Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

If it weren't for that broken railing, Heather wouldn't have been so panicked. But now, she was utterly at a loss, teetering on the brink of hysteria.

She gripped the sleeve of her shirt tightly, forcing herself to stay calm. Aurora had always warned her: no matter what happens, never lose control. Panic only makes mistakes more likely.

Even though Heather kept telling herself this, it was easier said than done. Aurora was never a frivolous person. She didn't enjoy flattery, let alone entertain random advances. It wasn't like her to wander off without reason.

"Mr. Warden, I'm with Miss Montgomery. We've met before. Please open the door-I need to speak with you." Heather's voice trembled from nervousness.

"Ugh, how annoying," Mr. Warden's female companion complained irritably.

"Don't worry, darling. I'll be right back. Miss Montgomery is not someone to offend. If someone from her party comes looking for me this late, it must be serious." Mr. Warden hurriedly reassured the woman, threw on a robe, and rushed to open the door. "What's going on?" Mr. Warden asked, clearly concerned as he looked at Heather.

"Miss Montgomery was outside earlier, enjoying the sea breeze. She said she would return to her room soon, but when I went back to check, she wasn't there. To be precise, she never returned. I've searched everywhere, but I can't find her. I'm worried something might have happened to her."

"What could possibly happen? There are so many handsome, successful men on this ship. Maybe she hit it off with one of them and went to his room. Why are you overreacting?" A woman in a towel stepped forward, her tone dismissive.

Heather knew exactly what the two had been doing before she interrupted, but the urgency of the situation left no room for propriety.

"That's not possible. Miss Montgomery isn't that kind of person. She left earlier because too many people were trying to flirt with her. While I was searching for her, I noticed that some of the ship's railings had been tampered with-several were broken. I can't find Miss Montgomery anywhere. I'm afraid she..."

Heather's voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes. At this point, she didn't care where Aurora was, even if it meant finding her in another man's room. She just wanted her safe.

Aurora's reputation. She was a woman of principle, not someone who would vanish without explanation. He hadn't seen her all evening, despite

lying, Mr. Warden. I saw someone fixing the railings while I was searching for Miss Montgomery. Please, help me find her. Mr. Barnet will be back tomorrow, and if something happens to her..." Heather

about Julian and Aurora's relationship-it was plain for all to see. Aurora couldn't afford to have anything

worry. I'll search every room on this ship if I have to. We'll find her. Please,

Aurora was well-known. If anything happened to her-even

his robe, Mr. Warden stormed

checking rooms one

more intimate activities. Normally, Heather would have been shocked by such scenes, but

the absurd sights of that night-the

for now, room after room turned up nothing. Not even a strand of Aurora's hair.

was starting to panic. How could a person just vanish into

Heather's face turned pale as fear

everyone in the main hall. Let's see if anyone else is missing," Mr. Warden

on his yacht-especially Aurora

in the

Are you throwing a

for the disturbance," Mr. Warden addressed them. "I need to ask if anyone has seen

seen her all

struggling to phrase it. But the truth

a person just

and the room fell silent as the horrifying possibility sank