Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 81

Julian Vance had called Emma Lockwood a dozen times before boarding his flight, but she never picked up.

When Levi, the VP of the company, had no idea where she was either, Julian contacted her security detail. The bodyguards stammered, offering vague excuses that told him absolutely nothing.

Panic set in. Julian wanted nothing more than to fly back and file a missing person's report, which was exactly what he ended up doing.

He paid a premium to swap flights, abandoning his team to rush back to the country ahead of schedule.

The moment he landed, he pulled up the tracker location provided by his hacker friend and followed it straight to the source.

"Break it down."

Julian ordered his men to smash the door. The moment the first heavy blow landed, an alarm blared through the house, jarring Carter Harrington awake.

Carter's first instinct was to call the police, but when he glanced at the monitor and recognized the familiar bodyguards outside, he quickly changed his clothes and went to open the door.

"Carter Harrington?"

Julian barely pulled his punch in time. Carter stared at him with guarded hostility, not recognizing the man standing on his porch.

"Where is she? Where did you hide Emma?"

Julian barged into the villa without waiting for an invitation, gesturing for his men to search the premises.

But the bodyguards just exchanged uneasy glances and backed out of the doorway.

"Mr. Harrington, you'd better explain yourself."

Seeing his men retreat, Julian narrowed his eyes. What on earth had happened to Emma that her own security team was refusing to speak?

"Are you Emma's colleague?"

Noticing the bodyguards who usually shadowed Emma in secret, Carter figured the man wasn't a threat.

But...

He shot a glance toward the second floor. Given the current situation, it was going to be incredibly difficult to explain.

Catching that subtle look, Julian didn't hesitate. He made a beeline for the stairs.

"Stop."

Carter blocked his path. While nothing out of line had happened the night before, the bedroom was a chaotic mess, and Emma was in no state to be seen.

Julian gripped the banister. "Are you going to make me call those men back in to pin you down?"

Carter stood his ground, his grip firm on Julian's arm. "I will give you an explanation, but not right now."

The two men glared at each other, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Neither was willing to back down.

Carter looked mildly surprised. He knew Emma had ties to the Vance Group, but he hadn't realized the current CEO was her direct mentor.

Taking a deep breath, Julian forced his anger down and descended the stairs.

He couldn't exactly explode at Carter right now, so he took the opportunity to call the bodyguards inside.

"I sent you back to this country to protect her. Is this how you do your jobs?"

The bodyguards remained dead silent, too terrified to speak. Finally, the team captain braced himself.

"Ms. Lockwood was set up, and... and..."

Julian's expression darkened. Carter glanced up toward the second floor, choosing not to detail the events of the previous night. Instead, he stepped in.

"This is my responsibility. I will take care of her."

"Take care of her? Do you really think the Harrington family is capable of taking responsibility for this?"

Julian let out a bitter laugh, the raw hostility and disgust in his eyes proving this wasn't just a fleeting burst of anger.

"First, Percy Harrington abandons her at their engagement party and breaks it off without a proper explanation. Now you pop out of nowhere and lure her into your bed under shady circumstances."

"Your family really has some nerve. Did you honestly think she didn't have anyone backing her up?"