Chapter 479

Three years later...

In the heart of Bassburgh, beneath a sky heavy with shadows, the neon glow of a bar flickered like a dying ember.

Lucas stepped inside, his sharp gaze sweeping across the dimly lit crowd before landing on the lone figure slumped at the counter.

Even in the hazy lighting, he recognized her instantly—Sophia Hill.

He strode forward, plucking the wine glass from her fingers before she could take another sip. Sophia blinked up at him, her vision swimming. "Why you?" she slurred, her voice thick with alcohol. "Plenty of drinks here... why steal mine?"

Her hand flailed toward the glass, but Lucas caught her wrist, his grip firm. "Evelyn's gone," he said, voice low. "And yet, here you are—three years drowning in liquor. Is this how you cope?"

At the mention of Evelyn, Sophia's face twisted. She jerked her arm free. "Why are you even here?"

Lucas set the glass down with a sharp clink. "Have you heard from her?"

Evelyn Vanderbilt had vanished after the incident three years ago. The Laurents and the de Armas had torn the world apart searching, but she had disappeared without a trace.

And Sophia—her best friend—was the only lead left.

Sophia let out a bitter laugh. "Did Nathan send you to interrogate me?" She jabbed a finger at his chest. "Do you even remember how he treated Zoe back then? Or were you all just blind?"

She shoved away from the bar, swaying dangerously. "I haven’t heard from her. If you’re so desperate, go find her yourself!"

Lucas grabbed her arm before she could stumble away. Sophia lost her balance, crashing into him. Instinctively, she shoved back. "What the hell? Trying to cop a feel?"

Lucas scoffed. "You think I’d waste my time?"

She hiccuped. "Then what do you want?"

His expression darkened. "Has Nathan sent others to ask you the same thing?"

Nathan Goldmann had become a ghost these past three years—rumors swirled of illness, of withdrawal, of a man barely clinging to life. The once-unshakable CEO of CKGOLD had retreated into shadows, just as Evelyn had.

Sophia sneered. "So what if he has?"

Then, without warning, she doubled over—and vomited all over his shoes.

Lucas went rigid, his face paling in disgust.

At the Goldmann Mansion...

The study was bathed in the dim glow of twilight, the French windows framing a man seated in a wheelchair. His suit was immaculate, his posture rigid, but his eyes—dark and hollow—betrayed the years of torment.

Oliver entered quietly, standing at his side. "Sir, Lucas has approached Ms. Hill."

Nathan didn’t look up. "I know."

Oliver hesitated. "You’ve known her whereabouts for months. Why send them after her?"

Evelyn Vanderbilt—the woman who had disappeared without a trace.

For three years, Nathan’s health had deteriorated. Even standing for too long left him coughing blood. The Goldmann empire had been managed from the shadows, his grandfather and Oliver holding the reins while Nathan remained a ghost in his own life.

And yet, despite everything, he had never stopped searching.

Oliver exhaled. "You let them believe you were dying. That you had only a year left. You handed everything over to Harrison and me... all to draw her out."

Nathan’s fingers tightened on the armrest.

Because Evelyn wasn’t just missing.

She was hiding.

And Nathan would burn the world down to find her.