Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

When Heather showed Ivy's photo to the women on the outskirts of the group, they exclaimed, "Yes, that's her! She said her name was Vivienne. Do you know her?"

"You're saying she disappeared from the ship too?" Heather's heart sank upon learning Ivy had been on the same cruise.

No one knew Ivy and Aurora's past better than Heather did. Ivy must have boarded the ship with revenge in mind after being expelled from the Montgomery family.

Heather couldn't shake the thought that the two must have had a confrontation. Perhaps they quarreled, and with the loose railing on deck, both of them might have fallen into the sea during their struggle.

"Yes, she boarded the ship with us, but after a while, we didn't see her again. We have no idea where she went," one of the women said.

"Mr. Warden, I'm afraid Miss Montgomery has truly fallen into the sea," Heather turned back to Mr. Warden, tears streaming down her face.

Before Ivy's connection to Aurora was revealed, Heather still held onto a glimmer of hope. But now, with both women mysteriously missing, the odds seemed

insurmountably grim.

"How are you so certain?" Mr. Warden asked, his face tense.

"Mr. Warden, the woman who disappeared along with Aurora is Ivy Montgomery. You've surely heard her name before. You must know what that means," Heather explained.

"Ivy..." Mr. Warden froze for a moment as the name clicked. "The former daughter of the Montgomery family?"

they crossed paths on the ship and argued. Coupled with a loose railing... the worst-case scenario is that they both

day, how would he explain this catastrophe? Julian Barnet was infamous for his ruthlessness. Anyone who crossed him would find themselves blacklisted from their social circles. Everyone knew how deeply he cared

ocean, finding her was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if they managed to recover her,

Warden shuddered at the thought, unwilling to imagine the consequences. Julian would flay him alive if anything

gripped with fear. Two people had disappeared-both likely gone forever. Only hours earlier,

and unforgiving. Recovering someone from the sea was no easy task, let alone after so much time had passed. Heather's eyes were swollen from crying. She called Julian's private number repeatedly using the

slept all

missed calls from an unknown landline number. Whoever called

sense of unease crept over him. Had something happened

his voice calm

practically unrecognizable. "Mr. Barnet?" "Yes, it's me. Who

Heather's composure crumbled the moment

chest tightened as

all night, but there's no sign of her," Heather choked out

him. Even

Barnet?" Heather called out when she heard no response. She knew the severity of the news was too much for him to

the sea? Explain it to me!" Julian finally found his voice, though it was filled with fury

recounting the events as best as she could. On the other end of the line, Julian was frozen in place, his knuckles white as he gripped

greeted by the sight of

a mix of

of the heavens without flinching now looked utterly shattered. Rock, who had worked by his side for years, had never