"I thought I told you to stop meddling with my work?" Bella asked, giving Chris her best puppy face.
Chris only shrugged and moved toward the door. She trailed after him.
When they reached the living room, Vera and Joe were gone. Bella made to follow Chris to his car, but he stopped her halfway.
"Head back in." His voice was firm.
"Why? I want to walk you to your car," she pouted.
"I'll watch you go inside," he said, smiling.
"You don't want me to?" she teased, tilting her head.
"It's freezing out here, Ella. Go inside."
"Fine," she sighed.
"Good girl." He bent and pecked her lips. "Bonne nuit, Mademoiselle."
Bella froze, then grinned mischievously. "Bonne nuit, Monsieur."
Chris halted mid-stride. "You... speak French?"
Bella's smile widened. "Oui. Not just understand it. I can speak it fluently."
"Since when?"
"My study year abroad. I went to France instead of doing placement. One of the best decisions I ever made."
Chris chuckled, shaking his head. "You never cease to surprise me."
"I guess I'm full of them," she said, smirking.
"Then I'm one very lucky man," he murmured.
Bella shooed him toward his car. "Go. It's late."
He lingered, reluctant. "Alright, but I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight," she said brightly before heading inside.
Chris drove off but unease gnawed at him. Halfway home, he turned the car around. Something precious felt unfinished.
Bella was folding clothes into her suitcase when her phone rang. Chris's name lit up the screen.
"Home already?" she asked.
"No. I think I forgot something."
"What is it?"
"Come downstairs."
Curious, Bella slipped on her black winter jacket and hurried down. "What did you forget?" she asked as soon as she saw him.
Chris didn't answer. He caught her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.
"This," he whispered when he finally pulled back.
Bella flushed, her breath uneven. "Now you can finally say goodnight?"
"Now I can." His grin was boyish, disarming.
"Go," she laughed, pushing him toward the car. "We both have an early flight."
He stole another quick kiss before sliding into the driver's seat.
The next morning Bella woke early, suitcase ready. Before leaving, she knocked on her mother's door.
"Morning, Mum."
"Morning, darling," Vera replied sleepily.
"Sorry for waking you, but my flight schedule changed. I couldn't tell you last night because of... your mood."
Vera's expression tightened. "Did I hurt Jay?"
"Physically? No. Emotionally? Yes. He thinks you hit him because of Kayden, and that cut deep."
"I didn't hit him because of Kayden. I hit him because he made me feel like less of a mother," Vera said, her voice breaking.
"Mum, I'm not the one you should explain that to. Jay deserves the explanation. And both he and Kay need scolding they've carried a grudge for three years."
"What grudge?"
Bella shook her head. "Not my place to say. Ask them. You'll see. But it's serious, and it led to yesterday's fight." She kissed Vera's cheek. "I have to go now, Mum."
Downstairs, the company bus was waiting. Bella wheeled out her suitcase and climbed aboard.
At the airport, Chris's arrival was marked with quiet ceremony. The cabin crew lined up on either side of the entrance as he strode in, tall and commanding. Bella walked just behind, keeping her professional mask on even though her heart sped up with every step he took.
The flight to Paris lasted just over an hour. Bella was thrilled to be heading back to France a place full of memories and old friends. But the trip felt strangely heavy. Chris had deliberately kept his distance during the flight, not wanting to make her uncomfortable before his staff.
She sat quietly, disappointment gnawing at her. She hated the feeling of being ignored by him.
Chris noticed. He caught her eye as they were about to disembark, scribbled something on a slip of paper, and folded it into her hand without a word.
When she opened it, her lips curved into a small, stunned smile.
"Distance doesn't mean silence. Just wait for Paris."
Bella slipped into the lavatory with the folded paper still in her hand. She didn't want anyone to see her reading it.
Her heart fluttered as she unfolded the note:
"I'm sorry I ignored you through the flight. It was torture for me too because all I wanted was to tell you how beautiful you look in that uniform. I've seen you wear it before, but today you looked breathtaking. I didn't speak to you because I didn't want to give your colleagues another reason to bully you. Please forgive me. To make it up to you, I want to take you on a date tonight. Your dress will be waiting in your room."
