The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 469

He chuckled, a touch of satisfaction in his voice. "Well, well, Lucius, this is what comes of biting off more than you can chew. You took what wasn't yours; did you really think you could keep it forever?"

Clutching the folder of documents, he turned to Paul and said, "Get our lawyer on the line. I'm heading to the jail!"

"Right away," Paul replied before glancing back at Magnus. "We've scoured all of Dubai, and still no sign of Gabby or your daughter."

"No rush, we'll deal with Lucius first." Magnus was desperate to find his missing daughter, but he had a score to settle with the man behind bars first.

In the stark confines of the Dubai jail, the bailiff slid the iron door open with indifference. "Lucius, you've got a visitor."

Lucius paused, taken aback. A visitor? Could it be Gabby? Surely, she wouldn't abandon him. He rose swiftly and stepped forward.

But the sight that greeted him was not Gabby's. Instead, Magnus stood there, cloaked in a dark trench coat, his gaze icy and piercing.

Lucius was startled. Why was Magnus here? A sinking feeling gripped his heart. With a deadpan expression, Lucius faced Magnus. He never imagined that his reunion with his once-loathed brother would be under these circumstances. He blurted out, "Seeing me like this must make your day, Magnus. Are you here to gloat?"

Magnus looked at him coldly. "You overestimate yourself, Lucius. Do you think I'd come all this way just to laugh at you? It's a miracle you're still alive."

Lucius realized this might be his last lifeline. He had to grab it, or he'd rot in this cell forever. His face twisted into a look of desperate sorrow. "Magnus, my brother, for the sake of our grandfather, help me. Get me out, and I'll steer clear of you for good. I won't meddle with the Andersen Corporation ever again. Please, Magnus."

It was the first time in his life that Lucius had groveled so low, a humiliating moment he would never forget.

Magnus snorted with derision. "And who is your brother? I had a brother, Jamie. He died when he was twelve. I don't have another brother."

Magnus glared at Lucius, who had tried to kill him since they were children. How could Magnus possibly feel any pity for him?

"Even grandfather wouldn't recognize you now, Lucius. If he were alive to see the mess you've made, it would've killed him a thousand times over. Cut the crap, where's my daughter?" Magnus' dark eyes bore into him.

Lucius shuddered at the mention of Magnus’ daughter. Anna! Oh, Anna was Magnus' daughter. A smirk crept onto Lucius' face at the thought.

"Indeed, I raised your daughter," Lucius said, standing and grasping the bars with agitated hands. "She’s over a year old now, cute as a button. Just get me out, and she's yours. Remember, I raised Anna when I could have discarded her. You owe me that much."

"You 'raised' her?" Magnus' fury was palpable. "You had the gall to betray Gabby into our trust, kidnap our daughter, and make off with a fortune. And now you expect me to save you?"

Magnus wanted to tear Lucius apart for causing the disappearance of their beloved daughter, driving his wife to the brink of madness.

"No matter what, Anna was raised by me. I could have abandoned her, but I didn't. You owe me, Magnus!" Lucius clung to the bars, desperate.

Magnus stood tall, looking down upon the felon. "You stole my child and subjected her to a life of uncertainty. Nothing can make up for the pain you've caused. Spend the rest of your days here. I'll find my daughter on my own. She'll be back with us soon enough. You needn't worry."

This was Anna's room. He sat on the small bed, fingers tracing over a pillow still faint with the scent of milk. Opening a drawer, he finally found a photograph of Anna holding a yo-yo. Her smile almost broke him. Her face was a mirror image of his own, and her eyes held a hint of blue, just like Natalia's.

The search would continue, but for now, in this room, he was as close to his daughter as he could possibly be.

Magnus felt tears well up in his eyes as he stared at the photograph of Anna. His little girl was out there somewhere in the world, a living, breathing miracle. The tears fell, splashing onto her smiling image.

She looked just like the girl in his dreams, bearing the unmistakable resemblance to both him and his wife—same face, same eyes. His heart clenched with a pain that was almost too much to bear.

He opened the closet and saw the tiny clothes. Their softness made his heart melt into a puddle of raw emotion.

Gathering the clothes and the photograph, he packed them neatly and handed the bundle to his bodyguard. "Find Gabby and Anna," he instructed once more, the urgency in his voice impossible to miss.

Weeks passed without a single lead, and Magnus felt himself teetering on the edge of despair. With a heavy heart, he decided to return to Hawaii, to the solace of the waves and the warmth that always seemed to soothe his soul.

As he approached the house, he spotted Natalia waiting on the porch, her presence like a beacon of hope. His heart skipped a beat, a mixture of love and aching tenderness taking his breath away.

He broke into a run, closing the distance between them in a few long strides, and swept Natalia into his arms.

"Honey, I'm home," he whispered, his voice laced with the weight of his journey and the relief of being in her embrace again.