His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 724

The scale of the Fairhaven Group premises, only the towering Abernathy Group rivaled the might of it. The skyscraper, with its dozens of stories and thousands of rooms, was a testament to power and intimidation. But within its labyrinthine confines, Jareth's heart raced with dread at the thought of his beloved Marilla being trapped in some secret chamber, subjected to unspeakable horrors.

His fingers trembled violently, a physical manifestation of the pain that coursed through his nerves, tormenting his nearly shattered heart with an excruciating burn.

Gary would never divulge where he'd hidden Marilla; he relished the thought of keeping his most treasured possession out of reach, twisting the knife in Jareth's heart, fueling his rage, his hatred.

Yet, what baffled Jareth most was Lily's prowess. She could handle herself, no doubt about it - one against ten or even twenty was child's play for her. She was armed and wouldn't hesitate to take down any of Gary's goons if push came to shove.

He couldn't fathom how the riff-raff under Gary's command had breached his home security, snatched Marilla from under Lily's vigilant watch, and spirited her away to the Fairhaven Group's fortress without a whisper of a lead.

"Did you check the surveillance?!" Jareth barked as he raced through the corridors, his throat raw with urgency.

Dean, hot on his heels, clenched his jaw, "Checked. No camera shows any sign of Mrs. Fairhaven. Whoever brought Mrs. Fairhaven here knows the Fairhaven Group premises inside out. It's gotta be an inside job."

"It's collusion, I bet!" Jareth's voice was a harsh rasp of bloody vengeance as he called Lily, "Otherwise, that son of a bitch wouldn't have the guts!"

But Lily's phone was off. Jareth’s heart tightened, a cold sweat breaking out across his body, a chilling premonition of something far worse than he'd anticipated.

"Round up everyone. Search room by room! Whoever finds my wife, I'll guarantee them a lifetime of riches!" He declared with a voice rising from a pain-wracked chest, his pale lips trembling, his breaths erratic, "Also, call the police. Lily's in danger!"

"Yes, Mr. Fairhaven!" Dean affirmed at once.

Jareth's mind raced, piecing together the layout of the room where Marilla might be held. It was an odd room, different in color and furnishings from the rest of the skyscraper.

Gary wanted to play mind games, to make it hard for Jareth to find her. That meant the secret chamber was somewhere Gary was sure he wouldn't know. Suddenly, it dawned on Jareth that the top floor, the chairman's private domain, was off-limits to others. That had to be where Marilla was!

He sprinted off the elevator when it reached the top floor, calling out for his love with a voice so hoarse it mangled the name "Marilla" into an unrecognizable distortion.

Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

At the end of the quiet corridor, a dark crevice had opened in the otherwise immaculate wall. And there, Marilla's favorite teddy bear sat obediently against the wall, just as his darling wife would wait for him on the couch each night, a picture of tranquil domesticity.

In the blindingly white room beyond, Marilla lay silent and broken on the floor, her slender body in a white cotton dress as fragile as a feather on the verge of being scattered by the wind.

"Marilla!" Jareth's whole body shook uncontrollably as he kneeled beside her, pulling her limp form into his chest, "Marilla, Jareth's here, your husband's here. It's okay; it'll be okay."

His words were incoherent, his teeth chattering, bitter tears spilling over his reddened eyes and into the depths of his heart.

Marilla's eyes opened slowly, dim and unfocused. She tried hard to open her mouth, but it took a while to finally make a sound, her red eyes like a desiccated well, "Jareth, why did you take so long? Why did you take so long?"

Each weak question felt like a bullet through Jareth's heart. The guilt and pain were overwhelming; his lips moved, but no words would form.