From Mob Princess to Mugshot Photographer novel Chapter 46

**Storm Behind Sleeps by George Orwell 46**

**Chapter 10**

The villa stood in ruins, a mere shadow of its former grandeur.

In the heart of the living room, Alexander was a tempest of frustration, his temples throbbing with rage. The remnants of his phone lay scattered across the floor, shattered pieces glinting ominously in the dim light—a testament to his fury.

After being blocked on calls, a sinking realization hit him like a cold wave: she had also severed their digital connection, shutting him out on social media. Each desperate message he sent was swallowed by an abyss of silence, leaving him more isolated than ever.

In a fit of desperation, he barked orders at everyone around him, demanding they reach out to her. But one by one, his associates reported the same disheartening news—she had seemingly erased them from her life as well.

It felt as if she had vanished, determined to cut all ties and leave him behind, like a ghost slipping through the cracks of reality.

“Useless!” he bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls, causing the trembling security detail before him to flinch.

“D.C. isn’t that large! How does a living person just disappear without a trace?!”

The sweat trickled down the forehead of the head guard, his voice shaky as he replied, “Mr. Pierce, we’ve scoured all transportation records. Miss Hayes’s information… it’s as if it’s been wiped clean, deliberately erased…”

In a fit of rage, Alexander kicked over the coffee table, sending it crashing to the floor with a loud thud. His expression darkened, a storm brewing in his eyes.

“Then get the damn surveillance footage from the police! Find out where she was last seen! I want footage from every intersection—”

“Alexander…”

A sultry voice floated down from the staircase, cutting through his fury like a knife.

Chloe leaned casually against the banister, clad in a lacy negligee, her demeanor languid as she stifled a yawn, a teasing smile dancing on her crimson lips.

“Weren’t you supposed to be at the office? You’re back already?”

She descended the stairs slowly, each step deliberate, reaching out to him with a playful air.

Alexander shot her a glance, and an unexpected wave of revulsion washed over him. Ignoring her, he snatched his car keys from the table, turning sharply to leave.

Chloe’s smile faltered, freezing in place. She hurried down the remaining steps, positioning herself in his path. “You just got back! Where do you think you’re going?!”

She placed a hand on his shoulder, her tone dripping with an inviting sweetness.

“You’ve been working so hard. Let me take care of you…”

But as she caught sight of his icy expression, alarm bells began to ring in her mind.

“Are you… going to look for Olivia Hayes?!”

A look of suspicion settled on Chloe’s face, her brow furrowing as Alexander brusquely shook off her hand.

“Move aside. This doesn’t concern you.”

He shrugged on his coat with a sense of finality and strode toward the door. A flash of jealousy flickered in Chloe’s eyes, a storm brewing within her.

“Alexander Pierce! She was just a bodyguard! Barely better than a maid! So what if she left? Why do you care so much?! Unless… you’ve actually fallen for her?! Someone like her, who knows what she’s—”

“Shut your mouth!!”

Chloe looked as though she had been struck by lightning, her face pale with disbelief.

“From today onward, if you utter one more word against Olivia, you can leave this house.”

He turned on his heel, his voice icy and unyielding. “She was there for me during the years you were absent. You have no right.”

The front door slammed shut behind him with a resounding finality.

“Alexander, you’re insane!! Choosing a stand-in over me like this!!”

Chloe collapsed to the floor, her nails clawing at the carpet as she hurled a vase at the closed door, her eyes blazing with venomous hatred.

“Olivia Hayes… you goddamned bitch! Just let me find out where you are!”

The black Maybach tore through the night, its engine roaring like a beast unleashed.

Alexander’s knuckles turned white around the steering wheel, his heart racing as he drove aimlessly, retracing every step they had ever shared.

The lakeside path where they strolled hand in hand during twilight. The cozy Italian bistro where laughter echoed between them. The luxurious hotel where they would escape for a night of passion…

He searched every nook and cranny, but the woman named Olivia Hayes was nowhere in sight.

Pulling over to the roadside, he rested his forehead on his arms, an aura of anguish enveloping him, rendering him helpless.

“Olivia… where the hell are you…”