he slammed on the accelerator and crashed straight through it. The force of the impact knocked the servant opening the gate to the ground. Mr. Lucas and Resa were already waiting for Adrian Desmond’s arrival, both looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy, not daring to lift their heads. After all, Adrian Desmond had repeatedly, emphatically, ordered them to keep a close watch on Sienna Johnson. Yet, she had managed to escape right under their noses, and they hadn’t even realized when she’d gone. "Sixth Master, you’re back," Mr. Lucas greeted respectfully, though his voice lacked its usual composure and held a tremor of panic. Adrian Desmond got out of the car and ignored everyone, striding quickly towards the stairs. Mr. Lucas and Resa hurried to keep up. They entered Adrian Desmond’s bedroom to find it empty. The window was wide open, and the wind billowed the white gauze curtains, making the pages of a magazine on the table RUSTLE. Half-eaten food still sat on the table. "When did she leave?" Adrian Desmond demanded. Mr. Lucas stammered, "...Madam recorded a message and attached the recording device to the door. Whenever someone knocked, the recording would play. So, we... we don’t know exactly when she left." Adrian Desmond turned and strode to the doorway. Sure enough, a small recording device was stuck to the back of the door. He tapped the door, and Sienna Johnson’s voice immediately played: "Get out! All of you, get out!" "Hmph!" Adrian Desmond ripped the recording device off the door, hurled it to the ground, and stomped on it fiercely several times. He should have known that woman wouldn’t be so submissive! So, she’d been waiting to pull this stunt on him! "Find her! I refuse to believe she sprouted wings and flew away!" At Adrian Desmond’s command, everyone in the Desmond Family was mobilized. He looked determined enough to tear the Desmond estate apart to find her. Walter Klein, who had rushed after him, could only bemoan their rotten luck. Another game of cat and mouse, and as usual, they were the ones who would suffer the consequences. Adrian Desmond scanned the room. Her wardrobe was untouched; she hadn’t taken any clothes. She had, however, taken a considerable amount of jewelry. Adrian Desmond sneered and called Walter Klein. "Walter, find the person who procured Mai’s jewelry. Have her list all the specific pieces bought for Mai, and then put surveillance on those items." Just as Sienna Johnson had anticipated, Adrian Desmond was focusing on the jewelry, hoping to trace her whereabouts through it. Unfortunately for him, he was destined for disappointment.