Bella pressed her lips together, fighting a smile that threatened to split her face. Chris always knew how to catch her off guard.
But when she tried to open the lavatory door, it didn't budge.
She frowned, twisting the lock again. Nothing.
"Omg. Did I just lock myself in?" she whispered, panic prickling her skin.
She reached for her phone only to find her pocket empty. Just her power bank. Then it hit her: she had left the phone in her bag after listening to music before landing.
"Brilliant," she muttered, knocking her head softly against the door. "Of all days..."
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" she shouted. Her voice echoed uselessly against the walls. By now, the attendants were already halfway across the tarmac.
"Where's Bella?" Tricia asked as the crew filed out.
"I think she left already. I saw her with Mr Hampson earlier," Yetty replied.
"Oh, she must've snuck out. How cute." Tricia smiled.
"Come on, let's get to the hotel. We need sleep," Yetty said.
No one thought to check again.
Six hours later, Bella was still inside. Her body ached from sitting curled against the cold floor. Her uniform clung uncomfortably as the temperature dropped, and she hugged her knees to her chest for warmth.
"How can nobody notice I'm missing?" she whispered, her voice raw.
Her throat tightened. She bit her lip hard to stop the tears.
Chris, across the city, was restless in the middle of a board meeting. He pulled out his phone and sent Bella a message.
"Do you like your room?"
No reply.
He waited. Another hour passed.
"Do you like the dress?"
Still nothing.
His stomach tightened. Maybe she was asleep? Still, unease pressed at him.
Finally, he typed: "Babe, are you okay?"
Again, no reply.
Chris glanced at his Patek Philippe. It was nearly four. Darkness would soon creep over Paris. Something was wrong. Without hesitation, he postponed the meeting and strode out.
"Elliot, call the hotel. Has she checked in?"
A few minutes later, Elliot's face turned pale. "Sir... the hotel says she hasn't."
Chris's jaw clenched. "Impossible."
He stormed into the hotel lobby not long after. The entire atmosphere shifted at the weight of his presence.
"Give me Bella Walter's room key. Now," he ordered the receptionist, his voice sharp as steel.
"Be... Bella what, sir?" the receptionist stammered.
"Walter," Elliot supplied coldly. "Registered under Hampson Airways."
The receptionist fumbled, typed frantically, then looked up nervously. "Sir, she... she hasn't checked in. All the other staff have, but not her."
Chris's chest tightened like a vice. He leaned forward, his glare cutting. "You're wrong. Show me."
The woman pulled up the records, trembling. "No mistake, sir. She didn't."
"Keys." His voice dropped lower, more dangerous.
She blinked. "S-sir?"
"Hand over the keys!" he barked.
She scrambled to obey. Chris snatched the card and strode to the elevator, Elliot hurrying at his heels.
The room door swung open under his hand. Empty. The dress he had chosen for Bella lay perfectly on the bed, untouched.
Chris's heart dropped.
"Where the hell is she?"
Elliot shifted uneasily.
"Get me the list of every cabin crew member who flew with us. Room numbers. Now."
Minutes later, Chris stood in the corridor, knocking firmly until doors opened and the startled crew peeked out.
"Has anyone seen Bella?" His tone brooked no excuses.
Confused glances passed among them.
"I thought she left with you," Tricia said nervously.
Chris's eyes narrowed. "Left where with me?"
Tricia swallowed hard, words catching in her throat.
"Answer me."
Her shoulders shook. "I... I asked where she was before we left the airport, but Yetty said she saw her with you."
Chris's gaze snapped to Yetty. "Did you see her leave with me or did you assume?"
Yetty trembled under his stare. "I saw her walking behind you when we left the jet. So when she wasn't there later, I thought... I thought she went with you."
The blood in Chris's veins turned ice cold.
Bella was missing.