?Chapter 1279:


    ine felt a heavy drop in his chest.


    Malcolm!


    “What about now?” he asked. “Where’s Malcolm?”


    “We don’t know,” the man said, shaking his head. “The staff im they haven’t seen either of them.”


    A chill ran down ine’s spine.


    He stepped forward, ready to storm out, but the guard by the door moved to block him.


    “Mr. Castro, please—don’t. Ms. Delgado made it clear that your recovery must stay hidden. If you show yourself now, everything she’s worked for will fall apart.”


    The words struck home. ine stopped, teeth gritted. He knew the guard was right.


    But how could he think about any of that now?


    His fists clenched, knuckles turning pale.


    How could he stay put now?


    Tina could already be in danger.


    A sharp panic settled in his chest—unlike anything he’d ever felt before.


    Only then did he realize just how deep his worry ran. This wasn’t just about a colleague. His concern for Tina had far surpassed what was expected of a boss.


    At that moment, a sharp voice called out from the end of the corridor,


    “What’s going on here? ine, what happened?” Sadie had heard themotion and arrived quickly.


    ine turned to her as if clinging to hisst hope.


    He rushed toward her, the usual teasing glint in his eyes gone. His voice trembled. “Sadie! Tina’s missing.”


    Sadie’s eyes widened. Tina was missing?


    How was that even possible?


    galnσνels.c○m hosts fresh updates


    ine and the bodyguard recounted everything in rapid detail. As the pieces fell into ce—Malcolm, Nirvana, Alex—Sadie’s expression grew grave.


    Each name carried weight. None of this was ordinary.


    Sadie made her decision instantly. “Don’t panic. Stay here and wait for my update. I’ll take some people and check Nirvana myself.”


    ine nodded quickly, still shaken.


    In moments like this, Sadie was always the one to think clearly. He stood frozen as she gathered her team and left. Then, as if thest of his strength had drained out, he sank into a chair in the corridor.


    His eyes dropped to the floor.


    His thoughts raced, but his heart felt numb.


    Tina was usually sharp and quick on her feet. ine could only hope she wouldn’t let her nerves get the best of her when it counted most. He kept reassuring himself that she’d be fine, silently repeating it over and over to drown out the creeping sense of dread.


    .


    .


    .