The evening rush had already begun by the time Chloe shut down her computer. The faint hum of chatter and footsteps echoed across StoneTech's design floor as she gathered her things, glancing once more at the clock on her phone.
Bella should've been waiting by now. She always was — leaning against the glass railing downstairs with that tired but patient look on her face, tapping her phone while Chloe finished up.
But today, when she stepped into the elevator and reached the lobby, the space outside the building was empty. Bella wasn't there.
Her brows furrowed. Perhaps she was still busy somehow. Chloe reasoned.
She dialed Bella's number as she pushed open the glass doors, her gaze sweeping the street — the cab line, the café across the road, even the far end of the parking lot. But Bella wasn't in sight.
"Come on, Bell," she muttered, pacing a little as the phone rang and rang. But there was no answer.
